Tis the season for family photos!

All 19 of us together!

Mother&Father

Carlos&Karen&Joshua&Jonas&Charlotte

Kayla May

Wesley&Alyssa&Mubarek&Mesafinet&Damitu&Tofic&Gutama&Everett

Lydia&Phillip

Kate&Tramp

I really like the silly one. I want it printed big...still trying to convince the Mother.

Love my family.

This one time I got a text that made my whole day...

Losing my new bight red lip stick 

and 

a bunch of photo files from Ethiopia did NOT make my day.

but somehow, life is still good.

Two in One.

Over the last week I've been writing "The final day in Ethiopia" post. Needless to say, it hasn't been that easy to sum up so I've just kind of put it off. Today I thought I would sit down and write a Christmas post instead. Being in Ethiopia I missed out on all of the pre-celebrations and many traditions to Christmas. It wasn't until I landed in Amsterdam and saw an airport covered in Christmas decor and trees that it really hit me that it was almost Christmas and that I was going home. When I got home I felt like I had missed out on so much. How could I get in the holiday spirit if I didn't do all the partying before hand? And then I started reading the start of my "Last day in Ethiopia" post....

My last day in Ethiopia was hard. I knew the day would come from the beginning, counted down the days, watched the days become smaller and smaller and yet the final day was still painful to face. After all, I wasn't just leaving Ethiopia but people I deeply love. People who made a difference to me. When I walked away from the hospital and Tarikua (A beautiful disabled baby girl who was abandoned at the hospital and was placed in a government orphanage. She stole my heart.) for the last time my heart physically hurt and tears ran down my cheeks. But that wasn't the end. Then there was Jason, his boys, Mesgana, my Ethiopian family, and close friends. All people I love. By the time I got to the airport that night, I was sure my heart would burst. In fact, after I gave my last hugs at the airport, when I turned with my bags to check in, I couldn't even turn back around to give a final wave, it just hurt too bad.

I am incredibly thankful I returned to Ethiopia. I am thankful I was trusted and privileged to interact with the beautiful children at Mother Teresa's hospital. I am thankful for the love and simple joys of life the children showed me. I am thankful for Jason and his example of love and compassion. I am thankful for the boys of Yehiwot Raey and their inspiring strength. I am thankful for excited, sweet, and obnoxious strangers who would put a smile on my face just by saying hi to me. I am thankful for my Ethiopian family who truly made me part of their family and gave me more love then I deserve. I am thankful for dreams and the wonderful adventures and lessons they bring. I am thankful for God and his endless love and beautiful people, all across the world.

As I read through it, even though it wasn't finished, feelings and memories came flooding back to my heart and mind. And I realized, I may not be in the holiday spirit but now more then ever before I feel closer to Christ. Serving in Ethiopia taught me, strengthened me, and blessed me to give and receive of love. And that is what Christ's life was all about. In the spirit of Christmas, let us all celebrate and remember to give of love.

"Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace, goodwill towards men."

Melkem Gena! (Merry Christmas in Amharic)

the weather has changed.

DRASTICALLY.

I'm freezing.

I have to wear a scarf and coat almost all of the time.

sometimes even in the house.

It's a good thing I have a lot of cute scarves from Ethiopia to keep me warm all winter.

a beautiful arrangement of photos that make me ridiculously happy.

The title is very true.

I took these photos the first time I went to Ethiopia.

my heart melts a little whenever I look at them.

I entered these bad boys into the State fair.

They all did extremely well.

And I received amazing compliments from the judge (Who happened to be Ryan Muirhead. Who happens to be one of the most amazing photographers. People, I have emails from him to prove it).

Sorry for the bragging but I'm pretty proud of them.

Anyway, They've been sitting in a pile in my room for a while.

way over due to be hung up

so... waaaaLA

Now I get to see Ethiopia everyday!

Such beautiful people.

I'm considering selling some of my prints. If you're interested, let me know.

and here are a few random photos of life being home...

After my first hot shower! It might have lasted a full 30 minutes and I loved each second of it.

This is jet lag people. I can't sleep at night here.

Hope you're having a good day or night, whichever it may be.

What have you seen today?

This week marks the last full week I have in Ethiopia. I've noticed I've been paying attention to everything more closely. I've been more engaged instead of passive to things and others around me. Looking into peoples eyes, accepting more slobbery kisses, trying to memorize details and feelings as I walk the streets. My senses and heart seem to be extra tuned in. Experiencing the present moment is beautiful. I've been able to do more then just look around me but see instead. See the love a street women had for her small son as they sit and play with one another along the side of a busy rode. See ambitions and hopes as kids scattered away from school dressed in uniforms. See and feel pure love as young girls walked at my side offering to share their meager bread in outstretched hands. This week I've seen and been touch by the hearts around me. It makes me want to be better and give more. It has reminded me how amazing people are and that the human race is more alike than different. We may live in various environments, speak different languages and work assorted professions, but at our core, we are all the same. It does not matter whether we are wealthy or poor, old or young, ethnic or Caucasian. All of us just want to be loved, appreciated and heard. We all want to have family and friends to support us, good health, and laughter to enrich our lives. We all are sons and daughters of God. We all have value and goodness to offer. Bono once said, “Where you live shouldn't determine IF you live.” I've decided seeing is an important part of living. So as you read this think, what have you seen today? What can you see today?

