Week 1: Complete (Holla!)

Week 1: Complete

What happened in the last week:
-I arrived in Ethiopia.
-My bags did not (of course). :)
-Then they did.
-4th of July, which Ethiopians do not celebrate. (It's an American holiday...July 4th, 1776 we declared our independence. No one else really has a reason to celebrate that.) We had a party with some American friends. Jen made an American flag cake. We put it on top of a British flag. Hahaha. The girls and Kait made a couple of signs. We lit off a firework (yes, just one). And we each got a sparkler.
-Kait and I traveled the 300-ish kilometers to Nekempte, which is where we are now.
-Since it was the weekend when we got here we were able to have a lot of bonding time with our host family. The parents are Steve and Doretha, the kids are Caeden, Reaghan, Andwynne, and Rowan. I probably spelled all of the kids' names wrong except Caeden. Because he is my student. :)
-We started language school. The language we are learning is Oromo.
-I started teaching Caeden. He is in first grade. And it's a blast.
-Kait and I started a college-aged Bible study for ladies only. It's called Girls Time. And it is awesome. We have a translator!
-I was almost hit my a bjiaj (taxi) today. I didn't hear him coming from behind, so it was probably my fault.
-I have had lots of yummy food.
-I accidentally handed something to a native using my left hand, which is bad, bad, bad. You are supposed to use your right hand. Always. But I forgot twice. Oopsi! I apologized in English. And then laughed. A lot. Because I did the wrong thing, then tried to apologize in a language they don't understand. Hahaha.

Contrary to popular though, I am not sun burned. It is actually mostly chilly here, because it is rainy season. I haven't eaten anything crazy. I haven't seen any crazy food. We have hot, running water (when the power is on). The power doesn't typically go out for days. But our first couple of days in Addis it did. Flashlights and candles are where it's at.

The people are (typically) pretty friendly, at least the people I have encountered. On our language route Kait and I stop at four (afur in Oromo) shops: OMG Business Center (a copy center), a stationary center, a vegetable stand, and a coffee/tea shop. Two of them can speak like 4 words of English, which means we get to figure out what words mean by repetition and actions. Sometimes it's a major fail and we do the whole smile and nod. But sometimes it is a success! Today Kait and I had a blast learning some different words with a couple of ladies and about 6 college-aged guys. They laughed at us a lot, but so did we. It was pretty fun. And the chai is awesome. Today I tried to tell a lady "gala tomee" (phonetically spelled) which is "thank you" in Oromo, but instead it came out "gracias". Yep. Not even the right language.

God is good. Actually, He's pretty great. It awesome to see the ministry that Steve and Doretha have here in Nekempte. Speaking of them, they are awesome. Their hearts of gold beat solely for the Lord. They are doing great things here. Apart from ministry, Doretha has one of the best laughs I have ever heard. The other night we were playing charades and Kait was acting like a bull and Doretha lost it. Hahaha. I am still laughing about it. Steve has one of the best senses of humor ever. Probably because mine is similar. I think he's hilarious. The kids are some of the most precious kids in the world. They each have their own personalities, and each make me laugh a lot. God has definitely blessed the Limiero family. They are very encouraging with my faith, as well. They pray together all the time; we pray together all the time. I am very, very blessed to be a part of this family.

That just skims the surface. Know that my time here has been awesome. Thank you for your prayers. Keep 'em comin'. Please pray for Steve and Doretha as well. Things to keep in prayer:

-Steve is doing a small group leader training
-Kait is teaching English to Oromo speaking students every day at 1:30-ish a.m. Montana time
-Steve, Kait, and I have a college Bible study/hang out time on Saturday's from 2-4 our time, so like 4-6 a.m. Montana time
-Kait and I have a Bible Study with a group of ladies ages 15-25 MWF from 4-6 our time, so 6-8 Montana time
-Doretha stays home with 4 kids and manages the house. She does a wicked awesome job at it. So praise for her hard work, and prayer for continued joy and energy.
-For all of us to be effective in our communications and relationships with the Ethiopian people
-For our language teacher, Kalbessa. He has been a great teacher so far!!

This is long enough! Hope you have enjoyed getting to see what I'm doing now!! If you  have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment. I'd love to hear what you have to say!!

Chow!

*Disclaimer: if anything is spelled wrong or sounds funny, I blame the jet lag and learning a new language. :)

The Bags are Packed

It’s the final countdown!

The bags are packed and stacked and ready to roll. What is keeping me from this journey to Afrika is a (hopefully) good night sleep, one last church service, breakfast with Gram , Pop, and my little brother Christopher, gasin’ up the truck, and a huckleberry milkshake.

Right now I am freaking out. But a good freaking out. I am a little nervous my bags are over the weight limit, but I think I’ll be fine!

It’s just about midnight. I’m trying to stop being hyper. First of all it’s my personality to be really hyper about things. Secondly I AM GOING TO AFRIKA!! Why wouldn’t or shouldn’t I be hyper?! (Because I have to sleep, that's why!)

The next time I blog I’ll be in…you know where…Afrika!

