Our Trip to Ethiopia, Day 6

 Tuesday, July 5, 2022

This morning, since it was technically still July 4th in part of the United States, the guest house staff surprised us with a 4th of July cake straight from the oven. It tasted so good!

After breakfast, we went leather shopping on our way to the SIM compound to meet with Kibir Consultants about the farm initiative in Gambella. Kibir strives to make a kingdom impact in the marketplace through training and consulting services built on biblically-based business standards. Some of the team also played ping-pong and foosball with some guys on the street by the leather shops.

Check out these snazzy guys in their new leather jackets! For those of you who don't know, Ethiopia is well-known for its leather, and it is MUCH cheaper than leather here in the U.S.

At the SIM compound, Misikir took us on a tour and showed Shana and Darci where they could stay if they come back to Ethiopia to live here for a short time while working on their business. The apartment is very near to Meskel Square, so is pretty centrally-located. 

This picture shows the original mud walls of the buildings at the compound.

We then had a meeting with the Kibir team about the farm in Gambella, and they agreed to meet again when Omod got to Addis. Omod is our dear friend who originally reached out to us about starting a farm. The Kibir staff went to lunch with us, and it was good to interact with them outside the business setting.

Misikir, asking Malia about her Prayer Buddies business and checking it out online:

After lunch, we headed to the post office area to shop in the pouring rain. When we were finished there, most of the team headed back to the guest house while Chris, Shana, Darci, and I headed with Bizzy to Shola market. We were told to keep our phones hidden, so I wasn't able to get any photos. Darci bought a traditional dress, while Shana bought a pair of shoes with the brand name of NKIE. The Nike swoosh looked a bit peculiar, too. 😂 Shana loves to look for these unique items in Ethiopia that we could never find in the U.S. because of copyright laws.

After shopping, we met Frehiwot and her son at their home for dinner. It was so good to spend time with them. The day before, we had given Bibles to a group of girls that Frehiwot works with. She teaches them about God and prays and does devotions with them. She told us that just last week, they had all prayed that somehow, God would provide a way for each of them to get a Bible of their own. She expressed her happiness that their prayer had come true. 💝

Bizzy drove us back to Ordinary Hero afterward. He is the happiest man I have ever met! Both of his parents were blind, and he grew up in a monastery. He used to do the call to prayer chants at night. At age 15, someone told him about Jesus, and he has been on fire ever since! He started sharing the gospel with people, and he was put in prison. When they released him, they took him into the middle of nowhere, and he found his way to the Korah dump in Addis. Hyenas live at the dump, too, and sometimes at night they would come into his little tarp home and crawl over him. He lived there for many years until he prayed one night, “Dear Jesus, if you want me to live in the Korah dump all my life, that’s fine. But I’d rather live someplace else.” The events of the next 9 months were astonishing, and nothing short of miracles. He definitely made his way out of Korah! He still goes there every day, though, to preach and help the people there, and he has started 3 churches in the area. He talks to everybody about Jesus. On the way back to the guest house, he told us that he had to get gas afterward. You cannot believe the lines for gas in Ethiopia. Some people wait for 8 hours to fill their tank, and the lines completely fill up the streets. Traffic this week is way crazier than I have ever seen it. Anyway, Bizzy told us that after he dropped us off, he would most likely have to wait in line for 3 or 4 hours. He said he was happy to do it, because even though it was late at night and he had to get up early the next morning, he would have plenty of time to talk to everyone around him about Jesus. If someone is tired, he tells them that true rest is found only in Jesus. 💙

He also has the most contagious laugh. Every time something unique or crazy happens while in traffic (which happens ALL the time!), he laughs and says, "TIA!" (This is Africa!)