A lesson in humility and sharing

During the MCC Chad retreat in Ethiopia, we went to Crater Lake. The lake was about 2 hours from the lodge we were staying at. We planned to take horses up and down the mountain to the water and take a boat to the islands on the water. When we arrived to pay for our fees, we realized we did not have anywhere near enough money to pay for our planned trip. We decided to hike down the mountain and take horses up, and we asked if our driver had any money we could borrow from him. With that sorted out we began our hike down the mountain.

 The view was gorgeous and I really enjoyed the hiking. Part way down, we came across some children. They were eating tiny apples, and I began interacting with them. One girl about 8 years was eating and I pretended to take bites from it. Then all of a sudden she shoved the rest in my mouth. We both began to laugh. She speaks a local language and through the guide I understood that her name means Orange. We walked together with other local children for a while before saying our goodbyes. I was given another complete apple before continuing my journey.

Photo by: Mark Tymm (above and below)

We arrived at the lake and had the pleasure of being canoed across the lake to the Orthodox monastery by four men. On the island, we were greeted by locals who offered us fried barley, a popular Ethiopia snack usually eaten with coffee. It tasted very good. On our boat ride back, Angela (my boss) offered us (and the 4 boatman and guide) gummy bears. It was fun to see the Ethiopians try a yummy treat for North Americans.

We were greeted by small horses each being led by a guide. We took the horses up the mountain but once we arrived at the top, we realized that we should tip the men. Unfortunately at that point we had the equivalent of less than $2 to be split between 6 guides. It was humbling for them to except our money even though it was not an appropriate amount, but we had run out of money.

Overall, it was a lovely day where we enjoyed great views, new friends, and people who shared and took care of us!