Visit to a widow's house

Mark Wolbert checks in with our first update from Ethiopia...

Today in Addis Ababa, we drove through neighborhoods that became obviously poorer and poorer. Soon the buildings were less and less like houses and more and more like shacks, or lean-to's, made of galvanized roofing and blue plastic tarps with large rocks to divide properties into tiny lots. Some lots were the size of a small garage. Some lots were so small that the tiny shacks took up the entire lot.

It was into this type of neighborhood that we went to go visit a widow. Rather than have a bunch of people go charging into the house, only Joy, Abebe and Kelly went into the home - Joy to talk, Kelly to take photos and Abebe to translate. We have photos that are quite good. During the conversation we found out she was working as the 'live-in cook' for 3-4 military men. She does their housekeeping and is given food and a place to sleep for about $8.00 per month. This news broke my heart...

I stayed in the van and watched people eye our vehicle as if it were a spaceship that had landed from Mars or the Moon! I guess they don't get many visitors in cars in this neighborhood. Many people came to their front doors to stare at the white guy in the van... I felt like a zoo animal in a cage on wheels!!

Keep checking back for more updates from Joy and Mark!