Hammons House: Packing Up and Preparing to Head HOME ~

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Packing Up and Preparing to Head HOME ~

Greetings from Addis Ababa ~
The last time I will write that for awhile! Hard to believe that my month here is coming to a close - and yet GOD has done some most amazing things with my time here. Anyone who knows me knows I plan (I mean HELLO it's what I do for a living!!) so I entered this month with a plan and you know HE laughed and threw it right out the window!! And so I became okay with that because HIS plan was soooo much better.

I visited friends (who are way more like family)
I played with sweet little ones who are waiting on their moms and dads to arrive (SOON I pray)
I watched FOREVER FAMILIES be born
I witnessed heartbreak and loss as friends lost loved ones
I survived a midnight journey to Awassa - and anyone who has ridden those roads in the dead of night can understand
I produced an event that was 6 months in the making and it was PRETTY AWESOME
I spent time in the word - time like I had never spent before
I worked on a manuscript (that was suppose to be done LONG ago!)
I continued to run my business full time from half way around the world - that my friends is a whole blog post in itself
I tried foods I had vowed in years past would never pass my lips
I secured Tariku's injera plate and the boys traditional clothing that they put on a list for me to bring home
I watched and studied in awe the people of Addis - the joy, the contentment, the family values that exist in this country and vow to bring it home to my family
I stood at the edge of waterfalls and looked in AWE at ALL that HE has created
I laughed I laughed in ways I have not laughed in I cannot tell you how long
I loved
I missed my boys and my family - but knew they were safe and doing what they were suppose to be doing in this time -
I trusted HIM with every day and night

And now I return to the states - a different person - for this time a piece of me remains in Addis - I pray that I will continue to be as faithful to him at home as I have been here - that I will remember the lessons and that I will continue this journey - for a much bigger project was born on this trip - a project that will take HIS faithfulness and guidance to bring to life but I now know it's what I was called to do and so it will be done. (I will share more on this one as it moves forward)

So the duffles are packed and I am headed out to spend my last full day here in my second home. To soak in the incense and coffee smells, to hear the honking horns a few more times!