A Second Home

3/18/19

A Second Home

Hello from Ethiopia! A lot has happened over the last five days. I am amazed how God would allow me to come to this country after longing to do so for nearly a decade since we began adopting. I have already learned, experienced, seen, and done so much! I had always thought that being on the water in Canada while fishing for northern pike was my second home, but something hit me when I walked out of the airport. Ethiopia is my second home. After being connected to a country so many times through pictures and stories and other things, I still cannot believe that God would let me come to Ethiopia and give me all the opportunity’s I have already had here. It would take a long time to cover everything that I have done on this trip, so I will just overview a few things that God has gifted me with.

Ethiopia would be a very different place to learn how to drive! The only rule of thumb is that there are no rules. People speed, honk, swerve, and slam on their breaks all in a matter of five seconds. My Mom knows this, so when I told her that one of my goals for the week was to ride a motorcycle, she said that I shouldn’t. But Friday afternoon I had my chance: a pastor drove me, and another drove my youth pastor, Josh Bremerman, on their motorcycles through the Ethiopian streets to the restaurant at which we were eating lunch. The whole experience was something I will probably never forget! Then later that night we saw some monkeys with the most interesting personalities. They where running, climbing, fighting, and just being out right ridiculous.

On Sunday I was able to meet Chernet for the first time since God brought him into our lives nine years ago. I have prayed countless times for him, and to finally experience an answer was just amazing. As I write this, thoughts are flooding back from the last 9 years I have known about Chernet. Thoughts of joy, then tears, then healing, then the experience of when God worked a miracle by letting my Dad find him. As I walked into the church building on Sunday and gave him my first hug I was in awe that God would let me see him. While my Dad was preaching, Chernet would smile at me and want me to show him in my English Bible where we were reading from. It was one of the most special church services I have ever been to. After church, we changed our clothes and played with all the kids at the orphanage for the rest of the day. We played a lot of soccer and some basketball, picked fresh mangos out of the tops of the trees, and made kids laugh. It was so special, definitely the highlight of my time in Ethiopia so far. There is absolutely no way a writer at my level could explain how special it was to see my brother for the first time.

Monday was our first day at the teaching compound, training sixty church leaders. It was nice getting to know the trainees; it was fun to see their faces light up when I would remember their names. I picked Nate Weller’s group to follow around for the rest of the week. It was fun watching him teach. Mr. Nate did a very good job staying on schedule and yet teaching his guys how to know God and make Him known. I am exited to learn from him the rest of the week.

Though there is still a lot more that I could cover, I’ll just mention a few notes about the food. I have eaten doughnuts fried over an open fire, fresh mangos and bananas, charcoal grilled corn on the cob, and all kinds of Ethiopian food. I will let the future guys cover the rest. Thanks for all your prayers!

Isaac DeRouchie, age 15