There is a Fungus Among Us!

More specifically, on my right arm.

Can you say, "Hello, Mr. Ring Worm!"

Considering the sickness and diseases I'm around, It's amazing that's all I've come down with.

Seriously.

Here is my arm in all it's glory...

For once I have fast-ish internet so I'm just doing a photo post...

This is the beautiful Mesgana and myself. We live together and let me tell you, we have a lot of fun.

Our guilty pleasure... Nutella!

Note: My hair is insanely long! It has grown like a weed.

Many have asked a lot of questions about my house... here's the grand tour! Sorry the pictures are all kind of mixed up.

To start off, this is inside the kitchen. Almost everything is cooked over the fire, including the injera.

On the left is the kitchen and cow barn. Right is the land lords family's home and gathering room. All the neighbors come here to enjoy.

Some of the houses in the compound.

This serves as the one and only sink and even the cow drinking hole.

This is Yinee, the land lord, cleaning out the cows barn. A pretty stinky job. Nonetheless, she is incredibly sweet and loving.

The master bathroom... oh wait...squat hole!

The shower. It is very very cold. I swear it will kill me one of these days. I'm a big pus and can only make myself shower twice a week. The pink door makes it a little better though.

One of the "family members" Fikray washing his clothes. Which, by the way, is a lot of work!

And finally, that is my room... where the door is open.

It's small and simple and I love it.

Oh, this is Boo Boo (Yinee's daugher). Isn't she the cutest little thing?

On to other things... this is Mesgana and her Fiancee Mobe. He is from Kenya and came to visit for a few days.

They are getting Married December 17th! We're all excited for them!

Just as I can't stop rain from falling, I realized I can't stop time from carrying me away. In a short few weeks my time in Ethiopia will be up. I am not ready to say goodbye again, especially to the people, but to the life style and rich culture as well. I love living in an inviting community, where you always ask to share food and drink,where you spend time greeting and joking rather than avoiding each other because of a busy schedule. I feel so blessed to be here. I'm preparing to come back to cold Idaho though!

Hi, my name is Kite.

or Kete and sometimes Kity.

I always slaughter Ethiopian names, but the good news is,

Ethiopians can't pronounce my name either.

It makes me giggle.

Life just keeps getting better and better here.

That doesn't mean things don't go wrong or that I'm always comfortable.

but I've learned that it's okay to change your plans and get out of your comfort zone.

Time here has brought sweeter rewards.The children I spend my time with have touch my heart so deeply.  It has been so fun to get to know them more. To remember their names, to have them come give me hugs and kisses as I walk in the gate, and to simply learn their likes and dislikes. I'm thankful for their examples. 

The past couple weeks I've been a bit in shock. 

I keep thinking to myself with disbeleive, "It's already November?!" 

and then when I realized it's the THIRD week of November, I about die.

Where has the time gone?

I have been a bit slow realizing when Thanksgiving actually is.

Oh, THIS WEEK.

now that is just nuts.

I've been thinking of last years Thanksgiving, I celebrated it in Ethiopia too. 

You can read about it here and here. 

It was quite the adventure. 

I can't wait to find out what this Thanksgiving will bring. 

To get in the mindset of Thanksgiving I've been reading some conference talks on gratitude. What inspiring leaders we have. One of my favorite quotes came out of a talk from our Prophet Thomas S. Monson, The Divine Gift of Gratitude. He quotes Josheph S. Smith--

“The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!” 

President Monson continues "A grateful heart comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all they bring into our lives." I love the power in that profound sentence.  

I'm thankful for you, Happy  Thanksgiving! 

Bridging the Language Barrier

Living in a country where you don't speak the language, obviously, can be difficult and frustrating. I so wish I could communicate better with the wonderful people I am surrounded by but I can't, yet. With the gaping language barrier, I've found another "language," if you will. As I interact with others and especially the children at Mother Teresa's I've realized how loud our spirits can speak. It has been in the eyes and countenance's of the disabled I've truly felt I could understand and be understood. It has transfered a feeling to my heart and bridged the gap. The feeling grips so tightly I can scarce forget about it. Everything around me brings me back to that feeling like a bell, clanging loudly and forcefully. It makes me re-examine my life; leaving me shaking some moments, crying at others and laughing at still more. It is a feeling oddly hard to put to the back of my mind. It is a feeling that stays with me and tickles my conscience; one that keeps me up at night asking myself questions I don't have the answers to.

