What Is It About That Place?

The other day I was craving Ethiopia.  Yep, if one can crave a country, which I'm sure is entirely possible, I was craving Ethiopia. As I thought about this and all that was behind it, a lot of questions started swirling in my head.

Why do I love Ethiopia so much? Prior to my trip there, I craved being on a tropical beach or on a cruise ship. I craved a fancy dinner while on vacation with the boy. I craved crystal blue waters of the beautiful ocean, just staring at them and watching the waves roll in. I craved seeing palm trees with soft sand in my toes.

So what was it that I was craving about Ethiopia?  Was it the desertish land that lacks water in the "non-raining" months? Was it the poverty that you see in the begging woman along the road? Was it The desperation in a mother's eyes to be able to feed her children? Was it the wondering and questioning in the teens we met with, who wondered if their future would be stable? Was it driving on the roads, wondering if we'd get T-boned at any point in time or hit in a head on collision?

Or was it the beauty in the landscape? The trees that do grow there and their uniqueness? Was it seeing the water from the faucets connected to the well that gives the kids clean water to drink and wash with? Was it the smile and sparkle on the faces of the Ethiopian people when they see a friend? Was it the joy in their voices when they sing? Was it the determination to work and provide? Was it the satisfiedness with the simple things? Was it the gratefulness for small things? Was it the perfect climate? Was it the rolling hills and mountains? Was it the beauty in their faces? Was it the love of the children? Was it our team that I went there with?

Yes. Yes to all of these things. The good and seemingly bad. I craved it all. I CRAVE it all. But mostly I crave the people. For in the eyes of the people I saw the LORD shining through. In a country that is surrounded by extreme unrest, I saw the joy of the LORD in them. I saw a nation who has so little, filled with so much. I saw their pride in who they are. I crave it all, because when I was there I saw and felt the power of God in all that we did, in all that we saw, in all that we experienced.

Which brings me to a whole new level. Am I craving Ethiopia? Not really... I'm craving the LORD. And He is the only thing that satisfies. In Isaiah 58 it says, "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Would going to Ethiopia quench my thirst? Maybe, yes, absolutely, for a bit. But will going to the LORD quench it always?  Yes, always. He will ALWAYS satisfy, his word tells us that his waters never fail.  HIS waters never fail.  :)