Exuberant Exhaustion

My eyes burned from tiredness and the dry air of the airplane. But almost immediately the smells and sounds of a country I love infused my senses and awakened my spirit.  All went smoothly as we were scooped up by our faithful friend and driver, Fekadu, and delivered to our guest house where within a few hours, we had new friends from around the globe.  We reveled in sharing stories and experiences, in awe of how God works to draw people into His heart and ministry, linking our hearts together in love for Him.  Our Saturday afternoon almost feels like a dream. We drove past the trash dump that is Korah where people were digging through garbage in search of food to the headquarters of Heart for Korah where a crowd was gathered at the gate.  Little ones carrying little ones,  some on crutches, some without sight, some with leprosy.  Because of the generosity of friends in the US, we were able to give each of these Families a simple mattress, sheets, and a blanket.  Their smiles were huge, their hugs and kisses, genuine.  My heart simultaneously sunk and soared.  Something so simple as a mattress for a dirt floor lights up these people's eyes and faces.  And I sleep every night in a very comfortable bed with clean bedding in a warm and safe house.  We listened to Tesfaye, who is the director, share his testimony of growing up in the dump.  His story (which I will share later) marked our afternoon and etched on our hearts Gods grace and the power of ONE life lived in obedience and love for Christ.  In our fast paced, goal oriented, materialistic American culture, it is hard to fathom of anything different. Each time I come here, my heart is awakened to the reality that we need not live chasing manmade dreams on a treadmill that goes nowhere. We are made for more, and our hearts hunger and thirst for more.  The contentment and gratitude with which these people approach everyday is a continual education for me.  We are excited and thankful to be in this 'school of Life' this week!

Kristin wrote the update and all I can say is AMEN to everything she says, it is hard to explain how we can feel so at home here in a country so poor in material things, even essential life giving things and not miss anything of our American lifestyle. We love our families and communities and desire so much to merge the two worlds.

We are off to church at IEC and then to Korah for monthly distribution. We will update tonight and send pictures that will let you share in our experiences of the day.

We are so humbled to be God's hands and feet here in this land of our second home.