Marnie and Brittany take on Addis Ababa

Friday was a solid day – lots of ups and downs emotionally.  B and I ended up babysitting the kids in the morning while Dr. Rudy and Katie went to sign the lease on the new house.  It was fun because it’s the first chance we’ve really had to play with the kids, but I’ve also been getting kind of anxious about not taking advantage of Ethiopia while I’m here, so it’s been getting harder to stay patient.  One thing that I really appreciated about today was getting to see styles of parenting that I really respect.  Jessica pointed out that she’d been really stressed lately and she said her kids had been noticing, so she declared it a “Friday Fun Day”, where the kids could stay in their pajamas all day and just relax.  She said every Friday night was “Family Fun Night”, where the whole family stays in, makes dinner, and then either watches a movie or plays a game.  The Gleason’s do something similar where they have family sleepovers Friday and Saturday nights – Katie said all the kids bring pillows and blankets, they get as much junk food as they can, and they all just pile into the parent’s bed and watch a movie.  I was amazed at the dedication both of these parents had to their kids.  They make it a point to show their kids how much of a priority they are no matter WHAT the circumstances are – I value that a lot, and it made me realize how blessed I’ve been by my family life.  So mom and dad… family sleepover when I get home? :]

I was kind of worn out after spending all morning with the kids, so after lunch B and I went exploring.  My FAVORITE thing to do when I get to a new city is explore, so it was AMAZING going back into my “comfort zone” of what to do while traveling. Both of us are pretty directionally challenged, so we would take a maximum of 3 turns before we headed back to “home base” (our house) and chose a different path.

  

Our "home base".  See the window on the 2nd floor on the right? That's the bathroom that I locked myself in today. So I was very thankful that B was sitting right outside to let me out.  Those things stank.

Some other houses we saw: (See Dad, I told you it was a normal city) 

We walked to a street market where we saw a woman making scarves.  A lot of the women wear head scarves, some for religious purposes and some just because.  Anywho, in my quest to become an Ethiopian, it’s been my goal to get one.  I looked at a couple hanging up, and then pointed to the one on the woman’s head.  She reached under the pile and pulled out one that looked exactly like she was wearing.  After multiple hand gestures, I got her to show me how to put it on.  When it was my turn, I put it on, the lady next to her adjusted it a little, and I stepped back.  A bunch of Ethiopians around us in the market started clapping – it was hilarious.  Remember that thing I said about hating to stick out?  Thanks to some solid advice, I’m trying to embrace it, which was REALLY fun today.  

Marnie becomes an Ethiopian… step 1.

   TRENDY TOURIST PICTURES!! B is a lot better at it than I am…(Emily, Kadie, and Kayla… the barn one is for you.  Emily Nicholos… the blue gate reminded me of Charleston! ).  

 

Highlights:

1.       Finding all the good things Ethiopia has to offer:

Example A: 

Example B:

2-     IT RAINED!!! During our walk, which was great.  As B pointed out, the rain is probably cleaner than the water we’ve been showering with.

3- Getting to Facetime with MEEMAW!  It was unexpected. And getting to talk to my parents, Katie, and Carey for a bit.  Sometimes I’m really thankful for technology.

Biggest thing I learned:

Just as Christinaity isn’t limited to church on Sundays, ministry in Africa isn’t just limited to my time spent working with Because of Kennedy.  God is sanctifying me through my interactions with Brittany, my patience is being tested by hanging out with 4 kids all the time, I’m learning the meaning of unconditional love by being on a team of people who are different than me, and I’m discovering what it means to walk with God throughout the day.  I’m frustrated because I can’t speak this language (like, even WRITING it has different characters), but I’m having an AMAZING time figuring out how to communicate and connect in different ways.  God isn’t just ministering to me when I am intentionally (sorry Carey… I couldn’t think of a different word) serving him, just as I am ministering people outside of our specific “ministry sites”.  Africa isn’t just a country with starving children and people with piercings through their faces (sorry Megna), it has COOL architecture and beautiful terrain and a relaxed kind of lifestyle that we can learn a lot from.