Sarhi & Fiker

Every day you go out into the streets of Addis Ababa promises a new and interesting experience. It is impossible to describe accurately to you what it is like to walk down the street here. The poverty is unbelievable. There are so many people, and many of them are asking for money, begging. There are crippled and lame people, some crawling (I saw one man who literally crawled on his stomach to get around), some using a stick as a crutch to move around, some just sitting on a street corner holding out their hands in hopes of a 10 cent piece. The poverty level is impossible to describe. For a foreigner like me, the poverty is so prevalent. It took a couple of weeks before I realized that not everyone is that poor. There are all levels of people. There are the super poor, who are doing all they can to make it day to day. There are those who have small businesses set up where they sell things like gum and cigarettes on the side of the road. Then there are the more well to do business people who wear suits and hold a regular job. It is difficult to comprehend, and even more difficult to explain.
As you walk through the streets, you heart breaks for many of these people. Who should you help? You can’t possibly give enough money to help them all. Is giving money to beggars really a solution? You have to pray and ask God to show you to whom He wants you to reach out. After my first week, I noticed a mother and her child who had a small business selling small items like gum, cigarettes, candy and peanuts. I passed them every day on the way home. So one day I decided I would stop and try to communicate. The first day I stopped, handed the little girl a couple of coins, and greeted them. The next day I did the same. After several days I was stopping to chat. She spoke a little bit of English, and I could speak enough Amharic to have a short conversation. Eventually I was able to introduce them to my family. Sarhi (the mother) absolutely fell in love with Kelsey. In fact, everybody who ever laid eyes on Kelsey wanted to kiss her or hug her or touch her hair, but that’s another story. Sarhi and Fiker (the little girl) became our good friends. We stopped daily to greet them and try to speak through the language barrier to one another. We began to build a special bond. Fiker means love, and Sarhi means sun.
Eventually though, we had to tell them when we were leaving. A couple of days before we were to leave, I told Sarhi we would be returning to America. I will never forget the look on her face when she realized what I had said. She stepped back, and withdrew. She got tears in her eyes. She was obviously very heartbroken. What could I do? I hugged her and told her that I would be back the next day with a gift.
We returned the next day with a gift - a picture of our family in a frame we had found in a local shop. I gave it so her in the box, so that she could open it. She was so happy and excited to have this memory of us. I also gave her some extra spending money, and Kara had some clothes for Fiker. It was a sad moment. I don’t know if I will ever see Sarhi and Fiker again. I hope I do someday. And if I do, I hope they remember me. Please pray for Sarhi and Fiker. I don’t think they know Jesus. I tried one day to ask her, but was not able to get much information. My prayer is that I was able to show her Jesus through my love. Pray with me that Sarhi and Fiker will one day meet Jesus.