Christmas Weekend

Christmas week played itself out as usual. There were gifts to be wrapped, errands to be run and things to be done. Fortunately the MCC office work was slower than normal and we could focus on some of the holiday stuff.

The girls were out of school and very excited about Christmas. Abby was in her little girl mood and she, more than Amani or Sophia, spoke up often, saying she couldn’t wait until Christmas Day. Wanda spent Monday and Tuesday out with our driver Assefa most of the working day doing errands. There was a long grocery list but there were also some gifts to be bought yet. The girls took turns going with Wanda out to shop which I think they all enjoyed.

During the Advent season when we had a supper together as a family we would light advent candles and read the GC devotional and praying before eating. In this season we also watched all our ‘Christmas’ movies one by one on the weekend evenings. DVD’s such as Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, Charlie Brown Christmas, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Grinch (with Jim Carrey), It’s a Wonderful Life, The Christmas Story, Home Alone, etc. The final week before Christmas I began reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to the family and on Christmas Eve we watched the DVD starring Patrick Stewart.

Thursday night, Christmas Eve, finally arrived and we went to our church, International Lutheran Church (ILC). I had volunteered to put the service together and lead worship but many people volunteered to sing Christmas songs and carols from their home lands. It was a wonderful milieu of nations with carols in Dutch, Namibian, French, Canadian, German, American, Swahili, Congo, Ethiopian, Swedish, etc. Such diversity made it a very special night. The four purple advent candles were already lit when we lit the Christ candle in the center and later used it to start lighting candles in the congregation during Silent Night. We only expected about 50 people but we must have had closer to 70. A night to remember. Coming home I lit our huge 3 wick white pillar candle and set it on the kitchen table, a solitary light that would remain on for 36 hours. We also lit a fire in the fireplace before starting to watch A Christmas Carol. Wanda prepared hot chocolate for us. Lydette Assefa, our SALT’er who lives next door and who had joined us going to ILC stayed to watch the DVD.

Outside on the streets there was no hint that Christmas was to be celebrated, after all the Christians in this country celebrate January 7 as Christmas. So it was in our little enclaves, inside the churches and houses where the spirit of Christmas was made alive. When we finally went to bed on Christmas night it was after 10 p.m., late for our girls. Sophia and I couldn’t quite make it through the whole movie of A Christmas Carol, so there are some gaps in our memories of the movie. I resolved to sleep in late (that would be 7 a.m.) if I could.

But alas I woke up at 5:30 with a headache and even though I took something I couldn’t get back to sleep so I got up and started getting ready for the day. Last night’s dishes needed to be washed, the animals fed, the curtains opened and breakfast started. The girls were sitting on their pillows in front of the Christmas tree at 6 a.m. in the dark, watching the twinkling lights on it. They simply sat quietly together and I went back into the kitchen within a half an hour 3 voices were raised in song, singing Christmas carols together. I usually listen to the BBC or VOA when in the kitchen in the morning but I turned the radio off for this sweet sound. It reminded me that my daughters are growing in spirit and maturity, not harping on when to start the gift opening but patiently, quietly waiting. In fact when we were finally all in the room and ready to open presents it was our girls who asked if we could read from Luke 2, if we could sing a Christmas Carol, God bless them . . .

But that didn’t deter from the opening of gifts. We all took turns and watched each other open gifts. They were so excited about the various gifts. Three boxes came by post from the Amstutz side and one from our dear friends Jason & Mary Trego in addition to the gifts we gave each other. Soon the floor was littered with paper. I had started a fire in the morning once again and now we had paper to stoke that fire. We didn’t need the fire, it wasn’t particularly cold, but it added an ambience to our little Christmas celebration.

Late morning the MCC young women service workers joined us; Megan, Krista, Lydette and later Tamara. We enjoyed Wanda’s cinnamon rolls with maple icing on top. They were truly delectable, probably her best batch since coming here (baking at 7,600 feet can be a bit tricky). Ethiopian and Kenyan coffee and cinnamon rolls, yum. I made some bacon, an egg and cheese soufflé and pancakes but the meal all were looking forward to was the early afternoon dinner. Wanda had been working on two chickens over 2 days, roasting one each day. She boiled and mashed the potatoes and baked the squash we found at the local market. I made a green bean casserole. It all turned out quite good and all ate to their hearts’ content. We were mindful of the fact that we see extreme poverty and hunger every day in our work, sobering us somewhat in our prayers and celebration. Still, it was good to ‘take a break’ from our lives and work for 24 hours.

It was evening and our MCC’ers had gone home (except Lydette, being local and not having to take a cab across town in the dark) when we watched one of the new DVD’s the girls got for Christmas, Tuck Everlasting. The twins had read the book in school and really looked forward to seeing the movie. Naturally the movie was different in some key areas from the book, so Amani and Abby said, but it was entertaining and even thought provoking nonetheless. Lydette had taken a call from the states during that time and it was a good connection, apparently. Wanda had tried to call her parents, Skype to land line but it was not a success. The line broke up often, the voices were electronic and the delay was very confusing. After the movie, as we were getting ready for bed, a Skype call popped up. It was my brother Lon. I wasn’t very optimistic given the recent track record but for some reason it our Skype computer-to-computer call was crystal clear, no echo, no delay. Amazing! So those of you who have Skype and a DSL connection, we can talk (although I would say some times are better than others).

Today, the 26th, has been a very laid back day. A real day of rest for Wanda and I. Just what we need. I hope you will all get the rest you need after a busy holiday season.

Greetings from Ethiopia!

There is no snow, no decorated malls, no Christmas lights blinking in the night and yet, somehow, as December approaches we still feel the stirrings in our hearts that bring us to the excitement and joy of the season. I was comforted by that this year. Perhaps there is more to Christmas than tinsel, packages and bows as the Grinch discovers by the end of “The Grinch who Stole Christmas.”

In our small corner of Ethiopia the small, artificial “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree is up, the angel brought from home is on the top, our “Grandma Anna” stockings are hung by the fireplace, the carols play from ITunes and even some Christmas cookies will be baked and frosted. The International Lutheran Church (ILC) we attend has the advent wreath and Advent services. Yes, Christmas is coming!

This past year was a good year for our family. Our work with MCC has had its ups and downs but it is always rewarding when we can visit where the real action is and meet the people that are being helped through our partners. Most of our days are spent in the office working on administration “stuff” so it’s always a highlight for us to visit the projects we support. We also have 7 service workers and will add another in January. Working at building a team and providing support for our volunteers is a part of the job that we enjoy. We also spend a lot of time hosting guests from North America, both MCC and other, who arrive for various reasons.

The girls spend their time at school and playing with their animals. We’ve had two litters of kittens and puppies over the past year. It’s been fun for all of us to watch over them as they grow. We’ve got a very cute batch of puppies right now that will soon go to their new homes.

Abigail and Amani entered middle school this year when they began grade 6. They’ve been enjoying the new schedule with a different teacher for each subject and the social events that are planned. They have grown and matured and are becoming beautiful young women on the inside and out.
Amani was baptized this summer in a family service at the lake. We were proud of her decision and it is just one indicator of growing maturity.

Sophia began grade 5 this year and has a teacher she loves. They share the same sense of humour which helps make school more “fun” for Sophia. Sophia still enjoys playing school in her room, enjoys her dolls and her dog, Peanut. They all also enjoy playing on their Nintendos and watching videos. We still try to have a Friday family night where we eat pizza and watch a movie together.

This summer we had some much needed rest and relaxation during our home leave. We spent two months traveling between the United States and Canada visiting family and friends. We really appreciated everyone’s hospitality as we roamed “homeless” for the summer.

We are now more than half way through our term. Ethiopia has become home in many ways and we have a very good community that has grown up around us. When we arrived the local “Mennogroup” gathering of Mennonite and Mennonite related people was about 12 people including our family of five. A couple of weeks ago we celebrated American Thanksgiving together and we had a group of about 45. We feel blessed to be here during a time when there are several families serving with the U.S. Embassy that we know as well as others from various NGO’s that happen to be Mennonites who are here at the same time we are. Of course we have “non-Mennonite” friends as well. We feel especially blessed by many connections we have made here.

