Images of Beauty

Reflections

In the week I’ve been back in Kansas City, I’ve been able to talk with close friends and share with them about my time in Zeway, the friendships I’ve made, and the utter dependence on the Lord that I had. Tonight, I’ve found myself longing once more for Zeway – for a place that is as comfortable to me as a deep seated recliner. As I tell the stories and show the pictures, my heart begins to ache for the people I grew to love, and for the tables I sat around listening to their stories. I am eternally bound to these friends, and I have an earthly ache to be with them. To once again sit and laugh, and have them teach me something new about the culture. Or have them teach me something new about my Creator. Or to simply sit and listen to them banter back in forth in a language I only somewhat understand. I think about Meta, I wonder how she is today. I wonder what things she’s getting into, and whether or not she still remembers me. I think about the beauty she reflected, and the abundant joy she shares through her laugh. And I wonder how big she will be when I see her again. Or how big she will be when her dad finally gets to come home from war, and gets to wrap his arms around her. Will he even recognize her? Will she recognize him? How are my children doing? What did they do today? Has anyone told them they loved them today? Has anyone told them since I left?

It’s these thoughts that capture my heart and mind. I don’t know what to do with these questions, except to hand them directly over to my Father, who already knows the answers. I went to Zeway with this question: Is this where I’m supposed to be, full time, in the near future? The answer came quickly: No. But as my time continued in Zeway, that answer didn’t remain concrete. Rather, God clarified it for me – No, because right now I’m right where I’m supposed to be. One of my new friends in Zeway asked me several times if I had given thought to international, full time missions. The first time the question was asked, I didn’t think much of it. The second time the question was asked, I realized that God was in the asking. I didn’t tell anyone in Zeway (or anyone at all, really) that I was going back to Zeway to see if I was supposed to be there. But as the question was asked – several times – I realized that perhaps God was trying to tell me something. Perhaps He is preparing me for a future in Africa. Perhaps He is orchestrating a plan right now that puts me back in Ethiopia – maybe even in Zeway – to spend my lifetime making Him known, and getting to love on the most beautiful people on the planet. Or, maybe He just wanted me to think about these things. To think about the possibilities of spending my life serving Him in such a way. And oh! If only I could be so honored, as to be hand picked by the Creator of the universe – by MY Creator – to spend my life serving the ones He spent His time on earth serving: the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, the oppressed. What a joyous and beautiful way to love Him back.

Photos Online

I’ve finally got my photos sorted and organized….and available for public viewing! For a good sampling (211 photos!), check out http://picasaweb.google.com/jenabek

It’s the Little Things

…that warm my heart!

Home at Last

I’m back in Kansas City, finally! What was supposed to be 3 hours air time yesterday turned into 12 hours at the airport in New York, flights delayed and canceled, a few not-so-nice conversations with airline personnel, and running through the airport in Atlanta to make my connecting flight – in 3 minutes.  Luckily, the plane was being held for us (there were 6 of us coming into that flight from NY), and I made it home.  I walked off the plane in KC to find two of the most wonderful people – Rachel and Kim!  It was so amazing to see them!  50% of my luggage made the trip…not sure where the other bag is, but I’m hoping it turns up tomorrow.  I finally arrived to my house around 11:15pm, and find 2 of my 3 roommates waiting up for me! They had made brownies, had beautiful flowers, AND covered my bed/floor with balloons!!!!  I felt incredibly loved by these 4 people…and can’t wait to see everyone else soon!

I’ll upload pictures soon – I think my camera connector is in the bag that is MIA.  Stay tuned!

Photos

I figured everyone wanted to see photos more than they wanted to hear me rambling about life at the moment, so here are a few of my favorites from Zeway! i’m continuing to process the trip, and really taking a deep look at the inside of my heart – and how it yearns for Zeway.  I don’t know if the yearning will ever go away – and it’s because of that I realize nothing about my love for Zeway is of my own.  God has filled me with love, with passion, with hope for this place, and for these people.  I want to make a difference there, even if it is from here. Our prayers can truly change a country across the world.  And I’m continuing to stand in the gap, trying as best I can to make that difference.

2 of my sponsored kids! Sintayehu is on the right, and Burtukan is to my left!

This little girl broke my heart – she has 2 other siblings, and they are double orphans.  Her oldest sibling that still lives in Zeway is only 11.  The 2 of them have been living on their own (the father passed away several years ago, and mom just passed away a few months ago), doing what they can to get by – which means going several days at a time without eating.  I found out while I was in Zeway that they were accepted into an orphanage in Addis Ababa, and will hopefully be able to move there in the next several months.  Another example of how the FH Zeway staff are being the hands and feet of Christ: several staff members have been giving them food and money for food from their own pockets.

