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.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
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?
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?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
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 . . .
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 . . .
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
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).
Thursday, January 22, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Roth Amstutz Christmas Letter
Peace prevails in this pleasant room at the Mennonite Guest House in Nairobi, Kenya. I may have been wound up a bit tightly lately by all the cares of the world, our jobs and our lives. So now I am unspooling . . .
It was the many hours of work that wound us up, both Wanda and me. The many meetings with so many folks who all seem to have good causes. The many hours looking at proposals and at budget numbers. The many hours of dealing with ‘a situation’. Then there were the many hours where someone in the house was experiencing illness. Bugs, amoebas, viruses, bacterias . . . somehow they managed to slip through our defenses. The worry of watching a loved one in pain or suffering from nausea, diarrhea, headaches, fever, etc., can wear one down.
So the retreat at Brackenhurst (a Baptist facility) was the beginning of the unwinding and the days of rest & relaxation at the Mennonite Guest House was the continuing of the unwinding. To hear the voices of loved ones far away on Skype has added to that peace. And the openness of time has brought on the peaceful, easy feeling.
This Christmas will feel different from last Christmas. We now have one Christmas in Addis under our belts so we know what it will feel like. We will feel the separation from family but we won’t be alone. There are too many good friends who will celebrate with us together. Our house will be filled with laughter and voices of Christmas present. Memories to be created in the moment.
Now a word about our girls: Amani, Abigail and Sophia continue to grow in mind and spirit (growth in stature has been incremental thanks to the Amstutz DNA. But don’t worry, one of these years they’ll shoot up). Amani loves to read and is very conscientious in her studies. Abby is not far behind but she is more the social of the two. Sophia is doing well in her studies this year but isn’t much into reading at the moment. However she is still the little teacher and we can hear her teaching a virtual reality class in her room, often consisting of names of classmates past and present.
2008 – Ah, but what about the year, you say? What about 2008 past? Yes, it was a full rich year. As a family we did our share of traveling together. We all went to the MCC East Africa Regional Meetings (EARM) in southern Sudan in the spring and Arusha, Tanzania in the fall. We went on a safari in Tanzania, an experience of a lifetime. We drove the northern tour of Ethiopia and learned why most folks fly to the ancient and great cities of Lalibela, Axum and Gonder. The roads were rough and the travel was hard on the family but it was a tremendous experience which none of us will forget. Oh yes, the girls will store it away as another experience, just as I did of our family vacations as a boy, but someday they will pull it out of their memories and, with prompting of photos, remember that most singular tour. And of course we’re now in Kenya. What a privilege it is to travel, to meet colleagues and friends and to discover new places.
Our pets have kept our family occupied. Our two dogs, two cats, rabbit and turtle have kept the girls company and kept us busy feeding them and keeping them healthy. Coca and Peanut are the ‘guard’ dogs. They keep watch in the sense that they raise a ruckus whenever someone comes into the compound. Coca might defend/ attack in a pinch but Peanut would surely turn tail and run. Fortunately we have not had to face such a situation yet. Spot and Princess Waffles are our two cats. Spot is a laid back male and PW is a slightly neurotic female and together they make a nice pair. Will there be kittens in the future? After one fiasco (both kittens died, PW is not mother material), we hope not. Cindy the rabbit just keeps getting bigger and bigger in his cage. The question is whether he is a pet or culinary feast, right now the former only. And there is the turtle which I love the most because Yertle the turtle is maintenance free.
The girls have settled into Bingham and now know what to expect at school. This fall hasn’t been easy because of all the school they have missed by either traveling with us (one week in Tanzania and one week here to Nairobi) or because of illness. We hope they will have a better track record in the spring. We have enjoyed meeting a few more families at Bingham, particularly one family, the Johnsons, who play Rook and Dutch Blitz like we do! What a pleasant surprise to find that out! We’ve also played Frisbee football on Saturdays with them as well.
Wanda and I have been happy to see MCC partners accomplish a number of the goals set to feed the hungry, comfort the ill and give hope to the poor and disadvantaged. We have been especially happy to see some of the peace projects paying huge and immediate dividends in the communities where our partners are working. But we continue to find challenges with getting the information about the projects back to us and on to Akron or Winnipeg. Sometimes it is benign neglect, sometimes it is more intentional. We struggle with that. I have more gray hairs now than I did a year ago.
