Kerbera

The team woke at 5am to prepare for a 4 hour journey over dirt roads and rocky mountains to head to the Tigray region. We were going to be taking clothes and shoes to the remote village of Kerbera. As we headed out we were awed by the rugged beauty of the countryside. There were fields and fields of wheat and Tef (an Ethiopian grain staple). We watched men, women and children use their sickles (a rounded machete) to cut all of the grain by hand. They built enormous piles of grain so the ox and donkeys could stomp on it to break the seeds out. Then they would load up their donkeys to take it to the market. We also witnessed pure beauty with mountains that rose to flat peaks. Little did we know we'd be driving or walking over them! The roads are all dirt and rock and very narrow. For some reason the drivers liked to drive right on the outside edge of cliffs, which gave us more reason to pray! We made it safely though and these guys knew what they were doing.

The longer we drove, the beauty of the landscape became the beauty of the people. Children would be working out in the fields but as soon as they saw us Firenjes they would stand up and wave with big smiles and tell us something in Amharic. It made our day!! When we arrived at the village it seemed as though the whole town (and maybe other villages) had come out to greet us. They knew we were coming because we had to drive down a long windy road to get there. As we got out of the vans, we were immediately swarmed by beautiful children. We would stick out our hands to shake theirs and some obliged us but many ran away in fear. We think many of the villagers had never seen white people before. They would run away and giggle with their friends. Many of the babies freaked out when we came near them. We felt kind of bad because we didn't want them to be scared of us.

Next we headed to the area where we would be distributing clothes and shoes. The elders attempted to create some sort of organized system for who would get shoes and clothes... it was a good attempt, but the further we got into the process the more chaotic it became. It felt really good to be able to clothe and provide some physical necessities to these families who were in such desperate need. The longer we spent there, the harder it became to please everyone. There simply were not enough shoes or clothes for everyone which caused panic. Mothers wanted their children to have these things, so families and children started swarming the area that we used to provide items. Eventually it got dangerous for the children and we had to stop immediately. We were led out of the village by the elders. We felt horrible that we had caused such chaos. We did get to play with some of the children on our way out and that made our day!

On the way up the mountain, ie cliffs, one of the vans got stuck and broke down. The team in that van had to hike up the mountain to wait at the top. Because the altitude is so high we were all huffing and puffing on the way up!! But once we got up there we had a spectacular view of the valley. It was a good time hanging out as a team and also spending some time with some teens from the village. We gave them a ride to Sembre (the next nearest town) so that they could go to school. They normally walk two hours each way every day just to go to school.

It was a powerful day full of new insights into the lives of many Ethiopian people. One of the biggest lessons we learned was how much joy people can have when they have so very little.

We miss you all and can't wait to see you!!

Love,
The Team