Living in this land has helped us all not to take things for granted— basics like electricity and water. I have heard the girls say at various times “we didn’t know how good we had it.” I think that’s true for all of us. Even as we strive to make life even a little bit better for those around us, we recognize that even here, we live “the good life.”

May you all have a blessed Christmas Season and a challenging and rewarding New Year.

Love,
Wanda, Doug
Amani, Abigail and Sophia

Visit to a Partner

November is a good time of year to visit Debre Markos in the Amhara region, north of Addis Ababa. Warm sunny days traveling on a 2 lane ribbon of relatively good highway through farmland and into the Grand Canyonesque Blue Nile River Gorge. The road winds down for several kilometers with many switchbacks before coming to the bottom of the gorge. Our Toyota Land Cruiser shows the outside temperature in the cabin and I noted the temp at the top was 18° C and by the time we got to the bottom of the gorge it was 28° C. A huge new span bridge awaited us. Constructed by the Japanese government for Ethiopia, it replaced an old Italian-made bridge that was obviously making its last stand. The last time we traveled this way only one vehicle could cross at a time.

Four of us traveled to Debre Markos; Mekonnen Dessalegne, our program manager, Solomon Teferi, our assistant program manager, Krista Allen, an MCC’er and myself. Our objective was to visit our partner Migibare Senaye Children and Family Support Organization (MSCFSO) in Debre Markos. Over a year ago we visited this place to look at a watershed that had been devastated by erosion. This organization was asking for assistance to restore the watershed and stop the erosion. We agreed to provide funding. Now, over a year later we were back in Debre Markos to see the progress made.

After arriving at midday, we checked into the local hotel. It is basically the one and only hotel of decent quality in DM, where one sees other ‘ferenjis’ (foreigners), like us. There is a restaurant inside where we had lunch. After lunch, we went out to visit the field, which was north of town.

There were 4 parts to our Tuesday afternoon visit:
Enerata School compound – we visited the compound where school director, Mr. Aznaka, greeted us. We saw two types of trees planted for income generation. One type is an indigenous tree, Kosso in Amharic, that is good for the environment, although slow growing. The other is eucalyptus trees. The school has 6 hectares that they have planted 2 different seasons of eucalyptus trees. The school uses this land to raise funding for such necessary things as books, supplies and any upkeep of the grounds. Previously they grew crops on the land but saw the tree nursery as a larger fundraiser. This will help the community. The farmers have previously been asked to contribute monies for the school operation but with the tree nursery, the community expects to be freed from this obligation. Of course they need to wait 5 seasons before the trees are ready but they expect a large payout. The tree seedlings looked closely planted together in one nursery and I asked about the standard. There was some discussion in Amharic but finally someone acknowledged that the close planting may have been because children were used as volunteers to plant. Even though the instructions were to plant the seedlings 50 cm apart many are less than 25 cm apart (even 50 cm seemed to close together to me). I also asked about if there was any discussion regarding the environmental impact of eucalyptus trees on the soil and in general. It seems that economic trumped environmental concerns. We also visited a small nursery of 6 apple tree seedlings where the school is hoping to harvest apples in a couple of years and to model the mini orchard for the farmers in the area. The saplings were leafless but they assured me that the budding would be happening in the next month.

Dejel watershed-Melit micro-catchment – This was the main reason we came, to view the catchment. There was certainly a change from the last time we visited. This time the land was mostly used to grow crops; wheat, an oats variety, a type of pea plant called Gibto in Amharic, flax, teff. There are now soil bunds, check dams and planting of grasses to hold the soil in the badly eroded areas. The result of the work is that the soil has stabilized and farmers have been been able to grow their crops. One farmer, where the erosion was the worst, agreed not to farm there but to fence it off and let it lay fallow. Significant siltation has occurred as a result. He was paid to build check dams and plant grasses to prevent further erosion. Other farmers we met as we walked through the catchment were equally enthusiastic about the changes. It was a good time to visit, when the grain was still in the field and obviously successful. We were told that the local officials were so impressed with this project that they have used it as a model for other eroded areas in the region.

Tree nursery – We walked from our vehicle to the tree nursery on the far end of the catchment, about 3 kilometers. The nursery was about 1.6 hectares in size and located near the local stream that runs out of the catchment. The workers can use the stream to water the seedlings. The nursery was successful last year, not only supplying the farmers and the project objectives but also the local officials as they asked for tree seedlings. Because MSCFSO lacks a truck to transport seedlings from the nursery, the local officials and the project managers reached an agreement; the officials agreed to provide trucks and the project managers agreed to provide them seedlings. This ended up working well.

Farming God’s Way demonstration plots – At the end of the day we went across the road to a small housing settlement where two compounds were. Both of the compounds had a fenced off area that were small plots where the owners were ‘Farming God’s Way’ (FGW). FGW is an agricultural approach developed by a South African Christian that is environmentally friendly and uses Biblical Scriptures to justify his farming techniques. It has been successful in other parts of Africa where it was introduced. Canadian Foodgrains Bank sponsored a workshop in Addis in September for all their partners (of which MCC shares several partners with CFGB).

The garden was covered in a straw blanket and the openings were evenly spaced where the corn was planted. Growing in each opening were 2-4 shoots of corn. The plot was constructed just as was taught in the workshop. Those who initiated the idea were very excited and proud of what the plots looked like. The farmers will be watching this. If it is successful there may be a whole lot of FGW patches all over East Gojam region.

We arrived back at the hotel around dusk and, after freshening up a bit, had supper together in the restaurant. The menu was a combination of Habesha (Ethiopian) cuisine and Ferenji (Western) cuisine. The food was nothing to write home about but it sufficed. Spaghetti and sauce, deep fried flat pieces of fish or chicken, the injera and wat were, naturally, the best of the lot. We were joined for supper by several Meserete Kristos Church gentlemen who had been conducting a workshop that day on conflict resolution for regional government officials. They excitedly told us how the officials embraced their training and how they planned to train subordinates in their locales when they went back home. We were energized just by hearing this. After supper there wasn’t much to do but go up to our rooms to bed. Fortunately the bed sheets were clean, with running water, electricity and a TV that worked. That’s all one really needs, right? Unfortunately the hotel is right next to a truck stop with semis starting up through the night and men shouting at all hours. But for one night it was tolerable.

On Wednesday morning, after breakfast, we visited the following offices:
Local Zonal office – Our MCC team plus Mr. Yehennu and Mr. Miheratu had a short meeting with the official who is the zonal administrator, in charge of the whole zonal area of East Gojam. After a slow beginning the official had warm words for MSCFSO and, by extension, MCC. The watershed project was well received by the local community and the officials well noted its success. He talked about cooperation between the two with the use of vehicles and offering of tree seedlings for government projects. He encouraged MCC to consider funding an even bigger project to the north which would help an area where 4 Woredas come together, a main area of tributaries to the Blue Nile basin. It was an honor for us to be offered this project but by the sound of it, it would be a huge undertaking, a grander scale than we have ever done. It sounded more like a project for the UN or USAID. So we smiled and thanked the official for his kind words and departed.

MSCFSO office – Finally we met together at our partner’s office to have a short time of discussion. We wanted to extend our compliments to the group for their hard work, Mekonnen exhorted the leaders to submit timely reporting but noted that they do a good job overall of that. Yehennu asked to be heard on two subjects; one is timely funding. They feel like the funding part lags behind the reporting that they give. The other is the problem of transportation. MSCFSO purchased a motorcycle as part of the project plan and this has been helpful but there is a serious problem in transporting materials, particularly seedlings from the nursery to various locations. On top of that is the rainy season. A motorcycle can go through the mud but the rider ends up quite muddy. It would make sense to have a truck for the rainy season and to transport materials. Both concerns were duly noted and recorded. We will look into them.

We headed out around 11 a.m. for Addis Ababa. Our thought was that we would stop somewhere along the way to eat since it would be a 4-5 hour drive. But as we drove back for some reason the Landcruiser never stopped along the way, it just kept going . . . and we arrived in Addis around 3:30 p.m. All were happy we arrived, especially Solomon who was feeling ill the previous 24 hours. I was exhausted and I couldn’t figure out why. Yes, I had driven the whole way but that couldn’t be the reason. I soon found out. I became violently ill and was laid out for the next 48 hours. Solomon and Mekonnen fell ill too at the same time. Must have been something we ate, we figured. I remained very grateful that I felt fine while we were there and on the way home. No one likes to be sick far from home.

