Well I just finished packing & I leave for my 9th Medical Mission with Operation Smile tomorrow...as the title of the post suggests I am going to ETHIOPIA for the 3rd time!!!
I was invited to this mission about 8 months ago but it was scheduled in May the same week as Kelli's wedding so I declined & looked into some other missions including a few on the USNS Comfort & was pretty set to go to the Dominican Republic in August. In emailing the mission coordinator about something totally different 6 months ago I said - "Have a great mission in Ethiopia in May - wish I was going with you" & she immediately emailed back & said it's been changed to June do you want to go?
I didn't even hesitate & said YES....I decided Ethiopia is like childbirth - the process is challenging but the end results are AMAZING so you tend to forget the challenges until they come again!!! Clearly I remembered all the good when I said YES & forgot some of the details such as ...I really dislike the travel there is it about 24 hours on planes plus layovers & a 10 hour time difference. The food is really not anything I like to eat, the missions there in general are lots of hard work, long days, challenging environments and in the past the hotel was let's just say "rustic" - electricity off & on as well as water. But NONE of that was in my mind when I said YES.
Instead in my mind I saw these tremendously HUMBLE people who have such great needs & beautiful children whose lives will be forever changed by the surgery & care our team will give them. Moms & Dads who like parents here would do ANYTHING to get their child the help even travel for days on foot. People with deep faith & gratitude. Beautiful Children of God who need the care we offer and that is why I didn't hesitate & said YES!
A few facts about Ethiopia - it is the 2nd most populated nation in Africa. 16% of the people there live on less than $1 a day, most poor families share their sleeping area with livestock & children sleep on the mud floor. The average family size is 6 or 7 & they live in a 300 square feet mud & thatch hutch. Even in the capital city where I will be this time Addis Ababa 55% of the population live in slums. YES I will go because the needs are great & my inconveniences while I am there are temporary.
I will seek for other opportunities to make a difference as well - in honor of some wonderful family & friends of mine who want to help people they have never met. Plus I have 20 dresses that were made for me to give away, and boys shorts & CHOC T-shirts & socks - I am so excited to arrive & meet the team & see some of my Ethiopian Op Smile friends I have made on past missions :)
I still have a few more things to do - I will arrive in Addis Ababa on Thursday & will do my best to update my blog at night. Good thoughts & prayers not only for me but for the entire team & the people we will help are MUCH appreciated - there really is power in prayer & when I am having a challenge I draw on the strength of friends at home who I know love & support me. THANK YOU!
I was invited to this mission about 8 months ago but it was scheduled in May the same week as Kelli's wedding so I declined & looked into some other missions including a few on the USNS Comfort & was pretty set to go to the Dominican Republic in August. In emailing the mission coordinator about something totally different 6 months ago I said - "Have a great mission in Ethiopia in May - wish I was going with you" & she immediately emailed back & said it's been changed to June do you want to go?
I didn't even hesitate & said YES....I decided Ethiopia is like childbirth - the process is challenging but the end results are AMAZING so you tend to forget the challenges until they come again!!! Clearly I remembered all the good when I said YES & forgot some of the details such as ...I really dislike the travel there is it about 24 hours on planes plus layovers & a 10 hour time difference. The food is really not anything I like to eat, the missions there in general are lots of hard work, long days, challenging environments and in the past the hotel was let's just say "rustic" - electricity off & on as well as water. But NONE of that was in my mind when I said YES.
Instead in my mind I saw these tremendously HUMBLE people who have such great needs & beautiful children whose lives will be forever changed by the surgery & care our team will give them. Moms & Dads who like parents here would do ANYTHING to get their child the help even travel for days on foot. People with deep faith & gratitude. Beautiful Children of God who need the care we offer and that is why I didn't hesitate & said YES!
A few facts about Ethiopia - it is the 2nd most populated nation in Africa. 16% of the people there live on less than $1 a day, most poor families share their sleeping area with livestock & children sleep on the mud floor. The average family size is 6 or 7 & they live in a 300 square feet mud & thatch hutch. Even in the capital city where I will be this time Addis Ababa 55% of the population live in slums. YES I will go because the needs are great & my inconveniences while I am there are temporary.
I will seek for other opportunities to make a difference as well - in honor of some wonderful family & friends of mine who want to help people they have never met. Plus I have 20 dresses that were made for me to give away, and boys shorts & CHOC T-shirts & socks - I am so excited to arrive & meet the team & see some of my Ethiopian Op Smile friends I have made on past missions :)
I still have a few more things to do - I will arrive in Addis Ababa on Thursday & will do my best to update my blog at night. Good thoughts & prayers not only for me but for the entire team & the people we will help are MUCH appreciated - there really is power in prayer & when I am having a challenge I draw on the strength of friends at home who I know love & support me. THANK YOU!
Be safe and thank you and your Mission Team for all that you do. Sandy Vidal
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