Holding Plans Loosely

I’m sorry we have not been able to post our blog for the last week. Internet access is already unreliable in Ethiopia, but then some political unrest in the northern part of Ethiopia led to the assassination of five military leaders, and the government shut down the internet altogether to prevent a spread of violence. (Granted, that strategy would never fly in the U.S., but that’s how it’s done here.)

It has been a strange sensation to be disconnected to the rest of the world, especially when we know our families will see the news and be worried. Rest assured, we’re in good hands here. We have several Ethiopian friends here who are well-informed and keeping us safe. 

Unfortunately, some of those well-connected friends don’t think it’s wise for us to travel to some of the locations on our itinerary. The next leg of our journey was supposed to be in northern Ethiopia, where we were planning to visit some ancient churches and also take a trek into the mountains. Sadly, the north is where the assassinations took place, and there’s still tension there that could turn into more violence. We will have to regroup and figure out an alternative plan – very disappointing, but this is part of the reality of Ethiopia: a largely peaceful and democratic nation that is still troubled by some ethnic and political tensions that go back hundreds of years. The nation has been in mourning all week over the loss of its leaders; there are military checkpoints on all the roads, checking for guns. It’s a time of grieving and uncertainty.

Thanks for your prayers as we try to remain patient and flexible.

Meanwhile, I'll start posting the blogs I wrote earlier in our journey, so things may be a bit out of order.