Dave's Trip to Ethiopia {the sights}

It's been almost a month since Dave went to Africa.  I hope you read the post back in May that explained how this trip happened. 

I was hoping that Dave would be up for doing a post about his own trip. Do you follow Pioneer Woman's blog?  I do just enough to know that every once in awhile her hubby does a post of his own.  Only on topics related to ranching of course.  I told him I was going to hand the computer over and have him write the post up like Marlboro Man.

He declined.

So I'll tell his story the best I can.

I know, not as fun.  But you'll have to deal.

It was just Dave and his friend Justin - both skilled at construction and framing.

21 hours of flight time - Wichita to Chicago, then to Frankfort, Germany and then to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He was thankful for individual TVs and movies.

And he read his first book.  This is epic people.  Dave is not a reader, but we picked up Hunger Games (after all the hype) just in case he got bored enough to read.

He started it, finished it, LOVED it, and left if for Rachel (the one who lives in Ethiopia) to read too.

And for Father's Day we bought him the second book.

They arrived safe and sound - I was so relieved when Rachel messaged to tell us that!

It's kind of nerve-racking knowing my hubby is in a plane over the ocean for that many hours.

This is where they stayed.  It's a CMF (Christian Missionary Fellowship) compound where our friends Marshal and Rachel Giles are living and serving (through work in maintenance and hospitality) to support the missionaries who are working in the field in Ethiopia.  It's an apartment building on the compound, where missionary teams stay when they come in to get supplies and such.

The kids sent along 2 of their favorite things for Dad to keep close to him while he was gone.

 This was how they got their water pressure.

This is where they ate.  And by eat, I mean, BOY did they eat.

I was all worried about making sure he ate really good before he left, and when he got home, but from the sounds of it Rachel made sure these boys were fed WELL.

And these were the cute little boys that were medicine to Dave's heart while he was away from his own kiddos. 

They went to church at a church very similar to the one we go to.

And they got in a few days of site seeing and souvenir shopping.

Dave brought back some super good gifts!

This is Danny.  And the compound's pet turtle.

Dave says that this is what they use for scaffolding - pretty much everywhere.

If you don't really know what scaffolding means (like myself),  these next pictures will help explain.

The compound where Marshal and Rachel live is just a short little drive from Addis Ababa, city of 4 million.

A city in which the animals have the right-of-way.

 

A city that definitely opened Dave's eyes and his heart to just SOME of the needs of this world,

and to the complete overabundance of "stuff" that we have.  That we don't need.

While much of the world has nothing.

A city that while the people had close to nothing, they seemed so content.

And so willing to work for so little.

 

They also got in a day of off-roading up this mountain.

 This is what they found at the top.

And someday it's suppossed to look like this..

And they even enjoyed a night out to experience some ethnic food and dancing. And to celebrate Marshal and Rachel's anniversary. 

I'm informed, although the local women tried very hard to get them to dance, that they just watched.

  

Check back for the continuation...(and pictures of the reason he REALLY went).