As the sun peaked over the horizon this morning, we knew we were getting close to landing in Africa. At the early morning hour of 7:15am, we landed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. After 13 hours of flying on Friday, we were ready to step off the plane and into our adventure. (side note: no sickies on the plane, hurray!) Not even nausea...however we did have a few frayed nerves when the power/tv screens went out in most of the plane, leaving us without movies/tvs/ or the ability to read books--so must of us tried to sleep, did laps up and down the aisles, and congregated in little groups near the restrooms to small talk with each other. Good times : )
After stamping passports with Visas, collecting our totes (4 short--those will join us tomorrow) we headed to the Lulu Guest House where we crashed (HARD) for a few hours then made our weary bodies get up and enjoy the sunshine. Our field trip for the afternoon included a trip to Entoto Mountain, home of the most fragrant smell--the eucalyptus tree forest. After the sometimes overwhelming smog and bustle of Addis (home to 3-4 million)--the forest is clean, crisp and offers a gorgeous view of the city.
We stopped at the top of the mountain, where we toured a 130 year old church, full of murals depicting the life of Christ. Next we headed to a 700 year old cave to see where Ethiopians believe the Ark of the Covenant once sat. Ethiopia is rich in biblical history and stepping on sacred ground around the church is an amazing experience.
The group was ready for bed after our tour, so after a quick stop at Fantu (think a teeny tiny Wal Mart) for pringles, cereal, snacks and cookies--we had a quick dinner at the Guest House (tibs & fruit)...and all headed to bed.
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, where we will celebrate at Beza International Church. More later. Thank you for your prayers! It's been a nice day to ease into what looks to be a VERY busy work week!!
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