The Recovery Act

So what have we done to recover from the blitz of activities from August 22 to October 11? On Monday, October 12, Wanda and I sent the girls off to Bingham for their normal school day but closed down the MCC compound. We gave our staff the day off as well as our housekeepers. A quiet day with just the two of us. Nice. Oh yes, we did go out shopping, we needed a lot of groceries, but somehow it didn’t feel rushed like usual. We played a game of Scrabble without interruption or time constraints. Wow. Nice.

But that wasn’t all. This week we are down at Sabana Lodge Beach Resort on Lake Langano. As the girls and Wanda are down at the beach (with a family we know also here) I am sitting in our room letting you know the recovery act is going well. Bingham Academy (and the other American school) are on Fall break all week. We came down from Addis on Tuesday morning and will go back on Friday morning. Three nights. Nice.

The lake shimmers in the morning sun below. The little lodges are built on the side of a hill, terraced one level above another. At the 400 level where we’re staying we can see for miles and miles across the lake to the other side. Everything works here, the electricity, hot and cold running water. The beds are comfortable, the décor is tastefully done. But most of all, it is quiet. Except for birds and the occasional bellow of a bull or a donkey, all is quiet. No traffic, no jet planes overhead, no crowded city streets. Peace and quiet.

It will all be over too soon, I know that. We’ll be back to the city on Friday and a host of issues will be waiting for us. Still, this will put some wind in our sails. A little wind at our backs is what we need . . .

Are You Coming?

Ethiopia is hard to describe. Daily life is so different from what we all know in our first world experience. We tried to convey some of that this past summer on our home leave and also in these blogs and with e-letters to friends and family. But as they say, you have to see it to believe it.

That is why I am hoping to see some friends and family in 2010. If folks don’t want to come by themselves, if they would feel better in a tour group then there will be a couple of opportunities next year to do just that. The first is a tour in March out of Canada (Americans don’t need to feel left out, I’m sure your money is as good as theirs). Darrell & Florence Jantzi are putting together a tour from March 3-20 that will include both Meserete Kristos Church and MCC activities as well as traveling to cultural and historic sites in Ethiopia (and I believe a safari in Kenya). I don’t know the details but I saw the advertisement in the October 5 issue of the Canadian Mennonite. Contact Darrell for details at Jantzi@golden.net

The other opportunity is not out yet but I hope it will be by the end of December. MCC has what they call ‘Learning Tours’ which go all over the world. I have contacted MCC Akron about the possibility of doing such a tour. I envision a historical tour of northern Ethiopia, a tour of MCC and partners, including Meserete Kristos Church. I am tentatively planning this for November 2010. We’ll work out details on this end, work with MCC Akron on that end and come up with a plan before the end of the year. In the meantime, to all our friends and family, including all the good folks from our churches we pastored in, think about coming here for a trip of a lifetime. Any takers?

Routines

Routines

Most of us don’t think about our routine, we just do it. But routines give us a sense of stability, especially when we are strangers in a strange land. So I might share my routine to give a sense how it may be at once familiar and unfamiliar to you.

I wake up early. The call to prayer is what often brings me out of my sleep. In the darkness, even with the windows closed, the Muslim call to prayer usually starts around 5:30 a.m. Sometimes it begins earlier, I don’t know why, but 5:30 a.m. is dawn; the moment when, in ancient times, the muezzin can distinguish between a white thread and a black thread. The local mosque has a good loudspeaker, Friday sermons are loud and clear, fortunately the morning call to prayer is not so harsh, almost melodic.

As I lie in bed becoming more fully awake, the birds begin their morning routine. Singing, call out to one another. The twittering and chirping moves the wakeup call from manmade to natural. It’s now 5:45 and I cannot sleep anymore so I get up. I set the alarm on my cell phone for 6 a.m. but I rarely need it. I turn on my computer in the semi-darkness and check my email and the overnight sports scores. While we were sleeping North America was still busy. There are usually some emails from MCC Akron or Winnipeg and occasionally some from friends and family.

Another alarm rings. It is Sophia’s new alarm clock the next room over. It is loud and obnoxious but she insists on letting it wake her up instead of me these days. 6:15 is when I go offline, open the bedroom curtains and go to the girls bedrooms, open their curtains and say it’s time to wake up. Then I leave. I have learned not to push lest my daughters turn grumpy.

I go out to the kitchen and turn on the shortwave radio. Either the BBC or VOA. They give me the best morning news updates. I go around an open all the curtains in the house just as the sun is ready to stream its light through the windows. I drink my 14 oz. of water with some vitamins. Boiled water in a large pot from the night before is cooled and ready to put into our water filter.

Time to feed the dogs and cats. There’s been whining and meowing outside the doors since hearing me get up. We feed them a homemade rice/lentil/canned dog food mix. Hard to find food for animals here. I open the door; Spot and Princess Waffles the cats come in meowing in protest (where have you been? I’m hungry) and Peanut the dog darts in, often heading straight for Sophia’s bedroom. I put the mix in their bowls on the back porch and take some for Coca the dog out the other door. Coca is always waiting by the kitchen door, tail wagging, friendly eyes looking up at me. I’m popular amongst the animals, feeding them does that.

I eat a banana and start getting the kitchen ready for breakfast. The girls don’t enjoy cereal in Ethiopia because the milk tastes ‘different’. It’s true. Both the fresh and powdered milk don’t taste light NA milk. So we don’t eat nearly as much cereal as back in NA. The choices are cereal (granola and yogurt), fruit, oatmeal, pancakes, french toast or eggs and toast. I often make either scrambled or overeasy eggs or sometimes an omelette. Abby usually asks for pancakes but I try to limit that to twice a week. I will also clean up the kitchen as I am making breakfast.

Around 6:30 I see faces. Wanda comes into the kitchen to finish making the lunches that the girls worked on the night before. Every half hour the news programs change on the BBC and VOA, I keep track of time that way. At 7 a.m. it is time to start warning the girls to finish up their breakfast and get a move on. At 7:15 they are to be out the door. Their backpacks are filled with books, lunch bags and other ‘little girl stuff’. They trudge out the door and head for the compound gate where one of our guards is ready to escort them down the street (a 5 minute walk) to the SIM Press Compound. There they will climb into the minibus taxis to take them to Bingham Academy. The morning traffic jam will turn a 10 minute drive into a 40 minute one.

Now we have time to finish our breakfasts and get ready for the day. By 8:30 our staff should be arriving. We throw open the office curtains, turn on the computers and get ready to start the business day. MCC business is usually answering email, working on the computer database called PlanWin, calling people or receiving calls and simply going through a checklist of things to do. Sometimes we have to turn on the generator because the power is off. Sometimes we have to work on water issues, either in our compound or our service workers’ compound. Wanda and Yeshiareg deal with the finances and Mekonnen and I deal with the programming.

There are breaks at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tea and k’olo in the morning, coffee and popcorn in the afternoon. Everyone stops and gathers, a prayer is said and we sit and talk. It is one way to get to know each other better.

Lunch is at noon and the staff usually gets 2 hours to go and get something. We have our share of ‘power lunches’, scheduling meetings with partners around a lunch. If we leave the compound we usually go grocery shopping as well because getting around town is so time consuming. It makes sense to shop.

The girls arrive home around 4 p.m. from school. If they have to stay after school for activities they come home on the late minibus, arriving in the compound around 5:30. A long day for them. Our day ends between 5 and 6 p.m., just as Akron and Winnipeg are waking up. I can always tell who gets into the office when, the email receipts start flowing back to me between 3 and 5 p.m.

Our supper is usually between 6 and 7 p.m. Our housekeeper Yeshi has made supper earlier and we just heat it up. It’s a good time of day to catch up with each other. Sometimes after supper we watch something together, like The Waltons or Planet Earth. The girls need to be in their rooms by 8:30, lights out by 9 p.m. Wanda and I will often watch a Everybody Loves Raymond or M*A*S*H* show (yes, DVD’s are amazing, we brought back whole seasons from our home leave this past summer in NA). Our lights are usually out between 10 and 11. We’ve heard the call to prayer 5 times today. We may have heard also an Orthodox liturgy chanted over their loudspeaker. There’s the braying of donkeys and the sound of thousands of vehicles down at the bottom of the hill. But now, relative to the day, all is quiet. The barking of dogs is heard from the various compounds as they hear the street dogs gather.

