We were able to meet up with our friends Zena, Rahel, and Tiana at Kaldis Coffee this afternoon. It is the Ethiopian version of Starbucks and I honestly thought it was better than Starbucks. Rahel ordered all her favorites for us and she got tiramisu, black forest cake, cream puffs, and another dessert that I wasn't familiar with. It was so good. We haven't had dessert in a long time. We all sampled everything and just hung out for an hour or so. I got a latte and a caramel macchiato and Matt had a cafe mocha. There is no such thing as decaf coffee in Ethiopia. They chuckle when you ask for it. I don't drink caffeine but I had two drinks today. I am wired. Not the smartest thing to do. My husband isn't too happy with me:)
We want to meet up with Rahel and Tiana when they are back in Minneapolis. We are so thankful for their friendship and hospitality this week. Zena has to stay in Ethiopia as he is still finishing up his pilot training. He said that if we ever come back to Addis to call him and we can use his car and he will find us a place to stay so that it won't be so expensive. They are just really special people.
This evening Matt ran some errands with Melke and Annie and I stayed in the room. Melke has been a godsend this week. Not only has he been our driver but he has been our bodyguard, tour guide, bartering expert, errand runner, money exchanger, educator, and a great friend. He is constantly opening my door, getting my bags, and saying with his wonderful African accent, "Brooke, please let me help you." He has such a fun personality and an infectious laugh. He and Matt have been good buddies this week. Matt taught him the fist bump. He is the reason that we have had such a great time here in Addis and we feel safe with him. He is an honest, hardworking man and so desperately wants to come to the U.S. We told him if he gets a visa we would love for him to stay with us. He told us today that he is going to miss us. We will miss him too.
We have church in the morning (service is three hours!) and then we will start packing. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 1:15pm your time and 10:15pm here. Matt has been stopping in at Ethiopian Airlines all week to see if we could get a seat with a bassinett for Anne but they keep saying that they are all booked. Our travel agent requested one but apparently we didn't get it. Yikes! I don't know how this is going to work. His grace has brought us safe this far and He will bring us home.
I am in awe of what God has done this week. I still can't believe that He has entrusted this beautiful creature into our care. Seeing the life that she could have led here breaks my heart. With every little child I have seen sitting on the side of the road in rags I see Annie there. We will be leaving a piece of our hearts here in Ethiopia. And yet, living in the U.S. and having more things and opportunities is not what is ultimate in this life. Matt tried to explain this to a man this week that many people in the U.S. are very unhappy. A large percent of the population is on anti-depressants. Money won't make you happy, knowing Jesus Christ will. He seemed surprised. Of course it is a blessing from God to have your earthly needs provided for but what Annie needs most is eyes to see and ears to hear the gospel. We have met Ethiopian Christians who have very, very little, but they are happy. They have joy and an inner peace because they know that this world is passing away and their true citizenship is in heaven. Our greatest hope is that Annie will follow the Lord someday.
Farewell for now, Africa. We are so anxious to see everyone. We love and miss you and as the Ethiopians say, "Ciao!"
No comments:
Post a Comment