October 29th Cornwall sent out a team of 13 people to Ethiopia. They flew 13 large duffle bags full of relief supplies with them. This team traveled around the area visiting orphanages, painting, providing clothing and shoes, as well as simply influencing the lives of everyone they interact with. Below are the updates we recieved from the team while they were in Ethiopia.  

Monday November 9th:

We made it home this afternoon. Everyone is so excited to be with family and to get some rest. The blog will be updated this week with all of the things the team had the privilege of doing while in Ethiopia! Thanks for all of your prayers!!

Sunday November 8th:

The team woke at 5am to prepare for a 4 hour journey over dirt roads and rocky mountains to head to the Tigray region. We were going to be taking clothes and shoes to the remote village of Kerbera. As we headed out we were awed by the rugged beauty of the countryside. There were fields and fields of wheat and Tef (an Ethiopian grain staple). We watched men, women and children use their sickles (a rounded machete) to cut all of the grain by hand. They built enormous piles of grain so the ox and donkeys could stomp on it to break the seeds out. Then they would load up their donkeys to take it to the market. We also witnessed pure beauty with mountains that rose to flat peaks. Little did we know we'd be driving or walking over them! The roads are all dirt and rock and very narrow. For some reason the drivers liked to drive right on the outside edge of cliffs, which gave us more reason to pray! We made it safely though and these guys knew what they were doing.

The longer we drove, the beauty of the landscape became the beauty of the people. Children would be working out in the fields but as soon as they saw us Firenjes they would stand up and wave with big smiles and tell us something in Amharic. It made our day!! When we arrived at the village it seemed as though the whole town (and maybe other villages) had come out to greet us. They knew we were coming because we had to drive down a long windy road to get there. As we got out of the vans, we were immediately swarmed by beautiful children. We would stick out our hands to shake theirs and some obliged us but many ran away in fear. We think many of the villagers had never seen white people before. They would run away and giggle with their friends. Many of the babies freaked out when we came near them. We felt kind of bad because we didn't want them to be scared of us.

Next we headed to the area where we would be distributing clothes and shoes. The elders attempted to create some sort of organized system for who would get shoes and clothes... it was a good attempt, but the further we got into the process the more chaotic it became. It felt really good to be able to clothe and provide some physical necessities to these families who were in such desperate need. The longer we spent there, the harder it became to please everyone. There simply were not enough shoes or clothes for everyone which caused panic. Mothers wanted their children to have these things, so families and children started swarming the area that we used to provide items. Eventually it got dangerous for the children and we had to stop immediately. We were led out of the village by the elders. We felt horrible that we had caused such chaos. We did get to play with some of the children on our way out and that made our day!

On the way up the mountain, ie cliffs, one of the vans got stuck and broke down. The team in that van had to hike up the mountain to wait at the top. Because the altitude is so high we were all huffing and puffing on the way up!! But once we got up there we had a spectacular view of the valley. It was a good time hanging out as a team and also spending some time with some teens from the village. We gave them a ride to Sembre (the next nearest town) so that they could go to school. They normally walk two hours each way every day just to go to school.

It was a powerful day full of new insights into the lives of many Ethiopian people. One of the biggest lessons we learned was how much joy people can have when they have so very little.

We miss you all and can't wait to see you!!

Love,
The Team

Saturday November 7th:

 We had each person write down a funny story that has happened to either them or someone else on this trip from their perspective, and here is what we have come up with :

Ryan AKA Beckham:

When playing soccer with the kids at Hannah's Hope the kids came over and started touching my hair and they were convinced that I was... David Beckham!!

Chris:

As we were driving along the bumpy dirt road on the edge of a cliff, Kiersten looks out the window and says "oh, we're good, we have 4 inches"

Lisa:

We were driving through the hills of Mekele and Ryan thought he might have seen a lion; it ended up being a whole pack of baboons!  Our whole van (Kristin, Chris, Eric, Ryan, Kiersten, Kjerstin, and Missy) got out and Missy started chasing the baboons and screaming “This is like the Lion King!"

