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Sunday, November 7, 2010

Five Senses

"...you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 4:28-29).


Our six year old son came home from school the other day with a booklet he had made about his five senses. Toward the end of the booklet, it said, "My Five Senses... are tools that teach me about God's World". How often we take our senses for granted, yet God gave them to us for a purpose- to learn more about His world. I would like to reflect on my 5 senses and what we have learned about God's World while we were in Ethiopia.

1. Hearing

There were many different sounds that we heard while in Ethiopia. Some sounds that stand out are the sounds of God's creatures (dogs), and construction workers (late at night/early morning). The sound that I will remember the most is the sound of religious chanting early in the morning. Although I do not know what kind of chanting or religion that was, Paul reminded me of how important it is for us to start our day talking to God. It was a blessing to hear the little children talking to God at the transition home as they said their prayers out laud together- that was beautiful to hear! It was also beautiful to hear Deborah laughing for the first time (thank-you big brother, Jesse).










2. Smell


Perhaps not a pleasant smell, but a strong one, nonetheless is the fumes from the vehicles. It made me appreciate the emission controls we have back home.

Another strong smell was the coffee ceremony. I have learned the importance of this tradition and how wonderfully hospitable the people of Ethiopia are (too bad I don't like coffee though)!




3. Touch/Feel

Deborah loved touching/splashing in the water (she's going to love Oma and Opa's pool)! We'll always remember the feeling of the squishy injera and eating without utensils.






4. Taste

We lived on French Fries and Pizza and fresh squeezed Orange Juice for 8 days. The fresh squeezed OJ is definitely a taste I would like to savour. The injera, however, I can live without, but using my taste senses helped me learn and appreciate the Ethiopian culture/food.








5. Seeing

There were so many beautiful things that we saw during our trip. We saw beautiful mountains, sun sets, views from the mountains, country views that seemed to never end, many different animals, but the most beautiful thing we saw and that I would like to remember is the many beautiful faces of God's children. God made us all in His image and He loves us all very much. I also will never forget seeing our baby girl for the first time- a wonderful sight!








May I never forget the wonderful memories of Ethiopia and all that my senses have taught be about God's amazing world.

3 comments:

Heather said...

I love how you've written this. It really helps me feel like I was there when you focus on all the senses. I love seeing all the new pics too! Keep them coming!

Ashleigh said...

Congratulations on coming home +1. What an incredible feeling...Deborah simply looks at peace and while I'm sure there'll be much change and adjustment in your life, you are FAMILY all under one roof. Angels are dancing, they are rejoicing, you answered His call.
Blessings,
Ashleigh

Janice said...

Hi Anna,

I just had a lot of fun catching up on your blog. Paul was so good at posting while you guys were in Addis and the photos are fantastic. I would love it if you or Trish could send me some of your photos (transition home, the tour we did, our dinner out) via email.
I was wondering if you ended up leaving Addis early. You did a lot in a short amount of time with the kids and I'm so happy for you that you got to go home in first class - what a treat.
Life at home with Mimi and the boys is busy but wonderful. She's doing great. I'm adjusting to all the diaper changes.
That photo of Deborah in pink is adorable. How is she doing?
Hi to the family. Drop me a line via email sometime. johnstonj40@hotmail.com

Janice