Our Mission in Ethiopia


Friday, November 28, 2014



We had our District Conference on Saturday, Nov. 22nd 
(Priesthood Leadership where Elder Wold spoke and the Adult Meeting where I spoke).  
Then the Sunday District Conference session was on DVD in each area in Ethiopia 
on Nov. 23rd.  It was all in Amharic.



Yetim with the YW after the Sunday conference meeting
Tesfeaynesh in the white top and gray sweater is a new convert.



President Ashebir, counselor in the District Presidency conducted the meetings.
Here he is with his wife, Hiwot and cute kids,
Grant and Nabyat.


Sister Wenishet wanted a picture with me and
she chose this spot in the Priesthood room.


Monday, November 24th, was our Allie's 17th birthday, so we
gave her birthday treat to some of the YW after the baptism.
The treat was Werthers and chocolate coins that Jon and Emily brought.


Genet and her daughters, Meskerem 14, in blue, 
and Kalkidan 9, behind her, were baptized after
the District Conference.  Mekdes, Kalkidan and 
baby Edelawit love Primary! 


Abere, our branch mission leader baptized them.


Abere, Fekadu and Birhanu after the conference


YW and RS women with skirts for church, that our granddaughter,
Allie, collected for the sisters in our Debre Zeyit Branch



Henock (branch clerk), Abraham, Abenezer, and Fekadu were at YSA
FHE and we gave them glow necklaces.  (I took this picture in the
dark but the flash went off and you can't see the glowing
necklaces….  Pres. Kiros was at the building and stopped in too.)



Grant had a birthday Dec. 10th and turned 10, so he brought
his birthday cake to Primary to celebrate with the Primary kids.





We had our FUN elders over for Thanksgiving dinner the Monday before Thanksgiving 
and had a great time!  Elders Payne, Workman, Burdick and Bingham made us laugh all day!



A few days later we celebrated Elder Payne's birthday and I
made German Chocolate cupcakes! He LOVED them!!



Abraham and Elder Workman


 On the following P-day, all the elders in the zone came to Debre Zeyit
for a zone activity, playing soccer and having a pot-luck dinner.

In line for pie, lemon bars, brownies and cookies
made by the elders!

The Meganagna ZLs (left), Elder Christensen (one of our former 
DZ boys) and Elder Melton from Johannesburg







Saturday, November 22, 2014

Here are a few photos taken on Jon and Emily's last two days in Ethiopia….



We went to lunch at the Belvedere Italian Restaurant on the hill
overlooking Addis after we flew in on Friday from Gondar.  
Jon and Emily ordered yummy homemade ravioli  (below) and we got 
some good photos of Addis from the restaurant.




A shop on the way down the hill from the restaurant

The leaves wrapped up on the right are chat.  It's hallucinogenic
and legal to buy here in Ethiopia.  People chew it to get high. : /



Emily in front of one of our favorite markets called ALL MART

Jon is trying out one of the tiny shopping carts
in the store as we shopped for treats to take home
to their kids.  Haha!


Saturday, November 15th….

This was taken while we were leaving our house in Debre Zeyit 
to go to Addis Ababa on Saturday. (We borrowed the Zls hardbody 
truck for the week, trading it for our Lifan.)


Our home in Debre Zeyit

We stopped at the top of the road to our cute friends, Ruth and Yeabsra's
home and they ran up to see us, so they could meet Jon and Emily.  

At the airport on Saturday night….
It was hard to say "good-bye"!






Thursday, November 13, 2014

We flew back to Gondar Thursday at noon and spent the rest of the day there….

Gondar from our hotel balcony at the Taye Belay



At the FOUR SISTERS Restaurant for lunch

Gate to King Fasiledes' Bath House


A cute mom and her baby near the bath house

The Bath House

The pool surrounding the house, where thousands
of people come and jump in to be re-baptized
every year on January 21 for Timket

Our awesome guide, Gecho





Roots of the banyan trees going over the wall




The Bath House from the back….


The tree roots were on BOTH sides of the wall!




A guard tower


Women coming from an infant baptism
at Debre Birhani Selassie church

A mom and baby outside the Ethiopian Orthodox church


The gate to the Debre Birhane Selassie Church
Debre = mountain, Birhane = light
and Selassie = trinity



Ostrich eggs (7) on top of the church, symbolizing the 
seven days of creation.  As the ostrich looks down at
its egg until it hatches, the Lord looks down at us and
protects us. 


The whole ceiling is painted with angels looking down on us
and taking care of us.


Ceremonial drums with lots of symbolism
that the deacons play in the church 


Murals cover ALL four walls and the ceiling


Mary's eyes watch you wherever you go
in the church...

The Holy Trinity and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ



The church is shaped like Noah's Ark



Gecho, our guide on the left and we ran into
Abebo, our guide from LAST November
when we were there with Elder and Sister Tanner



King Fasiledes' Castle built in the 1600s
There were 6 castles in the royal enclosure…

(For more details see our post from Gondar in November 2013)










This castle was destroyed by the British in WWII
and later rebuilt by the Italians





Beautiful Gondar looking outside of the royal enclosure



What a FUN day with our Jon and his wife, Emily in Gondar, Ethiopia!


This cool shot was taken by our guide, Getachew (Gecho)







Good night Gondar!