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More of Helen in Ethiopia 05/06
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Ethiopian Experience vol.4
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Mal - hello in Nuer - the main language of the people we met in the western region
This newsletter is mainly full of details of our trip to visit the churches in the Western region of Gambella. It's a bit longer than my previous newsletters because there's so much to tell. I could have written much more buy you'll have to wait for the rest until I get home. We left Addis on 28 November and travelled by car into the western part of Ethiopia, starting to visit churches on 1 December. Everywhere we went we were welcomed most warmly. People said they were glad to see us because they knew we were not coming for our own benefit but to help them, and because we had come despite the troubles in the area. Welcome customs included foot washing and choir singing, accompanied by music mainly on drums, some of the children also having shakers which had been made with old oil tins, often the choir came out to meet us as we neared the church. In one place they killed a bull as we got there and then Andrew had to jump over it before being carried on people's shoulders around the village. In another a goat was killed and prepared for us to eat. Wherever we went children always crowded around us, they enjoyed having their photos taken and then being able to see them on the back of digital cameras, I was mobbed by kids on numerous occasions. The churches we visited were mostly made with mud and straw walls with wood supports and grass roofs, most of the people we visited lived in huts (tukals) made of similar material, even in the refugee camps. Most of the churches are growing in number, many having to build new buildings after only short periods because they have outgrown the church. Many of the churches have strong Mothers Union groups who are an important network of support for the women in the churches and many of whom are involved in craft making, bead badges and embroidered sheets, which we try to sell in Addis to raise money for the mothers, which can then be used to help pay for resources and medical care.
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The Group
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There were 8 of us who were in our group for all or part of the journey.
Me plus:
Teklemariam - the driver for St. Matthew's, who attends a Pentecostal church in Addis.
Simon - priest from Pinyidu refugee camp who has been in Addis studying with Andrew since September. He travelled with us on the first day to a town called Jimma, from which he was to catch a bus to Gambella so he could go and visit his family before coming back to Addis until February to complete his training.
Daniel - from St. Michael's Church, Dimma - Daniel's involvement in this journey was one way in which God could be seen to be at work. Daniel had arrived in Addis the Friday before we left from Dimma, having been sent to do some errands in the city. As we hadn't been able to let the people in Dimma know that we were coming Daniel agreed to travel back with us so he could then go on ahead and tell them we were coming, before coming back to Addis to finish his errands. Daniel is featured in the U.S.P.G. lent course for those of you who have seen it.
Andrew - priest from St. Matthews, flew down to Mizan Tefari on Tuesday morning. The plane was a little 15 seater aircraft which stopped at two places before Mizan. When we drove out to meet them we came to a long field €“ which turned out to be the airport!
Amber - a freelance journalist working for a year in Addis who attends St. Matthew's, she was coming to make some recordings and planning to produce some articles for radio about our time there - hoping to maybe sell one to Radio Four, if she succeeds I will let you know when it is being broadcast so you can listen.
Janice - Andrew's wife and head of Mothers Union in Ethiopia, she flew to Gambella on Thursday morning.
Sesay - Administrator working for St. Matthew's in the Western Region. Sesay lives in Gambella but met us in Jimma and travelled with us for the rest of the time we were in the western region. He was invaluable because of his knowledge of the churches and the area and his ability to translate on some occasions (and also showed us his goat killing skills after the service at Itang)
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God's Provision
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As well as getting to visit the churches in the western region we were also able to see some spectacular scenery as we drove through the highlands of Ethiopia, through the Great Rift Valley, and as we descended into the lowlands of Gambella. The journey from Jimma to Mizan Tefari took us through the only deciduous forest in Ethiopia which was spectacular.
We saw much wildlife on our travels, many monkeys, black and white colombus monkeys, brown and white monkeys and baboons, snakes, ostrich, deer, chipmunks, warthogs, vultures and other birds of prey, very noisy large crickets, large moths (all insects seemed to be at least 3 times the size of those at home or in Addis), egrets, bats, herons, many very brightly coloured birds and fireflies as well as plenty of mosquitos and the usual mix of goats, sheep, dogs, cows and donkeys which were wandering all over the roads wherever we went. Despite the fact that there are bigger animals, lions, elephants and crocodiles in the area, we didn't see any of them - although Janice and Amber were told that a leopard crossed the path of the car that took them to the airport.
