Archived Blog
Finishing up
It’s scary to believe that this will be my penultimate post from Ethiopia, at least for the moment. All of the classes are finishing up, the kids are returning textbooks and work load is winding down.
The rainy season has finally come, these days I often wake up to rain which is something I haven’t experienced since September last year. Unfortunately, the rain hasn’t come in time to prevent famine, which has hit some areas down country. With no rain until now, the crops have failed and the next harvest will not be until November. Many people are running out of food, if they haven’t already. Supermarket shelves even here in Addis are bare, which is a sign that there is food shortage in the country. The rain is now causing communication problems, as it gets into the telephone boxes (waterproof ones seem an obvious solution but anyway). Between the power cuts and internet outages, I have been having trouble sending and receiving emails let alone posting on a regular basis.
This Friday, I joined the Grade 8 class on a field trip to a local orphanage. The students brought clothes, toys and sport equipment to the kids there, which they were very appreciative of obviously. Saturday afternoon saw Bingham hold their “Farewell Gibsha”, a celebration for those leaving at the end of the year, thanking them for everything they have done. I was not part of the event; it seems pretty official that I’ll be heading back here next year. Quite exciting really! It was another chance to see all the Ethiopian workers with their families, and eat hoards of injera. Saturday evening, we had an evening of celebration for the ending of street ministry. Some of those we go to see on a regular basis came too, some of our street boys, and those that the other groups go to see also. They shared how their lives had changed since we came. It was really encouraging to hear them talk about how addictions, depression etc. had all gone since they heard the gospel. It was really moving, pray that God continues to work in their lives after we go back home.
On Sunday afternoon, Brian and I went for a cycle along some of the dirt roads near to our house. We were caught by a heavy rain shower and soon had to turn back. Along the road on the way back, a huge forked lightning bolt hit the ground about 100m from me. It stayed in the air for about 5 seconds. Really amazing to see, I rode back with added haste after that. Murray joked later that maybe God had just missed…
Brian’s news is that his rabbit has now had a bunny. We found the thing wandering around the compound the other night; it’s obviously a couple of weeks old and has had to fend for itself until now. Brian has named it Ranger, after the Lone Ranger.
Niall
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