Belsa:

While attempting to navigate an airport cart out of the airport in Mekele, I bumped into two different doors and then the luggage on my cart toppled over outside and shoes spilled all over the street.  The man behind me said "She shouldn’t be allowed to drive"

Maria:

On the way home from Kerebra we stopped at a small village to take a photo of the camels standing in someone’s yard.  Liz, Belsa and I were giving toy cars to the kids there; coming down the road was a huge herd of long horn cattle and goats being led by a small child.  Next thing we know Belsa and I were in the middle of a herd of cows and goats brushing up against both sides of us.

Kjerstin:

It was the second night in the Union Hotel in Addis and I was in our room changing clothes when the door swung open and a man from the hotel walks in looking for something, I screamed because my pants were down and my behind was fully exposed! I scared him away with my scream and then saw him two minutes later.

Missy:

Since Lisa wrote about me and my chasing baboons, I will write about her!  We were going to the airport on Monday morning at about 4am and we're all pushing carts with a ton of luggage (about 20 large bags and personal luggage as well).   All of a sudden we hear a loud noise and Lisa scream; we all turn to see she had run herself (and bags and cart) into a huge cement block just sitting in the middle of the sidewalk.  Everything fell off and Lisa just stood there in shock while we all were cracking up laughing. Thanks for the wake up call Lisa J

Liz:

After our bus broke down on our way back from kerbera we attempted to take group photo. After several attempts to get everyone to smile, Almaz decided to use a trick that “always works with my kids”. She counted town” Three...two…” and then lifted her leg off the ground and made a huge “fart” sound!! Of course that got everyone laughing and now has become the standard way to take group picturesJ

Kiersten Jones:

I was the lucky one who got to experience the primitive “toilets” first in Ethiopia. A man walked me to a door at the back of his restaurant. The stall is the size of a broom closet. No light, except the light coming through under the door. Waste paper basket. Filthy floor and walls and a ceramic “bowl” (think painting tray with a huge hole at the “deep end”) which way do I squat do i face the hole and aim? Or do I squat over it and risk brushing my butt against the wall? This story has become less funny as the week has progressed because I’ve had to do it more than once. ..

Mary:

Early in our trip I called my grandson back in Washington. I told him, he is 8,that I saw a camel walking down the road. His reaction, “Okay, that’s kind of freaky and really dangerous!”

Eric:

We painted in Dr. Geb’s clinic. Since there was no glass in the windows yet, the breeze would come through the room. We were moving quickly spattering paint as we worked. At one point one of the locals sprayed water on the outside that   carried through open window. Many shrieks were heard from those who thought they’d been splattered with paint. 

Kristin:

While riding in a taxi back to our hotel with only Chris and Lisa, we were discussing “married things”. It was a pretty long ride home and a long conversation. As we were about to leave the taxi, Chris had asked our driver his name. It instantly became clear that our taxi driver spoke great English, and understood every word we had exchanged.

Jason:

I think I’m funny, but really, I’m not.

We just got word that one team member became ill and is staying back at the hotel to recover. Please join us in praying for their rapid recovery!

Thursday November 5th

Yesterday we spent the day visiting a Theological college here in Mekele. Dr. Geb had requested that we bring 100 English speaking Bibles. It was so neat to be able to see the heart of these men who desire their students to have an education. They know that without education there is not a lot of chance of them moving forward. They have a vision - to train young men (and eventually women) about the Gospel and also to equip them with a degree to be able to support themselves and further their country for their people. It was so encouraging to hear their vision, but also heartbreaking because they lack the resources (books, educated teacher, computers) to be able to move this vision forward. We had a wonderful meeting with the dean, asst. dean and many of the teachers.  What an incredible reminder how blessed we are simply to have an education.

