Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!

And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

– Matthew 28.5–6

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

– words by Charles Wesley, 1739
(I’ve included only 5 of the original 10 verses…)

About that wedding...

(This post is specifically addressed to GH - the elder and the younger…)

You may have wondered why we didn’t accept the wedding invitation last fall. Well, it all comes down to a busy mom with a leaky memory.

On that fateful September morning, as we headed off to art and soccer lessons with pups in tow, I reminded the kids that we would be attending G’s wedding after the lessons. Mustang was all keen, as she’s not attended a wedding before and wanted to see what it was all about (and admire the fancy dresses!). After the ceremony and the receiving line, the kids both asked me why we couldn’t stay for the reception.

“Because we didn’t get an invitation,” I responded (wondering why that might have been, as I had done for the past couple of weeks).

“Yes we did, Mommy!” they exclaimed. “Don’t you remember?”

And suddenly it clicked. Yes, we had! It had been in our church mailbox back in early September (or was it late August?), and I’d opened it at home and commented to the kids, “Good, we’ve received an invitation to G’s wedding; we have to be sure to respond to it.” And set it aside. But had I responded to it or not?!?!?

As everyone was chatting in the foyer, the kids and I went into fellowship hall to see the pretty tables. I noticed a seating plan/list. I surreptitiously rifled through it – maybe I had responded to the invitation and had just forgotten I’d done so… But, alas, our names were not listed, so I resigned myself to not staying for the festivities, much as we would all have loved to. (Well, maybe not the puppies. They would have gotten tired of being stuck in their crate.)

Back at home, I searched through all the likely places for the invitation – the church bag, the fridge (outside on the door, not inside!), the corner of the kitchen counter where things “to be dealt with” are placed.

Nothing.

It must have gotten tossed in the recycle bin by some inattentive soul. (Surely not me?!?) And forgotten.

Sorry about that. And no, it’s not because we don’t love you guys. (Did I mention that it had been a busy summer/fall and I’d had a lot on my mind?) Usually I’m good at keeping track of things, but every once in a while there’s just not enough head-space to go around. Even for me. (I was too embarrassed to tell you before. About forgetting, not about not having enough head-space.)

(I can hear SH laughing. Quiet, you!)

At least we made it to the shower…

Food for All

Help Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) respond to the millions of people facing hunger because of food shortages and rising food prices. MCC’s Food for All campaign seeks $1.5 million in contributions to provide emergency food assistance in Ethiopia and other countries. A severe drought and rising food prices in 2008 left about 12 million Ethiopians in need of food assistance. As escalating food prices push more people into poverty, MCC is working with local agencies throughout the world to monitor the impact of the crisis and to respond. Learn more at mcc.org/foodforall.

Love: Fourth Sunday of Advent

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, love divine;
Worship we our Jesus:
But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.

— Christina Rossetti

Building friendships

On Sunday we had some friends over for lunch between church and the Christmas pageant. E is Ethiopian, married to a German Mennonite. They have four kids aged 1 to 6, and also brought along E’s nephew Y, who comes to church with them. Two of the children are in Button’s Sunday School class, so they had lots of fun playing together. Also with us were J and B – another adoptive single mom and her 9-year-old son who is in Mustang’s Sunday School class.

I like to encourage building friendships with other children from the church. Having strong friendships is something that helps to keep children in the church when they become teenagers. Seeing as I don’t have pre-existing friendships with the parents of Button’s classmates, it takes a bit more effort, but I find that this also builds new friendships for me, and I get to know people I might otherwise not.

Joy: Third Sunday of Advent

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way.

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.


— Isaiah 35:1-2, 5-8, 10

Peace: Second Sunday of Advent

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is sadness, joy;
and where there is darkness, light.
Grant that we may not seek so much to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and in dying that we are born to eternal life.

— Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Hope: First Sunday of Advent

(This was supposed to have been posted on Sunday, 30 November, but somehow it got overlooked.)

Light of hope, grant us hope.
We wait in hope for the One who is to come.
We wait in hope for a world where neighbours live in peace,
where the rich share with the poor, where the strong protect the weak.
God of hope, come and grant us hope.
In hope we are saved; we pray that we abide in hope.
We light this candle to remind us that hope is alive
and is renewed in every advent season.
We call the Source of hope to dwell in our hearts,
and in the hearts of those who have lost hope.
Candle of hope illuminate the world.
King of hope, come. Maranatha!

