Grace Phelps

“God, teach me to trust you.”

My prayer before starting this trip. Wow, oh how God answered this!

In January of 2021, I prayed and asked the Lord to take me on an adventure during the upcoming summer. I was fresh out of a breakup and I was longing for something more. God completely answered that prayer. This post is a recap of just one of my adventures from that summer. I had the opportunity to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to visit a new friend I had made in chemistry class during the spring semester. The following are excerpts from my journal while I was traveling.

Day 1 – Sunday: Re-routed.

My parents and I left our hometown to start the four-ish hour drive to Chicago O’Hare. I was completely stoked that the trip was finally here, but I definitely felt the butterflies in my stomach. This was my first trip overseas on my own. Praise God that another friend, Maddy, wanted to come, too, so I was not completely on my own.

We arrived at the airport around 3 pm, but had to wait until 4 pm to check-in. We waited in the check-in line for about an hour and a half. When we finally got to the front, things started to go south. Long story short, after about 45 minutes of making phone calls, we came to the conclusion that I had taken the wrong COVID-19 test and would not be allowed to board the plane. Thankfully, we had been working with a travel agent, so we quickly called her and she helped us cancel our flights. Honestly, we did not really know what to do next. However, I felt like we still needed to find a way to get to Ethiopia.

My parents started the drive back home while Maddie and I started the trek to her grandparents house about an hour from the airport. There was nothing we could do except trust God that he had a reason for us not to be on that plane. Little did I know, spending the next three days with Maddy’s grandparents was exactly what I needed.

Day 2 – Monday: Walking by Faith

Maddy and I began the day by taking new COVID-19 tests. The pharmacists told us our results could take anywhere from 48-72 hours. While we waited, we called our travel agent and she was a Godsend! She helped us work through the process of booking new tickets and getting refunded for our old ones. The ticket prices through our original airline had doubled, so we decided to switch airlines, but were ultimately able to book tickets for less than the original price we paid, Praise God.

We had to book new tickets in faith that our COVID tests would come back before we arrived at the airport. (The COVID test had to be taken within 72 hours of the arrival into the country, so we did not have much wiggle room). I was also still awaiting approval of my visa to enter the country. Maddy’s visa came no problem, but I had to submit mine three times. The process was intense and it would have been easy to be overwhelmed, but I felt like God had a purpose in all of this and was still leading us to go.

Despite the headaches, I spent a lot of time in prayer. While we were waiting for all the documentation we needed to travel, Maddy and I simply lived the retired life in with her grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa’s city had been experiencing a drought for several weeks, but they prayed with us and later that day God sent a downpour. It was such a sweet reminder of God’s faithfulness while we were waiting for him to answer our prayers.

At the end of the day, I opened up my devotion book only to discover that it was about trusting God. The authors included the following prayer, “Father God, thank you for always being with me. I ask that you reign supreme in my mind, heart, and actions. Please help me to remember that you are always with me. I love you so much, but I get so easily lost in the fear of the unknown or desire for things to work out the way I hoped. Help me to know that with you I have all that I need and you will carry me through whatever I face. May this day and week be one that glorifies you and brings me closer to you and your likeness. Help me to always make the choice of running to you over anything else. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

Okay, c’mon Somebody! God literally put words to all the feelings in my heart and so gently reminded me to seek him first even in the midst of uncertainty! Praise God!

Day 3 – Tuesday: Embracing the Moment

In light of the prayer I had read and prayed the following night, today I decided to commit to being fully present and not worry about all the details of our trip. As soon as I woke up, I spent some time reading the Bible and refreshing my spirit. When I finally checked my phone, my visa had popped up in my email! Praise the Lamb!

Maddy and I spent the morning by going on a bike ride and playing games with her grandparents and cousin. When we checked our emails again in the late afternoon, our COVID tests came back negative, God was bringing all the details together!

Day 4-6, Wednesday-Friday: Starting Off, again…

I woke up and went for a morning walk with Jesus. Then I spent some time chatting with Grandma and Grandpa. Maddy and I got ready to go, then we shopped at an antique store and headed to the airport. We checked-in, got through security and to our gate with no problem! We praised God and were finally on our way! We flew through the night and had a fifteen hour layover in Dubai.

It was strange to be some of the only Americans in the Dubai airpot, but we had fun. We slept, ate food, slept more, then boarded our final leg to Addis.

P.S. The food on the international flight was surprisingly very delicious, ha!

As we were nearing Addis, we realized we did not have a way to contact our friend on the ground. However, the Lord provided a kind man in the seat next to us. His name was Joseph and I still believe he may have been an angel sent from heaven. Seriously. Jospeh let us use his phone to call Semmy and let her know we had arrived. Then, he stayed with us through immigration. He then stayed with us until we got our luggage even though that literally took two hours and he was not waiting on any bags. After this, we had to wait in the customs line, which was really incredibly long.

