Guest House

Thanks for you comments on the last post. Its good to know that there are others who are thinking about the long term results of humanitarian aid.

 

I haven't said much about where I am staying. The SIM headquarters has a "guesthouse" on site. This is actually a pretty large structure, bigger than most apartment buildings. It is set up like a hostel. There are 2 floors with rooms that hold anywhere from 1 to 4 people. I share a room with another member of our team. There is a shared bathroom area that is composed of about 10 small rooms off a central hall (some are just toilets, some are just showers, some are both.) There are also several small apartments for families or missionaries. The foreign staff of the HQ stay on site as well.

Meals are provided from a kitchen downstairs. These are at regular times during the day, and to get one you have to sign up early. At the end of your stay you pay for all the meals you registered for. The food is pretty good. It is mostly pretty common fare for a western home. Spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, oatmeal, etc. Since Addis is a big city these sorts of things are easy to come by.

There is a constant flow of different groups coming in and out. So far I have met people from all over the world who are on their way to other destinations within Ethiopia or Africa. They are all in some way connected with SIM. This makes for interesting conversation. (see the last post!)

I don't know how much of the HQ shows up on Google Earth. If the images are old enough, it may look different that how thing are now. I don't know if ETC shows up, it was built on a dump by a river, and that may still be what you see. Its a lot nicer now.

Everything is going well. Teaching is a lot of fun, and I think a lot of good is coming from it. Some students have already shared with me how they have begun to apply their learning in their current ministries. Your contributions and prayers are already having a lasting effect.

One student, Yonatan, shared how the teaching on God's unchanging attributes has changed his life. He has already taught a sermon on it for his church: "God's Unchanging Attributes: Our Guarantee". Pretty sweet. Its encouraging to know that this trip is already having a lasting effect, but also sobering: I have to be very careful what I say, knowing that I am placing myself under a harsher judgment. I pray for clarity, truth, and wisdom.

Another point that seemed to be very helpful was a discussion we had on the difference between objectivity and subjectivity, and how the basis for our faith must be objective facts (God's nature, the Bible, etc.) instead of subjective facts (feelings, spiritual premonitions, other people's spiritual premonitions, etc.). Both are necessary for a healthy Christian life, but only one is a strong enough rock to build on. This distinction was, apparently, tremendously helpful.

Today we begin our discussion of Salvation. Controversy abounds! Pray for that.

You can also pray for my next stop, Nairobi. This has always been the wild card portion of the trip and it keeps getting wilder. It appears that my time there will be significantly less than what I had planned, and it is very difficult to nail down any sort of solid schedule. In short: I have no idea what I am doing in Nairobi, or for how long I will be there. Needless to say, this makes planning difficult.

I having a great time!

Mosquitoes

There aren't a lot of mosquitoes in Addis Ababa. That can mostly be attributed to the altitude. I have been taking Malaria pills since I got here, because eventually I will be traveling down-country. Its a big problem once you get into the valley. I was thinking about the conversations I have had over the last few days here at the guest house. I pick of little bits and pieces of the ideas people hold to be true, the reasons they are here, the point of their ministry, and some of them are like tiny buzzings in my ears... irritating but small. These little ideas are seem so inconsequential when they come up in a tableside conversation.

They don't carry much weight, and the one introducing them may not even know what they are saying. What we don't realize is that bad ideas have serious consequences.

Two different ideas I have run across made me think of this.

The first is an approach to Biblical interpretation. It is called the "Redemptive Hermeneutic." The basic idea is that morality and truth are moving along a historical trajectory. The Bible is a snap-shot of that movement; it represents one slice of the slope. The end goal is God Himself, but we don't find that in scripture: only the slope that leads to Him. This is observed by the "shifting morality" between the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament slavery was good, in the New it is frowned upon. In the Old Testament woman were property, in the New they have the same role, purpose, and ministry as men. In the Old Testament homosexuals were condemned, in the New the power of love has removed all gender barriers: salvifically, relationally, sexually.

And it goes on.

So morality is moving onwards and upwards, God is "redeeming" it from the Biblical text. It stands to reason then, that slavery is even more immoral, men and women are even more liberated from gender roles, and love is freeing us for relational and sexual expression beyond even the confines of a New Testament standard of "right" and "wrong."

This hermeneutic is being propagated by those that would call themselves conservatives who hold to the inerrancy of Scripture. The great tragedy is that the application of this approach actually destroys the beauty and freedom found in the Kingdom of God. How are these ideas being addressed?

The second idea is from the "Christian" aid side of the work here. The simple paradigm is this: Men are victimizing women and leaving them as single mothers. Sometimes they even get AIDS. It is impossible for mothers to raise their sons to be godly men. So their sons will grow up and victimize more women. It is impossible for women to change that cycle; the men are completely at fault. Aid is given to the mothers to provide school supplies and food for their children. Nothing is being done to work with men, young and old, to change their behavior: they are "victimizers." Nothing is being done with women, young and old, to change their behavior: they are "victims." The "solution": millions of western dollars are spent on... pencils. Or paper. Or new trousers. Or lunch money.

