2006-10-30 7:19 Monday Morning

After breakfast yesterday, we went to church at the International Evangelical Church in Addis. We studied the woman-at-the-well passage in the gospel of John. The pastor invited us into the woman’s role in that scripture, to each see ourselves in her place. The praise songs during the service were inspirational; I felt (though not consciously directed at us) that we were somehow getting a royal send-off.

We had a marvelous lunch at a wonderful restaurant in Addis; very lovely setting; Marta and Deme joined us at the end. Then we were off to Yetebon – 10 of us in a small bus, 2 with Gary & Peggy Ifft in an Isuzu trooper, and our luggage (30 odd bags worth) in a truck. The weather was clear and sunny with just a few drifting high clouds: En route, there were enough clouds around a tall volcanic peak to produce a lovely rainbow. Views were breathtaking.

In Yetebon, we unpacked and got a brief tour of the gardens at Project Mercy, then had a light dinner. Marta gave us more details about the mission and founding of Project Mercy after dinner. The mission of the project, it turns out, is focused on creating a sustainable community in the Yetebon area. Working with the larger community, and in addition to creating a large vegetable garden and a dependable water supply, the project has taking in about 70 orphans. They have a large school with 1000+ students in grades 1-11; anticipated expansion to K-12 in a year or two. And two years ago they opened the hospital where we expect to start working. Marta’s vision is compelling, and her achievements remarkable. I’m getting a little nervous; what does God have in store for us?