"...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.
Although my mom was quite young when the Germans invaded her village in the Netherlands, she will never forget those days. She remembers hiding under the table when the Germans barged into her house. She remembers the fear, the unknown. She remembers things that the Lord Willing, we will never have to experience. Our children so often say how glad they are that we are not living during the war like their grandparents did. Today, I watched parts of different ceremonies on TV, and I too am so thankful for our freedom, but I don't want to forget all those who have fought and are fighting for peace and all the many lives that have been lost because of the war. 
