There were many lesson’s that I learned from my year in Ethiopia and my first year in the mission field.  It has been great rereading this list and reflecting on these as I gear up for the move to South Africa.  I can’t wait for the many things that I will learn and the ways that I will grow.  I know though that this life is not my own it is the Lord’s.  So I give my life again to him.  I trust him with my next adventure.

Below is the list of 100 lessons I have learned in Ethiopia:

1. I love to travel but hate to pack
2. I like when the power is out more than having power
3. Actual toilets are overrated, I will take a squatty potty any day
4. I love to learn a new culture
5. you have to look both ways when crossing a street when if the traffic is only suppose to be going one direction.
6. Trying new cultural foods adds to the adventure and will make for a good story later even if the food tastes bad
7. My identity is not that I am an American but a Christian
8. I have to laugh about crazy parts of life that can not be controlled or it will destroy you.
9. The longer I live overseas the worse my english gets
10. Living overseas is like a really long version of charades
11. The body of Christ truly is made up of every tribe, tongue and nation
12. Relationships are more important than tasks
13. There is no word in Amharic for busy
14. Heat resistant glass bowls do not mean fire resistant on a gas stove
15. I need to grasp a child like faith
16. Malaria meds and I don’t get along at all
17. you must bring your own toilet paper
18. Many people think my name is foreign
19. Don’t flush the toilet paper
20. Coffee in America tastes like water…the real thing is in Ethiopia
21. Salt in coffee is not bad, it cuts out the bitterness
22. Prices change based on your skin color
23. If you want take away for your leftovers that will cost you extra money
24. you can eat with your fingers and not get yelled at, it’s normal
25. God is not a God of safety but a wild God
26. Persecution is very much still happening today
27. Demon possession is real unfortunately
28. Not to let my God size dreams dwindle
29. I am not living to please men but to please God
30. Fear is the absence of faith
31. One’s happiness is not based on the amount of money in your pocket
32. Ministry can look very different from one day to the next
33. The flashlight on my I phone is not only for light but also to lure mosquito’s for the kill
34. Parasites love me…unfortunately
35. I am not living my life for self gratification but for God and his mission
36. Baby wipes can serve as a shower
37. Life is an adventure embrace it
38. Raw meat tastes good
39. Don’t let others crush you as a person, look only to the Lord
40. Showering and not having physical dirt come off of me makes me feel like I wasted water
41. I finally understand what it truly means to live each moment for the Lord
42. Prayer is Necessary, Prayer is a weapon, prayer is not a crutch to do nothing
43. God loves to use ordinary people like me for his greater plan
44. Waking up to the Muslim “Call to Prayer” reminds me that each day is Day 1 for serving the Lord
45. The easiest way to turn a girl off is to propose to her without even knowing her name
46. Shower drains are important in keeping rats out
47. God can do amazing things through you if you just let him
48. If you feed a chicken milk it will help her from breaking her eggs
49. I can’t believe how processed Gold Fish are
50. It’s good to take deworming pills about every two months when living overseas
51. Skype is a wonderful invention for staying in contact with family and friends along with having support
52. Attending an International Church with over 52 countries represented means that clapping happens on beats 1 and 3 along with 2 and 4
53. Baking soda, coco powder and sugar can take months to find
54. I now no the symptoms for parasites, Geradera, stomach bugs verses worms
55. There is a definite reason God wired me the way that I am
56. I hope that I can keep up with the purpose God has for me in my life
57. To get clothes super clean use your feet instead of your hands
58. Turn your clothes inside out when drying in the sun to avoid fading
59. Network both on your phone and internet is a luxury!
60. God did really promise not to flood the earth again.  I had to remind myself daily through rainy season in Ethiopia
61. Bumpy roads are way more fun than smooth ones
62. Honking your car horn happens all the time.  Many times as a warning not out of anger
63. When someone uses there turn signal sometimes it means to pass on that side of their car
64. The stars are way more beautiful in Africa
65. Anything imported is super expensive
66. Buying products while living in Ethiopia from China is a waste of money
67. Buying products off offline does not work in Ethiopia because their is no zip code
68. Make the most of every opportunity given to you by God
69. God is moving constantly it’s only when I slow down do I normally see it
70. God has turned my darkest moments in my life into amazing ministry tools
71. City living stresses me out
72. I am more concerned about solid poop now then diarrhea
73. I hate stereotypes and assumptions
74. I would make a horrible famous person because I hate being the center of attention
75. The perfect way to avoid eating my vegetables is to get a chicken who loves them!
76. Water and Electricity is a luxury
77. Seat Belts aren’t required when you put 29 people in a 12 passenger van
78. To trust God to move me to a holy discontent
79. What you are is God’s gift to you, what you do is your gift to God
80. Christ filled the largest gap of sin, what Gap am I willing to fill for the kingdom
81. Sheep have tails down, goats have tails up
82. If muds houses are made properly they can last up to 30 years.  Made with Straw, hay and mud
83. When flying in Africa you still get actual food not just a bag of peanuts
84. Lanes are just artwork on the ground that don’t hold any meaning
85. Leprosy is still happening and Ethiopia has the largest Leprosy Hospital in Africa
86. Getting everything on my grocery list can mean going to six different stores and take all day
87. There is no rules in driving, there is a standard but even that is unknown
88. The busy ringtone in the states is the actual ringtone in Ethiopia calling someone.  Many times when calling the states I listen to the busy tone waiting for them to answer
89. Adding minutes on your phone in Ethiopia is like playing the lottery in America, you scratch off the numbers and hope you get winner that will actually enter
90. Drying machine’s are only for the elite
91. There are two season’s in Ethiopia rain and sunshine
92. Addis Ababa sits at an elevation of 9,000 feet above sea level
93. Serving Christ is reweaving the frayed fabric of the world
94. God is faithful through it all
95. No matter where I am, what I do, or who I meet: I will praise and serve God
96. God is a healer
97. My God is able
98. When moving overseas buying things feels like you are using monopoly money
99. I could sleep in drive in America compared to driving in Ethiopia.  It takes a whole new level of focus
100. I love Ethiopia and miss it greatly!