"We can do no great things; only small things with great love."
St. Therese of Lisieux
The bride looked elegant in her white gown and pink decorations colored the walls. Around me people swayed and danced to the blaring music. In some ways, the ceremony itself was not so different from weddings back in the states- vows, kind words about the couple, songs.. but what struck me was the focus. 75% of the service was praying and worshiping. The focus was not really on the couple, but on G-d. And worship in Ethiopia is not just singing, but dancing and shouting and really finding joy in standing in G-d's presence. It was the ceremony and the party all in one. So I danced, sang, prayed, laughed... in awe of finding myself at an Ethiopian wedding.
The bride was a staff member at Women at Risk, the organization I've been working with the past few weeks. Simply the fact that I was at the wedding shows just how welcoming and generous the community there is. And truly, being here in Ethiopia has been about getting to know people and investing in community.
Aside from working at Women At Risk, I've been spending time in a local village where a lot of the women are single moms affected by HIV. They have barely enough food and almost no money, and yet I've found myself in many of their one room homes partaking in coffee ceremonies. They have almost nothing, but what they have, they are quick to give. Thus, the past couple weeks have been filled with drinking coffee and hearing stories. Though so many of the stories are heartbreaking. Through tears, they've talked about living on the streets, prostitution, constant hunger... And again, I find myself asking, what can I personally do? Long term, I'm not sure. But right now, I will continue to spend time with them and show them love in whatever small ways I can- drinking coffee with the women, picking up garbage with them in the village, playing soccer with the kids... doing "small things with great love."
Last week, Kate gave a talk on our identity in G-d. She said that in the Genesis story, after Adam and Eve eat the fruit and find themselves naked, G-d asks Adam, "Who told you that you were naked?" (Because it wasn't G-d.) G-d has given them all they need and a perfect home, but suddenly they find themselves hiding. Kate shared this with some of the women in the village. These women are powerful, they are beautiful, and they were made in the image of G-d. But there is such desperation that it's hard to see any of that. The world has made them believe that they are hopeless. But where does the loss of hope begin? Who says that someone is unworthy or worthless? Kate asked, "Who told you that you were naked?"