The routine will start again tomorrow, a variation on the same theme.

Running to Stand Still

I know, I’m borrowing the title of this blog from a U2 song. But that is the way it has felt since we arrived back in our offices in August; falling behind and running hard just to get to the place we are supposed to be. No getting ahead.

But now, I think we are almost caught up, thanks be to God. Let’s see, what were a few things that happened between then and now that caused us to feel like this:

Orientation – last year we had a large group of newcomers and spent August planning orientation for them. This year we came back from our home leave to find 2 people already here one week and starting their language class. So we had to catch up and plan an orientation as we were doing it. Visiting MCC sites and partners, visiting various cultural and social sites around the city, introducing them to their host families and work places. Fortunately Lydette (our SALT’er from Indiana) and Nindyo (our YAMEN’er from Indonesia) were flexible and were able to handle less structure.

Bingham Academy – School began the week we returned. Not too much a problem, it was good to get the girls back into a routine again. Yet Amani and Abby were transitioning to middle school which means a new schedule during the day and more activities after school. They are very excited and happy about it but it does mean more after school and evening driving. Fortunately it’s not too bad yet. Sophia is also very happy about her class and her teacher. Mr. Peters is a teacher with many years of elementary experience from Michigan and she really likes him. That is a relief to us.

Service worker transition – Two of our SALT’ers from last year have transitioned to service worker status this year. Megan and Krista moved out from their previous host families and moved in together in Addis, across the city. Finding a suitable place, moving them in and getting furniture and appliances for them took some time. Wanda needed to spend days going shopping with them and our office staff in order to get decent furniture and appliances for them.

Planning for workshops/meetings Participating in PME and EARM – As organizers of events know, it’s not easy to participate in something that you have been organizing. This is what happened to us. We sat in on the PME workshop when we could but in the end Wanda and I both were needed in other places. EARM was a bit different since the venue was almost 2 hours southwest of Addis in a resort compound, we were ‘stuck’ there (in a good way). Still, we worried about details and whenever the Negash Lodge manager needed to talk to a spokesperson for EARM, that was me.

Hosting – from the time we arrived in August our ‘guest container’ was occupied. Sometimes even our living room and, when we were gone, our bedrooms. We welcome visitors and guests all the time and enjoyed having MCC’ers staying with us. But it was a relief to have a quiet house this past week.

September 15 and October 15 – These are MCC administrative deadlines; the first is for reporting on activities of the previous quarter and the second is for applying for funding for peace, HIV/AIDS and Global Family projects for the coming fiscal year. In both cases we couldn’t get the work done on time. For the project proposals we have, we asked for an extension of the deadline until October 30 which the admin folks in Winnipeg and Akron kindly granted. So we are in the midst of working with our partners on finishing the proposals.

I think we are almost at ‘stand still’ right now. It may be that we’ll never get ahead, at least to our (and MCC admin) satisfaction. There’s still too much to do. Yet Wanda and I have the feeling that we have ‘passed through the waters’, to use a Biblical phrase, and have survived. We are grateful for this. This confluence of events was a ‘one-off’, as our Brit friends say; it will happen only once. We won’t be hosting EARM again while we are here, the PME workshop is a one-time event, the transition for our service workers is done for the next 2-3 years. Slowly our schedule is settling back to ‘normal’ busy (I still have a full page of things to do). But we are healthy and happy and recovering. How are we recovering? That would be the next blog . . .

The Carpet

One of our jobs as Country Reps for Ethiopia is to make sure that our service workers’ needs are taken care of. This means that I spend significant time getting apartments and houses set up for our workers. This doesn’t sound like a big deal and generally something I would enjoy. However, this is Ethiopia. Let me tell you about the day we went to look for carpet.

Ethiopia is home to Africa’s largest outdoor market called Merkato. Merkato stretches for kilometres and one can find almost anything here if one has the time and the patience. Each section of Merkato houses the same type of thing so there is the hardware section, the fabric section, the rubber boot section, the clothes section and …the carpet section.

The streets are narrow and crowded. Assefa, our driver, can barely make his way through the sea of people to get to the part of town we need. We finally arrive at the carpet stores. Now, don’t think North American carpet stores. No such thing here. Each carpet “store” is about 1.5 x 3 meters (4 ½ x 9 feet). There are gigantic roles of carpet stacked horizontally leaving only enough space for one person to squeeze in to take a look.

We go to three stalls before we find someone who actually has the type of carpet we are looking for. He pulls out a sample pallet with twelve beautiful little swatches of carpet and asks, “Which one do you like.” I have been down this road before. I have been in Ethiopia long enough now to know that it doesn’t really matter which one I like because, almost certainly, the one I like will not be available. I learned this much shopping for ceramic tiles for my kitchen last year.

So, before I even think about which one I may like, I say “which ones do you have?” Sure enough, he has about five of the twelve. But, not really the one we like the best so we move on.

Keeping a close eye on each other so as not to get separated, we make our way across the street to another merchant. He has some but not the one we like. So back, across the street, once more. Again the pallet of samples gets pulled out for us. We point at the green one, “Do you have this one?” He points at three large rolls of green carpet.

Yes, the sweet taste of success. Then the question “sinteno” (how much is it)? The price quoted is higher than all the others. Then comes the game of showing enough interest to keep the conversation going but not too much interest so there is no incentive to bargain. With a little coaxing the man agrees to our price. The room measurements are given and two young men hoist the gigantic carpet rolls on their shoulders and take them out into the street.

There is our newly paid for carpet being unrolled in the middle of the sidewalk, with people coming from both directions walking on our carpet, some carefully and others not so carefully. As they make the measurements and start cutting the carpet I keep my eyes both on the skies, which are threatening, and on a very persistent beggar I am trying to stave off. “Please let it not rain.” becomes my mantra.

All of a sudden we are aware that our surroundings have changed dramatically. The streets have swelled with people. Men are everywhere. We realize that we are straight across from a mosque and it’s time for Friday prayers. Wave after wave of Muslim men descend upon the street, their carpets or papers in hand and start to kneel down. Everywhere, in the street, on the sidewalk, in the allies, in the gullies, there are kneeling Muslim men. We realize that our window of escape is narrowing. We make arrangements to pick up the carpet in a couple of hours.

It’s a sea of Muslims now. Wave upon wave continues to break upon the street. We start to make our way quickly through the crowd trying to find even a small pathway that will lead us out. Just as we make our way to the truck parked on a side street we see wave upon wave of Muslim women descending upon us. We are parked in the area where the women pray! We quickly jump into the vehicle and Assefa begins to make his way painstakingly through the waves of women. Thankfully we make it to a main road where it’s open and the car to able to make it’s way out of the Muslim ocean. We can breathe again.

The carpet is retrieved a couple of hours later and even though there was a downpour on the way home the carpet makes it to the MCC compound safely and is now in the new house where our service workers, Krista and Megan, will be living. It’s never easy, but what we set out to do was done successfully. We never take that for granted here.

Note: Krista Allen begins a new term with the MKC Peace Office writing a childrens’ Sunday School peace curriculum for the MKC church and Megan Weemes continues her assignment working with a local NGO on HIV/AIDS and peace related work.

Roth Amstutz Travelouge

Saturday, August 22 entry:

Greetings from Addis! We can say this finally after quite an ordeal in traveling. We were taken to Toronto by a cloud of witnesses, that is Howard & Shirley, Deb, Kris & Krista. So many thanks to you folks for doing all you did for us, especially in that final week. Those last couple of days were hectic, trying to get all the baggage weight right, sweating away in the room where all our stuff was. The ride to the airport was uneventful, parking was uneventful and getting our luggage checked was uneventful (all bags were accepted at 23 kg. even though the scale sometimes said 23.8 or 24). We had bought a U-Haul box and made it overweight in order for everything to fit, agreeing to pay $150. I had taped the box in the corners and put string around it and the last we saw of it it was making its way through Frankfurt to Addis.

