A Vague Update on Unrest in Ethiopia

I haven’t known how to express what is going on back in Ethiopia, here’s a write up the Crisis Management Team sent out, thanks Mark and Debbie for writing it.

The country of Ethiopia has been heralded as a one of the shining stars of economic development in Africa, enabled by longterm stability.  However, for the past year, there has been civil unrest that at times have resulted in bloodshed.  The SIM Ethiopia team has been making hard decisions in the midst of this, taking seriously the dual responsibilities of safety of those in the SIM family, as well as the duties we have accepted as carriers of the eternal gospel.  Several downcountry SIM stations have evacuated and have been unable to continue their ministries in the accustomed manner.  The Ethiopian government has called a State of Emergency to deal with the crisis.  Please pray for God’s people to rise up as peacemakers, for His people to be protected, and for vision and courage to see the ministry opportunities that arise from the situation.  Pray too for the leadership of SIM Ethiopia and SIM International in making choices that allow gospel engagement without unnecessary risk.  Pray too for peace, and for His righteousness to shine. He is still our good, good Father, and we are thankful for his watchful care for us.  We also are thankful for our Ethiopian brothers and sisters, who exercised a nationwide three week fasting and prayer event two months ago, and again are calling for another week of it.  Please pray with them and us during this time.

So, here we are, trusting God has a beautiful plan, thankful to be here and not displaced in the capital, Addis Ababa, but with many thoughts for our friends and community in Ethiopia. I feel I haven’t quite gotten a handle on our new life yet (we’ve traveled, moved recently-all the travels and the move have been great). 

Thanks for patiently loving us, even when we don’t know which end is up. Jon continues work for SIM and is excited to be planning a conference in the early winter in our local area. 

The Move

We did it!  Well, part of the way. We packed and cleaned our way out of the apartment where we have been living. Jon heads off for a conference so the kids and I will stay at my parents’ for a bit.

In other news, there was a wedding in our family. A married a handsome groom (we are supposed to pretend the stuffed dog is the groom, I wouldn’t let them use Tiger, much to their chagrin). 

The bridesmaids waiting on the bride (Groom by the altar).

The girls called Kristi in to officiate. We are going to miss these neighbors. 

A good time was had by all in attendance though Tiger and I just held down the porch swing. 

Thanks for your love, prayers and support! 

The Temporary Normal

I want to write about our normal life, the new normal but everytime I sit down, I realize how “unnormal” life feels and don’t know how to dialogue about the little things of life when my mind swirls with the escalating political unrest in Ethiopia, hurricanes in Haiti, #blacklivesmatter, car accidents involving people we love… Amidst it all, we are enjoying the little things, doing life as normal as we can (at least until our next move-next week. :))

I’ve had a harder time than I expected getting into the swing of homeschool in the USA but I think we’ve got a good rhythm now. The girls have never schooled in the US, it’s just been a place for fun so it was also hard for them to find motivation to study. I manage to accomplish very little in my days but I am learning my small capacity and learning how to do life again in Indiana.

A few of our normals:

Goofy girls who find dress up wherever we go…

sweet friends willing to drive far to meet our growing crew.

friends who don’t care how long it has been since we’ve seen each other.

trips to the grocery store

and the doctor (oh my, between dentist and doctor appointments, it’s been crazy).

Celebrating a 90th birthday party with Grandma

Reuniting with cousins

Working on the farm

Playing with more cousins…

Trips to the zoo

and this little guys who has become part of our normal. The four of us just sit around and stare at him and giggle when he coos.

Just look at this guy! Two months of sweetness and we don’t know how we ever lived without him. 

Can you believe this was him only two months ago? His birth mom just sent us this photo. 

 During the last two months, we have been living in a furnished apartment, provided for us be people who we barely knew.  They have been the best possible neighbors, showing us how beautiful the Body of Christ can be wherever we are and blessing us everyday. 

They’ve not only been the neighbors who just wave and say a polite “hello” but the kind of “let’s hang out and share life” kind of neighbors, the best kind if you ask me. 

 

There it is, our new normal, at least for now. ;)