International Church

Our first full day in Ethiopia.

Despite jet lag and excited anticipation, most of us managed to catch a few hours of sleep and were ready to explore our new surroundings. Eskinder reserved a van and driver for the day and was at our doorstep at 8:00 am to take us to the International Church for Sunday service. This was the first stop in a full day of getting acquainted with Addis Ababa and the Ethiopian history and culture.

E chose to take us to this International Church because the service was in English. In the hope of saving time, our driver took us through narrow winding backroads - the likes of which we would call back alleys in Canada. Even with the "short cut" the journey took a little longer than expected and we walked into service late. We joked amongst ourselves that we were already on "Ethiopian time". Sadly, our team managed to be late for appointments many times over the next two weeks. I'm sure when we left the country, our hosts were shaking their heads over how Canadians have no concept of arriving places at the scheduled time.

We missed much of the singing, but we did get to enjoy the sermon given by a guest speaker from the United States. This pastor was on sabbatical with his family - his wife grew up in Ethiopia with missionary parents and after their marriage, they returned to Ethiopia to work for a few years. We were all impressed by his message on "integrity" and his effective object lesson using an onion. Even when one peels off layers, it is still an onion through and through. We should be that way with our lives - every layer should be guided by Christian principles and faith, not just our "Sunday" layer.

There was a beautiful bouquet at the front of the stage. When we asked someone after the service if there was a special occasion, we were told that a lady from the church provides a fresh bouquet every week. She considers it her gift and ministry to the Lord.

On our way out of church, E mentioned that this would be a good opportunity to use the facilities. Over the next few weeks we came to realize the importance of using these moments when good bathrooms were readily available - otherwise we got very good at "holding it" or "closing our eyes" and making the best of what was offered. When I saw the first couple stalls, I was not sure if this was going to work. Might be fine for squatting in a big skirt, but dropping my drawers without a door for privacy was a bit daunting. I was relieved to find "normal" stalls further down the line, doors and all. After the girls and I left the ladies room, I overheard one of them wondering why there were "showers" in the public washroom. Sorry to disillusion you, ladies, but those WEREN'T showers!



A post-secondary Bible school was affiliated with the church and part of the overall complex. E arranged for one of the teachers to show us around and explain some of the programs they offer. He gave us a very informative tour of the school, and we came to appreciate S's gift of asking good questions and drawing a lot of valuable information out of our guide.

Our final stop on the tour was the Bible school main office. It was very basic by our standards, but had everything an office needs: desk, computer, printer, fax machine, copier, and cordless phones. Similar to stories we heard continuously throughout our stay, financial difficulties limit their effectiveness.  It's hard to maintain enough staff to meet the demands for training. Students are poor, and have trouble finding affordable housing close to the school. But with the support of the international congregation, this school is better off than many in the country.

Our First Guest House

While E was visiting her family in Addis before the team arrived, she did a fair amount of searching for a comfortable guest house for the team's first couple nights in the city. The cozy place she chose was run by Figray, a young Christian gentleman and his new bride. He gave us lots of good information about his country. Because of it's proximity to the Canadian Embassy residence, they cater to many North Americans, hence our breakfast table was laden with familiar foods like scrambled eggs, oatmeal, toast, jam and peanut butter. Our first taste of Ethiopian coffee was a pleasant introduction to the delicious brew we were going to enjoy for the next couple weeks.

The guest house had a very comfortable living room which became our gathering spot to chat and enjoy our coffee, or enjoy a few quiet moments writing in our journals.

We were offered the use of his computer and the internet. At first we were very excited at the prospect of sending some messages home reporting our safe arrival, but we soon experienced the frustrations of using the basic dial-up service available in most of Ethiopia. It took many attempts to sign on to our e-mail programs and then sometimes the program would freeze after spending a good amount of time typing out our message. With perseverance, I think everyone who wanted to, managed to send a brief message to their loved ones.

The light of day revealed the beauty of the guest house grounds. Lush vegetation surrounded the house including many familiar flowers that we plant in our summer gardens, except these ones were much bigger and taller. The yard was gated, and night and day there was a hired watchman to keep us safe on the premises. The front wall was covered in shrubbery, even up and over the front gate. The side and back walls had broken pop bottle glass embedded all along the top. Security was taken seriously, although I can't say we ever felt threatened or unsafe during our stay in the country.