Friday, March 6th

It is Friday March 6th. We are up early, preparing to travel west of Nazaret (also called Adama, the Oromio name) to the small town of Dera. This small congregation has held on for some time. Melvin Curry helped get these folks started (probably others too). Akilu is the capable preacher; he is helped by others. It has been some time since I was here. The last time I think was when Mark White and I were here together.  Marilyn had one session with women and children; I had three lessons total. After leaving we stopped by the Sodere Resort to have lunch. It was good!  The weather is hot, especially in this lower lying area. January, February, and March, are the hottest months to be here. When you travel in and out of the Great Rift River Valley, you can certainly feel the change in temperatures.  Our return to Nazaret found Marilyn and me too tired to eat (and we were full from lunch), so we turned in early, leaving Elias and Tesfaye to themselves.