As we pulled out of the Living Word parking lot on Sunday, January 12, 2014, I remember telling myself over and over, "You can do this Kenna, it is only 9 days." Leaving my family, my wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters, and knowing that I would not be with them, be able to touch them, or even hug them was the hardest part about deciding to go on this missions trip. Confident that God would protect and comfort them while I was away, I tried to distract myself by imagining what my trip might have in-store for me. Never could I have imagined the things I would see, the knowledge I would gain, and the way this trip would impact my life...
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Here are some pictures taken from the top floor of the hotel we stayed at in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The city is surrounded by beautiful mountains that you can see in the background, making the city feel almost like a giant crater. the city is also at a very high elevation, so the clouds looked really close to us.
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Sendafa, Ethiopia
The drive each morning from Addis Ababa to Sendafa was about 45 minutes. This gave me time to admire and take pictures of the people, animals, homes, and beautiful scenery...
The homes in Sendafa are typically made from mud, sticks, handmade bricks, or even just random materials. Here are a few pictures of some of the homes we saw.
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During our drives, we saw many herds of cattle, sheep, and donkeys. It was fascinating to see people herding animals through the streets, fields, and throughout the villages.
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The Bottle Houses
One of projects we worked on during our stay was building a wall at the medical clinic, made out of recycled plastic bottles. Previously, the PAAV team built a small house out of the plastic bottles, as well as a shower house and latrines for the marketplace.
The team saves plastic bottles, gets them donated from hotels and restaurants in Addis, and even purchases some for a small amount of burr. They fill the empty bottles with dirt, cement a few pieces of wood in the corners, dig a trench to lay them in, and then cover each row of bottles with a thin layer of cement.
Tom and Kelly hard at work...
...Pastor Aaron, not so much....just kidding!
One row down....uhh how many more to go?!?
Every July when the medical team from Living Word goes to Ethiopia, hundreds of people from Sendafa go to the clinic to be seen by the medical team. This wall will help keep the patients waiting to be seen in more of a line.
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Painting the Latrines and Shower Houses
Another project we worked on in Sendafa was painting the latrines and shower houses. The PAAV team built these buildings in the marketplace as a micro-finance to employ 5 HIV positive women that needed to find employment. These are the only public bath houses in Sendafa, and customers are charged a small fee to use them.
This is what the toilets look like in Sendafa (In the few places that actually have toilets!). Outside the door is a bucket of water with a cup in it, so when you finish using the bathroom, you dump a cup of water into the toilet to flush it down.
This is what the shower house looks like. The picture on the right is the water reservoir for the shower house.
The painting was interesting to say the least! The paint comes white, and it is very thick. To make it go further, they thin it with gasoline, and then add powder to give it a color. Needless to say, the fumes from the gasoline had us feeling pretty good by the time we finished painting each of the small rooms!
John, happy to be serving...
...and me, covered in paint! When we were finished one of the women helped me get the paint off me by pouring gasoline on my skin and in my hair. The paint was so hard to get off that I actually still had some in my hair last week!
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Home Visits
We had the opportunity to visit the homes of some of the PAAV team's patients. The patients are all HIV positive, and many are also involved in the micro-finance program. We brought vinyl to lay down on the dirt floors, fabric to staple to the walls, and stuffed animals to hand out to the children.
We let the women go through our suitcases and pick out the fabrics they like, then used a stapler to attach the fabric to the walls.
Rena, Kelly, and I hanging the fabric in one home. Rena also made curtains for the women to hang in their windows.
Tom laying the vinyl in a home.
The children in the villages loved following us around, which was fine unless we were going in a home. In this home, Shewareged had to guard the door so the children couldn't follow us inside. She had a can of water and tossed it our to scare them away...it didn't always work, but she had fun doing it!
Destynn and Peytynn painted pictures for me to hand out in Sendafa. We stapled this one to the wall for her before we left.
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There was one home visit in particular that really impacted me...
