AUTHOR’s NOTE: “I will not be leaving my day job with Visiting Orphans to pursue any sort of Poetry or Songwriting profession. And there are a lot of words in the English language that don’t have rhyming partners--Sad.” So anyway, here ya go:
Enjoy ETHIOPIA -- COFFEEHOUSE EDITION:
Enjoy ETHIOPIA -- COFFEEHOUSE EDITION:
From Uganda to Ethiopia, two countries divided.
But our mission the same, to Man Up, united.
One thing I learned in my travels to Addis
One piece of advice, I’ll share and that is:
If you're not strong in line,
you won't catch your plane on time.
What Hotel sends their staff and help to greet?
Piling luggage in the rain, 5 vans deep.
Never had hotel staff so nice,
they even did our laundry--TWICE!
Your leader may trick you about EGH,
but really, your accommodations, you’ve got it made.
Yet Korah. Never could you prepare,
for all that you would see there.
The poverty, the hunger, affliction, and pain
You’re broken and your life won't be the same.
Yet, their faith is unmatched,
their love is unending.
The smiles in their eyes,
it's our spirit that needs mending.
Great Hope, such a small, tin roof church
Kids of the Kingdom--yet you're on the Perch
Dirt on the floor and tarp for the walls,
but worship like no other, to their knees they fall.
My eyes couldn't handle 6 preparations of sheep,
but my heart was content as 300 would eat.
Holy Spirit led worship in a small mud room,
Lives were changed, not a moment too soon.
Spackle, and plaster, paint and floors too
Extreme Home Makeover--in Korah, who knew?
A lepers hand was touched,
A lepers mouth was fed.
Yet my soul was the one,
That was replenished instead.
The brothers took us bowling to raise our team spirit
Hit a Pin? Hah. No. My ball wouldn’t go near it.
Without our late-comer,
Our trip wasn't the same
He sang, he joked,
Silly was his name.
So thankful for Jeff on the Man Up team
Impromptu worship, yeah---his dream.
Visiting Alert brought fear right to the heart,
Yet seeing lepers weave yarn, new lives they could start.
You can have your Starbucks or Dunkin, even homemade brew,
No thanks, I'll take my 'Joe the way Ethiopians do.
A two hour ceremony from beans to pour
Popcorn and coffee, is there anything more?
Korah, a city of love, with a deep dark secret,
But now we must choose to decide if we keep it.
We experienced the dump with our own two eyes
Felt what they lived, hidden beneath the lies
No animal, enemy, least of these should live
the way these children, these Angels, did.
Scrounging for food, swimming in soil.
Sloshing through garbage, living even Hell's worst turmoil
Yet with one small reminder from Heaven above,
God showed up in a rainbow, proving His love.
Reassurances from strangers, and hugs from a friend,
Prayers went up, Lord heal our hearts yet again.
Awareness was spread by Cory and Coby Cotton,
Korah. The land of the lost, but never forgotten.
Who would have thought that outside city gates,
a 5 hour road trip is all it would take.
Our hope was restored and our faith refreshed,
At the village of Chuko, WE were blessed.
They waited for hours and Well’Comed us loud
The jacket, the Hat --Rob stood so proud.
The Pirates digging a well for clean water to drink
Much we take for granted when we walk to the sink.
What an eye opening experience and straight to the heart
A celebration of the village, we got to take part.
We piled in our Cruisers, but our driver didn’t learn,
Quarter tank of gas, pitch black, and a wrong turn.
An unplanned tour through the jungle at night,
what a RELIEF to us all when we saw their tail light.
An amazing meal at Resort King Fisher,
Even the monkeys would stop and pose for their picture.
Baby orphanages were hard to see them all there,
My heart broke so much, just not enough care.
We held them and fed them and loved them some more,
The need is so great, impossible to ignore.
So back to Addis with our Guides so fun,
Ranger Claw to that, and Get ‘er Done!
The bug ravaged through from altitude, food, or thirst
But a Man Upper doesn’t quit, even at his worst.
We finished our trip with a traditional meal,
Injera, live music, fake weddings--for real!
Mama Shan busted moves no one had seen
Put their dancers to shame, livin’ the dream.
Americans style seems so late,
Ethiopian trendsetters, more than great.
Ethiopian culture, never a bore,
Kaldis, the style, and the marketplace store.
But what we take with us is more than all that,
What we witnessed and saw, just what we take back.
Yet, how could we leave with such heavy hearts
I know we must go now, and do our part.
So Africa is with me, my heart is left there
Bringing love to the orphans, not forgotten--We Care.
Everyone must Go. Must Be. and Love,
Being the hands and feet of Christ Above.
When one window closes, God opens a Door.
James One Twenty Seven. Need I say more?
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a little pictorial to reference...
Kids of the Kingdom
Precious women of Mission Ethiopia
Our Coffee Ceremony at Mulu and Mercy's newly redone house!
Learnin all about life, havin lunch with the lepers
Korah: The Trash Dump
Our Jungle Safari
Captain Rob being honored by the Village of Chuko
the Pirates Dig a Well team
where the village HAD been getting their water
Get Er Done. Gig'em Aggies? ranger Claw?
Our EGH Guides!
