Since Andrew was graduating from Maxwell Adventist Academy, in Kenya, we planned a trip to include some time in Ethiopia. Originally the plan was to help out at the hospital in Gimbie while their surgeon was on furlough. Unfortunately, that surgeon had to leave altogether and, by the time we got there, another local temporary surgeon had been brought in to fill the gap. So I wasn't as useful as I had thought I might be. We did have a good time, anyway. We spent a couple weeks in Gimbie, then went for the graduation, and came back to Ethiopia (with Grandma and Andrew this time) to see more of Ethiopia. Apart from the long hours in Ethiopian aircraft (both in flight[17 hours from D.C. to Addis Ababa] and waiting for flights), I highly recommend it. Here are some pictures from our journey.
A special welcoming ceremony from the Gimbie Pathfinder Club
The hills of my childhood around Gimbie, Ethiopia.
My little sister's grave in the Gimbie cemetery
The new Gimbie Adventist Hospital building
The house I lived in as a child in Gimbie, Ethiopia. Part of the new hospital can be seen rising behind it.
The Dadessa river, one of the tributaries of the Nile.
Rock climbing in Kenya after Andrew's graduation
The beautiful green countryside of western Ethiopia
One of the amazing tomb excavations in Axum. Precision stone work with huge pieces of dressed stone.
At the site of the ancient obelisks in Axum. Nobody knows how they transported and erected those massive pieces of stone. The largest, seen here fallen and broken, is estimated at 560 tons.
800-year-old worship book on goatskin parchment. Still in use.
This is where the ark of the covenant is kept (the one built at Mt. Sinai). Our guide is quite sure of it. Only one person is allowed to enter the building.
Kids, they're everywhere
A Lalibela church with a special covering erected with UN assistance after being declared a World Heritage site.
Our guide explains the symbolism of the crosses the priest is holding
St. George's Church, one of ten carved out of solid rock
Andrew emerging from one of the tunnels at Lalibela
At Tisabai Falls, near the origin of the Blue Nile. Not so impressive during the dry season.
Excursion on Lake Tana
One of many beautiful birds around Lake Tana at Bahar Dar
Back on the beach in Lincoln City, Oregon, with Rommel
This weekend we had a couple of extra wanderers at our house. Thompson Clifford, a friend from our Nigeria days, showed up as a suprise on Friday morning. We had no idea he was in this area, or even in the U.S., so it was one of those "wow" events. On Saturday afternoon, we temporarily expanded our family with Sammy Christen, who is an exchange student from Switzerland. He will be with us for the school year and will be a senior at the local high school. It was a beautiful weekend, and we did get down to the beach a bit. Here are some pictures.
