Live from Addis Ababa!

Hello family & friends!

WE ARE IN ETHIOPIA!! Praise the Lord--we are truly grateful to be here! Our flight went smoothly with only a couple minor changes. We were re-routed through Senegal instead of Rome, due to the residual volcanic ash from Iceland. This delayed our flight and actually made it a little longer but nothing too bad. We arrived here safely at 2:30pm (Ethiopian time) on May 11th.

We just finished our first full day here (May 12th). We hired a private minibus to take us around Addis and help acclimate us to the city. We visited all the major stops including: The National Stadium, Addis Ababa University & Museum, and Meskal Square, where all big celebrations are held. We officially all love Ethiopian macchiatos and they are less than 30 cents a piece here...an inexpensive addiction! :)

This afternoon we got to go to Mother Teresa's orphanage in Asco, where Rob ("Rabash") served for 8 months in 2007-2008. It was like a huge party or reunion when all the kids saw him come through the gates. A 6'8" white guy with a big beard is hard to forget. We loved playing with them and got a tour of the compound, including their awesome new school, which will house over 1000 students! We spent a good portion of time in the clinic, holding sick children, and helping the nuns. There was actually a shortage on volunteers today so it worked out perfectly that we were there. We have already made promises to come back...how do you say no to a nun?

We are reading Colossians and 1,2,3 John while we are here together as a team, if you'd like to read along. We are thankful for your prayers and encouragement and are excited to see what the Lord does with the rest of our time here.

We'll be updating every couple days. Much love!