I have been teaching for four days and my first week is almost finished. It is an incredible joy, and the time is flying by!

Addis Ababa, the capital, is where the Bible college is located. I couldn’t have picked a more perfect climate. It’s just finishing rainy season, but that means there is rain sometime during the day and the rest of the time it’s sunny and incredibly pleasant.

Ethiopia is on its own clock and calendar. They just had their new year when I arrived and it’s actually 2007 on their calendar. That makes me 7 years younger. I’m good with that.

They also have 13 months on their calendar. 12 months have 30 days. One month has 5 or 6 days. They can advertise they have “13 months of sunshine.”

Their clock time is also different, but thankfully I don’t have to try and adjust to that. Whatever the time REALLY is (say noon), Ethiopians tack on 6 hours (so to them it is 6).

The neighborhoods I observe in this part of the city are completely mixed. There are fabulously gorgeous homes or compounds (and in this part there are a lot of embassies) and right across the “street” are shacks and shanties. I use the term “street” loosely. The main roads are roads, but anything else is a roll of the dice.

The school is a wonderful place. I am teaching 18 students the Gospel of John and they are impressive. They are truly students of the Word of God. It is refreshing. They actually ASK ME to GIVE THEM QUIZZES. (I have to keep pinching myself on that one.)

Overall, the 2 year pursuit of prayer has finally landed me here and every day, at some point, I smile to myself and think, “I AM REALLY IN AFRICA!”

I am praying more about what is next for us as a church. There are ideas forming and I’m so excited for what is ahead in being involved in one country over the next several years.

Over the past two years my thought has been, “I only want to pray God’s prayers.” And this result for this prayer is absolutely wonderful. It keeps me praying!