Day 5: The Road back to Addis

Every time we stopped for pictures people would gather around us. These girls were so lovely. They had beautiful braids and meek dispositions.

I will never forget this common scene of young girls with babies on their backs. Many had little clothing. This child appeared to be sick with eyes full of signs of infection. It broke my heart...and still does. We gave her food, but longed to give her more.

Donkeys everywhere!

These yellow jugs are used to carry water from the nearest well to their homes. Often the water is polluted. A deep water well can provide clean drinking water to a village of 500 people for $10-15K, depending on the organization who digs it. Imagine walking miles for water that contains deadly parasites. Several families are pursuing efforts to provide one of these wells for an African community. If you are interested in contributing to the solution for this problem or becoming more educated, please let us know and we'll inform you of how you can help.

We got back to Addis in time to attend the International Evangelical Church, where our America World guide and the Children's Hope Chest director both attend. It was a good service filled with authentic worship. I was overwhelmed when they led "From the Inside Out" by Hillsong United...a song that had helped to prepare my heart for this trip. They also read from Psalm 146, which includes, "He upholds the widow and the fatherless". A coincidence?