Day 2 - Kechene
By Jamie on October 12th, 2008
As a part of Project Ethiopia, some of the Red Letters team traveled to the country this week. Today is day two of our seven day trip with Children’s HopeChest to scout out orphan communities in need of help.
Today is October 1, 2001 according to the Ethiopian Calendar. As is tradition for every first day of the month, ten thousand orthodox Ethiopians have gathered outside Saint Mary’s Church in downtown Addis to celebrate (surprise, surprise) Mary Day. The day begins at midnight with orthodox monks hosting an all night vigil. At 5am a call to prayer breaks the night silence and crowds slowly gather beginning a day of fasting and celebration. The vigorous beat of drums, the ringing of bells, and traditional singing resonates through the streets most of the day and will culminate in Holy Communion around 10pm.
The streets of Addis are bustling with people and livestock. Some roads are well-paved, some made of dirt, and others paved with boulders. All of them are lined with ramshackle houses adorned with corrugated tin roofs and street vendors selling everything from potatoes to hand-made quilts. Traffic is maddening exacerbated by run amok blue-and-white cabs, and the smell of diesel, body odor and ‘camp’ fires assaults the olfactory senses. Road signs are non-existent and traffic ruled by honking horns. Boisterous children, haggard beggars and mothers carrying newborns on their back weave boldly through the cars adding mayhem to the madness.
Despite the lack of material possessions, the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa is a city full of life. The poor are the principle demographic of this city but there is a natural joy, simplicity, and authenticity that is enviable among these people. It is amazing how many of them — young and old — smile and wave as we pass. They hold hands — even the men. And they treasure coffee like they invented it! 
Today we experienced an authentic Ethiopian meal (ox, goat, sheep and injera eaten with your hands) at a local five-star-restaurant-we-would-call-a-dive named Ashu. We chased it with quite possibly the best coffee ever made — genuine macchiatos at the Excellent Cafe. There is nothing usual about Ethiopia. It’s nostalgically inspiring and reminds me of a time when small and local were to be preferred over big and global; when people were more important than things; and life was as much about the means as it was about the ends.
Ethiopia is also a country of 74M people and incredibly 4.8M orphans. Our trip to Kechene Orphanage today was an opportunity to see these kids face-to-face; to hold their hands and sing with them; to pray with them and play with them; to connect one-person-made-in-the-image-and-likeness-of-God to another. As I watched the group sing, two little girls caught my eye: Fasika S. (5 yrs) and Samirawit D. (3.5 yrs).
As I watched them, I could not stop seeing my Madeline and Lilly; hearing their voices; seeing the life in their eyes. The realization that these little girls are not going home to a mommy and daddy hit me like a ton of bricks. These little girls are not going home to a pink room with a comfortable bed. These little girls are not going to put on princess clothes and play dress up. These little Cinderellas are going to struggle for everything they have and it’s my job, it’s our job to make a difference. Thank God I remembered the gifts that Madeline and Lilly sent with me to give away before I left!
Bracelets and letters are a good start but they are not going to be enough. These kids need family. None of us can solve world hunger by ourselves but you can make a difference in the lives of 2 little girls living at the Kechene Orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In the next 9 months, our goal is to connect 10 churches with 10 orphanages in Ethiopia through Tom Davis and Children’s HopeChest and Kechene is first on our list. To be perfectly honest today I don’t care if you pray about this. If you want to make a difference in these lives; if you want to be the hands and feet of Jesus; show your faith by what you do. This is an injustice that needs no high-minded thinking or philosophical debate. What these kids need is a church family — the hands and feet of Jesus — to rescue them. Talk to your church about helping out and pray God would open doors, change hearts, and renew our/your commitment to ‘the least of these.’
Contact
Subscribe