HELLO Ethiopia {my favorite place in the world}

 *Dubai from the sky* Today was fairly uneventful except for the fact that we were FINALLY headed to Addis! We woke up in time to catch our 10:30 flight.

 Not a long flight like the day before....Four hours to be exact.

 Such big planes!

 The last two times I have flown to Ethiopia I have taken Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines...Emirates was also a good airline...I would recommend any of these airlines if you plan on traveling to Ethiopia

 The food on these flights are always questionable....like the cold shrimp up in the far left corner :/

We were SOOOO excited to view this beautiful city! We kept saying to each other I cant believe we are here again! We landed and got through customs and got our luggage and exchanged some money in good time! Our driver was waiting to take us to the guest house! It was such a beautiful sunny day outside.

 Rachel had stayed at this guest house when she came for Embassy less then a year ago. The guest home is called Mission Ethiopia Guest Home. They provide drivers and translators...also breakfast lunch and dinner when you need! Its was such a nice place to stay! It was fun getting to know the girls at the front desk and getting to know families and other missionaries! *The above picture is looking out of our bedroom

 IPhone quality picture... but this is the beautiful dinning room of the guest house

 Looking out from the dining room...such a beautiful courtyard

 living room where we would go in the evening and check emails and Skype and of course facebook ;)

 We had some special guests come to the guest house for supper!....SO glad and thankful to see Tesfaye again!

SO excited to finally meet Helen and learn that she is 4 months pregnant (baby will be here Lord willing in March!) We talked of our plans for the week ahead and enjoyed a wonderful supper of sheep and veges ;)
We slept HORRIBLE that night! We were talking in the middle of the night many times and it seemed like forever until the sun rose. We were smart the rest of the trip and took Tylenol pm before bed every night.

A song I had written in my notebook for the trip:
ONE THING REMAINS~by Jesus Culture

Higher then the mountains that I face
Stronger then the power of the grave
Constant through the trial and the change
One thing remains....

Your love never fails...never gives up....never runs out on me
Because on and on and on it goes
And it overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never ever have to be afraid
One thing remains....(LOVE)

In death...in life...I'm confident
And covered by the power of your great love
My debt is paid...
There's nothing that can separate my heart from your great love
YOUR LOVE never fails...and YOUR LOVE goes on and on and on!

Romans 8:38~ "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from Gods love. Neither death or life, neither angels or demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries for tomorrow...not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love."

...and that's what I felt during my whole trip...the love of God...because I knew that if I died or if I got sick or if anything horrible happened to me....{nothing} could take me away from my Jesus... He was there, when I hugged a young Father cursed by the ugly disease of leprosy...He was there, when I kissed the face of a young Mother who is just like me... only she begged on the street for food to feed her children...He was there when I walked through piles of trash to visit the home of my little friends.. and He was there when I  hugged there little sick bodies tight to my chest. He was there when so many little brown hands fit into my two big white hands... He was there when some special ladies held my hands and prayed for me and my family and country. He was there when little Habesha children climbed onto my lap wanting a Mother's love and attention even if it was only for a few moments...and He was there when I sat in little mud homes filled with sick and hurting families. He was there the whole time...and when I can feel Jesus close to me? No matter the situation?...I thrive and my heart beats more strong, and I feel more alive...Some will tell you that I like Ethiopia and Kore because of the adventure and some say its because I am maybe trying to find myself or that I don't know what I want out of life...but I say its because Jesus is so much more real when you only have Him to rely on. And when you experience the feeling of Jesus up close and personal? ...you will want more and more and MORE of Him... and then... you will begin to be {crazy for Him} because you know what its like to have Him so near and then your life will become amazing! Amazing but not easy, because being up close and personal with Jesus means giving ALOT of yourself away...and not only yourself but your things and your time and sometimes your friends and family...but His promises are true...He will never leave you or forsake you...and this promise rings true for my beautiful Habesha friends I left behind...In the darkest, filthiest, sickest, dirtiest part of Kore...God is there and He is still good.