Our Ethiopian Christmas Celebration

Christmas is celebrated in Ethiopia on January 7. We were honored to be included in a Christmas celebration graciously hosted by some of our precious Ethiopian friends, S and T, last night. We ventured out of our "cocoon" to enjoy an evening of fellowship, a feast of delicious home-cooked Ethiopian food, an impromptu concert of Ethiopian worship music with our friend S on the piano and a professional Ethiopian singer (in town to perform at the local Ethiopian Orthodox Church) on the vocals and even a coffee ceremony. Since our family was scattered about the globe on December 25, it was especially meaningful to have an opportunity to celebrate Jesus' birth--as a family of 5--TOGETHER. Of course our little Miss K (yes, we changed her name--actually, we decided to keep her Ethiopian name--more on that to come) was showered with attention and affection. It was a wonderful, memorable evening.

Our girls in the traditional dresses we purchased for them in Addis: The girls with "Uncle S": Ethiopian coffee ceremony: Wonderful, moving music:
Our friend S has an amazing testimony. He was born in Ethiopia to the very young wife of a man who previously had only daughters. The birth of a son was celebrated until his mother died a few months later from complications related to childbirth, at which time S was seen by his father as a curse. His mother's sister offered to raise him. They lived in an agricultural community and when he was 18 months old and his aunt was boiling a large pot of water to make stew for the harvest workers, he pulled the boiling pot over onto his face, blinding and severely burning him. At that point, his aunt also began to believe that he was cursed, and she did not have the means to care for him in his condition. Shortly thereafter, Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia, was scheduled to come through their village. The aunt stood in the middle of the road as his motorcade approached--holding her nephew and prepared to either be heard or be killed. Selassie rolled down the window of the car he was riding in and took our friend into his arms and into his care. The Emperor named him S and ensured that he was provided with the best schooling and taught Braille and the Bible. Shortly after S finished school, Selassie lost power as a result of a coup. S went on to become a Fulbright Scholar and received graduate law, political science and philosophy degrees from Columbia University. He has had a distinguished career and has accomplished many great things in his life. S's story is such an inspiration of God's grace, goodness, guidance and provision.

We have been so blessed by the friendship of S, his wife T and their whole family. We look forward to their being a part of our lives for many years to come. We were able to spend some time with their extended family and friends while in Ethiopia, and it added so much to our experience in-country.

Coming up next. . . all about our trip!