Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides for ever.
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem,
so the Lord is round about his people,
from this time forth and for evermore.
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
upon the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous put forth
their hands to do wrong.
Do good, O Lord, to those whoa re good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts!
But those who turn aside up on theri crooked ways
the Lord will lead away with evildoers!
Peace be in Israel!

Psalms 91:1-2; 125:1-5 (KJV)

A hymn: Day By Day

Mon., Oct. 26: Alas, the medical front. I failed to get my tetanus shot updated before leaving the US, and also needed routine Ha1C blood work which I had taken care of at a good clinic here. Very frequently when people come to Ethiopia, the parasites etc. put people into gastric distress (full blown dysentery, etc. – we used to call it “Addis-itis”). I’ve been spared, though there has been a bit of something going on that I mentioned it to the doctor, who “threw the book at me.” After a full gastric exam and about every sample a person can give, the tests have come back clean and clear. The really good news was that my Ha1C had just hit 6.5 for the first time in June, the threshold for diabetes. This test indicated 6.0 – more than half way to the 5.7 healthy indicator. Hallelujah! One of my hopes was that a more extended stay here would begin to curb what was otherwise very difficult to reverse (my exercise was already increasing and my diet was quite good, that there wasn’t much to “fix”). The doc had another silver lining as well – I’ve lost 15 pounds. Yeah! And my walking is tallying higher averages than ever before.

Fri., Oct. 30: Had to run across town, and on the way back was dropped off at Zebenework to make the 20 minute walk up to the Guest House. I kept going past the Guest House another 20 minutes to the next hub – Bethel – where I had only been once before. The area has a high concentration of Muslims, and as I was walking along the four-lane toward the main circle, the noon time prayer call when out, calling Muslims to prayer. Even the weaker calls have public address systems that can be heard quite far – I suppose this one was very clearly heard for at least two miles – it was loud! Immediately the men, each with a rolled up prayer mat in hand, started heading toward what must have been a mosque for prayers. I kept on going, exploring the area beyond the main square where I found a nice little restaurant and had lunch. On coming back to the square the prayer call was still in full motion - it’s not just a quick reminder, but apparently a lot of exhortation as well and/or reading from the Koran. As I approached the square, I saw what I’ve known of but have never seen like this – perfectly ordered rows of men, three or four deep on the sidewalks, and stretching for a long way, all doing their prayers following the Imam’s prompts over the PA system. Not being sure if it was OK to walk past (would that be seen as disrespect?), I asked a group of 7-8 policemen there if it was OK to proceed, and they said OK. As I rounded the corner it was clear I hadn’t seen the half – these rows of praying men (and a few separate rows of women) continued for at least 1/10 of a mile on both sides of the road, and men in the grass medial strip, some 15 wide, for just as far. Incredible! It was Friday, the weekly day of worship (like our Sunday), and was also the Friday immediately following the celebration of the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday – these may have swelled the crowds considerably, but still an incredible sight! ... And how quickly do you respond to the prompts of the Holy Spirit to pray?? How high does he need to turn the volume on his PA system to get your attention? ... just checkin’, but be sure you promptly follow through on his prompts! :) 

Sat., Oct. 31: Met with Bruce Buckwalter and Rose Shenk (husband & wife) for a lovely two hour hike - they are Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) representatives here. We have a lot of connections: I knew Bruce’s parents from Somalia (growing up) days, Rose’s parent’s served in East Africa, her uncle and aunt (David & Grace Shenk) were also with us in Somalia, and Rose is my 2nd cousin. Interesting! ... A fair amount of Addis is circled by mountains – we went up Entoto, the nearest and longest one, and walked just below the crest on the far side, and coming back on the crest. Beautiful, stunning scenery on the far side. The walk also went past “Hyena Ridge,” where we saw some of the largest hyenas I’ve ever seen, and some huge baboons that their pet dogs chased (and got into a fight with - no casualties, at least not this time, but plenty of screaming and barking!). A beautiful day, beautiful sights, and a chance to catch up with meaningful discussion.

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I still have connections back in the States, and that evening had an extended conversation with a person looking for clarity in some professional activities. I’m only a phone call away, but it just has to be by WhatsApp (or Google Hangouts), and the 8 hour time differential needs to be accounted for.

My classwork is still moving forward through excellent material, and though still going quite slow, it is going a bit faster. I had also hoped to have this blog up and running yet this summer, to be ahead of what I knew would be a busy time this fall. Frustratingly, it’s migrated through three website providers and taken quite a chunk of time to get up and running, but it’s settled now. I’m happy with it and maintaining it should take less time – but that has been a major endeavor.

Several times power has been out for up to 5 hours. The Guest House has their own generator, but doesn’t always run it, that at times there are internet, phone, and device charging blackouts. Such is “normal” here.

Know that your prayers on my behalf are appreciated, and needed! 

That is how October went. And to all, a good night!

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* See the Glossary for various names, places, and terms used in the blog.