This blog post has felt difficult for me to write. How can you easily put words to an overwhelming experience like this?

I did research and heard many stories about Addis Ababa before I came, but none quite do it justice. Addis is a place unlike any I’ve ever been to – one that must be experienced personally. The sights are complex, the smells are strong, the hospitality is beautiful, the hurt is apparent, the joy is contagious, and the driving is beyond chaotic.

A recurring conversation among our team, has been about various types of poverty. Ethiopia lacks material possessions. Many people live with little or no money and limited access to healthcare or modern conveniences, but there’s something deeply rich about the way people live. Their strong faith, sense of community, and connection to tradition give their life great richness. In the U.S., it can appear to be the opposite. We’re surrounded by stuff: technology, comfort, and opportunity, yet many people feel lonely, anxious, or disconnected. It’s as though we’ve filled our lives with things, rather than with God Himself.

Two questions have been on my mind as I’ve been here:

Is my faith truly more important to me than my worldly standing and possessions?

Am I living in spiritual richness or in spiritual poverty?

I’ve been mulling over Matthew 25:31-46, which examines our faith and our heart’s posture. The things we do to love and serve one another, is also done for the Lord, for we are made in His image. Therefore, the things we fail to do to serve and love one another, is as if we are refusing to do them for God.

Loving your neighbor seems to be woven into Ethiopian culture, while seeking God first. They don’t ignore people to run off to the next appointment, they are slow and intentional.

The kids at Bring Love In show immense excitement and joy when you just sit with them and give them your attention. They desire to be seen and loved. Don’t we all desire that? I have felt convicted by my desire to hold my own schedule higher than those around me, and especially higher than God. I’m drawn to the intention by which Ethiopians live for God and express their love for each other.

God’s redemption in the kids at Bring Love In is noticeable and beautiful. They have been a gentle reminder to me of God’s sovereignty. I’m so thankful for the time I get here in Addis and for my new Ethiopian family.

– Anna