Her name was Bekke. In Ethiopia, the government owns all of the land, and although people can build houses on the land, they never fully own the land their house is built on. If the government wants to use the land your house is built on for something, they will knock your house down and you and your family will be homeless. That is what happened to Bekke and her family. Besides being homeless, Bekke was HIV positive. Ready to give up on life, she stopped taking the medicine she needed. When the PAAV team found her 6 years ago, she was so sick that she was unable to move her arms and her legs. They started working with her , and convinced her to begin taking her medicine again. Six months later she was able to walk. The PAVV team did not just help her, they invested in her. Through their micro-finance program, she was able to get enough money to start her own business selling grains. So filled with joy from being given this second chance at life, she built her own home with her bare hands.
This is Bekke's home, and you can see her grain drying in front of her home.
Inspired by her story, I asked Dr. Frew if Bekke was a Christ follower before the PAVV team started working with her. He said, "No, she was not a Christ follower, and is not a Christ follower."
We left her home, and on the way back to Addis I asked Ageritu about her. She explained that ultimately, they hope that all of their patients will someday be Christians, but that is not why they do what they do. Project Adopt A Village (PAAV) is about demonstrating God's love for the people of Sendafa, not forcing them to believe something they are not ready to.
The PAAV team has been working with, and praying for Bekke for over 6 years. For 6 years they have been visiting her regularly, giving her the medications and vitamins she needs to live. They have provided scholarships for her children so that they can go to school and get the education that they need. They supplied her with the money she needed so that she could start her own business to be able to support her family. They have done so much for her, expecting nothing in return, and all they hope is that someday she will be a follower of Christ...talk about determination and dedication!
This really got me thinking...How often does something not work the way we want it to the first, second, or third time we do it, and then just give up trying? Or, how often do we do something nice for someone else, expecting nothing in return, just because it is the right thing to do, or even because it is what God calls us to do?
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We Visited a Kindergarten
In Ethiopia, the children can start school as early as 5 years old, but it is mandatory that they at least start by the time they are 7. In Sendafa the rule is that each child needs to go to school for 5 years. Some start school and then stop because they need to work to help support their family, so when they go back to school they start in the grade they stopped. The classroom we visited was a kindergarten class, but you will notice the age difference in many of the children. In Ethiopia they have public schools and private schools. The public schools are free to attend, but there is a registration fee every year, and they also have to pay for their own text books, and uniforms if/when they are required. While private schools do cost money, they said it is worth it because the education children receive at a private school is far better than the education they would have received at a public school. Living Word is also involved in offering scholarships through the PAAV team, for various school expenses (uniforms, tuition, registration fees, books).
We handed out stuffed animals to all the students in the class.
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What are Kids Doing When They are Not in School?
The difference between education in the US and education in Ethiopia: In the US, education is a right, in Ethiopia education is a privilege. Not every child gets the opportunity to go to school, and although the law is they must start by age 7, that is not well enforced. Many times, the children have to work to help support their family. Often, this includes watching or taking care of the animals.
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The Market Place in Sendafa
Every Wednesday the Sendafa marketplace opens. We had the opportunity to visit it, and it was a very eye opening experience. There were hundreds of people, some selling the things they spend all week preparing, some looking to buy clothes, food, supplies, or even animals.
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Other Projects Living Word Has Been a Part of Throughout Sendafa
The Medical Clinic
This is the only medical clinic in Sendafa. Every folder is a patient file at the clinic.
This is the lovely delivery room. (We don't appreciate how good we have it here in America.)
The Library
This is the bridge you have to cross to get to the only library in Sendafa. All the books in it were donated to Living Word and brought over a few years ago.
Best shelf in the library (In my completely biased opinion!)
Drilled for Water
We visited the pump Living Word installed in Sendafa when they drilled for water. It supplies water to all of Sendafa.
This is the water reservoir they built to hold the water.
We climbed the reservoir and the view was amazing.
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The PAAV Team
Eshete, Dr. Frew, Tamiru, Birhanu
Ageritu, Shewareged
(Bekela is also part of the team, but he is not in this picture.)
Dr Frew is the PAAV doctor and he put this team together when Living Word asked him to lead Project Adapt A Village.
Ageritu is the PAAV nurse
Eshete is the accountant, and he oversees the micro-financing projects that PAAV does in Sendafa.
Birhanu Oversees the construction projects PAAV does
Shewareged is a caregiver for HIV patients
Tamiru is the driver for the PAAV missions trips that come to Ethiopia 3 times a year
Bekela is a caregiver for HIV patients
The PAAV team is amazing! They work hard and truly care about each of their patients. They are also a lot of fun. I enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them, hearing their stories and learning more about who they are and what made them the people they are today. I pray that they continue to enjoy the work they are doing in Sendafa.
