Tuesday October 2, 2007

“The world cannot argue with a Church that lives in the pain of society’s
poor. The integrity of this form of Christianity silences the harshest of
critics, because they now genuine love and compassion when they see it. And
the truth is, they want it.” –Tony Campolo

The Poverty

Wow. I desire for us to be the kind of people who are known for our compassion and love in this way. The extreme poverty in Addis is often overwhelming. There are homeless folks who approach me all day long asking for food, money, jackets and candy, and there are many more who sleep on the sidewalk b/c they have no where else to go. I try to greet each person with a smile – but I have a hard time knowing the appropriate response to such a crappy situation. It would be very easy to give away all the money and food I have to the homeless people who ask, but I know that is NOT the answer. In America poverty is also a complex issue, but we often justify our lack of giving and empathy b/c “if they wanted, they could find a job” (even though its a horrible excuse for not entering into life with people who have been dealt a much more difficult life than our own)…but here that excuse in invalid. Unemployment is a huge dilemma, second only to the orphan crisis, and many Ethiopians “go to work” by begging on the streets. I have decided to buy crackers to keep in my purse when women and children look hungry or ask for food. I am very aware of Matthew 25 every time I leave the house, and when I was asking God how to address this constant internal struggle, I read this quote from a book by Tony Campolo:

“When Jesus walked the earth, He demonstrated a special love and concern for
those who were disadvantaged and pressed down by the harsh realities of
living…Jesus never approached the poor as some kind of project or problem
that had to be rectified. He genuinely felt the weight of their plight. This
should not surprise us, because in the Old Testament, God regularly measured
Israel’s faithfulness by the degree to which they cared for the poor. To
ignore the poor was a direct offense against Yahweh.”

On a lighter note, earlier last week Rob and I were on a bus home from work, and a boy came up to the window motioning that he was hungry. This is a daily encounter, but this particular boy had food in his other hand. Not thinking that anyone on the bus spoke English, Rob joked that the boy needed to work on begging tactics. There was one man in front of us who understood and agreed as he cracked up.

Rush Hour
Speaking of the buses, there is a whole Ethiopian bus subculture during rush. It’s practically impossible to get a bus home at certain times of the day. I was at the Mercado with Rob and our Ethiopian friend Abraham attempting the impossible last Monday evening, when a bus slowed down going in the direction of him. In the blink of an eye, Abraham dove into the mound of people on the bus, saving Rob and me a seat. He looked like a bunny rabbit hoping over the crowd. The mob of people fighting for a seat is ridiculous and frustrating, but it’s also rather humorous to watch.

Bed bugs
Until a few weeks ago, I never knew these suckers existed. MAN, they sure know how to ruin a good night sleep. Every morning I woke up with new red bumps all over my body. After 2 intense lock-down sprays, I think the problem is dead…hopefully.

Asco
One thing I can say about work is that it is NEVER boring, which is a huge blessing. I come home completely exhausted because every day is a new challenge. On one hand, I want to be respectful of the system of education that is already established, as I am only here for a few months and do not have much experience. On the other hand, it is very easy to pinpoint things that obviously could be improved for the sake of the kids. I have asked myself what Jesus would do in this kind of situation, and I usually cannot think of an answer.

There were a few times last week when the children were unable to do their lessons b/c there weren’t enough pencils. I figured this was God’s way of opening my eyes to a need for which I could provide. So, I found about 50 pencils, sharpened them, and brought them in to school the next day.

Goodness! I have the expressions from that day engraved into my memory! The kids were SO excited to have a newly sharpened pencil with an eraser…I wish you could have seem the enthusiasm in their eyes. The best part was that each kid received his or her own new pencil. Since everything is communal at the orphanage (toys, toothbrushes, clothes, books, soap, food), and the kids are so young, they have developed a raging fighter mentality whenever they want something. Because they do not own any items, it is difficult to teach the kids the importance of respecting property. By the end of the class the kids were hitting each other with the pencils and half of the kids were purposefully breaking the tips, but I guess this scenario is better than not having a writing utensil at all…

One of the most precious tools another volunteer taught me is how the kids ask for forgiveness. They hook their pinky fingers together and then kiss their own pinky as a way to say “I am sorry.” This is such a beautiful way for the kids to make their peace and then go about their business. I am
learning that to have faith like a child you have to forgive and truly wipe the slate clean.

My Kids
Leaha is one of my favorites. She is in the older group at the Montessori (probably 4 or 5 years old) and she has the most radiant smile – every time her face lights up I melt. She also has one of the worst tempers I have ever seen on a child. She will often run around and hit people with a tree branch, then when she realizes I saw her swat 5 other kids, she will throw herself on the floor a pitch a fit. She cries at least 5 times a day. Whenever she does this, I take her outside, calm her down, and make her repeat “be nice” and “don’t hit” with me. Then I look her in her eyes and tell her she is beautiful or “konjo.” Ms. Lobasso says they EVERYONE wants to be known, understood and truly loved. So even though there are so many barriers – time, communication, culture, age, etc, I want these kids to know that they are loved – regardless of how many times they hit their friends, cry or pee on the floor. I think one of the most powerful ways to do this is looking them in the eyes and hugging them. I hope that if I do nothing else at this orphanage, I can unabashedly love these kids through the power of Christ inside me.

Habtamo is another one of my babies! It took a little while to figure out if he was a boy or girl (all the kids heads get shaved, and often the girls wear pants, so its hard to tell), but he has the most precious laugh. He is always in a good mood and he is so fun to be around.

Then there is Sami, who smiles and tells stories with his eyes, and Magdes who answers all the questions right. Sammy always has a bloody noise and Getchoh’s fat little cheeks make my day. Dalukew is the most handsome and competitive 4 year old I have met, and Yonus fights anyone to get his favorite horse with moving lips during playtime. Yabersa is always causing disruption and lisa who patiently waits for me to hold her hand. Wacu’s little butt is always hanging out of his pants and Pedros captivates me with his eyes. OHH man! These kids are becoming such dear friends.

I will tell you more about the primary school kids next week.

Lost
During the week there is an Ethiopian woman named Asni (she is da bomb dot com dot org) who cooks for us, but on the weekends we take turns making food. So, last Saturday night Kate and I were in charge of dinner. We set off on an adventure to the grocery store, but a few bus rides and 45 minutes later, we found out we were going in the wrong direction. This guy, David, preceded to get off the tax with us and get on two more taxes to help us find where were needed to be. We told him how appreciative we were, and he explained how he used to live in South Africa, and he once had kind woman help him find his was when he was lost. What a Good Samaritan…I felt like I was in the PASS IT FORWARD movie!

Well, that does it for now. Thanks for journeying with me! feel free to shoot me an email at jrussphotography@gmail.com. Have a great week.
Jruss