That was the last uneventful part of our journey. Soon after we boarded at 6 p.m. the heavens opened up and a huge thunder and lightning storm engulfed Pearson International Airport (it was spectacular). The deluge gently rocked the airplane as we sat motionless on the tarmac at the gate waiting for the storm to pass. The control tower didn’t clear us to fly until almost 9 p.m. That would prove our undoing. However the flight over was smooth and quiet, 7 hours later we landed in Frankfurt. Unfortunately the smooth ride didn’t help Amani. She couldn’t help throwing up as we landed and we couldn’t find the airsick bag in a moment’s notice. The attendant quietly covered up the mess on the floor and opened a couple of bags of coffee on it to neutralize any smell. (don’t worry about Amani, she’s fine, it was that first time coming down and having just eaten a large meal).

Our connecting flight was to leave at 10:25 a.m. We landed at just before 10 a.m., got out of the plane about 10:05 and were at Gate B62 at 10:15 only to be told by some security that the plane had left the gate. What? It turns out that the 10:25 means take off, not leaving the gate, at least that is the excuse we were given. In my tired state I was pretty upset and I let the airport staff know it. Several other families who had gotten off with us and had run to Gate B62 too. But there was nothing for it but to go find out what options we had (later, in retrospect, I realized that the reasons given by Lufthansa staff at the gate and upstairs at the desk was flawed. Passengers and agencies around the world don’t care what time the pilot has to be out on the tarmac, that departure time listed is for the passengers to know when the plane is leaving the gate. They didn’t have an excuse and probably knew it). And that was the beginning of the ordeal.

We found the Lufthansa re-booking desk upstairs and proceeded to book a flight on Ethiopian Airlines for 11:30 p.m. on a nonstop flight to Addis arriving the next morning (Saturday) at 7:30 a.m. and for the rest of the day we wandered the airport. We didn’t mean to. It just happened. We wanted to find a place to relax until the time came and were told we could go to a ‘sky lounge’ and rest. But it was on the opposite end of the airport. There was a ‘skyline’ tram we could take and we did and after walking what seemed like forever we finally found the lounge. The price of admission was much more than we were told ($40 per person, although the lady was will to charge ‘3 for 5’) and it was cash only, euros or dollars. We had neither. Now we went looking for McDonald’s. Unbeknownst to us, there is more than one McDonald’s, one for travelers only and one for the general public and travelers. They only told us of the public option and soon as we arrived we realized this wasn’t the one we wanted. Busy, dirty, noisy, lots of kids with no room to stretch out. The problem was that we had to pass through passport control and security each time we went in and out. It’s a long story but we had to do that several times because of our confusion. We went back to terminal 1 in search of McDonald’s for transit travelers, back in B area. We visited A, B, C, D, E areas and terminals 1 and 2 from end to end. We did find McD’s in the end but were exhausted. My feet, legs, back and neck hurt. We found some ‘lazy boy’ type chairs in C and rested there for several hours. We were told that ET would probably depart from C area. Turns out they left from B area very near where we started the day. If only we had known . . .

We were the typical tired travelers when we finally were able to board late night. ET flight 707 was fine but not as nice as Lufthansa would have been. It was mostly full, with us near the back with the crying babies and Ethiopian families who wouldn’t talk quietly when the lights went down and everyone tried to catch an overnight nap. The girls all were able to sleep with Sophia having the best spot. My whole center row was unoccupied so she came and laid down across 2 seats for most of the flight. Wanda and I dragged ourselves off the plane in the morning’s light but the girls were almost perky. Customs wasn’t a problem and we were thinking that our luck was about to even out, we only needed to pick up our luggage. 9 pieces came out immediately in the near empty airport but we waited for the box to come out on the carousel . . . in vain. It didn’t show. Well, there goes our 7 lbs. of cheese and 10 lbs. of sliced pepperoni . . . as well as clothes and yard rake head for our gardener.

There were a whole cloud of witnesses waiting for us here in Addis. We were met by Mekonnen, our program manager and Assefa, our driver, at the airport. Yeshiareg, our secretary/bookkeeper and Yeshi, our housekeeper, were waiting at the house along with our new SALT’er Lydette and YAMEN’er Nindyo. Of course there were a whole host of animals to welcome the girls. At first Peanut and Coca barked like we were strangers but when Peanut realized who we were she started yipping, crying, barking and dancing all around the girls and me. Princess Waffles and Spot showed indifference but there were 4 kittens lurking in the laundry room, half wild (they’re now in the house, Princess Waffles personally brought them in and the girls are getting to know them and vice versa).

Wanda and I had a couple of hours of shut eye this afternoon and are working on unpacking all our goodies. So to sum up; we arrived alive, though tired and weary. 90% of our luggage arrived and we are holding out hope that our box will be coming in tonight’s flight. Amani, Abby and Sophia were GREAT! In spite of all the ordeals, all the unexpected twists that are part of traveling they soldiered on, keeping up a good humor for the most part. Wanda and I told them that they are now world-class travelers. And they are.

Thanks to all of you who hosted us on our way through home leave. We were so glad to see each and every one of you and were sad to leave our dear family and friends. But a couple of friends of ours helped us think of our 4 years like a work week; the first 2 years were like Monday and Tuesday, our home leave was like Wednesday (sometimes called ‘hump day’ because as you are climbing through the week you get over the hump of midweek and can see the end of the work week), a break between our term. Thursday and Friday are like the next 2 years, they’ll go by fast, I’m sure.

Tuesday, August 25 entry:

First things first, the prodigal box arrived! The box we brought from Tavistock that didn’t arrive with us on Saturday morning, was in the airport on Sunday morning when I went to pick Megan Weemes up at the airport. Her flight came in at 5:10 a.m. I went back into baggage claim to look for my box. A chill of thrill ran through me when I saw the box in the locked area of the airport baggage claim. It had apparently arrived the night before, on Saturday evening, same flight that brought Krista Allen in. The other wonderful thing was that I didn’t have to pay anything to get it out. No baksheesh, just a smiling official who found the key opened up the door and wished me a good day. Lots of warm and fuzzy feelings toward Ethiopian Airlines and Bole Airport Authority that morning.

Holding our breath, we opened up the box. Would the cheese and pepperoni still be good? The cooler was still intact, the Rubbermaid ice blue cold packs were no longer frozen but were still cold and the cheese and pepperoni were also still cold. Amazing, after 4 days in transit! We immediately sectioned the cheese and pepperoni for freezing and put them in the freezer. We believe it is all still good, the cheese crumbles easy but small price to pay for bringing it all the way from Amstutz Pantry in Kidron, Ohio in July to Addis Ababa in August.

Jet lag is no fun, but the internal gyroscopes are slowly righting themselves, although we’re not out of the woods yet. Wanda and I are still tired in the day and waking up at night. It’s no fun to be groggy when you are working in the office. The girls seem to be doing alright. The compound is in beautiful condition. The rain has made everything green and our gardener, Gutu, has done a great job all around the yard. In addition many things we asked to get done were done. Screens were put in all bedroom windows, the flooring is finished, the painting is done, the shelter for the ping pong table has begun, a wood shed was built, a door for the trash incinerator was installed. That was all encouraging.

How about water and electricity? Things we take for granted we immediately became aware had not changed much here. We were told that electricity was being rationed out, every other day. Our water was beginning to trickle. Only too late did we realize that our 2 water tanks were completely empty. I got a shower on Saturday before we realized it on Sunday. We didn’t even have the jerry cans back up water in place and our house had swelled to 9 over Sunday night! On Monday we had water trucked in but still the hot water wouldn’t flow. Finally in desperation I started drawing bath water in our bathroom and let it run for the next hour. It started out as a trickle, to a tiny stream and finally to a decent stream. It seems that the lines needed to be bled. So now we have running hot and cold water, a real blessing! As for the electricity? Everyone told us that it would go off on Tuesday at 7 a.m. and it did, but then came back on again within the hour! This afternoon we heard that the government decided that the city would have uninterrupted service until the new year (Sept. 11). That’s good news for everyone! (p.s. turns out that that wasn’t accurate; we have had intermittent power outages since Tuesday, including power off all day on Friday and Saturday. Nothing is certain here . . .)