None of those things fix the problem, and the real issue (SIN!) is not even being addressed. Women are above criticism (victim!) and men are beyond reform (victimizer!).

I would suggest that those of you who support aid organizations like World Vision, Compassion, Samaritans Purse, etc. do some hard research on where your money is going.

Is it fixing a problem?

Or is it feeding a system that has no solution in mind, and no desire to implement the hard changes. Is it using a material solution to fix a spiritual/social/mental problem? You get a picture of cute little boy or girl and read about the great new clothes your money bought them, but what kind of Man will he be? What kind of Woman will she be?

In 10 years will you be sending money to his abandoned responsibility, birthed from her foolish weakness?

These bad ideas are little mosquitoes, buzzing, that will give malaria to the weak, or the unwary. What are we doing about them?

Getting Lost

I got lost in the city a couple of days ago. I was out with a friend, trying to find a good sized hill to climb to get a view. We found a pretty good spot, took some pictures, and then he took off. I decided to do some exploring. I headed down a main road, but it kept going further and further away from where I wanted to be. There are a lot of cross streets that run into residential neighborhoods. I decided to try my luck with those and ended up lost in the middle. I wouldn't call it a slum, but it was pretty close. Here are the points. I can't wait to have a look at where I was!

When I realized I was lost: 9 0.231 N 38 45.855 E

I walked along to these points: 9 0.403 N 38.45.655 E and 9 0.515 N 38.45.545 E

I eventually came out here: 8.59.310 N 38 45.079 E There was a massive outdoor market all through that area. They were selling clothes of all kinds, but they were all clearly used stuff from the States. Interesting. The other interesting point: I have noticed that the farther I get off the beaten track, the less harassment I get from people I see.

 

Hopefully that is interesting. The GPS is a lifesaver, because I can always navigate towards the where I need to go. I don't have to worry about losing my sense of direction down some back way.

 

Some quick prayer requests:

That I would be able to get to sleep easier; my mind has been filled with thoughts as I try to go to bed.

For discipline in speech; to know how to keep my mouth shut when it needs to be shut.

That the second week of teaching would go as well as the first

That the Lord would help me develop a good Islamic apologetic for Nairobi

 

THHHHHHAAAAANNNNNNNKKKKKKKKKKSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exploring

Over the last few days I have been exploring the city. I don't know a lot of the details but I thought I would record some of my impressions and so forth. The first thing that I noticed, having been in other major third world cities, is that the traffic here is surprisingly regulated. That is to say, you aren't going to get run down immediately if you don't look where you are going. There are a lot of cars, but even more mini-buses which serve as taxis. There are almost no motorcycles and no rickshaws or three wheelers at all. There is a lot of pollution. Everything runs on diesel, is old, and there is nothing close to smog checks.

 

Almost every street you walk down is lined with people selling all sorts of small goods, from food to wallets to candy to used auto parts. Its like a giant market. There are bigger shops as well, and certain areas are definitely more commercial. Everything not meant for tourists is dirt cheap. Taking a mini-bus around costs 7 cents. A shoe shine (sometimes a must before teaching, because of the mud) is about 10 cents. A loaf of bread is about 35 cents, and is fresh baked. Meals out are usually between 2 and 4 dollars. There are beggars everywhere, which is a difficulty, because one doesn't really know what to do. Being white, I stick out like a sore thumb and many people shout and me, try to talk to me, and harass me in general. The best response is to ignore them.

 

There seem to be the regular type of street people here, those who we are used to in the US. But there are also a lot of people with severe disabilities. These are prominently displayed. There are amputees, blind, deaf, crazy, deformed, polio victims, cripples, people with elephantitis, and so forth. It is possible to buy little books of meal tickets to various shelters. These seem to be the best way to show compassion, but guarantee that it is going to be helpful. Mixed in amongst the real need are a host of conartists.

 

My GPS device has been very helpful. Instead of sticking to the main roads, I can cut through back streets and alleys to really get a look at the "real" city. Most of the back ways are cobblestoned, lined with houses and shops built of corrugated metal or plastic. There are even smaller walkways that no car could fit down. I don't think I will venture into these areas. There are two fears: one is that I will get robbed, the other is that my presence would cause offense of distress. The smaller, back streets are where one gets the really interesting sights, sounds, and smells.

 

Tomorrow we may take a bus trip around the city. Its horribly touristy, but many of the things on the tour are out of walking distance. Perhaps the bus trip will give me the courage to revisit some of the sites later.

 

I finished my first week of class. Everything is going great.  

