So, I am very sorry that you only got two updates during my entire 5 weeks in Africa. However, this now means that I can update you on everything since I am back.
My trip to Ethiopia was incredible and life-changing. I will definitely be writing more, probably at the end of this week once my body adjusts to everything, but here is a brief overview of my trip.
The kids at the orphanage I worked at, KVI, or Kingdom Vision International, were amazing. Some of them told me their testimonies and you would not believe the amount of trauma they have had to overcome, or the lives that they had to live before they got to the orphanage. I found out that many were there either because their families could not afford them, or they that they were being seriously neglected. I connected so well with the children- if I were married at the moment I would have adopted all of them. Okay, probably not all of them, but as many as I could afford. My heart was broken for them in a way I never thought it could be. I learned to love at a whole new level....one that I never even knew existed. I sobbed the day that I had to leave. And I still cry every moment that I think about them.
During the trip I learned a lot about Islam and about Muslims, since nearly half the population of Ethiopia is Muslim. Basically they believe that Jesus was a prophet and Allah is their God. Mohammad is a higher prophet than Jesus. Women have no rights whatsoever and they can be beaten and forced to have sex at anytime. A man can also have as many wives as he wants. Mohammad was 53 when he married a girl that was 7 years old. Women also must cover their entire bodies with a dress (most of the time it is black if they are very strict). Strict Muslim women also wear burkas, or headdresses, that cover their entire face so that only their eyes show. I even saw some women have their eyes covered, as well as their hands. It looked pretty scary, actually. When men die, they get to go to a heaven with 72 virgin women. Women do not get anything. If they leave the religion of Islam, they could potentially get killed. The funny thing about Islam, is that you cannot have a relationship with Allah, only know his will. Allah is not even in heaven either- you never get to see him. When I heard this, I was shocked. I couldn't believe that you weren't allowed to have a relationship at all. I'm so glad that I get to meet Jesus in heaven, and have a relationship with Him while I am on earth.
I got worms while in Ethiopia. Not sure where I picked them up or how exactly I got them, but after 2 rounds of medicine (first mebendazole- THANK YOU microbiology for teaching me the drugs that I needed to cure myself, and second, albendazole). I was cured naturally and supernaturally. I did take medicine, and lots of it, but I was also prayed for and that day the itching quit. Oh yes, for those of you that do not know the "symptoms" of worms, it is basically an uncontrollable (and unrelenting) itching of the butt. It was really annoying, especially when I was in public (which was 75% of the time), because you cannot itch your butt without having a stigma attached to it. It got painful towards the end, and I was extremely happy when the itching ceased, as you can probably imagine.
I visited a Fistula Hospital while in Addis. A fistula is basically the formation of another hole in the bowel region, either from prolonged labor or from sex [many prostitutes get fistulas, especially if they are really young in age]. The girls at this hospital usually had them from prolonged labor and the average age of the girls was 16. It was really sad to see them, but I was glad they were getting treatment. The average childbirth is 5 days long. Can you imagine having to go through that much pain [naturally, of course] for 5 days? I would never have kids. Another awesome thing about the hospital is that the founder still works there and performs surgeries- and is 86 years old! How crazy is that? Pretty crazy if you ask me.
There were so many incredible things that happened to me, I'm not sure how to explain everything, nor do I have enough space to write it all. For now, I am going to leave you with this blog, and I will write again soon with more updates.
-Atalie
