Not AWOL....really.

At the risk of sounding all New Year's-y, I've noticed that I have been missing the art of reflective writing....that sounds more academic than "blogging," but it is nonetheless a valuable route for external processing. I shall endeavor to do better at this in the coming year.

Lots of new changes and adventures to be had, which shall require updates. I will return to those later.

I always think about the new year ahead age-wise at New Year's, as I was born in '80 and the calendar year easily reflects my age, although three months before that actually changes. As I look toward 2009, and the inevitable 29, I am struck less by the desire to write home then the expectation that my life return to being worth writing home about.

While I generally live an interesting life and have accomplished good things this past year, I am aspiring to greatness and am not content to merely live. God has given me too much for that.

And so I will post this ambiguous return (thanks in part to apparently looser regulations in Ethiopian blogging!) and continue to reflect on matters worthy of posting.

Home....

Greetings from Addis Ababa! I arrived here on Friday afternoon, after a long, but safe, flight. One of my students for the year was sitting in the seat in front of me on the plane, actually. It's been great to see the folks from Beza Church that I spent time with while I was here in May, and to get settled into the city again. It's the rainy season here, so it's actually quite cool, in the 50s and 60s. For those of you in the DC summer swamp, you can imagine that it's a bit of a weather shock, and I have indeed brought out my "layers." Today was a "three-layer" day. It was sunny for awhile, though, when I was enjoying a pizza on the patio of Denver Cafe (one of the "western" food chains in the city, where we enjoyed our daily macchiatos (or three) during the missions trip).

The city looks great, though, even in the rain. The mountains are a bright green, and the flowers are all in full bloom, as well. I feel surprisingly at home here, which is a good thing.....it's where I need to be right now, and it's a great feeling of peace to be here in that.

The jet lag is still going on. But, I was able to sleep until 5:30 this morning! This is progress. And, it's good to be busy again, with less craziness and more of a routine. We're in the middle of our teacher orientation week, and classes start a week from today.

My school schedule has been finalized: 7-10th grade French, maybe 11th grade French (we'll see....that year is the equivalent of AP French, which I'm sure they would be great at, but I'm not quite there this week) and ESOL support for those kids who need ESOL instruction and support. Should be fun!

Not too much else to report at this point. Thanks for you prayers for my travels! I'll post something later in the week once things start to get going at school.

And, everyone from Beza says Hello to everyone from NCC.

That's soooooo Alli.....

So, I went to pick up my plane ticket today. This morning, I received some emails from my school director in Addis, whose previous emails apparently hadn't gotten through to me in the last several weeks. He really wanted me to get to Addis this weekend to be there for our teacher orientation Monday morning, and mentioned that he was willing to pay the difference in airfare.

It turns out I was able to switch to an earlier flight, without a fare increase.

I'm flying Thursday morning. This Thursday. Two more days. It'll be good, though.

So, if y'all can move up your prayers for my move and my flight to this Thursday, instead of Sunday, that would be awesome.

Other than that switch, things are good.....taking care of last minute things in DC, hanging out with friends, and finishing up the packing.

Next post, from Addis.

The clock keeps ticking....

After a great week at home in Omaha with the fam, I've kept up the travelling, although with a slightly altered schedule. It was great to drive out to Pittsburgh for my friend Lauren's ordination, and then to spend a couple days in Philly. The plan was to head back to DC on Wednesday to catch a flight to Chicago yesterday.....but, I got some weird stomach bug and wasn't able to make it back from Philly, so, no Chicago this weekend.

But, this will be good resting time, and hopefully I'll be productive in my last-minute "to-do's" as well. I was able to sell my car in Philly, to a newly arrived Egyptian family, which was a great relief. And, I'm feeling ready to go. Still some packing left to do, but I'm ready for this crazy adventure. Still reviewing some French, with some "Amelie" watching today.

I'm floating between friends' couches until I leave, so many thanks to those of you who have offered living rooms. Much appreciated.

It doesn't look like the new travel security will affect me all that much....luckily, I don't use shampoo :-), and I'll be able to pack the toothpaste and other travel things in my check-ins. The new international luggage restrictions limit me to two 50 pound check-ins, but I'll make it work. Including my five flavors of lotions. Of course. But, I can still use all the prayers I can get for the 16 hour international flight.

If you're in DC and want to hang out next week, holla.

Down to a few weeks....

Hey, friends!

A few updates:

I will be leaving August 21st, which is a few days later than I had planned, but I was able to get the cheap fare that I wanted. I don't have my ticket in hand, but it's set.

The packing and moving aspects of this are going well. Major thanks to Marie Claire for being a packing superstar and helping me out. I will be able to hit my goal of being moved out tomorrow night, although I may come back for a bit on Friday to clean a little.

