Back to Mekelle

Wow.  It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a blog entry.  The blog served as a great way for me to explain how in December ’11 God worked to get me to Ethiopia, have a chance meeting with my now son, Sofani, and ultimately make him part of our family. That experience was life changing for all parties involved.  Trust me.

Today, Sofani is doing well in the 6^th grade at Selma Middle School and has added so much life to our family.  His smile is still as infectious as it was on the day I met him (just ask the girls at the middle school).  People still marvel at how in the world he wound up with us. Sometimes I do, too.

As for the rest of us, we have all adjusted to the new family unit and all of the changes that occur when you drop another child into your house that has been used to living on his own, doesn’t speak the same language and had to have wondered to himself how he wound up with all of these crazy white people.  Over the past year and a half I changed jobs, we all changed our priorities and everyone is better off as a result.  We have found our new “normal” which is a daily adventure.

But that’s not why I’m writing…

Upon return from my first trip to Ethiopia I was saddled with a couple of burdens on my heart – one of them was named Sofani and one was something that I’ve only shared with several people until now.

I’ll try to frame this story so that it makes some sense.

In December of ’11 I was in Mekelle, Ethiopia to deliver Amharic bibles to students at the Ethiopian Orthodox School as well as members of evangelical groups that we met with while we were in town. 

Ethiopia is primarily made up of Christian Orthodox believers.  The practice of this religion is steeped in history and, oddly enough, most of the students that we encountered at the Orthodox school didn’t even have bibles.  We had to receive permission from church leaders to pass these out.  Needless to say bibles are not laying around on bookshelves in homes in Ethiopia.  They are cherished. 

The evangelical movement is active in Ethiopia, also.  Evangelical’s approach to Christianity is more like what I’ve grown up practicing in the US.  It’s about the relationship with Jesus and all of the grace and mercy that go along with it.  Evangelicals aren’t the most popular people with the Orthodox and they’re far outnumbered.   They have to gather and worship in secret.  At one of the services I attended near the university in Mekelle the “greeter” at the church was holding an AK-47 assault rifle.  The irony is that it was the best worship service I’ve ever attended.

After one of our meetings with the Evangelicals we discussed the insurgence of Muslims into the horn of Africa.  On our travels throughout the country, we saw many mosques popping up throughout the country and heard time after time how the Muslims go into communities where hope can be hard to find and invest in these communities.  They have a strategy on moving into Africa – namely through one of the only remaining Christian nations in Northern Africa – Ethiopia. 

Sofani’s hometown of Mekelle, Ethiopia, is at the heart of the fight in the northern part of the country with the highest concentration of Orthodox.  People in Mekelle are on the front lines of this battle – the insurgence of Islam and the oppressed Evangelical movement.

Take into consideration that by 2050 half of the youth of the world will live on the continent of Africa and think about what the world will be like in the decades to come.  Will this population growth be rooted in Islam or Christianity?

While I was in Ethiopia I met a man that was a retired dentist from the US named Dr. John Balikowski.  Dr. John and I hit it off right away.  He left his retired life of comfort in the states for missionary work in Mekelle.  He was teaching nurses and other healthcare workers simple dentistry since at the time Ethiopia had 80 dentists for 80 million people.  Dr. John is also at the heart of the evangelical movement.  He helped get an evangelical school up and running in Addis Ababa and wants to do the same in Mekelle in the region of Tigray.

Upon returning to the states I kept in contact with Dr. John for a couple of months.  With good intentions I offered to help mobilize stateside to fundraise and build a bible college.  Honestly, we became so wrapped up in getting Sofani to the US and getting him acclimated to our family that the bible college idea was placed on the back burner.  My correspondence with Dr. John tapered off and eventually stopped; however, the bible college crossed my mind often.