— Written by Huda Kandalaft Kanawati of the Church of St. Andrew & St. Paul,
Montreal, and produced by the Presbyterian Church of Canada.

Ten Thousand Villages

Ten Thousand Villages is a fair-trade organisation that imports handicrafts made by artisans in the developing world to Canada and the U.S., and sells them here to people who appreciate the fine work and fair prices. The organisation is operated as an offshoot of Mennonite Central Committee. The handicrafts are sold in stores and at “Festival Sales.” Many of the people who work at both stores and sales do so as volunteers. This helps to keep prices low(er), and it also is in the spirit of fair trade and opportunity for those less fortunate than us.

Button, Mustang and I, as well as Laolao and Laoye, will all be volunteering at one of the Festival Sales this month. This is Mustang’s fourth Villages sale – by now she is an old hand!! It will be Button’s first, and we will see how capable he is (at age five) of actually helping during the sale. When Mustang was five, at her first sale, she helped on the floor for about an hour each time and then would go play with Laoye. Laoye will once again be on standby to take Button to play if he tires of the sale. But we shall see - Button tends to be a good worker most of the time, and if Mustang stays he may want to as well. Last year Mustang (then age seven) was a very good helper – she would flit from place to place, but the Organizers would find things for her (and other of the younger kids) to do, like fetching and carrying. Or she often saw things that needed doing and did them without needing to be asked!! (That never happens at home!) And she did well at modelling the jewellery and scarves… A good model can help to make sales! She may be able to help with some of the wrapping this year as well.

On 26 October we had a “set-up” day at which the kids both were troopers, carrying shelving up from the basement. Then last Wednesday they came and helped unload the supply truck , and on Saturday we all went and unpacked boxes. After an hour or so they got tired of unpacking things, but then helped set up the kitchen for lunch for the volunteer unpackers.

Children are very capable of helping in many ways and often keen to do so. I like to get my kids involved in Ten Thousand Villages as this is one way they can feel a part of the larger church community, learn work habits in a non-home, non-school context, and contribute to society. Even if they don’t realize it yet!!

So if any of you are still looking for beautiful hand-made items to round out your Christmas (or other) shopping list (or if you haven’t started yet!!), why don’t you come out to one of the 49 stores or numerous Festival Sales across Canada?

Fair trade items bought from Villages allow artisans in developing countries to provide food, healthcare, education and housing for their families. Your purchase makes a difference!

And if you live where we do, you can also visit our Festival Sale tea room. Take a break from shopping and enjoy a sandwich, a piece of cake or a cookie, a cup of tea or fair-trade coffee, and – on Saturday November 8th and 22nd – a bowl of homemade borscht! (If you’re lucky you’ll get some of Laolao’s best borscht ever… or one of the cookies Mustang or Button decorated!!

Meserete Kristos Church

Sunday, 6 January 2008

Today, our main agenda was to attend a service of one of the 27 Meserete Kristos churches here in Addis. We had received an invitation from Mekonnen, one of the Ethiopian workers with Mennonite Central Committee. We found a taxi to take us to the area, and once on our way we called Mekonnen to give the driver directions. The trip took about 20 minutes, mostly along the ring road and another wide, good paved road.

The church is a good-sized, well-established congregation. Although it is only three years old, most of the members have come from other MK churches and are fairly well off, making it a stable congregation. It is in a new part of Addis, where many new houses are being built, mostly by middle-class Ethiopians who can afford to own a nice home on a small plot of land. The church building is a fairly rough structure, as it is on rented land and the landlord will not allow them to build a permanent building. They are hoping to find a plot to buy and build on, but for now this is sufficient.

The service lasted about three hours, with singing, prayer, and a sermon that lasted over an hour. As it was all in Amharic we did not understand, but one of the congregational members sat behind us and gave us the occasional English summary of what was being said. The singing was lively and many people clapped and half danced in the pews. (Mekonnen later told us this was not as lively as some of the churches!)

After about two hours, I took Giggles and Poppet into the courtyard where many other children were standing or playing. They had done well so far with the markers and paper, and some magnetic toys, we'd brought along, but by that point it was getting hard to keep quiet and sit still.

After the service, Mekonnen took us to his house for lunch. It was a new house not far from the church.