The climate in Gambella was more like what you usually think of when you think of Africa, we descended into Gambella down a windy, stony road and within half an hour had gone from the highlands where the temperature was nice, to the hot, sticky climate of Gambella - the speed in which the climate changed was remarkable. On one day we registered the temperature as 38 degrees Celsius (in the shade) and we kept being told by people who lived there that apparently this was cool, in a few months time the temperatures will rise to about 45-50 degrees. High humidity made it really sticky and difficult to sleep.
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Troubles in Gambella
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In the past there has been much trouble in Gambella from tensions among the different tribes inside and outside the camps. On 13 December 2003 a U.N. ambulance which was taking the new leader of Pinyidu refugee camp to the camp was ambushed and all in the ambulance and those accompanying it were killed (this included the brother of our administrator Sesay). As a result of this fighting erupted throughout the Gambella region with more than 1000 people being killed. Things have calmed down a lot now, which was why we were able to visit and there is pressure on the local government to get things totally calm by the Ethiopian government because oil has been discovered in Gambella (whether this proves to be a good or bad thing will prove to be seen!).
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Parl - pray in Nuer
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Please pray for:
Peace in Southern Sudan so those in refugee camps will be able to return to their homes.
The churches in the Western Region and their leaders.
The Life in the Spirit conference we will be having at St. Matthews in early January, when a team from St. Barnabas' church in Cambridge will be coming to provide teaching on prayer, Bible study and the Holy Spirit. Pray that many people will come (from other denominations as well) and that this may be a time of renewal and refreshment for the church in Addis and will lead on to many new things.
My visa - I still do not have a residence visa, I have been able to renew my tourist visa again until 17 January - there has been a problem with the paperwork in Egypt, but the Bishop tells us he is dealing with it. Please pray that the correct paperwork arrives in Addis soon so we are able to get the residence visa sorted out.
Amaseugenallo
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Lent Course
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U.S.P.G. one of the organizations I am here with, has prepared a course for Lent 2005 about the refugees in Ethiopia from southern Sudan, i.e. a lot of the people I have met in the western region. If you are interested in this please see U.S.P.G.s website
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Merry Christmas and Happy 2005.
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In my next newsletter I will let you know how we celebrated in Addis (although Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas isn't celebrated until January 7 and new year was celebrated in September!).
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VOL 5 - CHRISTMAS
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It seems such a long time ago now but I promised to write about what Christmas was like in Ethiopia so I will try to remember. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas on 6 January so as those of us from outside Ethiopia settled down to enjoy our Christmas Day on 25 December everything around us was going on as normal €“ all shops and businesses open, people just going on with their daily lives. We had services at St. Matthews on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Christmas Eve was a candlelight service with readings which was very well attended. On Christmas Day the Sudanese congregation joined the service and the Sudanese choir sang a couple of songs for us. The service was supposed to finish with Hark the Herald Angels Sing but - this may sound hard to believe - after the Sudanese choir even that would have sounded a little dull - so we asked the Sudanese choir to sing again as the service finished instead. I spent the rest of Christmas Day with a group of friends where we all brought something for Christmas Dinner and even had a visit from Father Christmas. Throughout the run up to Christmas the Central and East Africa football tournament was being held in Addis. The final was on Christmas Day with Ethiopia playing Burundi and most of the city seemed to be gripped by this. I had been to watch the semi-finals earlier in the week and as I walked home in the evening on Christmas Day Ethiopia scored 2 goals and even though I was nowhere near the football stadium you could hear what was happening by the cheers coming from anywhere which had a television. Later on in the evening whilst I was talking to family on the phone I could hear people walking up my street singing and cheering and cars driving up honking their horns celebrating the fact that Ethiopia had won.
I had an early start on Boxing Day as I went away for ten days with the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society, a group run by a lady who attends St. Matthews which arranges walks and trips out of Addis - more details of this below.
We finished our trip and were arriving back in Addis on Ethiopian Christmas Eve - 6 January. As we travelled back we sang a few Christmas Carols on the bus in honour of the fact that it was Christmas Eve - which was really strange to get my head around as it was almost twelfth night when usually you're thinking of taking down the decorations and putting another Christmas behind you - here it was only just starting and we were receiving Happy Christmas greetings from people (Melcalm Gern-na). As we approached Addis through a couple of small towns about an hour from the city we began to see Christmas lights - big decorations outside hotels and many people dressed in white preparing to go to church for Christmas Eve service. There were still some shops open on Ethiopian Christmas Day and buses running but most businesses were closed down. As I went out to do a bit of shopping you could see people who had come from church, dressed in traditional white or children in what were obviously their best clothes for the occasion.
