Pasture Life Rhythms

 

Our family is settling into the slower swing of the countryside. Life still feels full, just so different than life in a city. 

When we moved to Addis Ababa, I wasn’t sure how I would function in such a populated area. We ended up really liking Addis but it is refreshing to be surrounded by so much of God’s beauty.

FAQ:

How are you adjusting in Injibara?

This isn’t easy to gauge for me, but I think well. The girls did amazing for our first 10 days and then we had Chad and Christen. Since then, the newness has worn off and the visitors are gone.  The girls are doing well, but seem sad.They ask multiple times a day to go to “America”. This sounds so depressing but they are really thriving in other ways. Little J and Little A initiated wanting to speak more Amharic during lunches. They love to hike and are (by my expectations/compared to last summer,) crazy adventurous. I do notice they are craving English interaction. I am really hoping this can be filled with the many people who speak Amharic, but love them so much. As the girls gain more language (which is not something that Jon and I can force-trust me, we tried) they will be more comfortable. 

What are you doing during your days?

Jon is working on the 5 F’s project (Fruit, Forage and Forestry for Farm Families). Right now, it is about 10-12 hour days as they are delivering seedlings. He was previously working partial days and spending time around the house, painting, rewiring, fixing, hanging curtains, fixing and fixing. :) 

I am homeschooling the girls. That is usually about 2 hours in the morning. We daily try to spend time outside with the kids around us. I am working with some English conversation classes and praying what the future is for this as students are eagerly waiting. I am really excited about teaching. The girls and I also spend some time each day “crafting”. They love it and sometimes I do. :)

Jon and I are both trying to daily study Amharic. I have had more time than Jon for this. 

How are your teammates?

Mark and Debbie bless us, literally, everyday. They are having some incredible challenges since they have returned and have shown us how brightly they shine, even when “bumped”. (This is from a lesson we learned at MTI, when plans are changed or we are bumped, what spills out of us in discomfort, injustice, fatigue, etc). You can pray for them.

Do people remember you from last summer?

Yes, we are so thankful for our bumbling time last summer. Although we enjoy it much more with communication abilities. And we remember them and can now connect families, neighbors, etc, etc.

How is the heat?

Umm. Yes, we live in Ethiopia, which is on the continent of Africa, but both the continent as well as Ethiopia, the country, has a wide variety of climates. We are now northern highlanders and due to rainy season (our winter) and the high altitude, things aren’t real warm around here. If the sun is out, the altitude makes it intense and it is beautiful.

Okay, your turn, what questions do you have for us?