It is a feeling of love.

powerful and true.

intense,

and always needed,

for all.

I'm thankful for the changing feeling of love I've received and pray I can somehow spread it with others.

What an adventure life is!

The feeling to return to Ethiopia has been on going since I returned to the States. I couldn't describe it. I knew it was crazy but real. Stepping off the plane and back into this country has felt so right. Even though my bags got left back in Amsterdam, the first couple days, I was beaming ear to ear to be back. I have to admit, the first two weeks was the time period I was most worried about. I thought, "I'm going to have to drag around a bunch of paranoid farengi's." But in actuality, it was a lot of fun. Seeing the country through new eyes and their reactions made me laugh. Here's some of the highlights...

We traveled down to Shashamane/ surrounding area- about 150 miles from the capital. All by public transportation, an adventure in itself. There we were able to spend time with the kiddo's family. They show such genuine and selfless love and are happy for the opportunity the kids were given. I feel so blessed to know them.

Mesafint's Father and myself

Mesafint's Dad brought photo's from when Mesafint was just a baby with his Mother. They are a beautiful family. For some reason I can't get them to rotate upright- sorry.

This is Mubarek, Damitu, Tofik, and Gutama's Brother and Sister.

They look so much like Mubarek and Damitu I think.

More family and friends.

Ronelle with cute kids. They either like to play with the farengi or are terrified of us.

We spent time at the Village of Hope- the orphanage the kids spent time in.

This is inside one of the domes Wes built for them.

Eating lots of Ethiopian food again!

Celese and Jim's first time having injera.

I was trying to buy mango's and ended up with this weird fruit instead. It was white and stringy on the inside with big pumpkin shaped seeds and tasted like pina colada. The best part was getting the limes, under my hand, for change.

Nati and me eating yummy tibs.

Behold, Ethiopian transportation...

Horse and donkey buggies

Mini Buses- Pack with people, stuff, and animals. If you look close you'll see the goats on top of the van on the left.
This is a Baja. I love riding in them.

And this is the crazy bus station. They have no schedule, organization, and the bus will only leave when it is completely full- which can take hours of waiting.

Me and Ronelle on a very bumpy ride. Even though public transportation is uncomfortable, a little scary, and extra long I kinda really love it.
Making friends and seeing the locals reaction to us on the buses makes it all worth it to me.

This Muslim man was so interesting to talk to. He even bought us corn.
On our travel we met up with Seid, a friend from the farm.

He brought Ronelle and I to his home to meet his family.

This is Seid and his father.
They fed us yummy porridge.

Going to homes and meeting families is one of my favorite things. I feel privleged to be invited to. They always treat us as royal guests and are honored that we care enough to visit them and their humble homes.

Seid's brother, me, Mother, Ronelle, and Sister.

Probably one of the most incredible and heartbreaking experiences of all was visiting the Prison and the man who attacked Wes. I was able to sit and talk with him, surrounded by all the other curious inmates. He is only 19 and still has 12 more years in jail. He was sincerely sorry for what he did, and expressed it several times. He had no intentions of hurting or killing Wes. He acted out of rage and that moment changed his and our lives forever. Sad really. He was grateful to hear Wes was okay and that he had forgiven him. It truly was an amazing experience.

Welcome to jail.

Back in Addis, we spent time with Jason and his boys. I'm lucky enough to spend my afternoons with them now. The boys are attempting to be my Amharic teachers. They are amazing kids with big hearts and dreams. It's humbling to see the selfless service Jason gives them.

I got to visit the Leprosy and TB hospital again! The victims of these disease are given the opportunity to sell their handy crafts in the hospitals gift shop for income. You can't help but walk away changed. They are all so happy despite their set backs and challenges. The next day we returned to bring them their photos we'd taken of them- loved seeing their faces light up at the surprise.

Weaving a rug.

Spinning cotton.

They can make some of the most beautiful things.

My Chaco tan line has increased by ten fold. Oh, and I have cool African men painted on my foot.

Enjoying delicious traditional food and dancing show.

We even got interview for Ethiopian TV. We're famous!... I tried to upload the video of me watching it here but the internet was too slow.

I took everyone to the Markato- the biggest market in Africa. I just love it there.

This women is selling in scents and spices.

I love being back in Ethiopia. I am now spending my days volunteering at a Mother Teresa Hospital in the morning and Yehiwot Raey (Meaning Vision of Life- Jason's boy program) in the afternoon. I'm moving in with a member from the branch here. She's about my age and extremely beautiful and kind. I'll have to blog more about that another time.

Love you all!

P.s Do you like the new name? I decided it was definitely time for a change.