We have been told that the first few weeks on the mission field are the most difficult. So far, we can say that this is true. It has been a little like an episode of survivor for our household. We have encountered several unexpected challenges and some spiritual warfare too. Thankfully, we have seen God providing for us in the midst of all of this and it has encouraged us that we are still in the center of His plan.
To say that things move slower here in Africa is an understatement! It takes an entire day to get one thing done. Here is an example (we have a million just like this one): Jeremy’s attempt to get an internet card. First you have to have passport photos for this and they drove 30 minutes to find a photo place, then the driver took him to 4 different roadside stands before they found one that had the internet card, then the driver’s car broke down so they had to wait for the driver’s friend to pick them up. In the meantime, Jeremy needed more cash so they walked to an ATM machine. The first one was broken, the second one was out of cash, and finally the third one worked! Finally his friend arrived and drove Jeremy back home. Jeremy setup our internet and it worked for about an hour before it stopped working for reasons still unknown. WELCOME TO AFRICA!
God’s hand has provided for us by placing other missionaries into our path at just the right time. Our first day here, we “ran” into a missionary from Soddo (in a city of 3 million people!) who helped us get medicine for Taylor as she was coming down with croup. Our third day here, our friends, Paul and Becca, came up to Addis to welcome a mission team. They have been so helpful for us. Today, Paul drove us around town to find many things that we need to live life here like a water filter and groceries (we had been close to starving for the first few days here). They also brought their kids and Nate has enjoyed playing with them! They have been an encouragement and comfort to us.
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