sweet fragrance: January 2008

Greetings to our families and friends from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! We apologize for keeping you in suspense in our arrival and first week in Ethiopia...internet speed and connection have been testing our patience! We're actually not even able to visit our blog site, but I sent this update back home to have it posted for us!

We arrived on the 14th of January after a smooth series of flights across the world! In addis, we were welcomed by Berhanu (sports Friends staff), Facil (our coach), and four players from the women's team! We were warmly welcomed with a bouquet of roses for each of us accompanied with many hugs, kisses and beautiful smiles!

I, Sunny, have been so happy to be back- it has been such a sweet reunion with my friends and the culture here! I have thoroughly enjoyed showing off Ethiopia to Sarah and Ali! I think they have quickly fallen in love with the people...a culture of sweet and gentle-spirited people! They truly live their lives on the premise of relationships and putting others before themselves and their work.

We have all come to realize this creates a slower pace of life! We’re still adjusting, so we are enjoying this change in pace!

It is day 9 now for us and we are still figuring out our schedule and exactly what thing will look like. Meanwhile we have been enjoying our time together, exploring the city of Addis! We have also met many other missionaries from around the world that stay on the SIM compound and have enjoyed their fellowship!

WE have had several practices with the women's team, Addis Ababa Eagles, and have quickly developed a love for each of them. We had our first game and tied the best team in the league! It lifted our spirits! Ali had her debut in Ethiopian professional soccer and contributed to the tie!

The altitude is over 8000 ft. so our lungs and bodies are wondering why they are spent after only 5 minutes of jogging!? The well-known phrase, "slow and steady wins the race" can be used in many different contexts here in Ethiopia!!

For those of you who know Sarah, she is thriving in this place as she easily relates to a warm, hospitable, loving, kind, affectionate people!

I think I can speak for the three of us that a highlight so far has been spending time with Genet. Genet is my friend who came to know Jesus through my time here in 2004. She was a player on the Eagles and now is an assistant coach for them. It has been so encouraging and amazing to hear her growth over the past 4 years! She has a fire and a passion for people to know the saving grace of Jesus that permeates her whole life! She is a true evangelist and seeks after people to know the love she has experienced! Genet is 21 years old! She coaches 6 teams, over 150 kids! She has led at least 25 of them to Jesus and meets with them weekly to study and pray! She tells me her father has legs that are sick and needs to be massaged. As she massages his legs, she prays for his salvation. This is the same man who handed her over to demon spirits at birth and kicked her out of the house when she confessed her conversion to Christianity! As I reflect on Genet's life and the people of Ethiopia these two verses come alive.

"We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace ad truth." John 1:14

"...and my people will be filled with my bounty, declares the Lord." Jer. 31:14

Thank you for your prayers and support! Continue to pray for us as we adjust and for the hearts of those we minister to be drawn to the love and grace of Jesus.

Blessings,

Sunshine for Ali and Sarah

"Unusual travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God."- Kurt Vonnegut

(PTL for the interweb or I would have no good quote to start this last state-side blog with. :)

So we are dancing huh? I love dancing! Travel, dancing...this is destined to be a stunner of a blog.

I have come into contact with people over the last year and half (totaling my entire missionary career) who seem to think that we do this because we love to travel and see the world. I (along with Alison & Sunshine) would like to dispell that horrible, horrible myth. Tonight, we are the Myth Busters. *(adendum: we DO love to travel, don't get me wrong. It just isn't reason numero uno)

Why we are traveling to East Africa, Ethiopia to be exact:

To be tools in the Loving & Mighty Hand of the God of the Universe.

To love a group of women whose culture says they aren't worth as much as their counterparts.

To demonstrate to a group of beautiful Ethiopian young ladies that God has a destiny, a beautiful story and journey for them in life that is just for them.

To show them that the Holy Spirit is not the wimpy 3rd part of the Trinity but rather the Gift of Empowerment, Power and tangible Love in our lives that should overflow in us and pour out to others.

To display an amazing thing: that God truly does use the foolish things of this world (the Game of Soccer) to confound the wise. Soccer is a key to the door of people's lives so Jesus can open the door of people's hearts.

To lead them to a place where they see that Jesus is calling them to be Warriors for Himself armed with Truth, Love, Healing, Freedom and every beautiful weapon in the Lord's Arsenal.

We aren't going to hang out and see the sights, showers won't always be easy to come by, it certainly will not smell like a paradise. But praise God! Wherever He has called us is a Paradise because He is in us, He goes before us and paves the way. Anywhere we can go with God is an amazing place!!!

Be blessed to know that God is using YOU in our lives as He paves our way with His Presence and the prayers of His Children. He is already moving mightily and we are beyond thrilled to be able to share with you!

Godspeed!

Sarah (for all the sojourners)