Bingham started school today (Tuesday) and our girls were very ready to go. Monday night they started a new era by making their own lunches (with some mild supervision). This morning they were up and at ‘em early and actually left the compound early, wow! This afternoon they came home so excited. Amani and Abby said that 6th grade is awesome! Sophia said that her grade 5 teacher is awesome (Mr. Peters). So it’s great to hear them so bubbly. (p.s. the mornings leveled off quickly, by Friday we were pushing them out the door, behind schedule)

P.S., Saturday, August 29

We are all getting back into the swing of things. Wanda and I spent the week catching up on our work. Our house and office are more organized than at the beginning of the week but the next week looks as busy as ever. We’re doing orientation for Nindyo and Lydette, we’re meeting with partners and friends in the coming week and planning major workshops and MCC visits at the end of September and early October. We’ll be ready for a break by the end of October.

A Midsummer’s Dream

We are past midsummer and it is not a dream, we are in North America. We landed on Saturday, June 20 after a long transit from Addis. It was on the eve of midsummer, solstice, and the day seemed to go on and on (in Addis Ababa the sun always sets between 6:30 and 7 p.m.).

The first couple of weeks were spent with Wanda’s family and in St. Catharines, with health appointments and with friends. Lots of good food (too good, I think I’ve gained weight) and good exercise. For my part I’ve been able to walk every morning, in part to maintain my weight and in part to simply enjoy the free and open space. Amani, Abby and Sophia have been freed too, taking advantage of the wide, open spaces to bicycle and roam around. One doesn’t realize how confining our compound in Ethiopia has been until one is ‘freed’ here in North America. As white North Americans in Addis Ababa, we stand out and the females are sometimes the target of harassment.

So far we have all had our eyes checked (the girls are fine, no correction needed. I need a small correction to the better and Wanda is going to need bifocals, effectively ‘crossing over’ to middle age), the girls got booster shots at the health clinic, Wanda and I have had our teeth checked (the girls will be checked in August), and we saw our M.D for the first time in two years. I am feeling more relaxed since most of the health obligations are now done.

But shopping is another matter. Wanda and the girls are really enjoying hitting the stores, lots of happy smiles after each mall experience. I prefer shopping online. My two favorite stores right now are Amazon and LL Bean. This can be fun with a broadband connection (as opposed to a slow dialup connection). DVD’s and clothing make up most of the purchases (DVD’s have become our way to cope in Addis with two government run TV channels and our choice not to purchase a satellite dish), along with checking out news, sports and weather online.

The weather has cooperated most of the time, with only an occasional rainy day here and there (southern Ontario has had more than its share of cool, wet weather). For the most part it has been sunny and warm, but not hot and humid, which is another wonderful weather gift for us.


We have already enjoyed very good company of family and friends. We have been invited out to homes and out to eat and in all of these places we have been welcomed. It feels good to catch up and we are warmed by the hospitality of family and friends.

‘til next time . . .

Home Leave

Our home leave begins June 20. I remember on New Years Day sitting down and drawing up a preliminary schedule. It was very exciting but it seemed so far away. Now it is imminent. We are getting out our luggage, opening up the suitcases and starting to put things in them that we want to take home. Not organizing just yet, but simply putting things in. We are buying special things for our friends and family (especially those who are hosting us!).

Here is our schedule; check the local listing to see if we will be coming to your hometown:
Friday, June 19 – 10:30 p.m. leave our house and the MCC compound, bags packed, and head for Bole International Airport.
Saturday, June 20 – Begin the journey on a 1:35 a.m. on a Lufthansa LH 653 flight. Arrive in Frankfort in the morning, a layover of about 7 hours. Take off in the early afternoon and arrive in Toronto on LH 470 flight at 4:15 p.m. Arrive at our destination on the same day (I think we’ll be a bit tired). Meet the families (both sets of parents/grandparents and possibly other Roth family members) at Pearson International and travel to Tavistock. Eat a good meal and go to bed (if we can. Those of you who travel know the feeling of being ‘wired and tired’ at the same time).
Sunday, June 21 – Enjoy a unique Father's Day with both fathers, Amstutz and Roth, gathered around a table to eat. Say good-bye to Mom & Dad Amstutz as they head home (see you soon!).
Monday, June 22 – Get up early and travel to St. Catharines. Yes, if you are a friend of Amani, Abby and Sophia and are a student at Port Weller, here is a little surprise for you, they plan to show up in your classroom that day, surprise! Meanwhile Wanda and I will be going to the dentist (hm-m-m, let’s see, who will have more fun; our daughters or us?). If our teeth are relatively good and we get out at a decent time I hope we can ‘pop in’ on a couple of friends during the day. But if you are a friend in St. C and don’t see us that day, don’t worry, we’ll be back the following week. We will drive back to Tavistock that same day/ night.
Tuesday, June 23 – So the rest of the week will be spent in the company of our family ([grand]parents Roth, siblings and families). Yes we plan to R&R but with our Power-of-Attorney in our midst, I’m sure there will be business to conduct. And to inspect one of the storage facilities we are using. And to go online and begin ordering things that we want to take back to Ethiopia. But yes, to hang out.
Sunday, June 28 – It would seem that we are invited to share our MCC Ethiopia experience at East Zorra Mennonite Church, Wanda’s home church. So we hope to have a little power-point-presentation ready for them (and for friends and family as well).
Monday, June 29 – travel to Niagara region where friends have arranged for us to stay in the ‘Coffman Cottage’ in Vineland. From there we will have a week to do health appointments and visit friends. We look forward to that.
Saturday, July 4 – travel to Kidron, Ohio and arrive by mid-afternoon. I anticipate we will be seeing not only [grand]parents but also my siblings and their families. For a family that is far flung from each other, this will be a real treat. And hey, it’s the 4th of July, might we see some fireworks?
Sunday, July 5 – sounds like we have tickets for the Cleveland Indians – Oakland A’s game at Progressive Field (I still prefer Jacobs Field). The whole Amstutz family is going and it will surely be great fun.
Friday, July 10 – Drive out to Hamilton, IN to Lon and Heidi’s lake cottage. But wait, might there be a chance to go to Cedar Point that day?
Monday, July 13 – Drive over to Goshen, IN for the day (and overnight at Tim & Jen’s) and return to the lake cottage on the 14th.
Friday, July 17 – Drive to Indy to the Boschstutz house for the weekend. It’s been a while since we hung out there. I remember going to Steak & Shake just before we left for Ethiopia. Maybe we’ll get to visit there again . . .
Monday, July 20 – back to Kidron for another week. Hopefully we can relax a bit then. Eat fresh fruit, lots of ice cream, chicken BBQ from Gerber Poultry . . .
Saturday, July 25 - Drive to Scottdale, PA to see our friends for a week.
Saturday, August 1 – Drive across Pennsylvania to Akron, PA to see more friends and, of course, pay a visit to MCC Head Offices (where the Africa desk is located).
Wednesday, August 5 – Last big drive of the summer. Travel from Akron to St. Catharines in one day. Stay overnight.
Thursday, August 6 – Travel to Tavistock. Back with family.
Sunday, August 9 – Travel down to St. Catharines to Grace Mennonite Church for Sunday morning worship. Meet old friends at church. Return to Tavistock on the same day.
Monday, August 10 – Travel with Kindler family to a cottage for 4 days, one last getaway for the summer.
Saturday, August 15 – Back to Tavistock. Time is running out now (wow, I’m feeling it just writing about it!), time to prepare to travel back to Ethiopia.
Thursday, August 20 – Depart from Pearson International Airport at 6:05 p.m. on LH 471.
Friday, August 21 – Arrive at Bole International Airport at 6:20 p.m. on LH 652. We’re back.

There you have it. Two months is even too short to do all we want, but we’ll try! We’ll miss our friends here in Addis but can’t wait to see family and friends on the other side.

All Systems Go

On a good day the electricity is on. On a great day there are 4,000 liters of water in our two tanks. On a really great day the hot water pressure is working. And on a perfect day all this is combined with the fact that everyone is healthy and happy. That was a day a couple of weeks ago but not today.

I am looking back on that moment now because it is so rare. In recent months the water tables have slowly gone down in Ethiopia causing a two-fold problem. The shortages of water and of electricity. That’s because this nation is powered mostly by hydro-electricity. The good news is that the rainy season is coming and the country is nearing completion on several more dams, including one that is slated to begin operation at the end of July.

