Ethiopia

We loved our first trip into Ethiopia. It is a country that is truly different from any other African country we have been in. One difference was the complexion of the people. They are a friendly, open people who smile easily at anyone who smiles at them. They are lighter skinned than most Africans and their facial features are more delicate and soft. They are beautiful. Most of the women wear a scarf around their head that drapes gracefully over their entire body. They are reminiscent of the Muslim women but a large percentage are Christian. The scarves are almost always white. Someone told me the scarves were to keep their clothes clean and another told me it was worn for warmth and another told me it was simply tradition. Who knows, but it is a beautiful sight to see these draped women framed by the most humble circumstances. Walking on dirt roads or roads of stone weaving in and out of the market place is lovely to see.
The other thing that struck us forcibly with a wonderful visual was the darling little burros that were frequently on the streets. There were all loaded to maximum capacity with water, sacks of meal, sticks, vegetables, chickens or whatever. They were always being driven from behind by a man with a stick. The one sight we will never forget is the little burro who finally said, "enough is enough.!" He simply sat down in the middle of the road with cars passing on either side and his master pushing and pulling to get him up. His load had been too much for him. We kept thinking there was a wonderful talk in all of this, but couldn't quite put our finger on it.
A touching experience we had was with a young missionary who was faithfully completing his mission and was preparing to return home to Zimbabwe. To describe him, he is tall, very black, handsome and he exudes love and kindness and gentleness. He bore his testimony in farewell in a sweet, deliberate and forceful way. As I talked to him after wards I found that his mother had died when he was very young. His father died one month after he was on his mission. None of he remaining family are members and he had been rejected by all for joining the church. He hadn't had one bit of communication from anyone in 2 years. Yet, he was happy, full of faith and determined to go home and succeed. This is not an uncommon scenario with our young African missionaries, but they serve with dedication and testimony.
Another sweet experience was with the District RS president. I trained with her for about 2 1/2 hours. She is beautiful, articulate, a member for about 4 years. She is a single mother supporting her own 3 children, plus her deceased brothers 3 children.
We laughed together and learned together and bonded in a sweet way. At the end of the meeting she told me she had something for me. IT was a beautiful malachite (green) necklace that she had put in an envelope to give to me. She gave it to me and said,"I love you." She had on a green dress and in retrospect I realized she had been wearing the necklace and then she gave it to me. My heart is touched knowing she has so very little.....probably no electricity, no indoor plumbing, water available at the well a few miles away which she or her children would have to carry, yet she gave that to me. I have wondered if it was her only adornment. Needless to say, I was so touched......to my very toes.
We visited a leper hospital which was also very touching. We met an angel there...a man who has been a member of the church for 10 years and who has worked at this hospital for 30 years. He has been a nurse, a detective, an administrator and man who loves these wounded people. He used to walk miles to the various villages looking for lepers to help get them treatment. Now he stays at the hospital and screens patients for the doctors. He introduced to a 19 year old boy who had walked from a village that day to see about a spot on his arm. He had had the discolored skin for about a year. He was the beginnings of leprosy. He will be treated everyday with 3 medicines donated by a pharmaceutical company for one year and if he is faithful to his medicine, he will be cured. I asked the doctor to ask the boy in his language how he knew to come and he said an older person in his village told him to come and he promised he would take that medicine. We saw many without fingers and toes and with noses and other appendages missing. It was very touching, but very heartening to know that the disease is close to becoming eradicated. People are being educated about sanitary conditions, and of course the signs of the illness. It was a very humbling day. This man will always be in my heart as I think of the service he has given to mankind.