Meserete Kristos Church is our main partner, although we have others as well. MKC is the “Mennonite” connection in country and the leadership continues to learn about MCC and the Mennonites in North America even as we learn more about who MKC is. We have made many good friends in the church, most of those are people we work with either in the head office or in their relief and development agency wing (RDA). Our other church connection has been the International Lutheran Church (ILC) on Sundays where the service is in English and we connect with fellow believers who are mostly ex-pats from around the world. Wanda and I have occasionally led worship services there and have enjoyed that familiar feeling of being up front. But mostly we are content to sit in the pew with our girls and be in the congregation on a Sunday morning.
Ethiopia remains a country to be explored by us. From the Bale Mountains in the south, to the Simien Mountains in the north. From Wollega in the west to Afar in the east. Ethiopia has its share of problems, both political and economic. The country is progressing when it comes to infrastructure and parts of the economy but regressing when it comes to elections, government and politics. We can hope for stability, peace, progress, good government to bring hope, justice and liberty to all in the future.
It was the many hours of work that wound us up, both Wanda and me. The many meetings with so many folks who all seem to have good causes. The many hours looking at proposals and at budget numbers. The many hours of dealing with ‘a situation’. Then there were the many hours where someone in the house was experiencing illness. Bugs, amoebas, viruses, bacterias . . . somehow they managed to slip through our defenses. The worry of watching a loved one in pain or suffering from nausea, diarrhea, headaches, fever, etc., can wear one down.
So the retreat at Brackenhurst (a Baptist facility) was the beginning of the unwinding and the days of rest & relaxation at the Mennonite Guest House was the continuing of the unwinding. To hear the voices of loved ones far away on Skype has added to that peace. And the openness of time has brought on the peaceful, easy feeling.
This Christmas will feel different from last Christmas. We now have one Christmas in Addis under our belts so we know what it will feel like. We will feel the separation from family but we won’t be alone. There are too many good friends who will celebrate with us together. Our house will be filled with laughter and voices of Christmas present. Memories to be created in the moment.
Now a word about our girls: Amani, Abigail and Sophia continue to grow in mind and spirit (growth in stature has been incremental thanks to the Amstutz DNA. But don’t worry, one of these years they’ll shoot up). Amani loves to read and is very conscientious in her studies. Abby is not far behind but she is more the social of the two. Sophia is doing well in her studies this year but isn’t much into reading at the moment. However she is still the little teacher and we can hear her teaching a virtual reality class in her room, often consisting of names of classmates past and present.
2008 – Ah, but what about the year, you say? What about 2008 past? Yes, it was a full rich year. As a family we did our share of traveling together. We all went to the MCC East Africa Regional Meetings (EARM) in southern Sudan in the spring and Arusha, Tanzania in the fall. We went on a safari in Tanzania, an experience of a lifetime. We drove the northern tour of Ethiopia and learned why most folks fly to the ancient and great cities of Lalibela, Axum and Gonder. The roads were rough and the travel was hard on the family but it was a tremendous experience which none of us will forget. Oh yes, the girls will store it away as another experience, just as I did of our family vacations as a boy, but someday they will pull it out of their memories and, with prompting of photos, remember that most singular tour. And of course we’re now in Kenya. What a privilege it is to travel, to meet colleagues and friends and to discover new places.
Our pets have kept our family occupied. Our two dogs, two cats, rabbit and turtle have kept the girls company and kept us busy feeding them and keeping them healthy. Coca and Peanut are the ‘guard’ dogs. They keep watch in the sense that they raise a ruckus whenever someone comes into the compound. Coca might defend/ attack in a pinch but Peanut would surely turn tail and run. Fortunately we have not had to face such a situation yet. Spot and Princess Waffles are our two cats. Spot is a laid back male and PW is a slightly neurotic female and together they make a nice pair. Will there be kittens in the future? After one fiasco (both kittens died, PW is not mother material), we hope not. Cindy the rabbit just keeps getting bigger and bigger in his cage. The question is whether he is a pet or culinary feast, right now the former only. And there is the turtle which I love the most because Yertle the turtle is maintenance free.