But right now we don’t have electricity at least 3 days a week. We have heard the government has announced that there will be more power shedding with the power going off every other day for the foreseeable future. In addition we haven’t had water coming into the compound for at least 3 nights. No water comes into the compound during the day normally, but usually comes at night. Unfortunately we haven’t had any water at night now either. So we are imposing water rationing on the household. If the water doesn’t come over the weekend we’ll have to truck some water in with a tanker.

The other week we did have water, two tankfuls, but no water was coming in. We called Master Plumber. Normally I would say that with a smirk but Mr. Addis is truly a master plumber compared to his competition. Most plumbers have no training other than learning on the job from someone. Most plumbers bring no tools, you need to supply the tools. Most plumbers don’t have transportation, they either come on foot or you go pick them up. And if they need parts, you take them around to the hardware stores to shop. This is true of all the trades here. So when you can call a plumber and he says, I’ll be there in one hour, and he comes in one hour; when he arrives in a car with his own tools, when he speaks good English and knows plumbing terms in English, when he goes out shopping on his own, when he charges you a reasonable rate, then you know you have struck gold.

So Mr. Addis came and found dirt in our plumbing. It is ancient plumbing, he pointed out, inadequate for current household needs. But for the moment the water is running again and our budget is looking to be strained, so we’ll hold off for a bit. It turns out Addis has just started a construction company. Building houses, remodeling houses. So we plan to see if he can give us a good deal on laying down new flooring, painting several rooms, and building a shelter.

Right now living here is not ‘convenient’, but if there is a normal rainy season here then much will go back to ‘normal’. When we come back in August I hope that much will be improved such as;
• A steady flow of water coming into the compound
• No more power shedding, electricity 24/7 thanks to the rain and the new dams online
• All the roads in our area that have been under construction over the past 2 years will all be done, good-bye to all the traffic jams due to construction (there will still be traffic jams).
• Our house will have new flooring and fresh paint.

If all goes according to plan, all systems will be go, is that too much to expect?

Waiting All Day with Abby

It is the surgeon’s opinion that Abigail has the operation.

Did we hear this right? We were stunned by the swift turn of events. Only a couple of hours earlier we had brought Abby to the St. Yarid Hospital continue to figure out what was going on in her little body.

From Friday night, when she complained of pain in her lower side until now, we had spent most of the weekend at the hospital. Abby complained of pain on Good Friday night at the twins birthday party (a very nice outdoor affair with hot dogs and marshmallows roasted over an open fire).

On Holy Saturday we spent much of the day as a family at St. Yarid’s, all being tested for gastro-intestinal problems (except Wanda). We were asked to give blood, stool and urine samples based on our symptoms. Abby and Sophia were asked for all of these, but Sophia couldn’t give blood in the end. Amani and I were given a clean bill of health but Sophia and Abby were found to have amoebas. Both were immediately put on antibiotics to wipe them out, but the doctors wondered why Abby was complaining of pain in her side so they decided to do an ultrasound test on her. It was from those tests that they thought they spotted an ‘intussusception’, which is something like the intestinal wall folding into itself (visit this website to learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intussusception_(medical_disorder) ). But the diagnosis wasn’t fitting because Abby didn’t have severe cramping or high fever or vomiting. So they ordered another ultrasound in the evening. But a huge rainstorm hit Addis on Saturday evening and even though I tried I could not get to the other side of town. Traffic was the worst I have ever seen it (and that is saying a lot). It took about a half hour to decide to turn around and 3 hours just to get back home!

The ultrasound was rescheduled for Easter Sunday (Palm Sunday for Ethiopians). I went to the sunrise service, went home, picked up Abby and headed across town. The circumstances were much improved. This time there was no traffic, this time the pediatrician was there to monitor the test with the technician. Again, the doctor and technician saw an intussuseption and asked that Abby come back for another test on Monday. That night Wanda called our Menno doctor friend in town for advice. He suggested that whatever the result on Monday at St. Yared, that we get a second opinion. That sounded wise to us.

So on Monday Wanda and I took Abby and arrived at 9 a.m. to see the doctor for another ultrasound. Over the course of the weekend as we talked with the doctors I continued to ask what would happen if the diagnosis is intussusception and although we talked about various treatments, the only option in Ethiopia is surgery. Still, Abby’s symptoms didn’t point to intussusception so no one was going that far on the weekend. After the 3rd ultrasound however, the doctors saw the same thing again. They conferred and said that, in their opinion, Abby should have an operation. We said that we wanted a second opinion and mentioned Dr. Lim, who was suggested by Dr. Trego, our friend and was known to Dr. Teame, the head doctor at St. Yared. They agreed and Dr. Teame called him. Dr. Lim was just going into surgery at his hospital (Cure Hospital is a NA Christian venture which treats physical deformities such as cleft palate for free to those who can’t afford treatment). Dr. Lim said he would see us but needed a CaT scan in order to diagnose. So off we went to the WWJ clinic to have Abby scanned. From 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. we waited in the clinic until the electricity came back on in order for them to power the CaT scanner.

Abby remained in good spirits most of the time. She was laughing and joking at the start but as the morning wore on she became somber when she understood that she might have surgery. Still I don’t think she understood the full import even when we explained to her. Her biggest worry was not going back home to play with Sophia (who was home still recovering from her amoeba) whom she had promised to play with on Monday. Yet as the day wore on she became restless and weary and after we ate lunch, her side hurt again. But she never broke down. Even when we finally arrived home at dusk exhausted, Abby still had a sense of humor about her.

The final stop was going to the Cure Hospital to see Dr. Lim. He is an American board certified plastic surgeon as well as a general surgeon. He and his wife (a pediatrician) are here as Christians to serve the Ethiopians. Cure Hospital provides a service to those who are physically disfigured, such as cleft palate, and need surgery to repair. There are Cure Hospitals all over the world, so I am told, and obviously doing a much needed service. Since we didn’t fit into the category of Ethiopian or physically deformed, we were asked to pay western prices for the consultation. The money would go directly to help defray hospital expenses in helping the needy. In this case it was worth a top notch diagnosis and opinion.

She doesn’t need surgery. What a relief when Dr. Lim looked at the CaT scan and examined Abigail and came to the conclusion that she did not have an intussusception. That could be ruled out. Still, what about the mystery pain in her right side? It could be the amoeba causing the pain so at this point (of mild symptoms) it was worth waiting to see if it went away as the meds took effect. If the pain persisted over time then Abby would need to be re-examined and the possibility of an inflamed appendix would need to be taken into consideration. But for now, it seemed we were out of the woods.

We arrived home at 6:30 p.m., having left the house 10 hours ago. What a day! But those who knew were praying and we were comforted by the thoughts and prayers of our friends. Even today, as we were attending a book launch for the Meserete Kristos Church Peace Office, we were surprised when Mr. Kenna and Mr. Amde asked Mr. Jim Ralph to lead in prayer for Abby and for our family. And now, friends and family, you know as well and we ask for your prayers for our family. It has been a difficult year with illnesses, particularly of the gastro-intestinal kind, time after time. We pray that Sophia will recover to full health from the amoeba. Unfortunately she contracted rheumatic fever last December and will need penicillin shots for the next 12 years or so to ward off the possibility of getting it again. Now we pray that Abby’s pain in her right side subsides completely and that there won’t be any future complications. Amani has had her share of GI illnesses but fortunately nothing major at this time. Life in Ethiopia is challenging enough without constantly battling illness and disease.

Only 68 days until the Amstutz home leave . . .

Kittens

We knew what we were getting into when we signed up for this. When Wanda and I were talking about accepting the Country Rep position for MCC Ethiopia back in St. Catharines, ON we knew that we had to tell the girls. And so it happened one night at the supper table. We slowly explained that we were in conversation with MCC and if we said yes that would mean moving out of our house, leaving St. Catharines and going to Africa. There was a short silence as the three little minds mulled this over. What could they be thinking? Were they going to ask about what it was like in Ethiopia? Were they worried about security? Food? Clothing? Language? Being far away from family?

“If we go to Ethiopia will we be able to have pets?” This was the first question out of their mouths. Of course it seems logical now because they had been pestering us for more pets beyond our beloved Sal the cat. We had said no because of our limited yard space and I was averse to dogs in the house. The question revealed the big differences in how we adults viewed the pet issue in contrast to our daughters. Knowing a bit about the compound we would be living in we felt it was safe to say yes. Yes you can have a dog. Yes, you can have a cat. Yes, everyone will have a pet to call their own.