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TIMKAT
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Following on from Christmas comes the biggest Orthodox festival of the year - Timkat - Ethiopian Epiphany (19 January). The main event celebrated at Timkat is the baptism of Jesus. On Timkat Eve all the churches in an area take their "tabots" (representations of the Ark of the Covenant) to a central place and stay with them overnight. The tabots are processed through the streets of Addis with many people from each church following them. We were fortunate to get tickets to go into the central enclosure at a big sports ground in Addis called Jan Meda. Here the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abuna Paulos, and many Orthodox Clergy led a service which started at 7am with readings and chanting in Ge'ez, the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The service was around a large baptismal pool with a statue of Jesus and John the Baptist by it. Towards the end of the service the Abuna moved around the pool and blessed the waters, after this the waters were sprayed over those watching with a hosepipe. Even though only a couple of hundred people were inside the enclosure, around the enclosure there were thousands of people, all wearing white shawls and after the hose had been sprayed on the people inside the enclosure, priests took the hose and started spraying the water on the people outside, it was a wonderful sight watching as people moved towards the hose to get sprayed by the holy water. After the service the tabots were brought out from the tent where they had been overnight and also sprayed before being processed back to their respective churches. It really was a fascinating experience and I look forward to showing you the photographs when I return.
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CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY
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As mentioned above on Boxing Day I went on a holiday to the south of Ethiopia, spending first five days in the Bale Mountains, then a weekend at Lake Langano and then 4 days in a town called Arba Minch.
The Bale Mountains are even higher than Addis, many places being about 3,500m above sea level and some rising as high as 4,000m plus. On the first day we walked around the Bale Mountains National Park Headquarters and were able to see many Nyala Deer and Warthogs close up. On the second day we hired a local bus to drive up to the Sanetti Plateau - one of the highest points in Ethiopia at 4,000m above sea level with some points rising even higher. This was the first time I really noticed the effects of the altitude, finding myself getting out of breath walking on the flat and having to give up walking up one of the, not very steep, hills because of breathlessness (as a comparison to this, when I came home recently I was very pleased to find that I was able to walk up to Stoodley Pike without hardly getting out of breath as a result of having lived at altitude for five months). The scenery around the Sanetti Plateau was quite alpine in appearance. Much wildlife around this area either grows extremely large or extremely small as it adapts to the altitude. Therefore we saw St. Johns Wort trees, the Giant Lobelia which is indigenous to Ethiopia and can get up to about 8ft tall maybe higher, heather plants which came up to your chest and giant thistles again up to about 7-8ft tall. We had a couple of glimpses as we were driving around of the Ethiopian Wolf which is very fox-like in appearance and again indigenous to Ethiopia. We also saw a serrill cat cross the path of the bus at one point.
Our third day involved a failed visit to the Sof Omar caves, one of the largest underground cave systems in the world. We travelled in the bus for a few hours only to reach a bridge which was broken and which our bus couldn't get over so we had to turn around and go back, but we did see camels on the way and did get a walk in later that afternoon.
Much of the scenery around this area reminded me very much of the Yorkshire Dales or the Peak District so made me feel quite at home. However we also drove through areas which used to be state farms during the communist times and continue to be farmed so saw fields and fields and fields of wheat - as far as your eye could see with tractors and combine harvesters being used to farm it. We were told that the wheat is all used within Ethiopia but it was quite an amazing sight in this country which we so often only think of with regard to famine.
Because of the altitude the temperatures varied dramatically during the course of the day. During the day time because of being a little closer to the sun it was very hot and most of us got sunburnt a little despite wearing sun protection. At night however the temperatures dipped dramatically, a couple of mornings when we woke there was even frost on the ground.
