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Ethiopia Trip: Philadelphia Airport 2

Before heading to Ethiopia we met up with our Best Worst Trip winners, Dan and Kaylah,in Philadelphia.

Ethiopia Trip: Philladelphia Airport

Before heading to Ethiopia we met up with our Best Worst Trip winners, Dan and Kaylah,in Philadelphia and while we were there I thought I would have a little fun.

Best Worst Trip Journal: Ethiopia Day 6 - Shoppertunity

When you come to Ethiopia with money in your pocket it is very easy to feel wealthy here.  To give you some idea of the cost of things 100 birr equals about $7.00.  For example at lunch today: 3 large pizzas and five cokes at Happy Pizza was about $11.00.  I was very thankful for Happy Pizza.  In broken English the owner asked us if our meal “made us feel like his trademark, then pointed to his logo....happy,” and it did.  It was the closest thing I have had to American food all week. 

It is so hard eating until you are full when people are starving just feet away from you.  I wanted to invite everyone in and have them eat with us but the owners discourage the beggars because they are bad for business, so I made sure we saved a couple slices and gave them to a little girl I had seen many times begging in the street. 

The irony of the situation is giving money to the street people of Ethiopia doesn’t solve the problem.  It makes you feel better about yourself but the key to real change is education and development.  That is what World Vision is about and when you sponsor a child you not only help that child but you also help their community.  It really is that old adage of: Give a man a fish he eats for a day but teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime.  While we are on the subject of fish I do not recommend the Ethiopian fish goulash, it stays with you.



As our trip was winding down we had the opportunity to go to a local market and buy stuff to bring home, and yes, Betty Rock, I got you something; she always asks.

At the market I did not pay over 200 birr for anything, so $14.00, including your gift, Betty Rock.  It is odd to be bargaining with someone over 10 birr which sounds like a lot but you have to remind yourself it’s less than 85 cents.  After a while I thought what am I doing?  So I started shopping for the sport of it.  I would negotiate the price down to see how low I could get it, but then surprise them and pay their asking price.  Maybe that combined with helping a guy put a hundred pound bag of flour back on his back after he fell, will earn me an extra jewel for my crown.  Of course Zach has no picture of me being a market place humanitarian and helping that guy, but he did manage to get me using the Ethiopia men's room; nice work Zach


I told my wife we would be safe and everything was fine, but it was weird seeing this sticker on many of the service vehicles.


I am not sure if that meant we do not have guns: don’t attack us or we are unarmed: take what you want.

There were definitely some sad and emotional moments for me on this trip, but there were also some fun ones as well.  Like meeting our guide Tamiru.


And introducing him to Twizzlers.



He is my new African brother and I know I left my mark on him too.  I know this cause I taught him how to play Slug bug.  They are everywhere here. 



You take for granted how easy it is to explain the game of slug bug when there is a language barrier. It took a few times of me hitting him, and him looking confused to get it, but when he caught on, he got quite good at it.  He is now even teaching slug bug to the other World Vision staff.  Like I said earlier, education is the key to success.

For me these trips are about Seeing the work of World Vision first hand, spreading the word so as to get as many kids sponsored as I can, and reaffirming in my own life the importance of taking care of “the least of These.”  That message starts at my own home.  Before each trip I take, I ask my daughter to give me something special of hers to give away to a special child in the field.  I want her to see the joy that her simple act of kindness brings to a child who has less than nothing halfway around the world, in the hopes she will continue to think of, and help others as she grows up.  I think Haille’s kitty went to a good home.



I love to watch their faces light up as they get a toy.  Play time is not something many of these kids get to enjoy because they are forced to grow up so fast, and work like the adults.




So to watch a kid get to be a kid, even if just for a moment is a very special thing for me. 



I have very mixed emotions as I head home today.  Africa, and these people leave their mark on your soul.  That is why I am so passionate about helping them.  They are a beautiful, amazing, giving people, who even in the midst of their own struggle for life take time to help each other.  They work harder in a day than most of us do in a month and they are not here because of something they did.  The only difference between us and them is we happened to be born in a place where we have opportunity and hope; two of the things they lack, but we can provide.  I was amazed as we passed out toys, sadly not having enough for all, they waited patiently and politely.  There is almost a sense of, they know how tough life is and are happy for someone else when they get a treat.  I always try to bring toys like Frisbees, that a group of kids can play with.



Through education, parents are learning it is important for their kids to not only be able to play a little, but also go to school.  That is happening thanks to World Vision and people that care enough to sponsor these children.



We got to visit a school funded by World Vision, that was packed with kids eager to learn.  It certainly doesn’t look like our classrooms in America.  In fact, all they have in the room is a blackboard and benches.  Many of these kids want to grow up to be teachers themselves or doctors.  They don’t aspire to be professional athletes or movie stars.  They want to gain the education that will enable them to help their people.  That is what we are trying to do, help them become self sufficient.



