During my residency, I was given the opportunity to go to Africa on a mission trip. A-F-R-I-C-A. That still doesn't feel real. What an absolutely incredible experience it was. God is so faithful and good and true. I cannot wait to share with you all the experiences of our trip to Ethiopia. Strap in and enjoy God's work!
The first thing that you need to know is that I was NOT called to missions. That's right. I was screaming an internal "NO" while God was giving a constant steady "yes." I've NEVER even left the country before this trip. Just getting on the plane involved facing my fears let alone the ministry, food, and conditions that were awaiting me. Spoiler alert: I was and am called to missions and so are you. Yes, you. Even if you're scared. Even if you are kicking and screaming about it. Even if you don't think you can. Just try it out. Prove me wrong. I dare you....
Anyways, the trip began with us meeting up at the church on Tuesday morning to pray over the team. Staff, the prayer ministry team, our spouses, and fellow team members all gathered together to pray over the experience. The Prayer Ministry team prepared cards that we could use when we felt spiritually attacked. It was an emotional moment as we said our "goodbyes" and moved forward with the journey.
We all piled into two cars and set out on the first leg of the trip by driving to the Houston airport. There was a "young person car" and...well...a car that had to listen to Brandon beg for McDonald's for three hours. If you want to know what the trip consisted of, it was mostly excessive amounts of banter and Jesus
After arriving in Houston, we hopped on a plane to Frankfurt, Germany. That flight was uneventful unless you count the lady that slept in 3 out of the 4 chairs on our row. #notsalty. The plane food was fine, and I mostly enjoyed watching stupid movies simply because I wanted to. I had no baby to care for, and I could relax in my one chair.
We arrived in Germany at...well, I'm not exactly even sure what time, and we were already exhausted and just ready to get there (after our five-hour layover). In Germany, there are no ceiling tiles in their airport. We (well some of us) got a great deal of joy watching the "waste" plumbing happening over our heads and discussing everyone's enneagram numbers.
Then, we hopped on a bus that drove us to the plane and took off for our final destination: Addas Ababa, Ethiopia. As we were landing I noticed two things:
1. It was PITCH black out the window, because there is no electricity in most of Africa. You may be thinking, "Duh, Hannah." I know. But it still blew my mind.
2. The flight attendant got feisty with a woman who was allowing her child to run up and down the aisles during our landing. She said, and I quote, "Would you PLEASE keep your baby out of the aisle and buckle your seatbelt." She wasn't paid enough to deal with that. Even in my exhaustion, it made me laugh
Getting out of the airport was relatively simple. We piled into massive vans that would ultimately become our second home for the next few days and took off for our guesthouse.
By this time, it was about 10 or 11 pm Ethiopia time. As it turns out, in Ethiopia this is the perfect time for dinner. (I know, we all wanted to go to bed too, but the hosts were too generous).
We ate in complete darkness, because the electricity wasn't working and got our assignments for the next day. We used the flashlight on our phones to get settled for the night, and I learned that Lauren and I were sharing a bathroom with a MASSIVE spider. Welcome to Africa.
Each night, I wrote everything down that happened that day and then wrote how I was feeling. Here is where my mind was that day:
"This is really hard. God is really testing me. I know I am safe and in God's hand now. I've never had to trust in Him like this before. Everything is so outside of my comfort zone. I'm so looking forward to seeing the fruit of this beginning tomorrow. Right here, right now feels like the testimony moment. I pray most for peace of mind and rest."
Little did I know how quickly my perspective would change...
Don't forget to read about the rest of our experience by clicking the links below!
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