We are back now in Arba Minch, after a 2 month visit home to America for the Christmas holiday. As we prepared to pack and begin the ardurous 2 day journey, our emotions were mixed. On one hand we had enjoyed the comforts of home-and even started getting used to them again. The smooth asphalt roads, electricity that never went out-water that came from the tap every single time we turned it on. Amazing! We kind of did not want to leave this easy life.
When we arrived ‘home’ to Arba Minch-we had a wonderful welcome waiting for us. Many of our friends had gathered to greet us. They had made a welcome home poster, flowers were strewn about the front veranda, and a coffee ceremony was prepared. Our housekeeper, Rebekah, had also prepared an evening meal for us-so I didnt have to worry about cooking when we were so tired from traveling. We were so happy to see all of them too.
Many wonderful things were waiting for us!
Yakob, Tom’s right hand man had done something that very few Ethiopians can accomplish. He got his drivers license. We had started him in driving school before we left for USA in Dec. While we were gone, he continued with his classroom training and his practical training and proudly presented us with his Ethiopian Drivers License!
We are so very proud of Yakob. This is the same19 yr.old young man who also has started up his own solar powered mobile charging shop in the Highlands-a mountainous area near Arba Minch. You can read about him in earlier posts in our blog.
Galeto, the boy who was severely burned over 50% of his body, has now healed almost completely. Only a small area on his shoulder remains. He was giddy with joy to see us- I think he really believed we were never coming back. To our amazement and joy he is walking and running with no lasting ill effects. He is a very good soccer player!
He is so much better than we ever could have hoped or imagined! We were just amazed to see the completeness of his physical healing. God is good!
He is eager to help us- we already have him washing the dishes and doing some other household chores. Galeto surprised us both with his strength that has returned-as he lifted heavy cement blocks and helped Yakob and Tom build an outbuilding for our water tank and generator. To think that when we first brought him into our home he was so broken we had to carry him into the house on a sheet. Now he is laughing and dancing to “Sweet Home Alabama”--a song he plays over and over and over......(we are kinda sick of it by now! haha)
We have a new addition to our Ethiopian family. While Tom and I were in America, the mother of Eskadar, our little 3 yr old unofficial granddaughter- had a baby boy.
So now Eskadar has a baby brother- named Euel. His name means “God is Lord”
He is a beautiful little boy with a mass of curly black hair. What fun to have another baby around to cuddle with.
Our friend, Asfaw Anko-who used to be the guard for the compound where we live-is preparing to be married this weekend. He is a gentle, somewhat naive man-and even just talk of marriage makes him blush and giggle. Such an innocent. We are very happy for Asfaw and his soon to be wife, Abaresh. They waited until we returned from the USA to have their wedding. They will live in a one room apt--it actually is just a single room. It has a small full sized bed, a couple of rickety chairs, and a single lightbulb. They really are going to ‘live on love’........because they don’t have much of anything else.
A big surprise to us was the completion of the widow Amarech’s rent rooms. We had contracted with Melkias to build two rooms for Amarech. She could then rent them out and thus have a sustainable source of income for herself and her 5 children. Melkias is the young man that Tom has mentored to over the past 3 years and guided him into a career as a carpenter/contractor. His first job was to build a small guard house at our compound. From there he started getting other jobs in the community and now is a respected contractor in great demand. What a wonderful sucess story he is.
Anyway- the rooms are finished, painted a beautiful green and pink, and each room has electrical wiring with a lightbulb in it. These are first class rental rooms.
To our surprise, not only was the construction completed-but also both are rented out and have 2 new tenants already. And the surprise just keeps going-the two new tenants? Asfaw the newlywed and Yakob the entrepeneur!!
So now it is already three weeks since we returned from USA. Already it seems like a another life and another world to us. Although we miss our family and friends very much-we are happy here.
It’s good to be ‘home’ !