And thus it has been so. But kittens and puppies? Alas, I knew we could probably not get away from this development even back then. So here we are 2 years later with a cat with two kittens and a dog soon to have puppies. The girls are excited. What I have been dreading is what they have been waiting for.

But the two kittens are cute, I must admit. One looks like her mother, Princess Waffles and the other looks like his father (or so we believe), Spot. At three weeks old their eyes are open and they are wobbling around like toddlers. We feared that PW would be a horrible mother. The first litter ended in disaster as she rejected the newborns. But she nursed the kittens from the start and they are growing normally.

Soon after PW gave birth we found a wicker basket and put nice soft towels in it for the kittens. The basket went under Abby’s bed in the girls’ bedroom. It seemed like a good arrangement. For about a week Princess Waffles put up with the foot traffic (human and animal), but one day the little family disappeared. What could have happened? Did the father, Spot, find them and take them away and kill them? Did Peanut the dog? Did Princess Waffles move them and if so, where? So that morning we hunted all over the compound for them. The girls were in school so everyone from the guard to the household staff went looking but to no avail. Then, just as we thought we would be breaking the bad news in the afternoon to the girls, a break in the story. Yeshi, our housekeeper, had been washing clothes that day and had taken all the clothes out of our laundry basket in our bedroom. The basket is a huge woven barrel about 1 meter high. In the afternoon Yeshi went to put the lid on the basket and she was startled as she noticed movement deep in the basket. There was Princess Waffles and the 2 kittens! Somehow she had climbed the basket with a kitten in her mouth and deposited it deep down in the basket.

And so that has become the home of PW and her kittens. She has felt the safety of the high walls of the basket and the relative quiet of our room (compared to our girls’ room, go figure). We did try one time to move the kittens back to the wicker basket but PW promptly moved them back again. In the past several days we have tipped the basket on its side to allow for the kittens to walk out (and for our daughters to play with them on the floor). PW has accepted that.

And they are cute. Very cute. There will come a time in the near future (probably by May) when we will give the kittens away to good homes and everyone will be sad. But in the meantime there will be fun days ahead for our girls (and yes, for Wanda and I as well).

Peace on Earth

It is a cold and starry night, perhaps the same kind of night that the shepherds camped out under on the night of Jesus’ birth. I have been in Mehal Meda, a town about 290 kms/ 175 miles northeast of Addis Ababa, but a world away from the city. It is a town up in the Amhara highlands, I’m guessing about 3000/3500 meters or higher (just under 10,000 feet). The high today was perhaps 15°C/ 60°F but if you stand in the shade it is cooler than that. If you stand in the wind, well, it’s much cooler. And now, in the early evening, it is certainly in the 40’s and sure to hover just above freezing overnight.

MCC has a project here, in conjunction with our partner Meserete Kristos Church Relief and Development Agency (MKC-RDA). It is a peace project (appropriate time of year, being Advent). In an area with a history of revenge killings MKC came with a peace pamphlet and peace trainings into the community. People were suspicious and skeptical at first, after all MKC is an evangelical church and this is an Orthodox region. Any evangelism is unwelcome here. But the MKC workers gained their trust through a series of meetings with the police, the Orthodox leadership and final the people in the community. The peace pamphlet is neutrally Biblically based, which gained a seal of approval from the local priests. The peace trainings were clearly about how to deal with offenders and victims, an approach desperately needed here.

Mehal Meda may mean ‘center field’ but it is off the beaten track. One has to drive about 3-4 hours off the main road from Addis to Dessie in order to get to it. The road is not paved. But that’s not the worst of it. Driving out to the 2 kebeles, or districts, takes you 25 kms into the country where there is no road to speak of. This is off-roading in the purest sense of the word. It is in these places that an SUV is necessary. We made it through open pastures, down into rugged stony creeks, up the sides of rock formations while narrowly avoiding eroded land pits and scenic gorges. There were many times I drove on nothing more than a footpath. But we made it. As we pulled into windswept villages, people would emerge from all around us to gaze in wonder at our silver Toyota Land Cruiser.

Peace committee members and community leaders awaited us in Kebeles 13 and 14 to tell stories of the success of the Peace Committee. What inspiring stories they were. Men talked about how the peace committees act as intermediaries, going between families to prevent further violence and to try to reconcile the families back to each other. Women talked about how, since the arrival of the peace committees in the past 2 ½ years, violence against women has gone down. Wives are beaten less, young girls aren’t forced into early marriages like before. Families of young girls are also persuaded to let their daughters continue in school.

The police had nothing but good to say about the Peace Committees in their kebeles. One police officer said that his kebele was one of the most crime-ridden in the whole woreda (region) and they had two police checkpoints in and out of the area. There was constant fighting and theft. Since the Peace Committee crime has dropped so significantly (he said ‘100%’) that the police no longer man the checkpoints, they aren’t needed anymore. In the other kebele the police officer said that he had learned a great deal about community policing. When he arrived 3 years ago he tried the ‘top down’ method of policing; enforcement and punitive measures. It was what he had been taught and all he knew.

But with the arrival of the Peace Committee and the trainings they gave he began to work with Peace Committee members and the community. He went out and talked to people and people began to respond. Up until then people in the community knew the presence of the police meant only two things; that someone would be beaten up or that they would be hauled away to prison.

Now they see the police as ones they can trust to report crimes and misdemeanors and this police officer was grateful for that. Story after story was told which clearly indicated that our partner MKC RDA was successful. It felt like the Spirit of the Lord was moving in this project.

21 January 2009 Post Script: This blog entry has waited patiently for me to get my act together and post it. My memories of Mehal Meda are these:

Travel – The drive to Mehal Meda was long and hard, mostly washboard dirt roads where I drove between 40-80 kph max. The drive from MM town to the districts was like nothing I have ever done before. I was so grateful for a 4 wheel drive SUV. Most of the time there was no road, just a hint of a footpath perhaps. Talk about rugged terrain! Imagine driving out in western Montana with absolutely no roads. You look ahead on the horizon and simply drive cross country through grassy prairie or across shallow streams. At least once the Ethiopians in our vehicle told me the stream or land was impassable, we should get out and walk. I just said, hang on, put it into 4WD and we made it through. Wow! In these areas I could manage a speed of 10 kph max. It was that rugged. Just like in those SUV ads in North America that suggest cross country freedom to drive anywhere, except that 95% of SUV owners don’t need an SUV for their driving needs. But I did.

MM Peace Program – I consider myself fortunate to have seen a program that has made such a radical difference in the life of the communities there. A profound change has occurred and it is because we funded a program that was desperately wanted and needed by the villagers in these windswept remote central highlands of Ethiopia. Everyone was so grateful; the villagers, the police, priests, the local leadership, the regional authorities. All expressed a strong desire to see the programs continue and to introduce it into neighboring districts. Local farmers walk around with the small MCC/ MKC peace and reconciliation booklet in their hands, using it as a daily resource.

The landscape – It was truly spectacular in its barrenness. If you have visited or seen photos of the Scottish highlands then you will have a good idea what the Mehal Meda region looks like. The grassy meadows were interspersed with rocky paths, huge boulders jutting up in places and thin streams to ford. The growing season is short and restricts the crop varieties. The air was thin and cold but the sun warmed us up during the day. At night the cold settled in and in unheated rooms it chilled one to the bone. But the clear night sky! The stars were brilliant in this unlit part of the world. And then there were the people. Those who inhabit this distant corner of the world are weather worn and tough but they welcomed us with open arms. Children of the villages seemed amazed at our presence. Vehicles are rarely seen in the highlands. As I drove children appeared out of nowhere it seemed and followed us for up to a kilometer sometimes. Modern conveniences of Addis are far removed from the daily lives of the people. Of course the housing is much cruder and government services non-existent. But these highland villagers are fiercely independent and suspicious of any government control. They are willing to live hard lives for freedom from outside influence.

Funding – As I write this MCC is struggling with a serious financial crunch. Our budgets will be slashed across the board. At the same time the Ethiopian government has passed a law that is aimed at cutting the heart out of NGOs (non-government organizations, like MCC) and CSO’s (civil-society organizations), both international and national. The law is said to prevent all peace and reconciliation work in country. The project in Mehal Meda seems threatened on all fronts. But it is our hope that this program will continue.