The girls have settled into Bingham and now know what to expect at school. This fall hasn’t been easy because of all the school they have missed by either traveling with us (one week in Tanzania and one week here to Nairobi) or because of illness. We hope they will have a better track record in the spring. We have enjoyed meeting a few more families at Bingham, particularly one family, the Johnsons, who play Rook and Dutch Blitz like we do! What a pleasant surprise to find that out! We’ve also played Frisbee football on Saturdays with them as well.
Wanda and I have been happy to see MCC partners accomplish a number of the goals set to feed the hungry, comfort the ill and give hope to the poor and disadvantaged. We have been especially happy to see some of the peace projects paying huge and immediate dividends in the communities where our partners are working. But we continue to find challenges with getting the information about the projects back to us and on to Akron or Winnipeg. Sometimes it is benign neglect, sometimes it is more intentional. We struggle with that. I have more gray hairs now than I did a year ago.
Meserete Kristos Church is our main partner, although we have others as well. MKC is the “Mennonite” connection in country and the leadership continues to learn about MCC and the Mennonites in North America even as we learn more about who MKC is. We have made many good friends in the church, most of those are people we work with either in the head office or in their relief and development agency wing (RDA). Our other church connection has been the International Lutheran Church (ILC) on Sundays where the service is in English and we connect with fellow believers who are mostly ex-pats from around the world. Wanda and I have occasionally led worship services there and have enjoyed that familiar feeling of being up front. But mostly we are content to sit in the pew with our girls and be in the congregation on a Sunday morning.
Ethiopia remains a country to be explored by us. From the Bale Mountains in the south, to the Simien Mountains in the north. From Wollega in the west to Afar in the east. Ethiopia has its share of problems, both political and economic. The country is progressing when it comes to infrastructure and parts of the economy but regressing when it comes to elections, government and politics. We can hope for stability, peace, progress, good government to bring hope, justice and liberty to all in the future.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A Wake Up Call
I heard the Imam make the call to prayer at 5:15 this morning. It wafted through the valleys and along the hillsides where we live. I had been waiting for this morning for a long time. Election Day in the U.S.A. Waiting with anticipation that Barack Obama might win. Fear that something might happen that would throw the nation in turmoil and dash my hope . . . our hopes. Wanda and many of our friends and family were holding on to the same hopes and fears.
With fear mingled with hope I turned on the computer to go online. This is the moment when I would peer into the darkness to learn the results. For some reason the Old Testament story of Daniel in the lion’s den came to mind. Daniel, King Darius’ most trusted advisor, had been betrayed by palace intrigue and was sentenced to death in the lion’s den. He was thrown in overnight, if he survived the night in the presence of hungry lions he was free. King Darius stayed up all night, refusing food and waiting for dawn. At daybreak he went to see if Daniel made it through the night alive, hoping against hope. And he had. What a relief and joy that must have been! And it was a similar feeling that I had, going to been hoping against hope that everything the pundits were saying was going to happen, but fearful. And as North America was going to bed, we were rising to the news of an Obama victory. And we shared our relief and joy in the morning.
Over the past year of campaigning (he said 22 months ago, for him) Barack Obama has shown an incredible steadiness, intellect, discipline and, frankly, a Christian witness. In the face of much false charges and innuendo he has not responded in kind as is normative in political campaigns. In his speeches Obama has always been gracious. In his victory speech in Grant Park in Chicago, he acknowledged his opponent’s achievements. He said that Americans owed a debt of gratitude to John McCain for the long service his has given to his country. He said that he wanted to be president of the all Americans not just those who voted for him. He has steadfastly refused to take the low road in politics, not demonizing his opponent, even though he has been the recipient of slander. Not once did he attack Sarah Palin personally although she personally attacked him time and again. What a witness! On the one hand I was proud to associate myself with such a person of high character. On the other hand I was embarrassed by those who call themselves Christians who supported all the personal attacks from the Christian conservative far right.
So I echo the words of Michelle Obama in saying that I am proud to be an American today. When Michelle said it in the primary season she was attacked for the implication it made and after that we never heard from her again. But many of us silently nodded and understood. I am proud to be an American today, I have never been able to say that with such conviction and passion in my adult life before, in a political or national sense. Oh, I remember being happy that Bill Clinton was elected President but it felt like the lesser of two evils. I was in high school when Jimmy Carter was elected President so I didn’t have the experience of years to feel joy (but I have grown in admiration for Jimmy Carter over the years, a truly Christian man). I am proud that America has elected someone of Obama’s character and intellect. I am proud that America has chosen the high road over the low road in politics. It makes me believe that change is possible over the next 4 years. A hope I haven’t had in a long, long time.
