Ethiopia Update

An email from Tim (8-1):
HI everyone!
This is Tim here, and I’m writing from The Ranch in beautiful Mekele, Ethiopia. We just had a big rainstorm, complete with lots of hail and some flooded streets, but don’t worry, the sun will be out in a few minutes to dry everything up. That happens almost everyday here and we just learn to carry an umbrella and sunscreen in the same backpack.
It’s hard to believe we have only 11 days left here in Mekele. We’re really feeling at home here; our week is full of lunchtime coffee ceremonies in the homes of the kids from the youth center, and we’re slowly picking up the language. The girls (Kelly and Jamie) are busy with English and reading clubs, anti-AIDS club (where they are choreographing some awesome dance numbers with the 75 girls in it), and some exciting activities for the girls on Saturday mornings. Matt and myself (Tim) seem to have won the kids over in our English clubs. Matt has befriended most of Mekele. Mike is molding all the kids in his computer classes into the future Bill Gates’ and Steve Jobs’ of Ethiopia as well as doing Gung-Fu with some aspiring Bruce Lees in the mornings.
There is a lot of work going on at the youth center, building a new classroom, painting, doing maintenance, which we also help out on. I really feel like we’re investing in not only the youth center building, but also the lives of these kids with all of our work there.
When we’re not at the youth center, we’re having Ethiopians over for a bonfire in our backyard, or some grilling of hamburgers on our awesome new grill that some enterprising young deputee designed and had the town welder make for us. We also like exploring the area, as I’m sure you read about in detail in the last update. Everything is so green and beautiful here!
The reason we only have 11 more days (as of this writing) left here in Mekele is because we are planning on taking a trip to Lalibela, home of the world famous rock churches (I think there was an Amazing Race episode where they had to run through these rock churches in search of some flag or something) ANYWAY, we are in for a 12 hour bus ride with a few Ethiopian friends, a day tour of the sites, then it is off to Addis for our last few days. Yowza!
So, we’re really cherishing our last days here, just enjoying seeing the work that God is doing. Speaking of God working, please keep praying! A few of us have been a little sick, most notably Jamie, who is bed right now with some tummy troubles. We have good doctors here, but health for our whole team is always a concern. Also, please pray that in these last days here, God would continue to open our hearts for the needs of these kids, that we would be able to show them the love of Christ through our relationships with them.
We’re loving Ethiopia but missing you all…
-Temesgen (Tim),
For the whole Ethiopia team