Finally, Firsts, and Friends - Day 1 Ethiopia 2021

There are times in life when it seems like something is so far away.  Then, in the blink of an eye, the last days fly by so quickly.  I feel like we had been preparing for this trip to Ethiopia for months, maybe even years.  Suddenly the day was here.  

With a large family, it is difficult to carry everyone in one vehicle.  Add to that a large box, fourteen suitcases, and six backpacks.  There are perks to working for a church with a small bus!  We are so thankful that Pastor Gary and the Redeemer bus could haul all of us to the airport.  We're also thankful to the neighbors that helped haul bags to the bus and came to wish us well.

At the Columbia airport, another friend came to see us off.  Little did he know that he would get to help haul bags into the airport!  Thanks to a kind and generous United Airlines employee we were able to get the box containing the hematology machine loaded as checked baggage without any large fees.  Whew!  It was an uneventful move through security.  Then just a matter of waiting.  

We boarded the plane with some excited and some nervous first-time flyers.  All the girls did great on the short flight to Washington DC.  Because our flights had been changed since we booked them, we now had an overnight stay in DC.  That also meant we had to collect all, yes... ALL, of our bags... and the box.  Then we hauled them to the hotel shuttle.  Then to our rooms.  

By that time no one wanted to go anywhere except to bed.  Thanks to Doordash we did manage to order some amazing food from a local Pakistani restaurant.  Yum!  If you're in the area... mehrankabob.com.  Excellent butter chicken.

 

It was a joyful start to our journey.  This trip is about so much more than just taking a vacation to Ethiopia.  It is first and foremost about T and M^ reconnecting with their culture, language, country, family, and friends.  It is about Kevin and I reconnecting with our dear friends Hiwot and Zebene.  It also makes space for our children to develop friendships that we hope will grow as deep as our friendship has.  It is about supporting the work of Hiwot and Zebene as they strive so diligently to provide holistic health care for their community.  It is about our children experiencing life in another part of the world.  We want them to see the vibrant life-giving culture of Ethiopia, as well as other places around the globe.  It is also about writing and sharing these stories and pictures.  Ethiopia is a place of incredible beauty, kind people, and a long history of civilization. 

Thank you for taking this journey along with us.  We know that we are certainly never alone.