A Walk to See Kalkidan's Family

A walk to see Kalkidan’s family - Written by Dr. Sarah

Every Sunday we talk

(Except the Sunday’s we don’t)

And every conversation she reminds us

Of all she wants to send her family

And how much she is looking forward to talking with them

This child, this precious child of God, Kalkidan

Is like none other I have ever known

Though blind, she sees

She hears

She knows

That she is wholly loved

Not slighted by having her sight taken

By a remnant of embroynic tissue growing and growing

Until her optic chasm was compressed til the lights turned off

She sees with her heart

And she holds fast her love for family

And shares readily the hope and love of our merciful and gracious Father in heaven

It’s 3:30 in the morning, and the rain is pat, pat, pattering on the tin rooftop of the round tukul in which I lay.

Oh Lord, we need to see Kalkidan’s family today

Make the rain stop

It’s 5:30 and the rain is pattering steady on

Lord, Hailu will be here soon to show us the way

We need to see Kalkidan’s family today

To deliver the hand-woven potholders and the gifts she’s purchased with “her money” for her mom and dad and sisters and brothers and grandparents

It’s 6 o’clock, and the rain stopped

Mercifully

Hailu is here at 6:30, and we embark

The air fresh with scents of eucalyptus, filled with sounds of birds chirping and chattering

Brightly colored flowers ranging the spectrum—red, yellow, purple, pink, white, orange and blue dot the landscape.  

Fields of teff and wheat

Trees swaying in the wind

The river flowing

Children playing

Women laundering

Men, women, and children wrapped in white robes heading to church

Boys leading burrows and cows

Others gathering bundles of freshly cut grass to feed their animals

We walk on and on, ever upward, winding this way and that, guided by Hailu

To the mountaintop dwelling of Kalkidan’s family

No one is home!

A neighbor child comes, curious

Where is Mesfin?

He runs to get him

Other neighbors come

Ahnat and Abat — Mother and Father— come, along with grandmother and sisters and baby brother.

More come to see

The picture book filled with images of Kalkidan, now over 5’ tall

Beautiful inside and out

Playing the guitar and piano

Playing with Benmet and Miheret

With her family in the US, but always loving her family in Ethiopia

She talks with them for 52 minutes

Never enough

But always enough to hold her

Until the next visit, the next walk along the serpiginous path to the mountaintop

It is worth it

Thank God for Hailu, our guide and friend who is a faithful servant and brother in Christ.

Thank God for rain...and that it stopped

Just in time

For the walk to Kalkidan's family.

Four hour walk up and down from Project Mercy to Kalkidan's home.  

On the hike to the mountains

Community, family, love.

Marybeth joined in this special trip.

Isabella and Bill

Dr. Sarah with the family

All Hands In - By Dr. Sarah

They came!

Come hear about your children

Men and women, with children bundled on backs in long swaths of cloth and hooded towels protecting those precious growing minds ... tomorrow’s future

They came and heard

About our common purpose

The future

The hope borne by us

Fed by us

Guided by us

And they kept coming, filling the hall that typically feeds hungry school children two meals a day

Rows and rows of benches 

...and more benches brought to accommodate

Scoot over, make room for more

In the hall with brightly colored paintings and windows wide open 

welcoming a gentle breeze

Despite our differences we are united in this:

Our children give us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

All eyes and ears open to learn about simple things...

Simple things that make a big difference

Nourishment

Of the body and the mind and soul

Hand washing

To cleanse the body and minimize transmission of disabling and disfiguring diseases

Healthy habits

That keep our water clean and insides healthy

Eagerly they came

They leaned in

They heard that health starts in the womb

Fathers are called to action to nourish their wives growing the next generation

Sister Maseret speaks fervently, engendering hearts to embrace her message

“Proactive, not reactive”

Can we do this?

Yes we can!

Do we want to do this?

Yes we do!

Seeds, planted years ago

A vision for improved community health

Conversations

Prayers 

And waiting

Trust is built as teams come and return again and again

The seeds have taken root

A wellspring of new growth that will multiply the harvest of health 

Through community engagement, enlightenment, and empowerment, equipped with knowledge and skill of trusted mentors

Who will walk alongside in support and affirm and gently challenge to mobilize the resources all around, already here

Growing minds, growing hearts

All hands in

 
 Mighty God how great you are Psalm 1:1-3