Laughner's Journey to Ethiopia

March 15, 2015 We've spent the better part of a week in Kombolcha. It was a fantastic time. I love watching the kids at Meseret growing and flourishing. A few of the kids are preparing to leave the program, as they have finished school. One of them came to me on Friday to talk about all of her great plans. She was getting ready to work as a waitress, but also wanted to start her own business. She was very proud (rightly so) of her accomplishments. As one of the goals of the program is to help the kids become self-sustaining, she is definitely a success story. We were awake early to check out of the hotel and begin our journey. The plan had been to leave at 6:30, but we weren't ready to pull out until 7:00am. We posed for a group photo in front of the Sunny Side. Our team. Don't believe everything you see! So, this photo is kind of an illusion and would never be able to published in a newspaper. We wanted the whole team, but didn't have someone to take the ph...

March 14, 2015 Friday. Our last day in Kombolcha. The end of a great week with the kids. A great day because of all of the smiles as kids are eating the feast. A sad day knowing many of those smiles will soon be replaced with tears. A humbling day because of the foot washing ceremony. A satisfying day because we have seen how well these kids are being cared for by the staff at Meseret Christos. A reflective day as I think about all of the things we have experienced in the short time we've been here. We have a full day scheduled. We will go to Meseret for foot washing, the feast, and good-byes. We'll then go to Grace Baptist to observe the food distribution to the families of the kids in that program, take pictures of the kids that have been sponsored, and hang out with the kids. Then, we'll head back to Meseret to have dinner with the church leadership. First, the foot washing. Foot washing We started this a few years ago, as part of one of Rob's Bible les...

March 13, 2015 It's Thursday already. Months and months of preparation are put into this week and just like that it's over. The setup for today was exactly like yesterday: Bible story followed by a rotation of rec, music, and crafts. Today, the kids are making bead bracelets. Rec includes volleyball, which was a blast and something the kids definitely enjoyed. Ben Johnson had a parachute rope, to which Glen tied colored ribbons and strung it up across the yard.  It was clear that the kids have played this game, as they were pretty good at it (much, much better than me!, but that doesn't take much). At first, Glen and I tried to get them to rotate positions after every side out. That quickly became too much to worry about, especially with the larger groups, so we just made sure everyone had a chance to serve. The older girls tend to keep their distance, especially the Moslems who are wearing head scarves. One girl was standing off to the side, not participating much. ...

March 12, 2015 Today was the first true day of the Vacation Bible School. We're a small team, and each of us have been assigned a station. There are two sessions, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. The kids are supposed to come either before or after school, depending on their schedules. Last year, many of the kids skipped school and came during both sessions. This year, Candy had sent along red and yellow wrist bands so we could tell when they were supposed to be there. We knew very quickly, though, that they were not going to work. We found them on the ground, and somehow, some of the kids had multiple wrist bands, some of the same color, and some with each color. Myndi observed that these kids only see us for a few days per year, and if they want to attend both sessions, so be it. Our only concern was whether we had enough supplies. Each of us are assigned a station. Rob starts out with a Bible lesson and then the kids rotate to one of three stations (music, ...

March 11, 2015 - Care Package Day\ Care packages ready for distribution. One of the best parts of this trip is handing out care packages. Candy Tennant, an organizer extrordinaire, has each of the sponsors send team members care packages for each of the kids in the program. It was a challenge this year because our team is small and we're only allowed two fifty-pound suitcases each. Candy had to specify what the care packages could contain, trying to keep them as small as possible, while still making it personal for the kids. This year, she asked that sponsors send a t-shirt burrito, a rolled shirt containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, underwear, and a few small personal items as well as a note and pictures. We also ask that candy not be included, since the kids don't have access to dental care. Needless to say, many of the sponsors find following these directions to be difficult. As much as the kids enjoy getting the "stuff", they really enjoy the letters and ...

March 10, 2015     One of the lessons you learn quickly in Ethiopia coincidentally coincides with one of those life skills you learn in grade school; the notion of flexibility. Nothing seems to happen on a definitive schedule. This morning, we were supposed to leave the guest house at 6:00am. The plan was to drive to the new care center (Grace Baptist)and get to know the kids as well as get pictures of the children who have already been sponsored (20 out of 100 sponsored already! Yea!). Then, we were to go to the hotel for the night. Somewhere along the way, plans changed so that we were going to spend an hour at Grace and an hour at Meseret. Then, the plans changed that we were going to go to the hotel and then to Grace without going to Meseret. At Grace, we were to give the leaders the hygiene kits because some of the kids were so young that they felt they should not have them (they may not know how to use a toothbrush, there are needles in the sewing kits, etc.). So ...

Benjamin and Ty boarding plane! Ready to go! Sunrise over Africa!

March 8, 2015 After a long, uneventful flight, we landed in Addis at about 8:00. I didn't get any sleep on the plane, but did catch up on some movies. I watched "Interstellar" (stay away from this one), "Penguins of Madagascar" (another one to avoid), and "Imitation Code" (a must see). Benjamin didn't sleep either. Usually, when he doesn't sleep, we pay for it later. Keeping my fingers crossed. The airport usually takes two hours to navigate through. You have to wait in line for your visa, wait in another line to pay for your visa, and then wait in yet another line to have your passport and visa inspected and have your picture taken. Then, you wait for your bags to claim your bags before proceeding to another line to make sure your bags are your own. Finally, you're supposed to send your bags through a final x-ray machine. Last year, though, we had seen Becka David, the person handling our trip's logistics, direct us around tha...

March 6, 2015 Tom and Benjamin are packed and ready to go 360 pounds! It is mostly donations, a little clothes for Tom and Benjamin, some snacks, homework, and cameras and electronics.  We will drive to Hartford tonight for a 7:22 to flight from BDL to Dulles where they will spend the night. They will be joining Glen, Myndi, and Ty Bogdanovich at Hartford! They had a quick bit to eat and were off! They spent the night at Dulles and were back at the airport early Saturday  morning  for their 12 hour flight to Ethiopia.  The other group of travelers ran into some difficulties. 4 of the team were not able to fly from NC to Dulles due to mechanical issues. They rented a car and drove to Dulles to fly out a day late. One team member had a medical emergency and she and her husband were unable to fly out on time also! Tom and 5 others flew to Ethiopia on time with no problems! The other 6 flew out on Sunday and arrived in Ethiopia this am.  He...