David arrived home safely late Wednesday, January 27. The following entry covers the last leg of his 2010 Ethiopian work. – Josh Kirby

Friday-Saturday, January 22-23

Friday is our last day of teaching in Hosanna. We began at 8:30 AM and taught until 5 PM. Today we alternated between the classes. I taught Having a Relationship with God first to smaller of the two classes, and then to the larger class. Curtis taught Profiles of New Testament Churches, first to the larger and then to the smaller classes. We planned a night session at 6:30, so we ate a quick dinner and got back to work. All the men gathered in what turned out to be dark downstairs room at the Heme. The electricity was off all over Hosanna, but ever-diligent Makee rigged up a gas-powered generator to provide some lighting for the hotel. He brought a long extension cord with a socket to hang a single bare-bulb light in our meeting room.

I did much of the talking, teaching, and preaching in this final session. Having traveled to Ethiopia eleven times, most of these preachers know of my work and my love for them. I think I am in a position to address some sensitive issues related to the Ethiopian work, preaching, and money. I asked Curtis to chime in any time he wanted to, but that I was going to speak from my heart to their hearts about what I judge to be critical matters. I felt the setting was right and my relationship with these men was such that I could have this heart-to-heart talk with them. A few of the men that I know best told me later that my words hit the mark and were received in the spirit in which they were spoken. I am thankful for this.

Closing remarks were made to Curtis and me by three “older” men from three different areas of the country. Curtis and I noted later that it was interesting how they made three distinct observations. One expressed thanks for our coming, to our families, congregations, and individuals who made it possible for us to make the long, hard trip and work in Ethiopia. A second man noted how the classes brought together a healthy cross-section of Ethiopian preachers from all regions in which churches of Christ exist. The men were able to get to know other preachers better and learn of work being done in other places. A third man noted how the classes we taught covered a wide-range of topics in a balanced way. We appreciated their remarks and expressed our personal appreciation for the opportunity to do this work. Following this meeting, we had small group meetings with several key countryside men about upcoming work and needs. We ordered breakfast at the end of our Friday night since we asked for the food to be ready at 7:15 AM the next morning.

Knowing that I typically get up early, Curtis asked me to knock on his door at 6 AM to be sure he was up and going. I awakened at 5:30 and began sorting and packing. My objective was to pack in order to stay packed over the next five days in which we will be in and out of hotels frequently. At breakfast I noted to Curtis that I had taken a shower at the Heme Hotel for the last time this year. He understood exactly what I meant. The Heme shower is an improvement over the Liesak Guest House shower in Debrezeit, but not much.

After breakfast I packed the last-minute stuff and met Makee to settle our bill. Curtis and I arranged for tips for the servers, house-keepers, and guards. Several Ethiopian countryside preachers and friends gathered in the Heme courtyard where we took photos and gathered for prayer. We departed Hosanna for the trip back to Addis. The five-hour journey included the usual slowing and sometimes stopping for various animals and people, plus maneuvering around other vehicles, but it was largely uneventful. We were glad to arrive at the Hilton, and I’m sure Zerihun and Alemu were glad to get to their respective homes and families. Curtis made arrangements with a recommended taxi driver to transport us for our afternoon activities while I checked us in at the Hilton. The concierge helped me get some express laundry done that afternoon, and Curtis and I made plans for the remainder of the day. Later in the evening, we are invited to Zerihun’s and Martha’s home for dinner, and today happens to be Z’s birthday.

On our way out of the hotel, we dropped by the Hilton bakery to order Zerihun a birthday cake. We met Walde (WALLdee), a previously-used and trusted taxi driver, and set out for our  afternoon excursions. We wanted to go to a bookstore, souvenir shops, and a supermarket. We were looking for an Amharic Bible for Curtis and an English translation for Zerihun’s birthday present. We arrived at Mega Book Store at 1:45 PM and learned that the store doesn’t open until 2 PM – a strange opening time, it seems to me. We had coffee and tea at a next-door café while we waited. This bookstore had no religious books, so with Walde’s help we searched for others. After a couple of other shops, we found a small store that had the items we wanted. In the process, I noticed an optical store and suggested that they might repair Curtis’ eyeglasses. One of his lenses was not staying in the frame, and the Ethiopian optical lady applied a little fingernail polish to secure it. Next we went to the souvenir shops I have visited many times before. This involves first being swarmed by Ethiopian boys selling maps, tissues, and gum, and then bargaining with the souvenir merchants. I’ve learned to say, “Wo de nu” (wuh deh know), meaning “How much?” and “Sin te nu” (sin teh know), meaning “Too much!” and we have a little fun with this.

After souvenirs, we stopped for kolo (koh low) – a roasted barley mix. Curtis stocked up for his wife, Mary Ann, at Elsa’ Kolo shop, which we learned is the best in town. Next was Tomoca’s, where we bought Harrar and Yergecheffe roasted coffee beans. Upon returning to the hotel, I ordered a “small” flower arrangement for Martha and picked up Zerihun’s cake. The baker has misread my handwriting and had “Zerihnn” instead of “Zerihun.” I waited for the repair, and then stopped by to pick up the flowers. The small arrangement turned out to be a least two dozen yellow and red roses! I took it anyway; it was really pretty.

Earlier in the week, Gerry Sandusky from southern Indiana and Randy Harshbarger from Nacogdoches, TX had arrived in Ethiopia. We met these men at a designated place so the four of us could go together to Zerihun and Martha’s home. Once again, Martha and her helpers prepared a huge spread of both Ethiopian and American food. We enjoyed the food, made photos especially of the children, and had a little birthday celebration for Zerihun. To top off the evening, Martha prepared a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. Curtis and I returned to the Hilton which was decked out with a red carpet, huge flower arrangements, and a buffet. Thinking at first this was all to welcome us, we began looking around for the Papparazzi. We soon learned that the place was rocking and rolling with an Ethiopian wedding. We caught up on emails and then crawled into the cleanest, nicest beds we had slept in for many days.

Sunday, January 24

Our last full day in Ethiopia for 2010 was the Lord’s day. The night before, Curtis and I arranged for Walde to pick us up at 7:15 AM to go to the Imperial Hotel and meet Randy and Gerry for breakfast. We all wanted a little time to visit and discuss the Ethiopian work in general and our work this year in particular. Each of us had a preaching appointment for the day – Curtis with Tesfaye Abate, Randy with Wubshet at Kara, Gerry with Alemu at Kotebe, and me with Mesfin at Sefara. Gerry and Randy left during the afternoon for Awassa and their countryside work over the next couple of weeks. Other Ethiopians than Zerihun and Alemu are going with them to guide and translate. Curtis went home with Tesfaye and had lunch with his family. I returned to the Hilton for lunch and to review the requests for support and other needs. Zerihun and Alemu came for a discussion about financial matters, and then Curtis and I accompanied them to the Green View restaurant. The Addis preachers plus Dr. Bedore, Beyene’s brother, hosted a “farewell” dinner. We enjoyed the meal, heard various speeches, and bid goodbye to our Ethiopian brothers one more time. The Ethiopian work is significantly progressing, especially in the countryside, and for this we are thankful.

I brought a laptop and other items from Beyene to his daughter Zimeta, so I arranged to get these to her. Curtis and I still needed the laptop to make final travel arrangements, so I left it at the Hilton concierge’s desk for Zimeta to pick up the next morning. We slept between 10 PM and 1 AM then got up to prepare for our 2:50 AM departure.