first update.

hey all.

Okay, this may be short since I'm at a very busy internet cafe and we dont have a ton of time to write. But I've made it to Ethiopia! Crazy, I can't believe I am here. It still hits me now and then.

The trip over went well. It was a very long time traveling and many plane rides. It was just weird. We saw the sun set twice in the 24 hours we were traveling and we ate like 6 meals. It seemed like every plane was feeding us food. And then we were hungry on layovers since there was nothing left to do. It was a lot of fun and we had some good times. We met a little boy Omar in London that just talked to us forever, he was four and told us to shake our booty.

It was a long time on the plane but when we first got here we all exchanged our money for burr, and man do we have a lot of it. The exchange rate is 13 burr for every dollar. I've been out on the town twice now riding taxis and such andIm just up to spending $2!

We met our roommates our first day. They all are very sweet, they don't speak a ton of English, so that is a challenge but for the most part we figure things out. My roommates name is Parasim, she is very cute and nice. She is from addis so that is helpful getting around and she speaks more english then most of the girls, so thank God.

We've done a lot in the 3 days we have been here. We went out on the town the other day for the first time and it was pretty overwhelming. I was just following and trying to take in my surroundings. I wish I could find words to explain Ethiopia to you all but I just can't at this moment. Its just very different from the US, but I don't feel unsafe at all. We have had lot of time with our roommates and we've traveled to the mountain range around ethiopia. It was a long hard walk up the hill as our leader would say but i was a mountain for sure. Lets just say I am sore today.

The food here is interesting. You should all look up traditional Ethiopian cuisine to get a better understanding of it. I'm not sure I like it that much but I am trying it and slowly getting used to it. My stomach has been a little upset with me the last couple of days, but I think thats just how its going to be for the rest of the trip. I will hopefully by the end enjoy the food and be able to stomach it all. That is my hope and prayer.

I can't wait to find out our worksites and get into our normal routine, I've adjusted to to time so now thats the next step.

I'm still searching for God here in places I wouldn't expect him to show up, and he continues to amaze me with his love. I'm a little lost being in this foreign place but I know in my heart he has great plans for me here, and that i need to put all trust in him and all will be fine.

He works all things together for my good.

waiting in expectation,


love and prayers until next time.
Courtney