A few weeks ago I started a bible study at our church.  It’s a program designed to keep you in the bible daily and teach leadership along the way.  I signed up.  One of the functions of the study is to journal in various colors of ink – black with my thoughts, blue with scripture and red when you hear from God.  I thought to myself… “This is kind of weird.  I wonder when I’ll use the red pen.”  God removed the cap of my red pen days later.

My first red pen entry:

1/19/14 - “Research the bible college in Mekelle.  Develop a strategy to raise $500K.  Change the world.”

Crazy, huh?  Considering that $500K was more than enough to build the college based on my conversations with Dr. John two years ago I was not surprised with this number.

Next red pen entry:

1/24/14 – “Listen for my call and obey.  Have ears to hear and eyes to see.  Order the book I showed you earlier this week.”

I was listening to a Christian radio station earlier in the week – not something I do that often – and heard a guy talking about a book that he had written on Islam’s war with Christianity.  I ordered it. 

So Thursday I’m at my bible study.  Todd Austin, one of the fellows that I traveled to Ethiopia with in ’11 walked up to me afterwards and was discussing the results of my “strengths test” that I had completed the week prior (my top 5 strengths were Strategy, Communication, Woo, Achievement, Significance).  He said to me, “God is going to start talking to you on the fly and using you to do something big for the kingdom.”  I started laughing – almost crying – with joy because I knew exactly what he was referring to.  God has been revealing the gifts/strengths He has given me and was clearly sending me signs that it was go-time.

On Friday the book “The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent” arrived.  Staci and I went to dinner that night and I told her that I need to begin researching, developing a strategy and mobilizing to help Dr. John build the bible college.  Not surprisingly, she was completely on board.  Staci and I are nearly always on the same page and this was no exception.  She has had a strong urge to return to Ethiopia and has had several signs from God over the past few weeks that there would be a return trip – just not 100% sure as to when and why.

That brings me to today.  I woke up this morning and reached over to go through my normal routine – put on my glasses, buzz through emails, Twitter, etc.  I had one email that caught my eye, though.  It was from someone that I haven’t heard from in almost 2 years.  Here it is:

“Dear Jason,

It has been a long time since you were here with us in Mekelle.  Hope all is well with you.

We are in the process of finally starting the Bible training center here in Mekelle.  We never heard back anything positive about putting up the building, so we are renting one for now so we can get started.  We are short a few thousand dollars for startup expenses and I would ask the Lord if you or your friends could help us.  Funds can be sent a couple of different ways, one would be through the church in Michigan that was willing to help channel funds for us, and also through World Dental Relief.

Please pray for us as we try to get started.  I already have a curriculum and will work with ISOM (International School of Ministry).

Your partner for the Harvest in Ethiopia,

Dr. John”

I think it’s pretty clear that I’m supposed to have a role in building a bible college in Mekelle, Ethiopia.  I’m asking for some of you to help me in this endeavor.  I am confident that we can raise the funds to get the temporary school up and running as well as another $500K with the proper strategy.  I would like to mobilize and begin getting organized in the next couple of weeks.  Please contact me at jasonbuck1@aol.com if you’re interested in being a part of this or if you have an interest in donating to the cause.  Please follow my blog for more updates in the days to come and watch God move.

So Much Fun

We are having so much fun. Sofani is fitting right in to our family.  His bright smile and contagious laugh have brought us so much joy over the past three weeks.

I’ll do my best to share some of the best stories thus far (and there have been plenty).

The kid can cook.  Who knew?  Sofani has prepared dinner for the entire family twice since his arrival.  He loves to make “spaget” (spaghetti) his own special way.  He carefully dices onions, tomatoes and adds oil and white pepper to make an incredible sauce.  He makes fruity drinks served in wine glasses and always insists on a “cheers” before everyone takes their first drink.  He drinks a café latte in the mornings with 3 teaspoons of sugar and will drink anything with mango (he loves it).  He has discovered McDonalds.  He loves cheeseburgers with ketchup only.  After church Sunday he began chanting, “Mick – dah – nodes, Mick – dah – nodes!”  Staci caved and took him.

