Trip Log Day 10

Steve bought a sheep today from town. Jonathan suggested that to honor our hosts we buy them a sheep. One sheep costs approximately $30 Can. and is a very special occasion meal. Leana and I got away with out having to actually watch the sheep get slandered, or see it at all before it got killed (lest we name him/her and get attached) so I can’t say how big of a sheep it was but I can tell you it fed more people then I thought it would. Teddy, who grew up in Ethiopia, claims that the mark of a good sheep is the size of its tail, so he went around grabbing all the sheep’s tails in the market. This one had a good fat tail.

Our hosts and their families all came for the meal. It is a beautiful night so the meat was roasted over a fire in the courtyard. The children all sang to entertain us until everyone arrived and the food was ready. Some of the songs sounded very familiar, just in a different tongue. Their songs remind me that we all serve the same Maker, no matter what the language. Every bit of the lamb was served, Leana and I accidentally came down too early and saw a sliver of jaw bone with teeth go into the pot. The barbecue was very delicious although a bit slippery because it is cooked in the sheep’s fat. One piece I was trying to eat went flying over to Desta, family. I was a bit embarrassed to say the least, but everyone laughed. We had a great time. The best part was watching Leana try to suck the bone marrow out of a piece of leg. She eventually had to poke it out; apparently it has the consistency of cottage cheese with a barbecue flavor. Yum. By the end of the night Leana and I were both on the ground letting about ten little girls and a few boys pet our heads and take turns making pony-tails and placing barrettes. Since we haven’t taken a shower in quite some time (still no running water) it was nice and greasy for them but they loved it!

And now because the presentation is tomorrow are staying up late to continue making the final adjustments to our PowerPoint and renderings.

Love,
Cindy

P.S. Still more images here.