Classes

I finished my third session of class today. Things seem to be going really well. The student's English is a lot better than I was expecting. It seems that they have a harder time speaking it than understanding. I am basing that assumption on the fact that once I understand their questions they prove to have a keen grasp on the material being covered. Today we finished the section on the Bible, and tomorrow we begin Theology Proper.

 

I have about 14 students, most of which have never taken a class at ETC. The ages vary. Some I would guess are still 18 or 19, others are probably in their late 50's. That makes a nice dynamic. As far as being students go, they are pretty typical for a summer school program. They think we have too much reading, too much homework, and don't I know that they have work in other classes too? I am sure they would appreciate your prayers. They seem very interested in learning, and most of them seem to have a good working knowledge of the Bible. I am having a really good time.

 

I was wondering how students would address teachers here. Interestingly enough, they are on a first name basis with all professors, but not for the reasons I would expect. In Ethiopia everybodies second name is actually the name of their father. So there is no such thing as a family name. To call me "Mr. Morehouse" would be very strange for them. As far as they are concerned, Morehouse is the name of my father. So I am simply Raymond. It makes it feel less formal for me, which is nice, even if it doesn't make any difference to them.

 

I also did some serious exploring today in the city, but I will save that for another day.

A Lot Has Happened

So I am able to post new articles via email, but I can't access my page for some strange reason. That means that I can tell you what is going on, but I can't read comments. Booo...

 

But you can send me emails. And please keep leaving comments because I am sure I will sort out the problem one of these days.

 

I got into Addis Ababa about 12 hours behind schedule because of a 45 minute for-no-reason delay in Charlotte. I ended up being rerouted to Paris instead of Amsterdam. There I had a 12 hour layover. Sleeping on the floor of a European airport was sort of nostalgic. I didn't leave the airport because I don't know Paris at all, and Euros are worth about a million dollars these days. Or close. I made sure that I bugged every agent I met to please-call-the-ground-crew-about-my-bag and waited until I got the "Yes, Mr. Morehouse, it did arrive from Charlotte, or Detroit, or Paris..." And so on. So I got here in one piece, and with my bag waiting for me. Hooray!

 

Addis Ababa is home to several million people. It is big, dirty, and full of people. It also sits at about 7800 feet above sea level. So I am out of breath a lot as I get used to the altitude. But its also a lot of fun. I also get that familar burn in the back of the throat familar to anyone who has lived near Los Angeles in August. There is a lot of smog.

 

When we first got here we went through a lot of orientation type meetings to get the lay of the land. After these we were pretty much turned loose to figure out the ropes for ourselves. Most of the city gets around by walking or taking mini-busses around. They call these taxis. To get to the College and back takes about 20 minutes and costs around 14 cents. The exchange rate is about 10 to 1. Take that Euro! A meal at a good sit down resturant is about $3.50.

 

Addis is pretty safe for a big city. Unless someone is an out-and-out con-artist people are honest and helpful. Walking isn't dangerous, even at night, you just have to watch where you are going, as there are open manholes and gutters all over the place that would probably kill you to fall into.

 

Today was the first day of class and my first day completely on my own. Class went well. I have a mix of degree and diploma students. I don't understand the difference. Some are getting a degree in Theology, some are getting a diploma. Who knows? I have around 13 students. They seem to speak good English, and can understand me (as far as I know) pretty well. I am going to have a lot of fun.

 

I am a little bit jet lagged. As a result the night hours are kind of miserable. My mind gets filled with bad memories, which come out of nowhere. That can be prayed for. Also, I am a bit lonely. Otherwise I am having a really good time, enjoying the company I have, and looking forward to another 4 weeks in Ethiopia.

 

I have posted some GPS spots, with more to follow.

 

More to follow.

 

Trouble posting in Addis Ababa

I am here, but for some reason posting is not working. I can update
the sidebar, though. I am loading this via email, which I don't know
will work.

Everything is going well.

Airports are little nightmares....

Well, the inevitable has happened, and one slight delay has caused me to miss all my connections. I will now be going through Paris, and arriving in Ethiopia 10 hours later than expected. Oh well... My little prayers for patience seem to be answered, so I am in pretty good spirits. Now I get to go find some food!

My GPS doesn't work in the airport (figures) so no fun there either.

On Leaving Comments

You can leave comments on entries without having a blogger.com account.

To do so, simply select the "name/URL" bubble under "Choose an Identity"

You can then enter your name as it will appear next to your comment. After you have done that, just hit "publish your comment" and you are done.

Longitude/Latitude

I have armed myself with a simple GPS device, and will be updating this page as the trip progresses. The list is just to the right of this post, and will show the entirety of my trip. To follow my progress you can simply copy and paste coordinates in Google Earth. Pretty sweet. I leave in 2 days.

I leave in less than a week. I have been going over my financial situation and things are looking really good. Praise God for His provisions!