He’s a quick study.  His English is improving every day and he’s getting private ESL instruction three times a week.  He’s nervous talking around people that he doesn’t know but is very expressive when he’s among people close to him.  He understands almost everything that we say and if he doesn’t we rephrase until we’re on the same page.

He learned how to swim in 3 days.  He went from drinking all of the water in the pool and choking every time he went underwater on day 1 to swimming the length of the pool underwater and doing back flips off of the diving board last week.  We joke that he may be the first Ethiopian diver in the Olympics.

We bought him an iPod and he’s quickly developing the dependence that every American has with their handheld devices.  He loves shopping at Target with his mom.  His Grandma Anita gave him $100 and he’s fascinated with what that can get him in the US.  He hasn’t spent it – he’s just very interested in knowing what it can buy.  He asked us how much it was to buy a goat last week. 

Sofani says, “How much goat?”

I asked, “Why, for a pet?” 

Sofani said, “No.”

I asked, “To eat the grass in the yard?”

Sofani replied, “No.  To eat.”

We laughed and promised to get him to an Ethiopian restaurant soon.

He is a hard worker.  He and I were in the garage two weeks ago and it was a mess.  Disorganized, dirty – it was definitely project that would have taken me an entire Saturday afternoon to complete.  I made some comment about how bad it looked and the next day while I was at work he pulled everything out of the garage, cleaned it, threw away trash and organized it to the point that we could easily get both cars in it.  He was very proud and I was very grateful.  It’s important for him to feel that he’s adding value to our family. 

He’s an entrepreneur at heart.  Back to his money… he asked if his $100 could buy him a hen.  We called Grandpa Tom (the only one in our family that would know how to access this information).  Tom said Sofani’s $100 could probably get him 2 hens.  Now Sofani wants to build a chicken coop and 2 hens so that he can sell eggs.  We haven’t worked through this yet.  Avery reminded him that it would be hard to go on vacation if we were chicken farmers!  It's just a reminder that in some way he knows that he must look out for himself and his own future.  He's dealt with enough loss in his young life to know that things can be taken from you very quickly.

Before he arrived we bought a used bike for him.  We had no idea if he could ride so we didn’t buy a new one.  Sofani took off right away – riding with no hands.  The kid could obviously handle a bike. My dad has made a tradition of buying our kids their first really nice bike, so we were holding out for Poppy to take Sofani to the bike shop in Marion when the time came.   Jackson and Avery have both been on the receiving end of Poppy’s bike purchase.  Last week Sofani was fed up with his used bike.  The kickstand is busted up, the bike is heavy and the gears often miss when as it shifts.  Sofani said, “This bike no good.  Jackson and Avery’s bikes very good.”  We knew it was time to make the trip to Marion.  Poppy spent the day with Sofani and Jackson.  They bought Sofani a new bike and rode around the trails in Marion all afternoon.  When he left he thanked my dad and bowed.  He was very grateful.  He loves his new bike.  He takes bike rides with Jackson and Avery on the trails at the park by our house every day.

It hasn’t been perfect, though.  Sofani got in trouble today.  He has recently figured out how to ride the mower around the yard and loves driving it as fast as it will go.  Staci took the key away from him today so he wouldn’t ride it unsupervised and he hotwired it and took it for a joyride.  Twice.  Staci took away his iPod and he begged and pleaded to have it back.  He said he was very, very sorry. We’ll see when he gets it back.  It’s hard to discipline him. 

Sofani was insistent to go to school when Avery, Jackson and Anna begin.  That wasn’t exactly our plan.  We thought he would stay home with Staci for the first semester and home school him while he became better acquainted with English.  He didn’t want anything to do with our plan so Staci met with the administration in our school system and they’ve mapped out a plan for him to be in Jackson’s class in the 5^th grade.  Being in the highest grade in the elementary school will probably be a great way to break him into the school system.  He’ll have one teacher for his core subjects and they’ll work to tailor some of the subjects to meet him where he is with the language barrier.  We’re so grateful to have such an awesome school system.  They know this is going to be a challenge and stretch them a bit, but they’re excited to give it a go.  We know we’ll have bumps along the way as he learns English.  It’s all part of the process.

