We are in Korah, and it's going to be a great trip!

We arrived in Ethiopia late last night. And while our bags didn't make the short layover in Frankfurt we did (just barely-we checked our fitbits are its looks like we ran carry-on luggage in tow, for almost two miles in twenty minutes!) No problems other than that. We were able to get a good night's sleep and pick up our bags this morning with just enough time to get to our day's work. 

We met with our Executive Director who updated us on the program. Overall things are much improved even since our last meetings just six months ago. We will continue to have more detailed discussions and planning sessions over the course of the next 10 days but we are off to a good start.  Our administrative goals this trip are focused on the budget (a necessary evil) and program improvement. 

Two major issues in discussion  are improved communication between sponsors and students and spiritual development. Both of these items are aimed at providing increased support and guidance to our dear students.   I can't tell you how refreshing it was to meet about issues of positive improvement rather than crisis management. What a welcome change. 

Background:

Out of the Ashes has been operational for just three years. During our first year we had to build an organization, design our program, hire a staff, and develop a donor base, all while complying with non profit laws in two countries ! The following year we experienced a rapid expansion when we were called to take over another failing program. In the short course of 60 days, we added 400 new kids to our tiny 50-child to OA's student roster. With this rapid growth came a whole host of complexities requiring compassionate and skilled leadership. Ultimately we determined a change in the Executive  Director position  would be necessary to move the program forward, and we then spent many months to hire the right, Godly man, for the job and the remainder of this past years working with our new ED as he transitioned and transformed the Ethiopian side operations.

Going back to the issues discussed today...

I am especially hopeful about our plans to develop a robust program to support and encourage the kids with their spiritual needs.  As the leader of the medical team I have seen first hand the destructive nature of hopelessness. So many of our kids come to us with complaints of illness that can be tied back to depression and mental illness. And why would anyone be surprised? Korah is a dark and difficult place to live in. The fact that so many are depressed, anxious, hopeless, angry or emotionally and mentally broken is not surprising to anyone who has stepped foot in this village. And these are kids...the most vulnerable of all. How they even get up everyday and go to school is beyond comprehension. They, like all kids, need encouragement. They need to believe in themselves and the adults around them, they need to believe in the transformative power of education  and most of all they need to believe in a loving God who will guide them out of darkness. 

The core of our program finally in hand, it is now time to do our most important work. 

It's going to be a good week

London

It's weird that a flight to London feels short but I'm used to a 13 hour direct to Addis Ababa so, relative. Anyway there really wasn't much time to sleep and I didn't. We arrived in London at 6:30 am local time and it was go time from then on.

We hired a taxi to our hotel in Soho. It's a little boutique hotel Stacy found online and I will tell you it is sublime. Excactly what I love. Small, hip, in the middle of everything and just quirky enough to keep it interesting. We had a nice breakfast in the hotel, lots of soft boiled eggs and brown soldiers and such. But no time to linger, we had a marathon tourist bus route to get to.

Yep you heard me right, BUS route. In the middle of January we rode on the top deck of an open air tour bus around London. Yep it's cheesy, but bloody hell, we owned it.  We saw everything (in passing mostly); Big Ben, Towers of London, Buckingham Palace, Parliment, the London Eye, Picadilly Square, Trafalgar Square and a few other squares. And, I'm not gonna lie, for at least a little bit we fell dead asleep...on the bus.

We did have a proper nap before dinner which was at a seafood market near Pacadilly Square called Milos. It was Greek and good, even if the fishes eye was looking at us the whole time. After dinner we walked back to our oh so lovely hotel and had desert and a nightcap in its swank lounge.

And this will tell you about our current priority, when we got back to the room we about squealed to see our bed turned down with a bottles of Evian on the bed tables and bottles of lavender eucalyptus pillow spray for each of us. Pinch me I think I'm in heaven....or at least a heavenly bed.

And so goodnight from London, I'm surrendering to my sweet lavender slumber.

Ethiopia trip #11, via London

I'm waiting for my flight to Washington where I will connect to London. I think I may be the only woman going to Washington and NOT marching in the Woman's March. Damn I wanted too. But my trip back to my kiddos in Ethiopia was booked long ago and there is no way I could cancel on them.

I'm meeting my cohort, Stacy in DC where we will travel on together to London. We are going to stay there for a couple of days and take in the sites (and gradually work through the jet lag). After that we will meet up with the rest of the OA Board in Frankfurt. It's a crazy, but good, itinerary.

For now I'm trying to get my devices charged up for the long flight ahead while enjoying a beer in the United Club. I always have this urgent sense of, eat and drink while you can, when I travel. So I am.

See you on the other side of the pond.

Lori


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