By Dick Moeller

We have a busy planned today. We will be visiting 5 projects in the Seglamen area, west of Axum. These projects are part of a group of approximately 50 projects that have been implemented with our partners Relief Society of Tigray (REST) and Glimmer of Hope. This area is very arid and has a shortage of rainfall, but also very rocky and hilly.
The five projects we are visiting are May Tsada & May Quo (shallow boreholes), and Enda Michael, May Agam and May Gele Emni (all hand dug wells).

Getting to the projects today requires for all of us to travel by 4 wheel drive vehicles and the “roads” are very steep and rocky. You know it is steep, when the land cruiser gets stuck! Also, several of the projects are in deep valleys, so we do a lot of walking. One has an elevation change of 460 feet, the equivalent of walking up a 40 story building!
At our first stop, May Tsada, we are greeted by local musicians singing and dancing to welcome us to the project.

Check out the video above…..you can see the “smooth moves” of Jim Sorensen as he joins in the celebration.
Our big event of the day was the inauguration celebration at Enda Michael. We are greeted by several hundred of the local community, leading us down to the project. Our “entourage” includes a number of priest from the local Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church including their musical instruments and colorful bright umbrellas. They demonstrated their liturgical dances for us.

After some heartfelt greetings with the community, Suzanne Barrick was able to open the well for today’s use with the beneficiaries and then join in with them to fill the jerry cans.

All during the trip, Suzanne has been saying she wanted to do the walk for water with the women of Ethiopia. Click on the video above to see Suzanne walking with Ababa to her home with their jerry cans. It was up hill all the way, and Suzanne was totally out of breath, but it was a joyous moment when they reached Ababa’s house together. Hugs and tears were shared by all!

At each of the communities, we were able to meet with beneficiaries and water committee to discuss the water projects and how it is helping the community. You know they are totally joyful and grateful for the clean water when you see their smiles. And they always ask for the blessing of clean water for the neighboring communities that have none.

At each of the communities, they express their gratitude with an open heart and the sharing of food. We were able to experience the coffee ceremony, ambasha bread (a large round baked bread), popcorn, and injera. While our travel group is the center of attention for these moments, it is also a great time of fellowship for the community to celebrate with us.

Our last stop of the day is with the community of Mai Quo, not far from Selekleka, mentioned in yesterday’s blog. Jim Sorensen, a W2T board member, served as a medical missionary about 50 years ago in that community. This was a special moment for Jim, as he and many of his fellow Ethiopian missionaries from that time came together to fund the water project for Mai Quo. The picture above shows Jim assisting one of the water committee members with pumping the water to fill her jerry can.
Our day was long but joy filled, experiencing firsthand the welcoming hospitality of the communities we serve.
 

 

By Dick Moeller

We have a busy planned today. We will be visiting 5 projects in the Seglamen area, west of Axum. These projects are part of a group of approximately 50 projects that have been implemented with our partners Relief Society of Tigray (REST) and Glimmer of Hope. This area is very arid and has a shortage of rainfall, but also very rocky and hilly.
The five projects we are visiting are May Tsada & May Quo (shallow boreholes), and Enda Michael, May Agam and May Gele Emni (all hand dug wells).

Getting to the projects today requires for all of us to travel by 4 wheel drive vehicles and the “roads” are very steep and rocky. You know it is steep, when the land cruiser gets stuck! Also, several of the projects are in deep valleys, so we do a lot of walking. One has an elevation change of 460 feet, the equivalent of walking up a 40 story building!
At our first stop, May Tsada, we are greeted by local musicians singing and dancing to welcome us to the project.

Check out the video above…..you can see the “smooth moves” of Jim Sorensen as he joins in the celebration.
Our big event of the day was the inauguration celebration at Enda Michael. We are greeted by several hundred of the local community, leading us down to the project. Our “entourage” includes a number of priest from the local Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church including their musical instruments and colorful bright umbrellas. They demonstrated their liturgical dances for us.

After some heartfelt greetings with the community, Suzanne Barrick was able to open the well for today’s use with the beneficiaries and then join in with them to fill the jerry cans.

All during the trip, Suzanne has been saying she wanted to do the walk for water with the women of Ethiopia. Click on the video above to see Suzanne walking with Ababa to her home with their jerry cans. It was up hill all the way, and Suzanne was totally out of breath, but it was a joyous moment when they reached Ababa’s house together. Hugs and tears were shared by all!

At each of the communities, we were able to meet with beneficiaries and water committee to discuss the water projects and how it is helping the community. You know they are totally joyful and grateful for the clean water when you see their smiles. And they always ask for the blessing of clean water for the neighboring communities that have none.

At each of the communities, they express their gratitude with an open heart and the sharing of food. We were able to experience the coffee ceremony, ambasha bread (a large round baked bread), popcorn, and injera. While our travel group is the center of attention for these moments, it is also a great time of fellowship for the community to celebrate with us.

Our last stop of the day is with the community of Mai Quo, not far from Selekleka, mentioned in yesterday’s blog. Jim Sorensen, a W2T board member, served as a medical missionary about 50 years ago in that community. This was a special moment for Jim, as he and many of his fellow Ethiopian missionaries from that time came together to fund the water project for Mai Quo. The picture above shows Jim assisting one of the water committee members with pumping the water to fill her jerry can.
Our day was long but joy filled, experiencing firsthand the welcoming hospitality of the communities we serve.