Sofani has called his Aunt Meheret back in Mikelle each week since he’s been with us.  He lived with her prior to moving into the transition home in March.  We have a calling plan set up so that he can talk with her each week and catch up with her.  He loves his Aunt and we want to keep him in contact with her.  She is so happy for him, his new family and his future.  We want her to know how he’s doing and we’re committed to doing everything we can to keep him speaking his native language.  We don’t want him to lose it.

Every day he tells us a part of his story.  His story is his and not for everyone reading the blog; suffice it to say it is amazing. He is a survivor. God is using him and will continue to use him. We relish in these "talks" with him because we know he must trust us and want us to know about his life in Ethiopia. It is hard not to hover and see his reaction to everything and see if it will spark one of these moments of discussion about his past. We are making up for lost time getting to know him and it makes you want to sit and take it all in when he starts talking about his home.

On our way back from Ethiopia 3 weeks ago Staci and I began planning some sort of meet and greet at our house so people could come by and say hello to Sofani.  So many people have been following his story that we wanted to create an event so that people could stop by and meet this incredible kid.  We knew that there would be quite a bit of interest but we’re blown away by the response.  At present, we’re expecting around 250 people at our house on Saturday from 12-4 PM.  We are going to shuttle people back and forth from the parking lot at the park across the street from our house on golf carts so we’ll have enough parking.  Sofani understands that there will be a lot of people at the event.  He calls it his “nice to meet you.” 

I keep wondering if we’re going to experience some sort of meltdown when he says misses life in Ethiopia. Occasionally I’ll ask him if he thinks about it.  He always reacts the same way.  He says he loves it in America.  He loves his family and has no thoughts of ever going home.  I asked him yesterday if he ever thought he would return (after college, later in life, etc.).  He said, “No.  I’m happy.”  So are we.

If you would like to stop by the “Nice to Meet You” Open House on Saturday, please feel free.  Park at the Prairie Creek Beach parking lot and walk to our house or wait on a golf cart (7904 S 560 E Selma, IN). 



In addition, I wanted to post a poem that Avery wrote while we were in Ethiopia.  Avery is our 11 year old daughter that is mature beyond her years.  She heads off to middle school tomorrow morning.  I think you'll appreciate her perspective as she puts some of her observations from her time in Addis Ababa into a poem.  We're so proud of Avery.  We think she's going to change the world.

Avery writes this after spending an afternoon taxi ride in the pouring rain; beggars tapping the van windows saying "Sister! One!" for one Birr, (17 Birr = 1 Dollar) and they gesture to their mouth

to indicate one Birr for food.  Mothers, crippled, blind, and maybe most frightening to our kids were the children begging. 

Avery's Poem:

Poverty has called my name.

"Sister."
"One."

I have looked poverty straight in the eyes.
Cried their tears.
Bury my heart at the feet of he poor.
How many people have died on these streets?
Many hungry souls wander the dirt.
Live on the rocks.
Drink in the rain.
Starve.
Alone.
How many lives will it claim?
How many lives will these grounds swallow up?
Whole.
Half.
Gone.
While the rain washes over them.
Thinning the bone.
I can't see the roads;
the hurt.
Pain.
Blinds.
The blind hurt.
The deaf suffer.
The priveledged see with sightless eyes.
Hear with sound-stripped ears.
Speak with mute mouths.
The rain is like tears.
Shedding their sorrow.
Yellow eyes.
Empty eyes.
Long, haggard faces on mothers of infants.
"Take my child."
"One."
Loss of will.
Crying inside.
Huddles in blankets.
Skeletal feet peeking out.
My writing has bled.
Reopened old wounds.
For voicing the fears of the unheard.
"Once."