Recap: Back in Addis

After a long and tiresome week of working, we made our way back to Addis. Although I say it was a long week, it went by entirely too fast. I'm pretty sure everyone on our trip would've gladly stayed a few more weeks, at least. But alas, we had to go home. Ruth and Robert had actually gone back to Addis a day early with Amanda to meet with the Compassion children they sponsored. It was during this time that Robert got sick. He seemed to have it worse than the rest of us, but was able to experience the market with us. We went to a 'cultural experience' restaurant for dinner that night where we watched some amazing Ethiopian dancing with live band. Victoria was even brought on stage to dance. She held her own like a champ.

The 2 days we spent in Addis were for some much needed R&R and reflection. I wish we could have had one more day to really digest and work through what we had experienced without having to head home to a world of distractions. What we were able to work through and talk about was so encouraging to the soul. A lot of the team struggled with where to go from there. Several wanted to move. Some wrestled with matters of theology. But all of us were just grateful. Grateful to the Smiths. Grateful for the experience. Grateful for God's grace. Grateful for God's blessings whether in Ethiopia or America. It was hard to fly out of there because of the bond we now shared with Shane and Allyson and Hannah and Mia and Moses. But they come back to the States in December, so we look longingly for that time.

Speaking of the Smiths, during our debrief, Shane and Allyson got to share with us how they felt things went. It was at this point that the burden on my back lifted. Allyson expressed how they felt so loved and cared for and how we were such a life giving team. To hear that come from her lips affirmed all the work and effort that we had put forth for the past 4 months. From the beginning, our team talked about how we could take care of a thousand patients and build a thousand buildings, but if we didn't love on the Smiths, then our trip was a failure. By Allyson letting us know that we loved them so well, she let us know that all of our efforts, all of our planning, all of our energy was successful. Between that and hearing the hearts of our team shifting to international missions, my desire to never lead another trip completely changed. It was then that I felt like all the work was worth it. It was then that I didn't feel so burdened by what wasn't done. And although there were times when I felt like I was failing as a leader (which was sometimes an accurate feeling), being able to be a part of how God is loving on His children and molding their hearts is something that I wouldn't mind being a part of again.

I'll have to end this recap series in another post, but I'll end this one just by saying thank you for all of you that have and continue to support each member on this team. It impacts more than you know, not only for each member of this team, but for the Smiths in Ethiopia as well.