Note: This blog post is all over the place, if you finish
the whole things though, I promise it will come together ;) At least in my head it does, so that's what matters!
When I moved in to Gondar college, the first day I am lying
if I said I wasn’t a bit horrified…especially at the bathroom situation, or
lack thereof. I had been traveling since 4am that morning, with a years worth
of luggage, then come to find out I have a dirty house with a shared public
bathroom to use. I was ready to break down and cry. The Dean said ok, well,
we’ll just take you to a hotel! And then, that was that….which to me was even
worse. Here’s the new ferenji who is too good to stay where we are letting her.
But, he insisted I go to the hotel…
It was me, 5 ladies I have never met before, my Peace Corp
neighbor Mitch and my counterpart. As we go to the hotel, I was fighting back
tears. I was so overwhelmed, didn’t want to stay in the hotel and didn’t know
how to say no. I had no idea what anyone was saying to me...all I was trying to
do was not to break down and cry. Some of the women noticed I had began to get
teary eyed, and they said to me “Izosh, Izosh Liz” I finally got the nerve to
just say no, that sleeping in my place would be just fine, and they continued
to say “izosh” as the tears continued to well in my eyes. I had no idea what it meant…that just
made me want to cry more.
Turns out “Izosh” means, “Be strong, Chin up…” and continues
to be one of my favorite Amharic words. It’s such a good word, isn’t it? It is
used when things are hard to get through or someone is struggling. Could be
used when someone passes away, a person is tired from work, is having a fight
with a friend, or someone is just having a hard time carrying a jug of water.
In any case be “Be strong and Chin Up” is my mantra for this experience in Ethiopia.
I’m so thankful that I have a Lord who has given me the
ability to be strong because He is strong. “I come to the cross where love WAS
defined, and that love, in turn defines my life.” It’s Easter weekend in the
States, (next weekend for us here in Ethiopia) and I am just reminded of how
incredible our Lord is, and how He has saved us while He died on the cross. The song in my head today is,
Might to Save by Hillsong . “Take me as you find me, with all my sins and
failures and fill my life again…” We must be strong, we must keep our chins up
because our Lord IS mighty to save us from our burdens, from our sins and from
our struggles...He died and rose again, for us.
I’m not going to lie, this past week or so has been a rough
one. Missing home, unsure of future events, tired of the daily inconveniences
like no water….and then, I think of “Izosh” and even more, that I am saved
because of Him. Tonight, it hit me
hard that so many people are struggling around me. Some in particular who are
at home, you know who you are because we’ve talked recently, and others that I
see here in Gondar on a regular basis. We all have our own mountains to climb
and challenges to face. And to you, I say “Izosh” (or Izo if you’re a man)…Be
strong…Keep your chin up. Remember that Our Lord saves, He is the author of
salvation. He conquered the grave, so that we can be strong.
Izosh…izosh :)
<3