My car.....things didn't work out as planned when I attempted to sell it to a friend the other week, but thankfully his own car is back in working order, and I have another possible buyer from church. It'll work out.

I am amazed at the little things that are coming together, like earlier today when I decided that I needed a new pair of jeans to take with me, instead of my torn and patched jeans. When I randomly volunteered to take someone's Goodwill stuff for them, a great pair of jeans was in the pile for me.....thanks, Jen and Amy!

Also, many many thanks to the donator of an iPod.....what a gift! Certainly something I never imagined having, but will be amazingly useful. And, without all the CDs, saves some room in my suitcase. Much appreciated.

Friday is my last day of class, and then Saturday I will fly to Omaha for five days with the fam. Should be good. I'll have a couple travels after that before heading to Addis, but I'm focusing on them one at a time.

Prayer needs: The instability in Somalia has put a burden on Ethiopia. Pray that peace will continue. Also, prayer for my travels to visit friends and family, and for my upcoming journey to Addis.....I will arrive in the midst of teacher orientation, and then a week later school will begin. The school is experiencing a lot of change....pray for the teachers and students to be in solid community.

Many thanks!

The Lord provides, indeed!

A quick update.....

First apologies to friends who have been checking in with the blog more frequently than I have! I have certainly been busy the last month. My summer classes at Mason are fascinating, but very intense and busy. But, I'm learning more than I ever thought possible about bilingual education, language teaching, and being a better ESL teacher.

Secondly, God has been busy, as well, in providing for me and meeting my needs. Bridgeway friends hooked me up with some Metro cards, which are getting me to school and back fabulously. I've also found a couple storage options for some of my stuff. Logistics for Addis are going well, and I should have my plane ticket by next week. My class schedule at Bingham for French and ESL is looking good, and everything is falling into place. I will be living at the school for the first month, but some friends in Addis are brainstorming some other ideas for after that, which might include the huge blessing of free housing!

I've also been looking at selling my car, and as a friend's car broke down today, that might be covered, as well. Financially, I'm doing okay. God provides, and it's amazing to see that even when I feel unprepared, God has everything covered and is, in fact, many steps ahead of me.

Thank you for your prayers....it means a lot to me, and hopefully the work I'll be doing in Addis can be meaningful for you, as well. When my classes end, and as my departure date speeds closer, I will be updating more often.

Paz.

Dehna nachu!

Five points if you know that means “How's it goin?” in Amharic.

My plan for the fall is to teach English as a Second Language and high school French at Bingham Academy, a Christan International School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I was able to visit this school last month while I was in Addis with a media team from National Community Church in DC. I felt strongly called to return to the city, and will arrive back there in mid-August.

This plan fits in great with the Masters in Multicultural Education I am currently working on at George Mason University, and will allow me some great research opportunities looking into the massive situation with streetkids in the city. I'm also excited to continue my involvement with Beza International Church, a sister congregation to NCC where we served during our trip.
I'm confident in this plan and in the Lord's call to work in the city of Addis Ababa, but there are many elements of the plan that will need prayer before I leave in August.

Among these are:
“The Process.” As the school is operated by an missions organization, it is necessary for me to be “sent” through an organization, which requires application processes, etc. I need help praying that my applications will go through and that I can be “official” at the school within the next month or two.

Spiritual Protection. When we are idle, the Enemy goes on vacation. When we boldly take steps of faith to serve the Kingdom, the Enemy gets vicious. Please pray that I will be covered in spiritual protection for my health, safety, logistics, and overall well-being this summer as I prepare for this new adventure. Pray for my car and traveling as well.....this has been a common area of attack for me.

Finances. When I lived in Minneapolis, I spent a lot of time hanging out at the World Mission Prayer League, a missions sending organization that was birthed out of a student prayer group in the '40s. Their policy since the beginning has been not to fundraise, but to join in prayer for God's provision. They have always been provided for! Having seen the power of this faith, I am also choosing not to fundraise directly. Instead, I am asking you all to join me in prayer that God will provide in His good timing the funds for my plane ticket, living expenses, school tuition, and any unexpected expenses I might find when I get there. I anticipate that my total expenses for the year will be between $6000 and $7000 USD. This will include my plane ticket and George Mason tuition, as well.

Moving Logistics. Before I leave in August, I have a long list of needs and “to do's.” Some of the needs include storage space for things staying behind and Metro passes for summer school at Mason. A few of the big to-do's will be selling my car, packing and moving out of my apartment, and organizing things like bills and school for life in another country. Please pray that these things will happen efficiently, and that my needs will be met in community.

Thank you for your prayers and friendship. If you think of someone who might like to read about my adventures or join in prayer, please pass on the blog link.

~Peace~