I wish I could stay here but I know that is not the answer, plus I miss my girls so much!



I know I can do more for these children by spreading the word and using the platform God has given me to help change their lives forever.  I want to help get them clean water so they do not have to drink dirty water from the streets.



That is what I intend to do with all my heart This Wednesday and Thursday as we get the kids of Ethiopia sponsored.

So as I board a plane and head back to my cushy life....


(Gratuitous shot of myself looking somewhat cool, at least for me, as I board the plane)

I am cognizant of the people, families, and kids I am leaving behind.  People who, without our help will become just more faceless numbers on a world poverty report.  To me they are not numbers.  They are people who are suffering and dying.  I cannot fathom, as a father, looking into my daughters eyes and telling her there is no food today.  Perhaps what is sadder than that is it doesn’t have to happen.  We, who have been blessed with so much should refuse to do so little.  

 

Best Worst Trip Journal: Ethiopia Day 5 - Words Can’t Describe

As we travel around from village to village meeting what certainly would qualify as the least of these, it is tough to synthesize into words the emotions I feel.  I think about the writers of the Bible trying to describe heaven with words that were inept at best.  They struggled to convey God’s infinite beauty while I struggle to convey sights of unbelievable sorrow.



I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here and regain some perspective of what is truly important in life.  Giving a new shirt to a little girl who’s shirt is literally disintegrating off her will give you a quick shot of clarity.



So let’s start at the beginning of the day.  We were cold and wet from traveling and meeting people as we went.  We found and $11.00 a night hotel and it is true you get what you pay for.


And I think I even got the honey moon suite



But is amazing what you are thankful for when you don’t have the comforts of home.  My shoes and clothes were soaked to the bone.  I was freezing and not looking forward to another night of cold with no heat.  I almost cried when I found a blanket I could wrap myself up in and stay warm.  I stopped and tossed up a prayer of thanks right then and there to God, but I couldn’t help but think about all the people I met earlier who had no blanket and would have to weather the cold rainy night as they had done a hundred times before.
 


The morning brought with it more rain but there were patches of sun and some life changing moments for me as we traveled up into the mountains to meet more families, some with World Vision Sponsors and some without.

The things we take for granted make a big difference in the lives of these people.  You would not believe how much joy a pair of flip flops from the dollar store brings to people who don’t have shoes. 

I got the privilege of sliding flip flops on the tiny, cold, and muddy feet of some children and as thankful as they were to me, the fact of the matter is it was me who is indebted to them for the experience.  It is a physical reminder that I must not only talk about my faith but I must live it everyday.  It was humbling to see the kids who only moments earlier were walking through the mud without a thought, walking gingerly in their news flip flops trying to avoid getting their one dollar shoes dirty. 



It take so little on our part to make such a huge difference for these people.  After my last trip to Tanzania my prayer was that I would not get caught up in the daily rigors of my own self absorbed life and forget what I had seen.  After seeing this sad side of the world again and knowing I want to continue to come here to help these people my prayer is that I will never get use to what I have seen.

Best Worst Trip Journal: Ethiopia Day 4 - Washed by the Water

Today we left the big city poverty of Addis Ababa and drove two hours in a cramped SUV to a place called Yaya Gulele.  It rained the entire trip but we had it far better than the people walking or sitting along the road side in the shivering rain.  You almost feel guilty asking the driver to turn up the heat...so I had Zach ask


Between dodging crater sized pot holes that would make the moon jealous and avoiding run away donkey’s I saw most of the trip peeking through my hands that were covering my eyes.  This is place is so far out you could search for days and not find the middle of nowhere, but is is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.


I always wonder why such and amazing canvas serves as the background for such severe poverty.


This is my second trip to Africa and the second time that the face of a child will forever be etched in my memory. 


A nameless girl standing in the rain with a smile that cut through the gloom.  She followed us most of the day as we stumble and slipped our way through the thick mud streets of her village.  I know I will never see her again but she gave me a gift today as I thought about the beautiful smile of my daughter back home.  The dad in me wanted to scoop this angel up and take her far away from this desolate place and give her a life she could never even dream of but I can’t do that.  So the next best thing is making sure that she and the thousands of other kids in Ethiopia get sponsors to give them a shot at a better life.


Later we went to visit the home of a World Vision Sponsored kid.

He was seven years old and tiny due to a heart problem but the amazing thing was because he has a World Vision Sponsor his mother told us he is getting the medicine he needs to live.  It was great to see first hand, the system working in the field.  We also got to spend a little time playing and giving out gifts we brought

He loved playing with the ball that Dan and Kaylah gave him, but sadly, because of his heart condition had to stop playing after only a few minutes. 

