Walking the streets, doing Contact work!

We had Incredible experience today as we walked the streets with Young Life leaders doing contact work in slum neighborhood called Kelfe. We are leaving for camp out in the bush today with no Internet. So we will check back on Saturday...HAPPY 4th!!

Here is a quick picture of me with a few leaders!

Addis Ababa, new friends, HEART BROKEN..and a large puddle...

It's Emma!  Today was our first FULL day here in Ethiopia.  First thing to know about Addis Ababa is that it is in the mountains and about 8000 ft above sea level.  Also, it is winter here and pretty cold.  (would have been nice if my Daddy told me this when packing - that is ok, he is light on the detials side...good thing my Mom is BIG on detials and thus I was prepared!).

Today we joined a YLX (Young Life Expeditions) team who has been here already for a week.  It is a group of young working adults from Atlanta and one other family with a girl my age named Meridith from Indiana.  She is nice and we are friends already.  After meeting this new group at the Young Life house we went to an orphanage that Young Life partners with.  This was a special orphanage specializing in kids with HIV/AIDS and cancer.  I cried a couple of times as I held little babies that had cancer it was very very over whelming for me, my Dad and our group!! I got attached to some of the kids i wanted to adopt some of them (maybe when i am older i will do that).  The people working there were amazing and I really can't type what I experienced.  I am putting a few pictures here of our time.

When we were driving back to the Young Life house we drove through this ENORMOUS puddle it was huge it looked like a mini lake and when we drove through my dad thought the water was going to leak through the car doors! It was hliariously funny! See the video here:

~Emma

Arrived in Ethiopia!

So, Jenny and I got Emma a iphone for her birthday this last weekend.  I had no idea how quickly a 13 yr old could get connected on Instagram, start texting, download apps like Pic Collage (which is cool...see pic above) and have over 100 pictures all ready taken.  Well it takes about 2 days :).  After 27hrs we have arrived in Ethiopia.  No hot water in our hotel and we had to go through security just get to the front desk to check in. (never done that before).

I had to give Emma the CRASH course on Cross Cultural Orientation as we waited at the airport tonight.  Being a tall, blond, blue eyed white girl drew more attention than both of us were prepared for.  Lots of starring and laughing.  Add to it the 'keep your mouth completly shut when you shower and never..never..never drink the water' and my little princess is sufficently freaked out.

We are excited to see one of my great friends Mogus Berassa (Regional Director for YL Ethiopia) tomorrow.  (Below is Mogus and I at the 2012 All Staff Conference).  He is an incredible person who is leading a ministry here in Ethiopia that is changing this country.  Over 5000 kids will attend camp in Ethiopia alone this summer! 

Day 1! 

The Journey Begins....AFRICA!

Good morning, its Emma!  (I am Jamie Hanson's daughter :)) I got up at 5:30 this morning and we just got passed security and now one of my first times ever sitting in Red Carpet Club. (One of the few perks for a 13yr old girl of a Dad that travels around the world!) 

We will be flying a total of 27 hrs in planes.... I wont be looking forward to flying but when we land i will be because we will be in Ethiopia and meeting Moges Berassa (he is the country director for Young Life), and we will be going to a Young Life camp to do work crew!!  yipppeee!  Pray for me, I get sick on airplanes and my Dad reeealllly doesn't like throw up type stuff (he is kind of a big baby about that :))

I am still raising money for my work crew experience if you want to help: 

http://www.razoo.com/story/Emma-S-Fundraise-For-Africa?referral_code=share

Bye for now!

Emma

PS - if you want to follow me on Instagram you can @ehanson19

Africa Adventure with my Daughter Emma!

This trip is finally upon us!  We have been planning it for almost a year!  On Monday July 1st my daughter Emma and I depart for Africa.  We are going to Ethiopia first to spend time with our Young Life country director Moges Berassa and also to do Work Crew at a Young Life camp.  Then we will fly down to Tanzania where we will join the Young Life committee and friends conference.  After a week there we fly up to Arusha, Tanzania and we will spend 3 days in a Massia village doing a work project.  We will end the trip on a Safari!  Both Emma and I will try and keep a journal on this blog, so follow along on our journey!

Young Life Vietnam!  Still in awe when I say that.  Just finished our first day and bottom line....I am so impressed with our leadership here, they are off the charts.  We spent today talking over the upcoming camp (starts on Friday) where we thought that they were going to bring 75 kids and 25 leaders.  Found out today that they are brining 100 kids!  I have attached a picture of all the kids names on a white board.  At the end of our training today we wrote these names down and then all prayed over them together.  I thought you could all join in and pray for all these non-believing Vietnamese kids. 

We have 15 leaders going to camp with these 100 kids and another 10 Work Crew who are leaders in the provinces around Vietnam.  We had provincial leaders come so they could see camp and learn how to do it themselves.  Found out today that one of our young leaders in the Dak Lak province just north of HCMC has already started 2 clubs.  He brought with him 4 incredible young leaders.  They started doing clubs after Josh Powell, Denae Wood, and I did our training with them last August.  They took what they learned, started doing contact work, and have now started 2 clubs with over 50 coming to each.  Kit, the senior leader there had to shut down the clubs however because it became too large and visible and the authorities told them they could not meet anymore.  They now meet at the front courtyard of a church (not ideal, said Kit, but the only safe place – love that by the way!)

One last note on today.  Three years ago Rob Crawford and I came here and did the first YL training.  Shortly after one of the new leaders was doing contact work and met a kid named Chang (pronounced way different than you think).  Chang met Christ at one of the first clubs YL Vietnam ever did.  Today he was there at the training and is going to camp as a leader with guys he has been doing contact work with on the soccer field near the school.  Our first YL kid to meet Christ is now a new volunteer leader.  I will snap a picture of him tomorrow and post it for you. 

By the way 100 kids to camp cost $1500 - $10 bucks a kid - love the leverage here! 

Monday in Hong Kong = A huge pile of business cards.  So I have been to Wall Street, London, and Tokyo, but it is hard to explain Hong Kong.  Wow.  The combination of western influence and Chinese money and power is palpable.  Add to this the movement of God in this city and it was one of the more amazing days I have had in a long time.  This city is thirsting for something as relational, intentional, and strategic as Young Life.  We are ready to be here and today was a HUGE day for this. 

I am getting ready to head to Vietnam tonight but not before I had this for dinner!  GO DUCKS!!!