Joseph, being his incredible self, talked to a customs agent and somehow got us to the front of the line. Then he helped us get our bags through with no problems even though they had been marked for extra screening since they contained many gifts for the preschool we would be visiting. We finally found Semmy and her dad and said farewell to Joseph. I was stunned by the provision and protection of the Lord through all our travels.

We spent the rest of the evening with Semmy and her family.

እንኳን ደህና መጣህ

Welcome in Amharic

Day 7 – Saturday: Welcome to the Family

The night time sounds were a lot different than I was used to. There were hyenas, dogs, prayers from the Orthodox Church and mosque. I woke up in time to watch the sunrise over the mountains on the terrace as I read my Bible. After the sunrise, I met Asni who made us breakfast. I ate with Jared, another guest from the States. It was so great to hear his story and advice as he had visited Addis many times before.

After breakfast, we ran some errands in the city with Semmy, Natti (her brother) and I’mamai (her mom). Many drivers had attached giant speakers to the roofs of their vehicles and were blasting music. It was great. Natti also informed us that the road signs and lines were simply suggestions and people just do what they want when driving. When we were done with our errands, we came home and ate injera for lunch followed by a traditional coffee ceremony. It was so lovely! I did not think I would ever like coffee until I had a cup of fresh roasted coffee in Ethiopia. IT WAS LIFE CHANGING, it’s literally so good.

We also had homemade popcorn during the coffee ceremony which was probably the best popcorn I have ever tasted. Honestly, I would go back just for the popcorn 😉

We spent the rest of the afternoon with the family and played soccer with all Semmy’s siblings. At dinner, some family friends stopped by and joined us for our meal. Jared and other missionaries also joined us from the guesthouse and shared injera, but also stories and laughter.

I’mamai was so welcoming and hospitable. I simply love how people would just stop by and be welcomed in for a meal and conversation.

Day 8 – Sunday: Church, Coffee, & Conversation

We started the day by attending Semmy’s church. The message was on celebrating the way men and women are uniquely made in the image of God. We could not understand much of the language, but Natti was our personal translator ha! The service was unlike any other that I had attended in America. The people were singing and dancing and so joyful to be worshipping together. It stirred my heart for what God intended the church to be.

After church, Semmy and the family were invited to visit friends, so Maddy and I spent the day at the house with Alamish and Algonish. We had a coffee ceremony with popcorn, of course. Alamish allowed Maddy and I to try on her traditntal clothes and practice roasting the coffee. We enjoyed a sweet afternoon of sharing stories and meaningful conversations. It was such a blessing to learn from these women! There is so much we can learn from each other when we take time to listen even if there is a language barrier to overcome.

Be strong and keep going after your dreams.

Alamish

In the late afternoon, Maddy and I played soccer with the gatekeeper, Askin. Followed by some delicious injera and shiro for dinner. When Semmy and her family returned home, we sang obnoxiously loud and played piano together until it was time for bed. I felt nervous for what tomorrow would bring, but I knew God at work in me was more than enough.

Day 9 – Monday

Wow. Everyday leaves me feeling so full! I woke up early this morning to do my devotions on the terrace and spend some time worshipping. I made my way down the stairs back to the guest house and shared breakfast with all the guests. After breakfast, two of the guests, Natti, Semmy, Ababaye, Maddy and I drove about 1 hour outside of the city to Holeta. Yezelalem Minch has a preschool and adult equipping center to serve the community there.

When we arrived, the director invited us into his office for a coffee ceremony. We ate popcorn and chatted for a while. After the coffee ceremony, we were given a tour of the campus and shown the shops that the government gave to the women who graduated the sewing program. This allowed them to start their own businesses and provide for their families. Before we left, we sang songs with the preschoolers. They were very energetic, but also incredibly respectful and hardworking.

We started the drive back, playing many silly games and laughing loudly all the way. Once we returned home, we ate injera for lunch. After lunch we visited the main campus for the Yezelalem Preschool in Addis Ababa and met some of the students and staff there. Maddy and I were excited to come back and play with the kids over the next few days.

We headed back to the house for dinner which was Ethiopian pizza (veggies and beef). The power went out shortly after dinner, so we played games and sang songs until it was time for bed. The government in Ethiopia controls the power, so it is not uncommon for it to go out unexpectedly and return anywhere from hours to days later.

Everyone we met today was so welcoming and kind from the staff at YZM to the preschoolers themselves. It was a joy to make new friends