 

As we were were playing we noticed a small group of people walking down the street.

As we took a closer look we noticed it was a casket being carried on the shoulders of a few men.  When we asked why no one was very emotional they said it was because it happens here a lot.  The average life span is only 49 so sadly that trip down the street is made all too often.

One thing I will never forget was as we were visiting with a family, sitting on the dirt floor of their dark house, we noticed a kitten. 

I remember feeling bad for this skinny little kitten thinking what is he going to eat?  Who is going to take care of him...then I looked down at the feet of the KIDS standing right in front of me. 

Instant perspective...forget about the cat.   Who is going to take care of these kids? 

As we left this village and drove on there was this constant cracking sound that would echo throughout the valley.  It was ridiculously loud.  It almost sounded like gun fire.  As we got closer we could see it was the crack of the whip of the local cattle herders so we stopped and they gave me a lesson in how to use a bullwhip

I know it looks like I am whipping the child but I am not.  As it turns out it is a better wally whip than a bullwhip.


I hit myself several times with it.  These young cattle herders got a kick out of the big dumb guy who could not crack a whip.  It was such a cool experience but something really stood out to me that was louder than the crack of the whip.  As I was leaving I taught them how do give hi fives.  One by one as their little hands hit mine I couldn’t help but notice the calloused texture of their sandpaper-like palms as each would slide over my hand.  These kid’s hands tell the story of the daily hardship of their lives.   


All in all it was an amazing that that further deepened my resolve to help these kids have a better life.  Not a life with flat screen TV’s and Wii’s but with clean water and education so that they can make life better for the next generation

Best Worst Trip Journal: Ethiopia Day 3 - The Pottery Barn

Today started off with a trip to the Ethiopian Pottery Barn. As you can see it doesn’t look anything like ours. There are no gingham curtains or dust ruffles, (scary that, as a man, I know what gingham and dust ruffles are), but it was amazing none the less. It seems odd that poverty has a hierarchy and in this society the people in the region we visited who make pottery were seen by others as the lowest of the low. These women sit on a dirt floor in a dark hut and make pottery all day long. They feel blessed to make the less than a dollar a day they are bringing home. World Vision helped them form a pottery co-op and now they have a business that is starting to grow not only monetarily but it is also changing the way these people are seen in their society and that will pay huge dividends down the road for their children.

I could not help but buy this one of a kind, hand painted plate. It set me back all of three dollars. Of course I had to talked her down...just kidding. I actually paid her more than she was asking.

One of my favorite things to do is help kids just be kids for a minute. Many kids have to work to help support their family so there is little or no time for play. For many years kids in Ethiopia have been seen as assets to help the family make money, that is one of the reasons they have such big families. However, it is an attitude that is slowly starting to change. This truly is my favorite part of the day as you watch sullen faces light up when something as simple and cheap as a whiffle ball and bat form the dollar store are brought out.

I couldn’t understand what that kid was saying but I know he was talking some serious trash.

The last stop of the day was at a school that was proud of the new Latrine they had built for the kids. This thing makes campground bathhouses look like the marble and gold restrooms at the Plaza. I would probably cover my daughter from head to toe in hand sanitizer if she had to use that latrine but this is the harsh reality of life for these kids in Ethiopia, and remember the kids that get to use these facilities are the lucky ones.

Today I took one for the team...The soccer team. I have been very vocal in my criticism of soccer as a professional U.S. Sport on air, but today I put all that aside and enjoyed the purest version of the game on a gravel field with sharp rocks and no grass, with kids who just wanted to play. I bent it like Beckham, unfortunately, it was my ankle that I bent like Beckham but I gave it my best.

Goal! Goal!  GAG! That is one white stomach.  You are just lucky we didn't play shirts and skins.

Those moments of happiness are so cool but so fleeting. I am consumed by the thought as we pull away that my life will get better because I have the luxury these kids don’t have of being able to leave all this behind.

It reminds me of a song called “Helicopters” that is about a band who visited a third world country and how they processed what they saw and leaving it behind “This is only half a mile away from the attack.  This is where my life changed in a day And then it changed back... just as soon as we were on the ground We were back in the jet.   Just another three day foreign tour we'd never forget.  It's hard to sympathize with all this devastation Hopping 'round from site to site like tourists on vacation...”

When you see this stuff, and you don’t have to see it first hand, you can see pictures and know that it exists. It forces you to make a choice.  Will I allow this to continue or will I help change the world one child at a time?  The choice is yours.