Oh my dear.  I wanted to fit this girl into my carry on and bring her home with me.  We were able to celebrate her 2nd birthday while I was in Zeway, where she was given her official family name – Belene.  For the past 2 years, she’s simply been called Meta – which translates “little girl.”  How exciting she finally has a name! She’d follow me around the compound saying “Bicky!  Bicky! I love you!”  She thinks my name is “Bicky-I-love-you,” because one of the staff members taught her to say “Becky, I love you,”  which to her, meant it was my name.  At one point, when I left for the day, she looked at one of the accountants, and said “I love you just left.”

Tatek, one of the social workers in Bulbula, eating ice cream for the first time – EVER! This completely amazed me, and when I asked him how it was, his reply? “It was okay.  Very cold.”

All of the social workers in FH-Zeway! These guys and gals are split between 5 FH sites surrounding the Zeway area – Zeway town, Bulbula, Adami-Tulu, Abossa, and Jiddo.  These are some of my new favorite people on earth!!!!

This is Sintayehu.  I arrived at the compound for the Saturday program, and wasn’t quite sure what to do – the kids were all involved in games already, so I walked around and took some pictures.  I found this guy, and after I took his picture, he took my hand and began showing me how to play some of the games.  He was so great at including me in all that went on, I really felt like a part of the program.  I found out the next week that he is one of the sponsored kids of my roommate Kristen!!!! He brought up her letters and photos, and said “Kristen! She is my sponsor!”  I looked at the photos and said “Kristen! She is my roommate!”

That’s all for now – but don’t worry.  I’ve got somewhere around 800 photos from Ethiopia, of which a good 150-200 will be published for public viewing when I get back to KC and have time to sort through everything.  Enjoy!

I’m Back!

I’m standing on US soil again (actually, I’m sitting on Italian leather at the moment).  I landing in New York City yesterday around 1pm, after a REALLY long flight from Frankfurt.  I made it through immigration and customs with no problems, and began the trek from JFK to Columbia University, where my friend works.  After a series of subways, lugging my baggage across the city, and having people feel sorry for me because I couldn’t quite make it up the stairs with my bags, I arrived at Warren Hall at CU, and waited for Nate.  We finally made it to their apartment, got cleaned up, grabbed dinner, and ran to the local Duane Reed’s for a few items.  I slept for a solid 11 hours last night, woke up and ate an incredible breakfast, and feel like I could sleep for another 11 hours! However, I’m headed to check out the Guggenheim Museum, and am currently in search for the nearest cookie shop.  I’ve been craving chocolate chip cookies for the past few weeks – today, I’m going to make it happen!

I will continue to post on my NYC adventures, plus posting on thoughts post-Zeway (I have a lot!)  When I get back to Kansas City, I will also begin posting a few photos, plus post the link to all of them (somewhere around 800, give or take a few!).  Until then -

Finality

I’m sitting here, at the Food for the Hungry office in Addis Ababa, and I’m realizing that my time is quickly ending. I am heading to the airport in little over an hour, and in 12 hours, I’ll be in Germany. Another 8 hours after that, I’ll be back on US soil. My time in Ethiopia has been incredible – God has taught me some beautiful things, and I’ve made some amazing new friends. I was embraced by the FH staff, and they treated me better than I deserved. I have no doubts I will once again return – when, I’m not sure – but I have three kids and a bunch of friends that i will come back to. My heart has been greatly encouraged by being here – I am leaving more richly blessed than I came in. Seeing what the staff does day in and day out has encouraged me in ways I couldn’t imagine – they truly are giving their lives away, for the sake of building the kingdom of God. During the time i was there, our devotion time centered around Isaiah 58, and they are living it out to the fullest. It was beautiful to watch them serve the people in their community – tirelessly. They press on, without slowing down, for they know the needs of those around them. Every follower of Christ could learn from this group of people. From the social workers, to the HIV/AIDS prevention officers to the project director himself: they are living examples of Christ’s body in action, bringing Him glory.

Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help. 8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. (Isaiah 58:7-8 )

Landslide Photos

When I said it was about 50 feet long….I was way off.  One section was about 50 feet, then you walked around the corner, and saw another 150 or so feet….overall, it was close to 200 feet long….and about 20 or so feet deep.

Isaac & Wondimu

A few days ago, I was able to meet my friend Isaac’s sponsored child, Wondimu. He began telling me all the things he knew about Isaac, and how great Isaac was to sponsor him. He continued to talk about how much he loves Isaac, and how often he prays for him. As he talked, I couldn’t help but notice the deep, rich smile that was spread across his face. Every time Isaac’s name was mentioned, this same smile found its way back to Wondimu’s face. Later that night, I thought back to all the times Isaac talked about Wondimu, and how that same smile would creep up on his face, as well. It was then that I realized that if God were to ever talk about us, that same rich, deep smile that Wondimu and Isaac share would be what we would find creeping up on His face. His love for us is such a rich, deep love that goes beyond any words we could imagine He might say to us – it would be as if He were talking about His best friend – us!