The Village That Broke My Heart

This young girl was selling fruit in a basket. Kibrom and I bought some and then some boys came near so we bought them some as well...then more people came and we gave them some fruit as well. Before we knew it, we had what seemed like the whole town gathered together! The people were so curious about the white visitor as this is so far off the beaten path that foreigners are not a common sight here. The people seemed so much friendlier than the common person from a big city like Mekele or the capital of Addis Ababa. Not only were they willing, but they were oftentimes excited about getting their photo taken.

Many of the clothes that you see on the poorest people across Ethiopia have been donated by different Christian charities from around the world. It's amazing to see such an assortment of worn-out t-shirts with all kinds of languages: English, French, German, Italian... any language. You name it and it's probably on a t-shirt somewhere in Ethiopia!

The people in this town were so sweet that it really did break my heart. I really wish I could have done more for them. If it is God's will, I really hope to come back and do something here.

There is a real look of pride in this young man's eyes. I asked him to smile but he said, "No. You take picture." Gladly!

What a sweetie!