The compound was very small, but the house very lovely. The living room was furnished much like a Canadian living room would be, but the kitchen next door was small and rather bare-bones by our standards. Mekonnen lived here with his wife and a nephew, the son of his brother from the country whom they were helping to put through school, as their own five children were grown - two daughters in Addis and three sons in the States. One daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren joined us for lunch. It was a traditional Ethiopian meal, with injera and a variety of wat - cooked not too spicy, Mekonnen said, in light of our western palates.

After eating and a bit of visiting, Mekonnen drove us home. It was mid-afternoon, so we walked down to our usual haunt for an afternoon ice cream, followed by some play and supper at home.

While playing, Giggles noticed that a sheep had taken up very temporary residence in the landlord's courtyard - tomorrow's Ethiopian Christmas dinner. She and Poppet took a good look, but did not pet as it was a ram and could kick - or so Giggles told me.

(Continue to 7January: Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday - A challenging Day)

Meserete Kristos college

Saturday, 5 January 2008

This morning Poppet and Giggles both came to snuggle me in bed for a few minutes before we got up. That was nice.

We'd barely finished breakfast and brushing teeth when the driver, Tadeus, showed up for our day's excursion to Debre Zayit. The Meserete Kristos (Ethiopian Mennonite) church has a theological college there, and today was graduation day. The fellow in charge of fundraising is one of our contacts from Canada (a friend of a friend) whom we had met at the Evangelical church and the Menno potluck on Dec 23rd.

Our departure from Addis was slightly delayed because the driver had to go to Meskal Square first and obtain a "transmission paper" for the vehicle. This was one of several small signs we've noticed that Ethiopia is still a tightly controlled, if no longer communist, state. People appear to be watched and controlled more than we're used to, and movements not as free.

Once we were really on our way, the drive was pleasant and not too long. We saw no camels today. We reached Debre Zayit in good time, and found the turn-off to the college with only a little difficulty. By the time we arrived shortly before 10:00, the graduation ceremonies had already started. We were ushered to choice seats near the front, from which we had a good view of the proceedings. Much of the event was conducted in Amharic, with just two speeches in English, but we also enjoyed the choir singing at the beginning and the celebratory aspect of the graduation parade. About 40 or 50 individuals received diplomas, and another 10 or 15 Bachelor of Arts or Theology degrees. Most of them were men, but a few women crossed the platform too.

The proceedings went on a bit long for the kids, who got a bit antsy after an hour and a half. We had brought a few things for them to play with, but even so it is hard to play quietly after such a long time, especially when it was preceded by an almost two-hour long van ride. But they coped (and so did we) and finally it was all over, just a little after noon. We proceeded to the next building for munchies.
After some time spent getting pictures taken with various grads, our friends took us on a tour of the campus.

The Meserete Kristos college is located on a lovely campus, about 3 or 4 km northeast of town. They moved onto this campus about a year ago, so all the buildings are new. Most of the work (90%) has been financed by overseas donors from the US, Canada and Europe. The main building is a five-storey red-brick building with an interesting exterior staircase.

The ground floor is open; that is where today's graduation ceremonies were held; in the future the plans are to turn it into a library (once the container with some 10,000+ donated volumes has been received from where it currently sits in port in Djibouti). The upper floors house offices, classrooms, and a few rooms where students live. They do not yet have the capacity to house many students on campus, but plans are to build two dormitories, one for men and one for women, each capable of housing 200 students. (Fundraising has already begun for these projects, and it is expected that construction will be completed within a year or two.)

Beside the main building are two long single-storey buildings. The one nearest the main building is a dining hall; it currently doubles as a chapel. It is a single open area, with brick walls, concrete floor, a tin roof, and openings near the top for fresh air to blow through (necessary during the hot months). We saw a pigeon nesting atop one of the walls; birds in the room can be a problem as they come to eat the scraps off the floor, then perch on the chairs and do their business.

The second building, a mere three metres away from the first, houses the kitchens. One room is just for preparing injera.

We saw several vats of fermenting batter, two or three large pans for cooking the injera, and a few piles of cooked injera waiting to be served. Pleasant aromas wafted from the second room, which was the main food preparation area. It houses a basic storage shelf, and some washing areas. Two women were at work preparing the day's wat. Most of the work is done on the floor.