Becky's Wedding Day

My longest friendship is with a pretty gal named Becky. She recently got married. It was awesome.

Something happened the day of the wedding that neither I nor anyone else will forget. You know those things that happen only in movies? Well, it happened in real life at this wedding. Here's the story:

Saturday morning: wedding day. I woke up early (like 7:45) and headed to the salon to sit with one of the bridesmaids (and my new friend), Kristen, as she got her hair done. After she was finished and lookin' SO good, I had to run a couple of errands -- mainly taking a shower. I finished everything I needed, went to the salon just as the beautiful bride was getting her hair done, and we all hung out and had a good time. Following along the order of a wedding morning, we headed to the house to get changed into our dresses. We finished putting the last few touches on and headed to the ceremony site.

It was almost time.

Everything was going well. The wedding started a little later, as to be expected. Everyone looked good. Everyone was ready. It came time for the best man and I to precede Becky. As I took my place I looked over at the groom, Justin. I asked him if he was ready, if he was nervous, and told him he'd be fine. We hear the audience laughing, look up, and see the little boys coming up with these awesome signs and a shot gun:

Finally we see the flower girl, and not too far behind her the bride. She looks like a princess straight out of a fairy tale. It's magical. She makes her way to the front, I take her bouquet and fix her dress. Everything is going so smoothly. Half way through it hits me. I forgot the ring.

I immediately go into panic mode. In a span of about 5 seconds I think: "Who forgets the ring? What kind of maid of honor forgets the ring? I am the worst maid of honor ever. Heck, I'm the worst friend ever. Becky is going to hate me. The wedding is ruined." Then I have an idea: tell the bridesmaid next to me. So I lean over to my new friend, Kristen, and say, "Kristen, I forgot the ring!" Her response: "Oooh." Thinking quickly I ask her if I should use my spoon ring instead, to which she agrees. Then I get the perfect opportunity to temporarily fix my problem. Justin's dad, John, was praying over the couple. I lean over to the guy doing the ceremony, Dave, and in a very panicky 'whisper' I say, "Dave. Dave! DAVE! I forgot the ring!" He stares at me and starts smiling. I say, "Can I borrow yours?!" He starts taking it off, only to realize he can't. So he starts panicking because his ring is stuck. The prayer finishes and now we have two panicky people.

Dave, the awesome guy that he is, continues on without missing a beat. I start thinking to myself, "It's okay. It's only a ring. What's a ring, anyways? It's just symbolic for their marriage. They will still be married. At the end of the day the will still be married. We can totally pull this off." Justin gets the wedding band from the best man, says what he's supposed to, and slips it on Becky's finger. Becky, all smiles, turns to me, expecting the manly gold band they had picked out. Instead, I give her this silver spoon ring that fits a young lady's small hand and whisper, "Just pretend." She stares at me for a split second and mouths, "What?" I smile nervously and say, "I forgot his ring. Just use this one." I step back into my place. All is well. We can totally make this work.

Dave continues on with Becky saying, "Now, I have something to tell all of you." My thought: He wouldn't dare. Dave: "This is a fake ring.... We forgot the real one."

He dared. He told everyone. And everyone laughed. It was perfect.

They continued on with the ceremony. Dave tells Becky, "Repeat after me: 'With this ring.'" Becky says, "Well, not this ring, but the other ring!" Perfect impromptu. Never have I been so proud.

The ceremony finished out. Many people told me how beautifully perfect the wedding was. It was a beautiful day, along a beautifully scenic river, with beautiful Montanan decorations, and a perfect-for-each-other couple. And at the end of the day they were married.

Ten Days

Two words keep entering my mind: ten days.

Obviously the number changes, but today it's ten. Ten days until what? Ten days until this little lady heads to Spokane, Washington to catch the first flight on an awesome journey to Ethiopia. I just got butterflies.

I wanted to take a minute to let everyone know my thoughts and feelings as of right now.

-I am excited.

-I am nervous.

-I am really, really excited.

Knowing that I am about to be out of the country, out of the continent, for 6 months is kind of crazy. You’d think you can only realize something once. Nope. I have realized this about 8 times, and every time it blows my mind. Every time I realize I am going to Africa for 6 months I think, “What did I get myself into?” Then I think, “This is going to be awesome!”

I find a lot of comfort in the fact that our great God will be with me on the journey and every second during my stay in Ethiopia just as much as He is with me here in my favorite place, Libby, Montana. With each day that passes by I know that I am leaving everything I know, everything I am comfortable with, everything. But then I realize that I am not leaving everything. I am not leaving God; God is not leaving me. He is going with me. Someone that I am familiar with, Someone that I am very comfortable with, and Someone who knows me better than all of us combined will be right by my side, always.

As of now I am only a little nervous, but only a little. I know that as this next week and a half flies by and the day comes for me to be standing in that giant airport, checking in my luggage, praying everything goes smoothly, I will be one large bundle of nerves. Thankfully I can find comfort in the Lord. Thankfully I know that this is His will for my life, and it is my dream come true. Knowing that makes me more excited than anything. 

