A Walk-about in Ethiopia

By Jeff...
I had to leave Kenya for at least a week in late July as my Kenyan tourist visa had expired and I had yet to receive either my work visa or my KDP (Kenyan Dependent Visa).  The two closest countries (Uganda and Tanzania) are both part of the East Africa network, so leaving Kenya to go to one of those countries doesn't qualify me for a new tourist visa coming back in.  So, since SIM has an office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, I headed there.  Beats the heat of Sudan for right now, and the flights were cheaper!  They have a nice little guest house at SIM Ethiopia, so I stayed there.

Unfortunately, the guest house doesn't have internet and my Safaricom cell phone doesn't work in Addis, so I was pretty much cut-off from my family.  That wasn't fun.  I did get to meet some awesome people also travelling through and staying at the guest house, so that was good.  For the rest of the time, I just hung out, read my Bible and whiled away the time.  But there was this one incident.....

Being rather bored, I decided to take a walk around Addis.  I'm obviously not Ethiopian, but most Africans can't quite figure out what nationality I am. I noticed this group of men talking amongst themselves and staring at me.  Finally, one of them yelled at me when he noticed I was returning their stare.  In English he yelled, "What ARE you?" :)  I get the same stares in Kenya, but most aren't so bold as to actually ask.

As I was walking down some random street in Ethiopia, I was approached by a man. 

"What are you wanting to buy?" he asked.
"Nothing," I replied.  "I'm just new to your city and am taking a walk."
"Do you like art?" he asked.  "I can show you some beautiful art."
Having nothing better to do, I said, "Sure."
He took me to a little cafe.  On the walls were beautiful works of art, true.  But that's not what they were selling in this cafe.  As I sat down, several very beautiful (and young) Ethiopian women came and sat with me.

I'd inadvertently walked into a brothel!

Not knowing what to do, I started telling them about the woman at the well and how Jesus knew her "business," but still loved her and wanted to tell her of living water.  Then I told them about the prostitute and Jesus.  They weren't really sure what to do with me.  As I was talking and not taking, the proprietor rotated the girls at my table, obviously thinking the ones there were not to my liking.  The next young woman who sat down, sat VERY close to me.

In my head I heard this little voice yell, "RUN!!!!!!!"  So I did.

Do you think I can add "brothel ministries" to the bottom of my resume now?   :)