After this first stage of the holiday some of our group spent the weekend at Lake Langano - a popular holiday resort for Ethiopians. There is nothing much around the Lake apart from hotel complexes and it was very dry and arid compared to the lush green of the Bale Mountains. The Lake is a chocolatey brown colour but is safe to swim in and it was really nice and relaxing sitting on the beach by the side of the lake reading or swimming in the lake and in the evenings you could sit outside the hotel restaurant and hear waves from the lake crashing on the shore €“ just like being at the seaside despite Ethiopia being landlocked. This was New Years weekend and some of the Ethiopians with the group organized a New Years Eve and New Years Day (as some people didn't make it to midnight on New Years Eve) parties, with fireworks, drinks and on New Years Day food (a goat having been bought earlier in the day) cooked outside over a log fire.
After Langano we had a couple of days in Arba Minch, with a day travelling either way. Arba Minch means 40 springs and gets its name from the fact that there are many springs found in the forest surrounding it. The town is between two large lakes and from our hotel you could see both and near Nechisar National Park. During our time here we walked through the forest to the area where the springs were. We saw baboons and colubus monkeys in the forest. We had a tour of one of the springs and were shown how clear the water was - our guide picked a big leaf off a nearby tree and scooped some water in it which he drank. We also went for a boat ride on one of the lakes nicknamed ˜the Crocodile Market" because it contains lots of crocodiles. From our boat we saw many crocodiles - some very large, sunbathing by the side of the lake and also in the water, we also saw pelicans and hippos. On our second day in Arba Minch we travelled above the town to visit the Derze Weavers who live in quite unusual tukals and hand make lovely scarfs, shawls, hats and table covers among other things. We ate lunch by a church in the mountains and then had a short time picking plums which were just coming into season €“ small plums which are very sweet. Later on that afternoon I travelled with a small group into Nechisar National Park. We didn't travel far enough to see the herds of zebras which there are in the park, but we did get to park and watch the sun set over the lake and watch a hippo climb out of the water and come to graze at the side - an amazing end to the trip when I really got to wonder afresh at the glories of God's creation.
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ST MATTHEW'S COMMUNITY LIBRARY
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I thought I'd like to write a little about the community library which we run at St. Matthews for the local community. The library was opened at the beginning of 2004 to provide a safe space for students to study - as many of the local children live with their whole family in just one or two rooms. The library has 400 local children registered with it and a waiting list. It is run by Sasahu, the head librarian and Meba, assistant librarian. It is open from 8.30am until 7.00pm Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings. At any one time there are many students using the library building, or the Sunday School rooms, to study in. They are all very studious and when you walk in they are mostly sitting quietly getting on with their work. We have some volunteers who work with the library conducting lessons, English and science (which was the subject most requested when the students were asked what they wanted) and an Ethiopian lady called Susanna who used to live in Bradford who comes a few evenings a week to read stories in Amharic and English to some of the younger children. It's a lovely sight to see Susanna sitting in the church gardens surrounded by children all engrossed in her storytelling. We also have a few board games which the children enjoy playing outside. Play and storytelling are things which many of them don't get much chance for at home.
On Saturday we held the first library open day. This was organised by the librarians and a committee of older students of the library. 62 parents came with their children out of 100 who were invited (there not being room in the church compound for all 400 and their parents). The church was decorated and the children put on drama and games for their parents to watch. Prizes were awarded to top students and drinks were provided. It was a really nice occasion and it is hoped this will become an annual event.
It is hoped that we will be able to develop the library programme further by providing more books and more lessons - hopefully employing an Ethiopian teacher to co-ordinate this. It is also hoped that we may be able to purchase some computers to give the students who attend access to the internet to further their studies
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MY VISA!
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As most of you know I had to come back to England in January to renew my visa. The second extension of my tourist visa expired mid-January and having tried to renew it for a third time I was given ten days by the Immigration Authority to either get the paperwork for my residence permit sorted out or told I would have to leave. We tried to negotiate around this but it didn't work and so I had to leave. Fortunately the church paid for the airfare (planning to get the money back from the diocese) otherwise I would not have been able to afford to return. Andrew arranged for me to stay with a friend of his in London while I obtained paperwork from U.S.P.G. and went to the Ethiopian Embassy to hand my application in. Because I couldn't find a Post Office near anywhere I was in London I had to leave the application with the Embassy and arrange to go back a week later to collect it. This meant that I had a week in Todmorden mainly catching up with family and a few friends. In some ways it seemed really normal coming home - being on a train coming into Leeds station seemed the most natural thing in the world - as though I'd hardly been away. But in other ways it seemed really strange as it is such a completely different world to Ethiopia. I had hoped to be able to prepare a bit more before coming back to the U.K. but as I only knew for definite I would be coming home on Friday before leaving on Monday it was a bit sudden. As I said in my prayer e-mails, amazingly I felt very much at peace as I prepared to leave. I had been quite upset about the prospect earlier in the week but at the time I knew I definitely had to go I just really felt as though God was with me. I had a few worries that maybe they wouldn €™t let me back but every time I thought about it felt almost a quiet assurance that everything would be ok.