Ask, Seek, Knock

Do you ever read something and think, “Man, I wish that would happen in real life!” Have you ever heard a story and just knew they were exaggerating in some way because there is no way that stuff happens in real life? How about when you read things in the Bible? Jesus was born of a virgin, lived, was crucified, died, and rose again – that is the basis for the New Testament. It’s pretty easy to accept that, I think. What about when we read passages like the one found in Matthew 7:7-8, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

What does that mean? That’s a nice passage. It gives hope. But…ya, it doesn’t really work like that.

Those may have been some of my thoughts. They may be some of your thoughts.

Then I learned. I learned that this passage is true; it actually happens. I prayed and prayed, and prayed some more for an opportunity to serve in Africa. And now I am going in 11 days. “Knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Jesus wasn’t kidding. I was pursuing Him, and all the while He knew my heart. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart.” –Psalm 37:4.

We serve a great God who cares about our desires and passions. What doors has He opened to give you the desire of your heart?

Dreams Do Come True

What are your dreams? What is something that the mere thought of it brings a smile to your face and joy to your heart?

Then what happens when 'reality' hits and you come to the realization that can never happen; only in your dreams it will happen?

It's heart breaking. In your mind you imagine these really great things. Maybe you have the picture of the perfect husband or wife, the perfect job, the perfect family, perfect looks. Maybe you envision being the best chef, musician, teacher, mechanic, athlete. Maybe when you think of your future you see yourself being the CEO of a company, impacting hundreds or maybe thousands of people, or being a world traveler. Then you look at your bank account, your talents, reality. You slip back into the mindset that it won't, it can't, happen.

One of my dreams is to go to Africa. Hearing just the name of the continent makes me smile. When I think of the things I want to do in my life, places I want to go, going to Africa is definitely at the top. I have dreamed about this, looked into it a little bit, then 'realized' it will never happen. But then I remember that God doesn't give us these visions and passions just for the heck of it; there is a purpose.

My dream to go to Africa is coming true before my eyes. I cannot express my excitement and enthusiasm as I watch this happen. It's almost too good to be true. But God's love for me, and for you, sounds too good to  be true. One of my favorite things about God is that even though He sounds too good to be true, He is true. His love is true. And He lavishes* His love on us.

Whatever your dreams are, whatever your passions are, ask God to make them become reality. Don't hold back. God is bigger than anything you can ask for. Don't be scared of rejection from Him. The worst that will happen is your trust in Him will grow deeper, your love for Him will be bigger, and your dreams will come true. Great things will happen when you are living for Him.

Ask Him to make your dreams come true. I have been asking for the perfect opportunity to go to Africa for two and a half years. He is blessing me beyond what I imagined. And I know that He will bless me while I'm there beyond what I can imagine.

With God, dreams do come true.

*lavish (verb)- to expend or give in great amounts, or without limit

Junior Year

Junior year.

In high school it's said to be the hardest year. In college...well, I don't know what the hardest year is said to be. All I know is that this year has been haaard. 

My year started off with two of my closest friends not here. One moved to Kentucky, one moved to Wichita. So that sucked. I had my very first apartment! Which was exciting and new, and, frankly, a little scary. I was about to start my first semester at K-State. I had been waiting for that to happen for quite a while. Everything (except my two friends not being in the same town as me) made it look like it would be a great year. My classes were great, my friends were great, my apartment was great, my housemates were great.

Then school started. 

Like clock work stuff with my FAFSA got messed up. K-State tried charging me an extra ten grand for some reason. Nothin' like a little bill for $10,000! It took a while to get that straightened up. What it came down to is...I still had a big bill to pay (not 10 grand, thankfully), no job, and no car. 

So I needed a job. Easy peasy, right?

Wrong.

I turned in application after application after application. Nada. I had (have) no car, so I was (am) limited to a certain area. Week after week went by. Then I realize: I am going to die. 

Just kidding. I didn't know how to handle anything. Then it clicked: Trust God. Duh. He owns everything. He'll provide. Either that or I'll die. Well, I had nothing else to do but to trust Him. 

Allowing the Holy Spirit to work through other people to bless me is one of the hardest things I learned this semester. With no job, no car, and no money I had no choice. I had school, an apartment, and had to eat somehow. The only way to survive is to let others help me. It was awful. My family, Will and Dev, Kirsten, and Shannon all helped me out. It was embarrassing and hard for me to accept. 

But God takes care of His children. How could I have ever doubted that He would provide for me? I learned that I am a little prideful. I learned that in order for God to work in me, I had to allow other people to help me financially. I was stuck in a place that I had to do everything myself, and I could do everything myself. Sure, I knew God would provide. However, I wouldn't let Him. Opening myself and my plans and, ultimately, my heart to God with my finances has been the hardest, but best challenge, for me this year. 

Now junior year is half way over (praise God). I have a job, I have some money, I have no car and am (usually) fine with it. I know that God has some pretty great things for me in the near future. I trust Him with my finances. But I know there will be something else this semester that I have to learn. It'll probably suck a little bit. 

But it's all worth it.