Whew! What a whirlwind of a time we have had! We are not in Ethiopia like some of you might be expecting. We are currrently in Turkey, Ankara to be exact. Let me tell you how we came to be in Turkey.

Things started out a little crazy in Ukraine, they almost did not let me go on the flight since I had apparently overstayed *we are still not sure how this worked out.) Anyways, I had to pay a fine.

Our flight was delayed so we missed our connecting flight in Istanbul. We ran around with this man who was trying to help us find our plane, but it had already left. So, luckily the airlines put us up for the night in a nice hotel with yummy food!! We got to see some of the city, take some photos, and buy a few things. We changed our flight, went through security, were about to board and just as we were handing our tickets they told us Ukrainians could not go to Ethiopia. WHAT?!?! We were completely confused. The man we talked to did not speak perfect English nor was he very helpful. All we understood was that Ukrainians and Moldovans needed a visa before boarding a plane to Ethiopia.

So the man led us back through the passport checkpoint and told us we simply could not go. We stood there dumbfounded for awhile, not sure of what to do next. So we went to change our tickets again and explained to the man our situation. This man was a bit more helpful. He told us about some visa database that said Ukrainians could only go on business visas. He helped us change our tickets to Tuesday since we were hoping to go to the Ethiopian embassy on Monday.

After asking about hotels, we found that hotels in the big city of Istanbul are very very expensive. So after waiting for almost 2 hours for our bags, we sprawled out claiming a chunk of benches as our home for the night. We ate kielbasa, mandarin oranges, and chocolate for dinner. We slept alright except for the 3:30 cleaning crew and a few other loud stranded passengers looking for a place to sleep.

The next day we went in search of information. We borrowed a computer, and were able to skype with Riza, a fellow DTS student back in Ukraine who is conveniently from Turkey. He told us many great things. The Ethiopian emabssy in Istanbul does not give visas, but the one in Ankara does. It takes about 5 days to process a visa so that meant we needed to change our tickets again. Where should we stay in Ankara? With Riza’a family of course!!

Riza quickly explained how to get from the airport, to the metro, to the bus station, buy a ticket, and go to Ankara. It is still a miracle to me how a group that does not speak much English get from one city to another that is 7 hours away!! Oh the Lord is so faithful!!

So now we are staying with Riza’s sister and enjoying Turkish hospitality. His family is Muslim, but not devout Muslim. The do not speak English or Russian so our conversations have been very interesting to say the least! Hopefully I will be able to give you more details soon!

I leave in less than 12 hours for Ethiopia!!! AHHHHH!!!

I only have a few minutes before I go to bed so this will be incredibly brief. I just want to give you a quick glimpse into the country where I will be living for the next three months.

Ethiopia is in eastern Africa, near the Red Sea. It does not border the Red Sea, but it is very close. There are 88,013,491 people in Ethiopia, the average age in Ethiopia is 17. This is mostly due in part to AIDS and famine. There are many different tribes and ethnic groups with in the country.

The country is very fertile and rich, but is often plagued with drought. Famine is normal in Ethiopia and is one of the biggest killers there. 65% of the world’s hungry live in only 7 countries, or which Ethiopia is a part of. There is a huge need for aid, although some say that people are relying too much on aid and are no longer farming. Still, if people are dying, there is a need.

Ethiopia has deep ties to Christianity. Some of you may recall Paul talking to the Ethiopian eunuch. There are many other times in the Bible where Ethiopia is mentioned. The majority (though a slight majority) are Christian, the other half is Muslim with a small percentage of animism and tribal beliefs.

Time magazine did an article on Ethiopia not long ago. Here is a link to their photo essay, Harvest of Hunger.

Much of the communications are owned by the government and are therefore hard to come by. Internet, cable, phone, radio it is all very limited. Hence my blogging dump, I do not know for sure when I will be abel to update you again. You may not hear from me for three months or it could be next week. Nothing is certain. Please be praying for me and my team of 6 as we leave tomorrow morning for Istanbul and from there to Addis Ababa!

Instead of doing another student profile, I will show you a video. We put this video together in honor of Petro leaving us. The beginning is mostly pictures, a lot of inside jokes. For example, we chose opera music as the opener since he liked to go around singing opera. The second half is personal messages from everyone, so you can see people in action, hear their voices, and see a little bit of where I live.

A Salute to Petro

Click on the link to see it.

The last profiles I will do are of the India staff.

Dima was our cook during the lecture phase of DTS and let me tell you, he is an AMAZING cook. Always yummy food. His real name is Tiberi, he is 29 and is from Mukachevo, a city in the southwest part of Ukraine. Dima is gypsy and grew up in a gypsy village in Mukachevo. Dima has a great story to tell but I do not have space here to do it justice. Know that he is a solid man of God who strives for perfection. He enjoys simply having quality conversations with people, as well as cooking.

Mysterious Dima

Oksana is 29 and is from Ternopil. She sometimes goes by the nickname, Soosha (which other Oksanas also go by.) She is so much fun to be around. Before DTS started, she was working with different orphanages in the area. Years ago, she spent some time working with street kids in St. Petersburg, Russia. Oksana has a twin sister who has led worship for us occasionally. They are both fun to be around. Oksana enjoys talking with people and having a good time. I got to know Oksana more this year since she was my one-on-one partner.

Stylish Oksana

This concludes the profiles of almost everyone. I will not include our base directors, and two other staff members. Everyone that I have done a profile on will be going on an outreach, anyone who is not going, I did not do a profile on.

Now we are moving on to the girl’s room upstairs.

First up, Allison! Allison is the other infamous Canadian, she is from Saskatchewan region, but is living in the Toronto area. Allison is a powerhouse! She just turned 29 in November and is overflowing with life. She loves to sing and play her guitar and loves to cook good food. She is dedicated in all she does and is always wanting to know more about God. I love spending time with her and discussing life. She is a woman full of wisdom!

Allison displaying justice

Sveta is Allison’s bunk buddy. Sveta is from Russia and will be turning 25 in December while she is in India. Her full name is Svetlanna. Sveta has an absolutely amazing voice and she naturally loves to use it. She gives the best hugs you could ever imagine. She has three sisters in Russia. In October her father suddenly died, she was not close to him and was unable to go to his funeral. She has such faith in God that no matter what happens, she can still sing to Him.

Loving Sveta

Across the room is Lena. I had the privilege of meeting Lena in the spring when I was here teaching English. Lena is from Kiev and is probably the cutest Ukrainian you will ever meet. Everyday I ask her “how do it? How are you so cute?” She just gives a cute little laugh and says “oh meggie.” She is so sweet and tender-hearted, but also very insightful. She loves to be with her friends and keep in contact with everyone. She is currently on her way to India.

Sunny Lena

Lena’s bunk buddy is Liliya. Liliya is from Ternopil and will be turning 19 in India. How do I describe Liliya? She is a true Ukrainian girl. She is bold, bright, and full of confidence. She has a great family that loves her very much. She enjoys being with her friends singing or dancing. I love talking with Liliya because she will tell you how it is. She likes to teach me Ukrainian, especially when I ask for a word in Russian!

Dynamic Liliya