David is here to get us and we begin our day. It is our first look at the city in daylight. People are out and about. The hustle and bustle is everywhere. The shops are open with their colorful wares displayed and the men are pushing their wheelbarrows of fruit. The bus station is full of people. They pack the platform and cover the hillside. The day is already warm. NOLM is not easy to find and our directions are vague. We ask on the street and finally find the gate. The children are already at play in the ward when we enter and there is another group there already. They are from Kansas City, MO. Jimmy takes us to the living room to tell us about their ministry. They are doing amazing things for the people here. Clearly they children love this place.
We help to serve the Christmas meal - lamb tebs, wat, and injera. Everyone is given the same amount: a huge plate to feast on. Even the 2 and 3-year-olds clean their plates. I am amazed at how much they eat! They they are given a pop to wash it down with. We ask for one plate to share so we can try our first real Ethiopian meal. It gets mixed reviews.
Our time is almost over, but I have a few minutes to push the boys on the merry-go-round. They smile and hold out their hands for high fives. One-by-one their mamas collect them and they wave goodbye.
One 2-year-old girl remains. She is holding on tight and will not let go. Her mama is getting frustrated. I ask if I can help. I tickle her softly and hold out my hands. She lets me pick her up and I hold her just a minute while her mama waits. I hand her off and they are gone. Two-year-olds are the same in every corner of the world, it seems.
Then it is our turn to go. We are going for lunch first - pizza! A welcome change from the lamb we sampled earlier.
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| We had to sample a little wine, too! |
After lunch we are going to Mark 10:14 boys shelter. They come out to greet us and take our bags. We have two heavy bags of clothes, shoes, and balls for them.
Their home is an old school and has been painted with "parts of the flower", "parts of the body", and Richard Scary cats. We are given a tour of the rooms and meet the boys. They introduce themselves and tell us their ages, grad, aspirations, and names. They dream big dreams: pilot, doctor, engineer, prophet. They are learning to plan for a future they never thought they would have. They are all in school and learning to live after years alone on the streets. We sit in the small room for a long time, asking questions and hearing their stories. They have been through so much and they are still so young.
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| They keep their Bibles close by. This one is under a pillow. |
Salam has made us dinner. We are not hungry, but we have bought them two sheep and they have already made one into wat for us. The second is grazing in the corner. We have not seen the last of him. We have a large try of lamb and crusty bread for dinner. We wash it down with coke from a bottle.
The boys have all prepared a Bible verse for us - 10 verses from 10 boys. We read the one we have picked from the basket out loud and share what it says to us. They have been so thoughtful in choosing them. We take pictures with "our" boy and vow to pray for him after we leave. The boys find balls in the bags and begin to play both soccer and volleyball. We have bought 3 balls on the street earlier. The basketballs are Bison balls, but they don't have a hoop here. We add that to our wish list for them.
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| We were showing them pictures of snow. They were horrified! |
We play until it is getting dark. We have loved our time here. These boys are so full of potential.
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| What??? You don't know exploding knuckles? Let us teach you! |
*Read more about Mark 10:14 HERE
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