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I learned a lot on this trip, but I also had a lot of fun!
Not only was the PAAV team amazing, but the group I went to Ethiopia with was a great group of people too. I am so thankful to have met them and had the opportunity to serve with them!
Shannon Elaine, Pastor Aaron, John, Tom
Kelly, Katie, Rena, Kenna
Larry
Aaron, Tom, Frew, John, Tamiru, Larry, Birhanu
Kelly, Katie, Rena, Frehiwat, Kenna, Shewareged, Elaine
Shannon, Katie Ageritu, Tsegie
Amen, Sabeh, Ruth
I really missed my girls,so I was very thankful when Birhanu and Tamiru introduced us to their beautiful daughters!
I taught them how to make friendship bracelets!
Sabeh and Destynn are now pen-pals...maybe someday they will get to meet each other!
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Random Pictures
If you haven't noticed already, Ethiopia is extremely beautiful.
The people are also very beautiful!
(Haha, many Ethiopians have no clue what their shirts say!)
When we were at the clinic I taught a young girl a "secret handshake." When she left the clinic, this girl came over and wanted to try it...she had it memorized the first time through!
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Ethiopian Culture
It is common for the people to be touching each other. The men hold hands with each other, and talk in each other's ears.
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Coffee originated in Ethiopia, and is a big part of their culture. We stopped for macciotos on our way back from Addis everyday...
...and enjoyed tea at the clinic before working on the bottle wall!
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We got to participate in a coffee ceremony at the hotel
And surprised the hotel staff with some goodies before we left!
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The food was definitely interesting!
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Soccer is very popular in Ethiopia. I watched two games on TV while we were there. In the second game Ethiopia lost to the Congo in the World Cup qualifier.
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Most dogs and cats are wild in Ethiopia. At nighttime, I could hear dogs howling/barking, and the cats screetching and hissing as they hunted mice in the streets. It definitely took some getting used to!
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Because Addis Ababa is at such a high altitude, there are professional athletes that condition there. As we drove back and forth to Sendafa everyday, we saw runners and bikers alongside the roads. In fact, the runner who won the Boston Marathon when the bombs went off was actually from Ethiopia.
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On Sunday morning we went to church. The service was in Amharic so we could not understand what they were saying, but it was still an awesome experience. The people sang, danced, preached, and worshiped with so much energy.
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The most celebrated holiday in Ethiopia is Epiphany, which actually took place while we were there. Here is a video of the parade that took place right outside our hotel room.
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We got to visit the Ethnocultural Museum at the Addis Ababa University and learned a lot about the history of Ethiopia.
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We Visited a Lentil Processing Plant
Preparing the lentils is a lengthy process...
They dump the burlap backs of lentils into the water and soak them for a few hours.
As they soak, they continue moving then around and removing the foam.
When they are finished soaking, they lay them out to dry (The dark "dirt-like" area in the front of the picture is the drying lentils). Someone uses a winnowing shovel to move them around to help them dry faster.
Then they move them inside the building to the mill. When they come out, the lentils are bright orange.
Then they are sifted to remove the dirt, bagged up, and then exported.
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The driving in Ethiopia is insane! There were so many times where I thought for sure we were going to hit someone or something. They recently paved the road that connects Addis Ababa to Sendafa, but most other roads were very rough. They also recently put up street signs, that I found quite amusing. Some looked like cartoon characters, others were just random like "!" which meant there was excitement ahead (neither type of sign prompted drivers to stop for pedestrians or slow down, just "let them know what was ahead" in-case they were wondering!). They also use their horns quite frequently, not to necessarily signal an emergency, but more to let the people around the vehicle know that the driver is not stopping or slowing down, so get out of the way!
Off-roading in our minivan!
Random U-turn in crazy traffic!
Driving on the sidewalk!
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Beautiful mosaic work
Thank You
This trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I thank everyone who was a part of making this trip possible. I highly encourage anyone who is thinking about going, to just go for it! Leaving my family, my husband and two wonderful daughters, was hard, but so was leaving Ethiopia. I have decided to go back to Ethiopia in July, and can't wait to see what adventures God has in-store for me then! 
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