I flew back to England with Egypt Air which meant a stop of a few hours in Cairo on the way out. I wasn't looking forward to hours hanging around the airport and as we landed in Cairo thought it was a shame that I couldn't go outside and see any thing. However on arrival at the airport having gone through passport control one of the airline officials took me to one side and said that as I had hours to wait if I wanted they could arrange a driver and guide and take me to see the pyramids, for a cost of about £30. Of course I wanted. I was so excited. I had wanted to see the pyramids since I was a child and this was an amazing, totally unexpected opportunity. So instead of 5 hours hanging around Cairo airport I had a morning out visiting the pyramids. I felt this was a sign that God €™s blessing was on this trip. After my trip I was so anxious to tell someone but there was no-one to tell. I had to wait until I got to Heathrow and could use my mobile to ring family to say I was in England and, by the way, I'VE SEEN THE PYRAMIDS!!! (I'm sure there's a sermon illustration in there somewhere).
Anyhow, after my trip home I travelled back to London to get my visa - which I had been told on the phone was fine, no problems. However I had a short panic when I got to the Ethiopian Embassy when I was told that the person who had prepared the visa wanted to speak to me. I spent 10 minutes worrying what was wrong while he finished a telephone call, only to find out when I got into his office that all he wanted was to ask me a few questions about the Anglican Church in Ethiopia because he didn't know there was one!!!! While I was in London I had the opportunity to visit a couple of the "free" (important when you're a volunteer) museums which was an added bonus. I also got to attend a pancake party at Andrew's old church in East Barnet and got to see what the vicar described as "the Church of England at its best" as parishioners (and the vicar) tried to flip pancakes through the rafters! I had a safe journey back to Addis - arriving both in Cairo and at home in the middle of the night but was very glad to get back to my house in Addis with the prospect of staying there for a while, having not spent more than 3 weeks there since the end of November. In some ways I found it harder returning this time than I did when I came initially in September and spent a bit of time feeling quite unsettled and missing home, but I now feel settled again and it is good to know that I can stay until September without any more visits to immigration and visa problems as I now have a one year business visa. Thanks again to everyone who has prayed and offered me words of support and encouragement throughout this time, they were all much appreciated.
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PRAYER POINTS
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Please pray for:
Mum and dad coming to Ethiopia for a visit from 18-31 March. That they will have a good journey and a safe and healthy time here.
Bill and Sara Goodman - friends of mine from Addis who returned to England at the beginning of February after 6 years here. Please pray that they and their children, Matthew and Anna soon settle into life in England again.
Colin and Hazel Maunsell - more friends of mine from Addis. Colin is an Anglican vicar and he and Hazel lived in Ethiopia for many years and then retired here. Colin has recently been diagnosed with cancer and is in England for treatment.
Andrew (vicar here) - things are very busy here and seem to have been busier than normal recently. Andrew has recently been feeling very tired and worn out. We are looking at ways in which we can provide more support as a congregation for both him and Janice. They are going back to the U.K. on furlough for 3 months from June and have quite a hectic schedule before then.
Nebiyou - the administrator at the church who is preparing to leave here at Easter and go to study in Uganda in preparation for ordination in 3 years time. Please pray for him and his wife Hewan as they prepare for this move.
Gen €“ the V.S.O. working at St. Matthew €™s whose visa runs out in a fortnights time. Paperwork is more advanced but please pray that it all goes through smoothly without any problems.
(by the way you may be interested to know that Gen has now moved out of the house we were sharing to be near other V.S.O.s in a different part of town. This means that I am now living by myself)
Western Region leaders Ministry Retreat - 4-11 March. Please pray for all church leaders travelling to Addis for the retreat and for those leading it. May it be a time of refreshment and learning for all concerned.
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GOD'S JOKE....
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Before I left in September I seem to recall telling most of you that one of the main reasons I was coming to Ethiopia was so that I didn't have to have my 30th birthday at home. My birthday was 27 January and where was I?!!
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