April 2019

Calling God

As we stay with the Sisters, we always attend the church service on a Sunday, it is a great place to meet up with people and although we struggle to understand the service the singing is always fantastic with the rhythmic beat of the drums. Previous years the church has never been full but this year the congregation has grown but we feel this may be linked to the rise in the number of mobile phones. Whereas the local stalls in the street charge 2 Birr about

6 pence to charge a mobile, in the House of God it is free but you must get to the church early enough to sit next to an electrical socket, always the most popular spot in the church.

The Big Apple

Every year a lady called Dani comes to the centre to ask us for a new dress and as we buy material each year to make dresses for the ladies in the Porridge Club, we are happy to include Dani.  One evening we were talking about Dani and Sister Wenato explained to us when she took Dani into town to buy her some clothes. Sister Wenato did not realise that Dani had never been into town and when entering the main street Dani in her excitement asked if they were in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia’s capital) Wenato said no and before she could say anything else Dani asked “are we in America”.

Elderly Gentleman

An elderly man was hanging around the Day Care Centre for several days, he was very poorly dressed with his main attire being a moth-eaten blanket draped over his shoulders.  We do not normally give money just for food as this is only a temporary fix, but on this occasion it was his main requirement. 1,000 Birr about £30.00 and a new blanket would ease his situation, Sister Terfatu said she would keep an eye on him with the possibility of him doing a few odd jobs at the centre.