It is all about relationships

After a 6 hour delay in getting out of Gambella, I have made it back to Addis! What a refreshing change to step onto the tarmac and be greeted with a rush of cool air!

Since arriving back I’ve been reminded of the power of relationships. While it was challenging to leave the friends I made in Gambella, I was immediately surrounded by amazing friends in Addis to help make the transition easier. I know that this cycle (on a deeper level) will be repeated in just 10 days when I leave Ethiopia. I fully expect to have my heart ripped out as I say goodbye to everyone here, but I know that my friends and family in Colorado will be awaiting me with open arms. That is comforting.

It is incredible to look back on the places I have been in my life, and know that the relationships that were built there still mean something, and connect me to that place on a level not gained through mere travel. That I could go back to Michigan, Estes Park, Denver, Panama, Ethiopia, etc… anytime and have it feel like home is deeper than just returning to a place. It really doesn’t matter so much on the location, but the relationships and bonds that you have formed with the people there.

Even more abstract is the understanding that when the people you form these relationships move to another part of the world, you suddenly have a connection to that place. Why else would so many friends who had never thought about Panama before have come to visit? Why else would I go visit Nashville? These are great places, but not many people would put them at the top of their list without a further reason to go there.

Just some light thinking for you today… anyways, the fast internet has been down since I arrived back to Addis, so I apologize for being unable to load pictures. As soon as it is fixed they will be up!