Friday April 2, 2010, 7PM – Baltimore City PCA Good Friday Service (Please bring a dessert to share during our fellowship time after the service).

Sunday April 4, 2010, 10:45AM – Sunday Service

During the storms, snow piled up on the gymnasium roof and blocked off two of its drains. As the snow melted, it found its way down the gym wall, covered the floor with water, and then continued down the walls in Rooms 7 and 8. It damaged the wall, the floor, several pairs of curtains, took out part of the new ceiling , ruined the piano and a wooden bookcase filled with Bibles and hymnals. Fortunately, some men from the church were able to clear the drains and prevent the water from causing more damage.

Robert Taylor, a deacon at Abbott Memorial, traveled to Ethiopia for the first time this February. He has offered some reflections on his trip:

I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to go on the most recent trip to Ethiopia. I knew that it was going to be a challenging time for me, not only being away from my family for two weeks, but knowing the conditions under which the people we were going to serve were living. After we adjusted to the new environment and time zone, we really started getting to know the beneficiaries and providing them the help they needed. I was immediately blown away by their amazing outlook on life, regardless of the conditions around them, and it opened my eyes to the many gifts I have been blessed with in my own life.

. I am inspired by the people I met that have put their trust and faith in God and hope that I can continue to be a witness to His unfailing love.

Julius Fisher

julius

Rob Taylor

rob

Joyce

joyce

Arch

arch

Paul

paul

David and Rob napping

Rose in Triage

Mark cutting paper dolls

I love watching Rose Rode as she greets the beneficiaries with whom she has become good friends over the years she has been coming to Addis.  Just this morning she saw Yerusalem for the first time this trip and they embraced and talked like the old friends they have become.  She is such an integral part of the work here as she is familiar with the inner workings of the project and can answer almost any question that comes up during the course of the day.  She handles each patient she sees in triage with compassion and kindness and she is loved by everyone here.  I can’t imagine what it would be like to not have her here on a team.

Mark Renner has also become an almost permanent fixture with our medical teams.  He is so at home here with the project that I wouldn’t be surprised if they make him an honorary Habisha (Ethiopian).  He loves the kids and they love him.  He is always drawing pictures, cutting out paper dolls, playing games and entertaining the children while their parents see the medical staff.  He, too, is a tremendous help because of his knowledge of Ethiopia, the project and what is most helpful to keep things running smoothly during the day.  He is happy to do kids ministry, home renovation, lead a support group or do a home visit, and whatever he is doing, there is always a huge smile on his face.

I can remember back in October when Andy & Bev visited Abbott and did a presentation on the project in the young adult Sunday School class.  Almost immediately Rob Taylor came to me and asked if he could come on the next team.  Of course, I said yes and was so excited by his excitement about coming.  He has been a joy to watch as he has soaked up every sight, sound and smell of Addis.  He is our resident renovation specialist, going to the homes of beneficiaries and making helpful repairs.  It is also so encouraging to see him learning and growing.  He is stepping outside his comfort zone in other ways and has volunteered to lead our team devotions on Wednesday.  I am really looking forward to that.

Julius Fischer and I have been partners in ministry for over ten years now.  We have been so blessed by both our friendship and our working relationship.  Julius has always stayed at home and held down the fort on my previous trips, but now it’s his turn to experience first hand the work here in Addis.  He has been good to step in wherever needed, but his forte, of course, is and always will be music.  Besides the previously mentioned “knuckle song”, he will now forever be know for “the hokey pokey” and “the chicken dance” songs as well.  This morning we had staff devotions with the team and the Ethiopian staff (there were about 50 of us in attendance) and it was such a joy for me to watch him at the keyboard leading us all in worship.  He has such a tender heart and genuinely engages with every person he meets.

As you know, I usually have one of my own children here with me, but 2010 is a gap year and I have been very grateful that my “nephew”, David Arnold is here with me.  David is an outstanding young man. He is a senior at Mt. St. Joseph High School and has already accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy where he will join Arny & Archie this summer.  David is a great athlete (he was named the Baltimore Sun’s high school soccer player of the year this fall) and he has been conducting soccer clinics almost every day with the children in the project.  He, too, has been willing to step in wherever needed, whether in clinic or home renovation. 

I did bring family members with me though.  It has been fun having my dad, “the real Pastor Warren”, and my mom with us.  They have both been teaching and leading support groups.  I was especially proud of them this weekend as they trekked up and down the hills of Lalibela on our tour of the historic rock-hewn churches, something that some much younger people have not been able to conquer on previous trips. 

As you can see, God is working through our church and through the generosity of all of you that have contributed to our coming here.  I frequently sit in a beneficiary’s home and tell them about Abbott Church and the people there that are praying for them.  They always ask that I send you their thanks and their love in return.  I remember Joe Kelly’s line from his time here – “From Abbott to Addis”  . . .

With love and gratitude to God for all of you,

Your pastor, 

-Paul

Last year, I met Estaphano, a HIV positive child who has a significant hearing loss.  In order for him to communicate, he uses some mixture of American Sign Language and some of his own “made-up” sign language.  Tuesday afternoon, Estaphano came to the project office and I played Keep Away with him and tossed an American football.  I asked Estaphano if he would like to hear, and he raised his eyebrows and nodded.  I was able to bring several power, non-digital hearing aids with me and was able to fit Estaphano with hearing aids for both of his ears.  When I put both of the hearing aids on him, he was able to hear sounds for the first time!  His face was filled with excitement and joy and he didn’t want to take the hearing aids off.  Several people on staff for the project began calling his name, but he didn’t respond.  Estaphano does not know what his name sounds like; it has no meaning to him.  He is going to have to learn what sounds are and put meaning to those sounds.   Often, typical hearing individuals take hearing sounds such as the noise of flip flops, shoes walking on the floor, the hum of a refrigerator, horns honking, music playing,rain hitting a roof, children laughing, and someone saying “I love you” for granted.  It is going to be exhilarating to see and watch Estaphano learn these sounds and for him to hopefully produce words.

—Audrey Morrison