Our friend said, even if you build cupboards and counters, they still work on the floor. That is what they are accustomed to, even though it means a lot of squatting and lifting heavy containers around with bent backs. (But they do intend to build some cupboards anyhow, for storage if not for working on, once the container of donated tools is released from Djibouti. They even have a workshop building in which to do the work, and several skilled people capable of doing it.) The third kitchen room appeared to be a mix of preparation and wash-up. It contained a single refrigerator, a single gas stove, and a set of sinks.

The washroom facilities were in a separate building in a corner of the campus, not far from the dining hall and kitchens. This seems to be standard practice in Ethiopia, to have washrooms separated from dining and kitchen areas, at least in public places. Every single restaurant we've eaten in has had washrooms a short walk across a courtyard or down an outdoor corridor. In a mild climate like this, it's quite feasible, and I suppose the separation helps somewhat with sanitation. Many of the washrooms have a common sink for handwashing situated in the open air.

A short distance from the kitchens, a guesthouse is under construction, to house visiting lecturers (often from the US or Canada). It will contain six bachelor rooms, each equipped with a bed, desk, and private bathroom, and two family suites, plus a common room with a television and space for relaxation and games.

The area is apparently quite fertile, and next door to a rainy season lake. During rainy season, we were told, the entire lowland fields on the other side of the main road becomes a shallow lake. After the rains, as the water evaporates and soaks into the ground, the remaining water is used to irrigate nearby fields for growing vegetables. Once the lake has completely dried up, the farmers plant chickpeas on the lakebed, as these require very little rainfall to grow and can thrive on the moisture retained in the soil.

The college has a good well and a good-sized garden plot where they were able to grow most of the vegetables they needed this past year, irrigating as necessary. Water piping has been run around the campus perimeter, so as they build each building will be able to hook into the water supply quite easily.

As we took this tour, Giggles and Poppet were very happy to be free to run around wildly, pet the kitty found under the kitchens (cats and kitchen seem to go together here), and just let off steam. Poppet likes to do everything Giggles does, which at times pleases her and at times bugs her to distraction. He studiously repeats words and phrases he hears, mostly with little understanding – he's just trying the words on for size – but he's starting to pick up a few things, in addition to the few words he learned at the Transition Home (one of which was "toilet" – an essential word!).

We were very pleased to have attended the graduation and seen the campus. Our friends had another engagement at 2:00, so couldn't spend more time with us, but pointed out the way to the top of hill behind the campus, from which one has a view of one of the region's many volcanic lakes, and recruited one of the students to make sure we found the right path. Our driver took us partway there and parked under the shade of shola tree, amidst a herd of cows and sheep and next the lounging herders. Giggles and Poppet immediately oohed and aahed over the little lambs. They might have tried to pet them, but a few big cows with pointy horns were standing close by, which acted as a deterrent.

The way led us first across a field of teff stubble. Then it grew steeper as we reached the place where the old volcanic cone peaked. Here grew thorn bushes, taller grasses, and larger shrubs. The student led us along the narrow path up the hill until we went over a little rise and saw the lake spreading out below – a lovely blue-green lake nestled in the old volcanic crater, surrounded by steep slopes dotted with trees and shrubs.

We saw evidence of hyenas (scat), and two beautiful blue and green birds swooping over the cliff edge. We sat there for a while, drinking in the view, then headed back down.

By now it was high time for lunch. Our driver took us to the Dreamland restaurant, the same place we'd eaten at on our way back from the southern tour. Service was slow today, desptie there not being nearly as many customers as a week ago. But the food finally came and it was good.

Then home again. Poppet, Laoye and I mostly slept on the way home. Once home we freshened up, then walked down to Bole Road to pick up a few things (bananas and buns) and for an icecream treat. (I hope Poppet doesn't start to think that icecream is a daily occurrence all the time!) I nipped into the internet café, but it was busy with a few people already waiting in line, so decided to try again tomrrow.

Then back home for a light supper of fruit, tea, and leftovers, and a bit of TV and bed.

(Continue to Meserete Kristos church)

Church picnic (2007-06-15)

(Originally posted on 15 June 2007.)

Last Sunday, 10 June, was our church picnic. Here are some pix of the fun!

(1) Eating with friends.
(2) Playing with friends.
(3) Giggles chasing one of the teens while playing "duck, duck, goose."