A snapshot of Addis

Sometimes in this country, there are vivid moments that stay with you all day long, or if troubling enough, all night long! They are like snapshots that imprint themselves on your brain, and make an impression on your heart.....for good or bad! Here is one I want to share with you.

It was dusk last Sunday evening, and I was driving home from church......alone. I had left immediately after the service to prevent having to drive in the dark. I was cocooned in the small white van, and all the doors were locked, windows up. Even so I was nervous, and on edge. If I was to have an accident, crowds of onlookers circle the car, I had no language help with me, and often it is an opportunity for pick pockets, and thieves to have a field day at your expense. Praying inwardly and simultaneously looking out for cars, donkeys, goats, dogs and people, I dodged potholes, weaved through taxis, and checked my rear mirror continuously for tailgating cars!!

I had just entered the area of Mercato - a huge market area, known for crime, and the arrival destination of people entering Addis from the country, since huge lumbering buses deposit travellers there all day every day. those 'struggling' with life here in Addis can be found in Mercato. It seems to be a melting pot of all that is down and out in the city.

The glare of car lights were just emerging as I manouvered my way through the outside roads, and past the bus station compound. Several times, I had to brake as people moving homewards simply stepped out on to the road, expecting me to stop for them......which I did!! They were black shadows, with no detail, until I stopped for them, and then my lights shined onto their forms, revealling them as the people they were.

I had just got through the worst of the road...next to the pyramid of second hand sneakers...all mens and selling for cheap cheap, and across the road from the leather good stall, and taxi stand where women stood also, selling services I hate to think about. Suddenly I realised a dog was crossing the road, and was right in front of my van. I slammed on the brakes, to avoid it. It may have been a stray, but even so, someone would demand restitution and money from me, if it was killed. You could bet suddenly it would have an owner, who would be distraught and want compensation.

As I waited slowly for the dog to move along the roadway it crossed my mind that it was taking forever, and may have been injured. At last it moved into sight just to the right of my front fender, and to my horrow, in the rude glare of my headlights was a man.....a human being.....paralysed and inching his way across the main road. I THOUGHT IT WAS A DOG, AND INSTEAD IT WAS A HUMAN BEING!!

He was covered in a filthy, old trench-coat, with what were once cream shorts, but were now ripped, muddy and held together by string. On his hands were plastic milk bags, tied on with string, that was wound round and round his hands. His knees were also tied together and underneath them was a strip of black rubber - probably the offcut of an old car tyre. His legs were both emancipated and grotesquely deformed. As he made his way across the road, it went hand, hand, drag the knees up, hand, hand, drag the knees up. His head was down, he had a mission to perform - get across the road. He looked at nothing and no-one as he made his way.

As he cleared my van sufficiently, the car behind me made no secret of the fact it was time to move on! The honking horn immediately told me to get going....there were places to go. Quit idling in the middle of the road. And so I veered slightly left and drove around the solitary man, moving in snail-like time and motion across the busy, main road of Mercato. As I did, the tears rolled down my face,and my heart cried out to God. Made in your image...how can that be? Why Lord, why do people have to suffer like this, and what is my role in this place? Could I have stopped to help? Was I being the Priest, and Levite?? Please Lord send a good Samaritan to help this poor being. He is your child, and therefore you love him. Please show him this. 

And so I continued to drive home without mishap to my warm, comfortable apartment. To have a hot shower, dress in my comfy PJs and eat a hot meal with my family who love me. And all the while my mind and heart was inclined towards the man dragging his sorry carcass across the jagged bitumin of Mercato, alone, to who knows what at the other side. This country hurts Lord, and I have no answers.

Now it is not surprising that I have no photos of this event or man...for you or me. I hope you glimpsed some of it through the writing,and it will spur you on to pray for us, as we grapple living here, but more importantly for the Ethiopians in this country doing it tough. There are so many!! Please remember them in your prayers, and ask God to do a mighty work spiritually and also practically through his people here, to alleviate some of these common snapshots that we see daily.

God Bless
Naomi

Field Days

Last week we experienced our first field days at Bingham Academy (and definitely not our last!) They were unlike any sports days we've ever experienced. Firstly they went for 2 days not one! Because the school is R-12 and all compete it takes 2days to get everything done!
Lucy and Max were in the junior school competition which meant they finished at lunch each day. This meant I looked after them in the afternoon although there was plenty to look at and cheer about, and they didn't need too much amusing. Both of them had 4 events and a relay to do. They ran obstacle courses, sack raced or were in the 3 legged race! It was mainly for fun, although Lucy in Yr 2 was quite competitve and enjoyed getting ribbons in each race!! She takes after her Dad!

Relay racing in face paint!

Go green, go green!  Cheering their team on.

 Then Tom and Oli also had 4 events they could each choose plus a relay. Oli's favorite was high jump. He jumped 130cm and the record was 135cm. He still has one yr left in his age group so needless to say he's hunting that record down next year! He hurt his ankle on the last jump, but with strapping still did all his other events. There was no stopping him and he did exceptionally well. Again takes after Dad!

Winning the 200m in style!

Tom chose to do the 1500m because there were only 4 in the race and he figured it gave him good odds to get a placing. Afterwards (he came 3rd) he wondered if the ribbon was worth the pain of it all, and declared himself to be a short distance racer only!! It took him the rest of the day to recover, although soft drinks, ice blocks and a hot lunch helped in that!!

Tom did the hurdles and cleared them all with no bruises or scars!!

There was a staff relay purely for fun, and we put in an Aussie themed team. We all dressed up and came a commendable 3rd behind 2 very fast and serious mens teams....so we did Oz proud! There was also a Dads 400m race and Shane was cajolled into it but never again!! He held the lead the whole way with 20m to go, then the bear jumped on his back, and our Kiwi deputy pipped him at the post along with a Norweigen freak bike rider, who is super super fit! I thought considering Shane had 13 years more on our deputy he did himself proud, but after the race it was ugly!! He had to sit down for an extended amount of time due to cramping, almost vomiting and exhaustion. I got him his lunch and he felt too rubbish to even eat it!! A coke for sugar and some time laying down, and he was able to function again.................but the days of Shane Rubie, 400m extraordinnaire are over!!

Who is that dork in the Aussie singlet carrying an Aussie flag????

 What we really enjoyed was the comeraderie of the kids and their encouragement of one another. A yr 11 boy in the 100 m fell just before the finish line...and all the other competitors were there in an instant picking him up, checking was he ok. In the high jump 2 boys were going for 1st (yr10s) and as they cleared each height they clapped each other, cheered gave high 5s etc, even though they both wanted to win. When races finished there were hugs to all, hand shaking, and just a really great feeling of encouragement in everything. It didnt matter at the end of the days who won (although my competitive nature wants to tell you it was our green team by 17 points) but competing fairly and to the best of their ability and in good sportsmanship was what won out! We were really impressed and will be glad to do it all again next year!