 Next we went to Dr. Geb's hospital. When you see the pictures of how buildings are constructed you are reminded again how blessed we are simply to have construction materials. But at the same time you see just how patient people are in Ethiopia. It takes us a few months to get a building up, but here everything is done manually. There were about 8-10 young men (all looked in their teens) who had handmade tools to build this hospital. They would mix the cement by hand and take it to the room they were working on with a small bucket and repeat the process over and over again. To complete one room takes weeks and weeks. Yet, there is no sense of impatience. We were reminded of this when we brought the paint over and started mixing it. We all seemed eager and ready to paint, but at times you could see that our rushing confused them. We then got out all of our painting supplies (rollers, brushes, tarps, etc) and they looked at them as though they were completely foreign. In Ethiopia they have paintbrushes but not rollers. It takes them so long just to paint one room by brush.  We were able to complete two rooms in 2 hours. They couldn't believe it. Because the cement wasn't dry we were only able to do two rooms, but we left the supplies and it was like Dr. Geb had received the best Christmas gift ever. He was excited that his workers had learned how to use the rollers and could finish the work much quicker than by just brushes.   When Dr. Geb talked about his hospital it was like he was talking about his baby.  He is honored, humbled and thrilled to be able to build this hospital to serve the men, women and children of his country.  There are so many who are suffering from HIV/AIDS but also from very treatable diseases.  That has been incredibly apparent as our team has played with children on the street.  It's hard to believe that there are so many children who live their lives daily with simple diseases such as scabies, ringworm, lice, fungal infections etc.  They have no means to cure these things, yet they are so full of joy.  We have been incredibly humbled by the people of Ethiopia and especially the heart of Dr. Geb. After finishing up the rooms at the hospital we all tried to wipe off the paint and realized it was oil based.  Some people used gas to clean it off and others just left white spots all over themselves.  It's actually quite funny because many of the children think us Firenjes (white people) actually have white freckles!!!  It's been hilarious! There is much more updating to do, and I plan to get to it later today (if there's internet). This is just part of one day. There is SO much more and we have all been broken and encouraged beyond what we ever imagined we could be. Thank  you for your prayers and love.  They are more than appreciated.   Sending everyone our love, Kristin, Jason, Missy, Belsa, Liz, Eric, Kiersten, Kjersten, Mary, Maria, Lisa, Chris, Ryan, Almaz & Dr. Geb

Good morning! 
 
Its 3:50am (Monday, November 2nd) and getting ready to head to the airport for our northern trip. Yesterday we went to orphanage building and spent the day painting and built platforms for a couple of rooms. The team worked extremly hard yesterday and accomplished a lot!  It was neat to spend the day together and work with some locals in Addis to complete some projects. Thank you for all the prayers as the team is once again all together health wise! A few sniffles but in good spirits. After working till dark we ran back to the hotel and washed up and ran out to a traditional Ethiopia food and dance restaurant. The people here are truly a blessing and it is great to meet, work, and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ!
 
Internet is sketchy, so we'll get our next update to you when we have access.  Thank you again for your prayers!!

The team has safely made it to Washington DC and late Thursday night, the 29th, were boarding a plane to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This leg of their trip will take them about 16 horus. They will spend a couple days in the capital city of Addis Ababa before they head to Mekele.
 

Our team is excited and more than ready to get our hands dirty, painted and working. When we arrive in Addis we'll be going over to Hannah's Hope orphanage and working! We cannot wait to see Almaz - the orphanage director, hold babies, play with the children and work!! We'll be doing a variety of these types of things for a few days before we fly up north to Mekele!

In Mekele we'll be working with Dr. Geb on his new hospital. We'll be painting and helping to build whatever is left to build. We are thoroughly excited to meet Dr. Geb, hear his story and work!! While in Mekele, we'll also meet the president of a seminary. They've asked us to bring 100 English bibles for their students which we were thrilled to be able to do. We are looking forward to learning more about this seminary and hopefully being able to connect them with a seminary here in the US. That's their desire as well.