I'm going to be in Ethiopia with these crazy cats!!

From left to right: Andy Warren, Jason Polk, Bill Yarborough, Jeff Concannon, Emily Treadwell, Bev Warren, me, Cary Sink, Michael Treadwell

Front row: Liz Polk (holding Isaiah), Linda Swallow, Maria Concannon

We took this very fun picture during our American teammate retreat which took place in Athens, GA the weekend of April 15. For one reason or another we were all in the states at the same time, which I think is a miracle if you know anything about how hard is to get missionaries in the same place! So Andy, our team leader, organized this retreat for us. The Warren's, Linda, Cary, and the Treadwell's have all been in Ethiopia for a while (especially the Warren's who have been in Africa total for 25 years) and have been a HUGE help to me as I prepare to serve there. Liz & Jason and their two kids will be arriving in Addis about a month after I get there. They will be starting the new church-plant among the families we serve with. The Treadwell's have two kids and will be arriving back on the field this fall. Jeff & Maria live in Knoxville, TN and help raise money for our project and Bill is the MTW International Director for Africa. Missing from our retreat was all of the Ethiopian staff we normally work with, which I think was especially hard on my teammates who know them well.

Being a part of this retreat got me motivated to write out all of the things I am excited about in regards to moving to Ethiopia. People always are asking me "are you getting excited?!?" I think I am excited, but it's not the same kind of excitement as like going to see a movie that just came out or going on a fun vacation that's finally here or getting a new pet. It's more like a trepidation excitement/borderline terror. So anyway, as I was enjoying a nice walk in Amy Mo's beautiful neighborhood today, I started brainstorming some things I am looking forward to (and yes, sometimes excited about!):

•  Definitely my teammates. Being with them all weekend got me really pumped to get to be with them for two years. It did feel a little surreal- like my mind was catching up to my new identity as someone working and living in Ethiopia, but it was a lot of fun.
• Finally getting to know all the Ethiopian staff which I've heard such amazingly great things about
• All of the randomness that goes into living in East Africa. I have only ever been to Kenya & Ethiopia, but both times I realized some of the best parts is just driving or walking around and watching what's going on. You literally never know what you might see- for better or worse. But a lot of times it can be quite funny (like the bobo train bus in Nairobi with all the strobe lights and TV's).
• Getting to learn another language and actually using it
• Growing spiritually in new ways and being challenged in my faith
• Not having to clean my bathroom
• Having a routine and getting back to work
• Being with the summer interns and working with other interns yet to come
• Getting my new apartment set up and doing things like putting the Christmas card pictures on my refrigerator
• Living a simpler life
• Being able to learn how to really help the poor & do mercy ministry well & how to be an inter-cultural team (we did a lot of discussing this during the weekend and I realized I really have no clue how to do this)
• Getting to meet other missionaries and expatriates from all over the world
• Figuring out how to get around and how to buy groceries and do laundry, etc
• Seeing a new part of the world
• Having family and friends come visit and showing them what I'm doing in Addis Ababa
• Drinking really good coffee and eating spicy food
• Being able to finally experience what full-time ministry life is like

This guy I know named Tom

Almost 11 years ago I finished up my time at Berry College and prepared to move to Atlanta to start my life as a real adult. I remember my first job at MTW and getting that first paycheck thinking I was making a truckload of money and 'joyfully' learning that I couldn't spend it all in the first few days but instead it had to go to rent and gas and such.

One thing I was so grateful for in that time of transition was that I found a great local church, Intown Community, and got involved rather quickly. The church had a thriving singles group which was mainly for adults typically around 22-35 years old or so, but we didn't kick anyone out if you didn't fit that parameter. Most of the close friends I have today came from that group, so I've known them for quite a while. The main reason why the group was so awesome was because of the leadership offered up first by a great pastor on staff, but then after he left it was done by elders in the church who had a passion for discipling and mentoring adults in this stage of life when you're trying to figure out where you belong and how to apply your Christian life in the "real" world. One of these adults was a guy named Tom Maiwald. He and his wife alongside several other families invested in people like me. I didn't know him all that well, but I remember when he called me up in the summer of 2004, after I had been involved in singles for about three years, and asked if I would want to be a part of the servant leadership team which helped planned events and do other things to bring people into our fold and ultimately allow them to hear about Jesus and grow spiritually. I was so humbled he would ask! Even though I didn't end up enjoying planning socials all that much (right, Nathan?), it was really fun to get to know the Maiwald's and be a part of this experience.

Something that we knew about Tom because he was so transparent about it was that he had colon cancer, and that he had already beaten the odds several times and it was a miracle he was even still alive to be with us then. I think he was diagnosed in 1996 when he was only 29, if I remember correctly from hearing his testimony. Anyway, he and his wife have two beautiful kids too who were just in elementary school when I knew them. About halfway through my time on the singles leadership team, Tom's health worsened so he had to step down from being the mentor of this team. Eventually for several important family reasons they left Intown for another church, and I lost track of them. They did have a CaringBridge website, which brings me to the point of why I'm writing this blog.

So the CaringBridge site allows you to get email updates of when someone posts a new journal entry, and we had started to get emails about how Tom's health was deteriorating and he moved to hospice. This started a few weeks ago. Since he's been through so many ups and downs with this battle, I guess a big part of me thought God would provide another miracle and he would continue to be here with us. Anyway, about two weeks ago some friends of mine and I took a trip to Puerto Rico to spend time together before I went to Ethiopia. We've all met somehow through the church and the group I mentioned above. While we were there, Tom's presence and influence in our lives came up several times. I also ended up reading his journal written from April 1, which I can't seem to shake from my mind. At this point, Tom was aware that the end of his journey here was coming to a close. If you have a chance to read it, please do. For me, the take away was just a sincere desire to never stop evaluating my life in light of what God has called me to do. Also, I was so convicted in reading it because I know I spend way too much time thinking about what I haven't done in my life yet, compared to all the things I have gotten to do. It made me want to make a list like Tom did, so I can reflect on all the ways God has blessed me. Maybe that will be another post, but more likely for my own personal journal. I'm not yet as brave as Tom!

I share this because I know that I have been affected by Tom's life and his willingness to share it online through his journal, and I keep coming across so many others who have, and I think there are even more out there. How could so many of us be so impacted, and I haven't even seen him for probably about five years or so? What a true example of a man living to fulfill God's calling in His life. I was not able to attend his visitation or funeral, however, a friend gave me a copy of the bulletin they printed out. On one side of the page there was a list of adjectives describing him; things like "father, mentor, cyclist." At the very bottom it said "finisher." I know that is true of him as he is in heaven now, in perfect joy.