We came, Wenchi, we climbed!

But after 6 weeks of minimal exercise, I can hardly say we conquered. Last Sunday we had an unexpected opportunity to travel with our new friend, Dr. Maria, and a group of expats to Wenchi Crater Lake, about 3 hours west of Addis Ababa. Escaping the sprawling developing city of 10 million people in any direction is almost guaranteed to be pleasant.

Wenchi is an extinct volcano crater, approximately 10,000 feet above sea level — thankfully, we have already acclimatized to Addis Ababa at about 8,000 feet. On foot we descended from the rim towards the lake, hiking along little houses and farms, sharing the road with kids, donkeys, horses, and of course, men carrying crates of Coca Cola. After about 2 miles, we reached a dock on the edge of the lake, and were ferried to a small island, and then again back to the other side of the lake. There we had the relief of a few extra legs to carry us uphill …

Larry’s first time to ride a horse! But lest you think that we had it easy, there were about 20 minutes of climbing that were too steep for the horses to carry us, and we certainly earned our picnic lunch back up at the top of the crater rim.

On the bumpy van ride back to the city, my heart was full of this song:

Though we cannot comprehend such a mystery, just a glimpse of You revealed is compelling us to sing:

Holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty; Worthy, worthy is Your Name

All of heaven joins the universe, every crying: Worthy, worthy is Your Name*

We praise God for this recent opportunity to see the mountains and the skies declaring His greatness. I am reminded of how small I am, how small my part is in a much bigger story. God’s story to redeem mankind.

Thank you for praying for us, and taking this journey with us!

*Worthy, Worthy by Vertical Church Band

By the way, in Addis Ababa, the traffic = (cars + buses + trucks + people + motorcycles + bajajs + people) – traffic rules.

Larry took this snapshot from the front seat of the van on the country road on the way to Wenchi:

I guess no road is without its obstacle.

Hope the herd of donkeys made you smile! Please stay in touch!