Nkosi Sikelel' Afrika (God Bless Africa)

We have to quench the thirst of Jesus for others and for us. We do this by nursing the sick and dying. By each action done to them I quench the thirst of Jesus for love of that person - by giving God's love in me to that particular person. Gathering and teaching little street children. visiting and caring for Beggars. Giving shelter to the abandoned. Caring for the unwanted, the unloved, the lonely - all the poor people. This is how I quench the thirst of Jesus for others, by giving his love in action to them. - Mother Teresa

Day 4 - Korah

Before any of us went to Korah, Dr. Moody shared this video with us;

The Village of Korah - A short documentary from Session 7 Media on Vimeo.

With these images impressed on our hearts and the experience of the day before fresh in our minds, it was fair to say many were anxious about what we were going to face when we got there. Throughout our trip we traveled through the city in hired vans with drivers. The drivers are contract workers working mainly with The Gladney Center for adoption who escort adoptive families when they come to Ethiopia to meet their children. They are some of the nicest, hardworking guys you will every meet. Truly a treasured part of the trip to make new friends with them. To give you some perspective though, the drivers lived their whole lives in Addis and had never been to Korah. They didn't see any reason to go and quite honestly they were not thrilled to take us.

The average citizen of Addis has two opinions of Korah - you have either never heard of this place, or it is a forbidden area reserved for outcasts that no one would dare enter.

I learned years ago that videos can make a deep impression, but they never capture the magnitude of the situation. Nothing was more true than here. As far as you could see masses of people were living in this small, filth ridden area. Shanties built of tin or tarp covered the land. As we pulled up to the church (again, another building made of tin roof and tarp sides) we met Cherrie. Cherrie is an American who came to Korah to discover this is where her heart is. Her children are grown and her husband is about to retire and she spends the majority of her time ministering to the people of Korah. She wears a spectacular necklace made of washers with the names of her biological children stamped on several and then handfuls of names of the children she sponors at Korah stamped on the others. She gave us a tour and a history of the area and introduced us to Sammy. You see Sammy in the video. Sammy's parents, both lepers, raised him in the dump. YoungLife came to Korah and Sammy dedicated his life to Christ and felt a burden to minister to the other kids in Korah. He has a group of guys he disciples and they provide education and help for children who grow up.

We were directed into the church - the one with no electricity or running water - and given instructions. One of the things we quickly learned on this trip was the art of improvising. There were no tables to lay patients on so the church "pews" (long wooden benches) became the examining and working tables. The irony did not go unnoticed. We Americans complain if we have to wait 10 minutes to see our dentist and then when we want a massage chair with a TV in the ceiling to keep us at the height of comfort while we go to our annual check up. And pain, we want anything we can get to make the pain non-existent. In stark contrast we saw 300 people wait in a line, standing in the mud soaked with debris and urine, eager for the chance to see a REAL LIVE dentist with the hope to get the teeth that are rotting in their heads, causing tremendous amounts of pain and health issues pulled with one, maybe two shots of anesthesia. Then they hop up, don't get a friend to drive them home or a comfortable area with a TV to rest before they head back out. They pick up their crutch, made of a stick or broom handle, and limp back to the tin shack where every possession they own waits inside.

The phrase "poorest of the poor" is used a lot in Ethiopia, in all of Africa for that matter. It has even became a source of pride and even a point of contention for some who want to all jockey for the position of being the one service or clinic that serves the poorest of the poor. That day in Korah, there was no doubt, we came face to face with the poorest of the poor. The age of the person often dictated their condition. The older residents clearly were banished because of leprosy. Many missing limbs or apendages. Many crippled by the disease. We many who were blind whose entire existence was at the mercy of another person. Ethiopia is not kind to those with disabilities. The terrain is difficult to navigate for the heathy and their is not government assistance to provide meals or medication. It's a wonder anyone who has physical challenges survives at all. The skin of the young does not wear the scars of leprosy, instead the lesions of HIV or AIDS.

And in shame we Americans who thought we were bringing buckets of hope and aid to these people found we were the ones who benefitted that day. Amidst the pile of the city's discarded we found a precious people who were full of joy and gratitutde. Who quickly shared how God had blessed them. Blessed them? It took me so off guard. People with nothing...actually, with more than nothing with the trash of the people around them, they looked me right in the eye and told about how they were blessed. Humbling.

We wrapped up dental services and walked to ALERT. ALERT is the leprosy hospital that was donated years ago by a doctor and now serves as a residence hall for about 200 families. These families make hand made garmets and gifts to sell for support.
(MAN WE MET WEAVING A MAT TO SELL AT ALERT GIFT SHOP)

With our group who had not yet had the opportunity to buy local wares it was like Macy's on Christmas Eve. It took over an hour for everyone to get through the line and at the end of the day it was the largest sales the store had ever seen! Cherished items for those of us who had the chance to meet a cherished group of people.

The end of the day provided a place where we could all decompress a bit. We had a cultural dinner at a traditional restaraunt where we ate delicious lamb and yentils and other dishes served on the bread of the country injera. Entertainment was provided in the form of local singers and dancers and then some NOT-SO-LOCAL dancers joined in the fun and things got a little crazy. We decided what happens in Addis needed to stay in Addis but there is no doubt YouTube will be the source of shame for several.

I am working to update as quickly as I can. The benefit of being jetlagged as you can see is getting up early in the morning. I will be adding pictures to the earlier posts as well if you want to loop back around.

Day 5 - government run orphanages.