Laughner's Journey to Ethiopia

This is the video I created that highlights this year's Ethiopia trip. Enjoy!

It's been almost two weeks since our group returned to the U.S. We all went our separate ways and have settled back into routines. The jet lag is finally done, and I'm feeling productive at work again. My first day back was brutal. I had a 9am meeting, and I was not tracking the discussion very well and I'm sure said some things that made my colleagues wonder about the state of my brain. We've also been busy wrapping up loose ends from the trip. Candy wants to make sure that each sponsor gets photos of their child opening the care package. I've been organizing those photos and finally got the memory card mailed to her on Saturday. Our wonderfully supportive church hosted "Sponsorship Sunday" last week, with at least six kids pledged to be sponsored and another child pledged today. I've been sending photos to our friends who helped with donations and care packages so they can see for themselves the impact they're having. And the family life...

After a day’s journey, an eight hour drive from Kombolcha to Addis, we are all tired today. Who would think that sitting in a van would be so exhausting. That being said, it was a beautiful trip. I’ve taken that trek many times, and each time I see something new or in a different way. I was tired, and my eyes were fighting me to stay open, but I didn’t want to miss a single sight. There were hundreds if not thousands of animals alongside the road, in the fields, in front yards, or laying on the road (not hurt, just hanging out).   There were goats, lamb, donkeys, cattle, and camels by the dozens. Ethiopia is building a railroad from Djibouti to Addis, and the line will run alongside the highway, so we were able to see that work in motion. People are walking everywhere, even in areas that seem too remote for humans. There has been lots of rain, so rivers that were dry on previous trips are running rapidly, with people taking advantage of the conditions by washing clothes or th...

We are back in Addis and so I am finally able to post some photos. I have lots more, and will post them as I sort through them.  These photos aren't in any particular order. Here we go! This is the little boy who had been diagnosed with a disease that if left untreated can be fatal. Thanks  to a generous donation, he received  t he shots and is now cured . One of our teammates, Heather, with an admirer at CHDA. "Mama Suze" Howe with kids at CHDA. Most of them are unsponsored.   Kids at CHDA receiving mangos, thanks to donations from our friends and family. All of the families of kids at CHDA received teff (in the white sacks) and cooking oil. A special donation was made to purchase these essential supplies. Once the care point gets 50% of its kids sponsored, all of the families will receive supplies every month. Bags of teff waiting for families to pick up at CHDA. The entire team, Meserete staff, translators, and Fikre and Zalalem...

It’s Friday night, 11:00pm. We leave here tomorrow morning at 7am for our eight hour van ride back to Addis. After months and months of planning, the week is done. It is the day for good-byes. My first thought when I woke up this morning was that this was going to be a very long, emotional day. We were to go to Meserete first for foot washing and the feast, then to CHDA to see the food being distributed to the families of the children, and then back to Meserete for a dinner with the church leadership. Our day always starts with breakfast, followed by a devotion, written by a member of Rob’s church (thank you Susan Dunn!). She does a really nice job writing them, and today’s in particular really seemed to be appropriate for what was to follow. Today’s theme related to assuring us that we should “not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Galatians 6:9) It’s an appropriate lesson for today because al...

First things first. I had a very good night’s sleep. Woohoo! Another preamble, a pop culture lesson for those of you who didn’t get the Groundhog Day reference from several days ago. The reference is to a movie starting Bill Murray where he is visiting Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on Groundhog Day and wakes up every day on the same day for multiple days with same recurring events. End of Preambles It was another great day. We spent the entire day at Meserete, the care point with the 165 kids we’ve been with since 2009. The day was split into two parts, the morning for the kids that go to school in the afternoon and the afternoon for the kids who go to school in the morning. In the past, we made sure there was a lot of structure to our time. However, we decided this year that since the kids are older, we would give them the choice about which station(s) they would participate in. (I know you’re not supposed to end a sentence in a preposition, but it’s late and I’m allowing...