Finally, this blog was a long time in coming. I wasn’t sure whether to write it or not. But I thank my MCC colleague in Bangladesh who wrote so well about her feelings on the eve of this historic election: We are hoping to celebrate the election of Barack Obama as next President of the United States. You may be able to hear us from across the ocean if you listen carefully, or maybe not, maybe there will just be silent tears of joy as the full impact of the news really settles in. I'm not trying to start a political debate, I am aware that some of you are hoping for different results, but not to mention it would be to leave out a huge part of our lives here.
That applies to us as well. At the risk of starting a political debate, I write this blog because leaving it out would leave out a huge part of our lives here as well. Our office is adorned with an Obama/ Biden sign and the Ethiopians love it! So there it will stay for a long time. And so on Friday night we will celebrate fresh start with a party at our house. And so I await the next milestone in this journey, January 20, Inauguration Day . . .
With fear mingled with hope I turned on the computer to go online. This is the moment when I would peer into the darkness to learn the results. For some reason the Old Testament story of Daniel in the lion’s den came to mind. Daniel, King Darius’ most trusted advisor, had been betrayed by palace intrigue and was sentenced to death in the lion’s den. He was thrown in overnight, if he survived the night in the presence of hungry lions he was free. King Darius stayed up all night, refusing food and waiting for dawn. At daybreak he went to see if Daniel made it through the night alive, hoping against hope. And he had. What a relief and joy that must have been! And it was a similar feeling that I had, going to been hoping against hope that everything the pundits were saying was going to happen, but fearful. And as North America was going to bed, we were rising to the news of an Obama victory. And we shared our relief and joy in the morning.
Over the past year of campaigning (he said 22 months ago, for him) Barack Obama has shown an incredible steadiness, intellect, discipline and, frankly, a Christian witness. In the face of much false charges and innuendo he has not responded in kind as is normative in political campaigns. In his speeches Obama has always been gracious. In his victory speech in Grant Park in Chicago, he acknowledged his opponent’s achievements. He said that Americans owed a debt of gratitude to John McCain for the long service his has given to his country. He said that he wanted to be president of the all Americans not just those who voted for him. He has steadfastly refused to take the low road in politics, not demonizing his opponent, even though he has been the recipient of slander. Not once did he attack Sarah Palin personally although she personally attacked him time and again. What a witness! On the one hand I was proud to associate myself with such a person of high character. On the other hand I was embarrassed by those who call themselves Christians who supported all the personal attacks from the Christian conservative far right.
So I echo the words of Michelle Obama in saying that I am proud to be an American today. When Michelle said it in the primary season she was attacked for the implication it made and after that we never heard from her again. But many of us silently nodded and understood. I am proud to be an American today, I have never been able to say that with such conviction and passion in my adult life before, in a political or national sense. Oh, I remember being happy that Bill Clinton was elected President but it felt like the lesser of two evils. I was in high school when Jimmy Carter was elected President so I didn’t have the experience of years to feel joy (but I have grown in admiration for Jimmy Carter over the years, a truly Christian man). I am proud that America has elected someone of Obama’s character and intellect. I am proud that America has chosen the high road over the low road in politics. It makes me believe that change is possible over the next 4 years. A hope I haven’t had in a long, long time.
Finally, this blog was a long time in coming. I wasn’t sure whether to write it or not. But I thank my MCC colleague in Bangladesh who wrote so well about her feelings on the eve of this historic election: We are hoping to celebrate the election of Barack Obama as next President of the United States. You may be able to hear us from across the ocean if you listen carefully, or maybe not, maybe there will just be silent tears of joy as the full impact of the news really settles in. I'm not trying to start a political debate, I am aware that some of you are hoping for different results, but not to mention it would be to leave out a huge part of our lives here.
That applies to us as well. At the risk of starting a political debate, I write this blog because leaving it out would leave out a huge part of our lives here as well. Our office is adorned with an Obama/ Biden sign and the Ethiopians love it! So there it will stay for a long time. And so on Friday night we will celebrate fresh start with a party at our house. And so I await the next milestone in this journey, January 20, Inauguration Day . . .
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