Blood, Sweat, Tears and More of the Truffle Shuffle

Hello to all of our friends and family back in Montana and across the rest America.  This blog comes to you from Aaron, I will try my best to explain in detail today's events.  As Kyle said in the previous blog "Tell it like a Girl."  I don't do that very well but I will try my hardest.  So here it goes...

It's Midnight here in Addis and we just dropped the rest of the team off at the airport for their journey home.  They leave the Addis airport at 2am and fly to Frankfurt, Germany.  From there they will fly directly to Denver and will be home Saturday evening.  Ariel, Kyle and I will be here for a few more days, as we go to see the Acacia Village project that CWA, Christian World Adoption, is doing here in Addis.  We will miss having the team with us as we have become one big happy family. I am so very proud of the work that this team has done.  Harvest Church and Billings Mt, can consider itself honored to have men and women with the character and convictions such as these. 

Today, was a day filled with too many emotions to describe.  It was a joyous day, as we were able to complete the almost all of the final rock layer by noon today at the school before we had to leave.  I am quite certain that the contractors were able to finish the last 10 meters, 30 feet, this afternoon.  To put this in perspective for you all.  This morning was full of joy, laughter and tears.  On previous mornings when we would pull in to the school to begin our work the contractors would wave at us and then go back to shaping the stones we would use to complete the days work.  Today however was different.  Each of the men dropped their tools as we pulled in to the school grounds and greated us as we piled out of the vans.  Their faces were still glowing from last nights events.  Our presence in this community half way around the world has left an eternal mark, which was evident on the faces of five men this morning.  We exchanged hugs and handshakes, said Endemena derachu, Good morning in Amarhic, and laughed with eachother about the previous nights celebration.  All of this ocurred naturally without any help from our translators.  The language barrier had finally been reduced from a large hurdle to overcome to small obstical that everyone on our team nimbly stepped over and kept on going.  We truly do serve an Awesome God!!!  The relationships that we have developed here are truly amazing.

This week we have had cuts that made us bleed, pour out gallons of sweat and today their were tears.  Tears of joy and sadness.  Throughout this day we were bounced from ceremony to ceremony, all of which were in honor of the work that we had accomplished this week and the hope of the future.  The Bright Hope School faculty presented us with two different certificates of appreciation this morning.  We definitely felt honored and humbled to be chosen to be a part of this project.  We worked until noon at the school, and then had to say our goodbyes to the contractors.  After a round of hugs, thank yous, and many tears, we hopped in the vans and left to go to another coffee ceremony at the CHI House of Hope.  On a side note,  friday is literally called TGIF here and many of the schools let out at noon.  It seems that they work very hard for four days and then on friday they kind of take it easy.  Everyone still goes to work but their is a more relaxed atmoshpere around the work site.  Once we got to the House of Hope we were treated to another celebratory meal and the traditional coffee ceremony.  It was all wonderful.  We have truly been honored guests of our brothers and sisters here in Ethiopia.  When we finished our lunch and tour of the guests house that CHI has we headed off to the market. 

Instead of going to the Mercato, Africa's largest open air market, Sammy one of our interpreters who had been helping us throughout the week,  suggested that we go to the Alert Hospital to buy some souvineirs.  The Alert Hospital, is where many of the disabled, and lepers go to get treatment.  It is literally a stones throw away from the school.  Many of the men and women at the hospital have children who go to the school.  At the hospital, they make all kinds of woven wares, purses, table clothes, shirts, dresses.  And then hand carved crosses, animals, and a varity of other souvineirs.  This place was very near and dear to Sammy's heart as he grew up in that area and work at the hospital shining shoes as a young boy.  Sammy's Dad was a leper and Sammy went to school at Bright Hope.  He has seen more in his young 26 years then any of us will ever or should ever see in three lifetimes.  God has done an amazing work in his heart and life. Throughout the day I was able to spend some more time gathering information about his life.  His life gave me a brief glimpse into what God is doing here in Ethiopia on a personal level.  As we were saying goodbye for the night,  Sammy told us that when he wasn't working for the Guest Home, he would go back to the school and work with the contractors on the wall.  I asked him if the contractors knew Jesus as their boss.  He said that most of them are Orthodox Christians but they may not be walking with the Lord.  I asked him to water the seed that we have planted in their lives.  He was so excited and said, "yes I will water and grow into a big tree for the Lord."

From the hospital we went to the Post Office area market and finished our shopping.  We then returned to the Guest House before going to dinner.  As I walked in the door I was greeted with a joyous,  "SURPRISE,  HAPPY BIRTHDAY."  Everyone has conspired together and picked up a birthday cake and card,  and another coffee ceremony.  It was the best birthday I could have asked for.  I have made some amazing friends this week.  God has truly blessed this trip and will continue to bless the work that will continue here while we are away for a period of time. 

Aaron Koenigsberg