If you want to see more photos from Ethiopia check out Facebook.com/totalaxxess

Best Worst Trip Journal: Ethiopia Day 2 - Church

Best Worst Trip Journal: Ethiopia Day 2 - Church

This morning we went to church but truth be told I was taken to school. At first glance the above photo seems like it could be at any church service in the United States. This was the nicest English speaking church in the area. It was sort of a third world version of a mega church. It is strange how worship songs we sing in the U.S. make it half way around the world and while the notes and the words are the same the tone is different. This is not a “we are spoiled Americans and we have no idea what faith is...” rant but it was inspiring to see the pure joy on the faces of these people as they fervently worshipped a God, who many would say has forgotten them because of the incredibly difficult lives they lead.

Sadly, the only one looking at his watch after about an hour and a half was me; the guy who wastes more money in a week than most of these people make in a year learned something about joy and it’s real source from them.

Normally on Monday’s I do a segment on the show called Monday school where I break down the message from Church over the weekend. So since I am in Africa I will have to write about it versus doing it on the air.

The message was about our desires and I truly had never looked at life and faith in this way. So many times when we talk about desire we see them as negative or things that control us in a bad way. We think we have to somehow surpress our desires so God can be glorified. The interesting thing is God puts desires in us to fulfill his plan in our lives. Those desires can be our driving force for good.
In the Bible God tells Abraham I am going to bless you and Abraham retorts how can you I don't have child. God knew he was going to make a great nation out of Abraham but he didn't say anything about that till after Abraham brought it up. That is when God says I will make your descendants as many as the stars.

God was silent until abraham expressed his desire. Think about all the times in the Bible when people came up to Jesus and wanted to be healed but Jesus would first ask them what do you want. Obviously he knew, but he wanted to hear the desire of their hearts. Many times we are waiting on God but maybe God is waiting on us to come to him.

The point he closed on really struck me. The pastor said many times our strongest desires don't coincide with our strengths but rather our weakness? Why? Because if it were based on our strength then it would make sense for people to give us credit, but when God uses your weakness it becomes less about us and more about God’s power living in us.

Best Worst Trip Journal: Ethiopia Day 1

I am going on about two hours sleep and half a bag of Twizzlers so I will try to be as cognizant as possible.  The trip started off fun and we could not ask for better winners to have on along with us than Kayla and her father Dan.  They are both fun down to earth people who I like very much.

They even had a birthday card waiting for me in my hotel...Zach did not, but that is enough about that.

 

We all met in Philadelphia where it seemed only nature to sing the Fresh Prince of Bellaire theme song (...in west Philadelphia born and raised...)loudly.  Which I did and one guy got very annoyed with me.  The good news is we have video of it to share when we get back as the internet is a bit sketchy in Adis Ababa, which for the record, is even as fun to write as it is to say.

I am not a big Blogger I usually leave that to the guys who like to hear the sound of their own typing but I wanted to write down and somehow convey my thoughts upon arriving in Adis Ababa (still fun to type).  Even though we arrived in Ethiopia under the cover of night the darkness could not hide her unbelievable poverty.  The streets are literally littered with people and you get quick glimpses of lives that will almost certainly be even sadder when daylight illuminates the horrible inequities in this world.

We always say we are so blessed, which is true but it almost denotes a sense of entitlement.  Why us and not them?  It is not something we did and I certainly don’t think God favors me and the mess I have made of my life over these beautiful people.  So why? For many years the question of why does God allow suffering an poverty stood as a gaping chasm between myself and God.  It wasn’t til I was able to settle that question somewhat in my mind that I could move forward with my relationship with Him.   If you have ever wondered the same thing I will share with you the revelation I came up with...wait for it...here ya go...I don’t know!  I’m not God and there are certain things that I will never understand about a God who created everything I see.  I don’t know why children suffer and die on his watch when I believe he is all powerful and could stop it at any time, so why then?  The answer: is it doesn’t matter what His reasons are.  I have seen it first hand so now what do I do?  Do I close my eyes and pray that God will send the answer to these people’s desperate prayers or do I roll up my sleeves and maybe, simply become part of the answer they are praying for by refusing to do nothing.  I submit that many times we are the answer to the prayer we pray when we ask God to help people.  The reason is it not only helps those people but when you care for the “least of these,” as Jesus said there is an exchange that takes place.  These people receive the physical help they need but you experience the power of the God we sometimes merely read about.

The Luckiest People On The Planet

I hope these people tossed up a little prayer of thanks after the days they had.

Christian vs. Christ Follower

Yesterday we were talking about author Anne Rice saying she is no longer going to be a Christian but is still committed to following Christ.  Her point is, "Following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become."  Someone sent me a couple parody commercials that relate to this and I thought they were on point.

Betty Rock's Cat Picture Of The Week

Apparently it was too hard for her to nail it down to just one.

Here is My Favorite Cat Picture