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!
4 comments:
We have Google Earth installed, and found your Guest House! but the coordinates for the College send us off the African continent. Help!
Two families at church (Lopez and Lindeman)asked me to print out your blog as they are internet-challenged!
ray, you've been on my mind so I looked up your blog and enjoyed reading through it tonight. Sounds like you're really enjoying your time there and are feeling useful and involved the longer you're there. I hope you're sleeping better at night and that your students are showing an understanding of the material. Two things that came to mind while reading your journal were similar struggles or issues that I had while living in Italy. I also had nightmares for the first few weeks, which I think had something to do with being so far away from what I knew, kind of a displacement anxiety. It went away after i familiarized myself with the city I was in. The other thing was the language difference - the more I learned italian, the more frustrating it was for me because I could understand so much more than I could speak or communicate clearly. I felt like I understood at an adult comprehension level, but could only speak at a 4-yr-old level at times. So don't sell your students short based on what they sound like when they talk with you! They are probably understanding 99% of what you share with them. You're in my prayers....
love, yr coz sarah
You are missed more and more here at home in Charlotte with each mention of your name. We were all at your house tonight and it felt rather empty without you there. Granted we are joyous of the work you are doing over in Africa- know that we cannot await your return safely back home and there will be cake and celebrations when the day finally arrives! :]
OH! and my Mom is now keeping up with your blog- so you have fans in Florida! Yay!
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