Day 3 – Welcome to Addis Ababa NOT Kigali
As we departed Rome it was very clear we would miss the one-flight-per-day to Kigali, Rwanda from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. With a change in flight crew in Rome, we lost any compassion for our plight. A high note was as we flew over the “boot” of Italy, the sun was rising in the east. The beautiful sunrise over Italy was something we will not soon forget!
We landed at 2:15PM in Addis and missed our connection by about 2 hours. Ethiopian Airlines put us in a hotel and provided for meals until Tuesday when they said they would get us to Kigali. In general, the Addis experience was a stunning eye-opener for this Christian group. For some of us, it was the first time in a third-world country. The abject poverty was overwhelming with thousands of men simply milling around the streets, and too many to count shanty homes. The air quality was poor and affecting some team members. Most families cook over open pits and the smoke from domestic cooking, as well as the automobile pollution hangs over Addis. Our hotel was questionable--we did not feel secure and were advised not to walk outside, which had most of remaining in the hotel. Only Andy and Paul were courageous enough to venture out, but not too far. God blessed them and they returned--unharmed. The pictures of Addis are worth more than these words and left an impact we shall not soon forget. Frankly, the team doesn’t want to blog about Ethiopia….it was a gut wrenching, “never-going-back” experience.
Ed
As we departed Rome it was very clear we would miss the one-flight-per-day to Kigali, Rwanda from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. With a change in flight crew in Rome, we lost any compassion for our plight. A high note was as we flew over the “boot” of Italy, the sun was rising in the east. The beautiful sunrise over Italy was something we will not soon forget!
We landed at 2:15PM in Addis and missed our connection by about 2 hours. Ethiopian Airlines put us in a hotel and provided for meals until Tuesday when they said they would get us to Kigali. In general, the Addis experience was a stunning eye-opener for this Christian group. For some of us, it was the first time in a third-world country. The abject poverty was overwhelming with thousands of men simply milling around the streets, and too many to count shanty homes. The air quality was poor and affecting some team members. Most families cook over open pits and the smoke from domestic cooking, as well as the automobile pollution hangs over Addis. Our hotel was questionable--we did not feel secure and were advised not to walk outside, which had most of remaining in the hotel. Only Andy and Paul were courageous enough to venture out, but not too far. God blessed them and they returned--unharmed. The pictures of Addis are worth more than these words and left an impact we shall not soon forget. Frankly, the team doesn’t want to blog about Ethiopia….it was a gut wrenching, “never-going-back” experience.
Ed
