Moms Trip to the Motherland
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As some of you may know, my mom has the opportunity to travel to Sendafa, Ethiopia (about 30 minutes north of Addis Ababa) in July for a short-term mission trip through Living Word Community Church. Having left Ethiopia in 1980 to come to the States for college, she has only been back once, in 1996. Although she’s been urged by family, friends, and fellow church members to go on a mission trip to Sendafa in previous years, she hasn't felt called by God to go, until now.
When she first told me of her plans to go on the trip, I was so excited for her! I had traveled to Addis with her in 1996 when I was a child, and have since been back twice, in 2010 and 2012. As you would expect, Addis has changed dramatically with new development of roads, highways, and commercial/residential real estate across the entire city. It's utterly unrecognizable to anyone who hasn't been there in the last 10 years.
Now, most of our immediate family (aunts, cousins, etc.) live in the States, but my mom still has a lot of relatives living back in Ethiopia. When she first signed up for the trip, her initial plan was to take part in the 9-day mission trip, then stay an extra week or so to visit with family she hasn’t seen in almost 20 years! But as the trip drew closer and closer, she began to think of the implications of doing so.
As is the case in most 3rd world countries, there is a perception that if you live in the US, or any civilized nation for that matter, then you are well off financially. And really, there is a lot of truth to this when we compare our standard of living with folks living in one of the poorest nations in the world. But even so, with this assumption comes the expectation of generous financial gifts when a relative from the western world visits.
With that in mind, my mom began to go through all the relatives she would be visiting, and that's where it started to get complicated. If she were to visit this cousin, then that uncle would find out through the grape vine and wonder why she didn't visit him, and so on. Simply put, she wouldn't be able to visit every family member because of the financial implications associated, and she can't be selective about who she visits because it will upset those she "neglected."
So when I was home last weekend for Good Friday, I could just hear the stress in her voice as she discussed her options. After consideration, she now thinks her best course of action is just to stay for the 9-day mission trip, and leave right after without telling anyone she's in the country. But then there's Facebook to consider. She's friends with a lot of the relatives back home, and if they see pictures of her in Sendafa, there will undoubtedly be questions of "why didn't you visit?" This is only magnified by the fact that she hasn't been back in almost 20 years and likely will not be returning any time soon.
This has weighed heavily on my heart. I want so much for her to be able to fully enjoy this experience without having to worry about finances or ducking relatives. She should solely be focusing on how to serve the people of Sendafa then have the opportunity to reunite with loved ones.
My goal in setting up this fundraiser is not related to the mission trip itself. She has already sent out her fundraising letters, so if you plan on making a financial contribution please give towards the Sendafa trip. I don't want to take away from that. This is solely meant for the extended stay she initially planned on and the financial gifts she would give to the relatives she visits. Any amount you donate is greatly appreciated!
$1,000 translates to roughly 20,000 birr (Ethiopian currency) which would adequately cover the costs. Ideally, I'd like to make this a surprise and present it on or before Mother's Day next month. The timing will depend on when the church books her flight. I would hate to go through this effort only for her return flight to be booked already!
So with all that said, will you be a part of my Mother's Day gift for my Mother's trip to the Motherland? :)
When she first told me of her plans to go on the trip, I was so excited for her! I had traveled to Addis with her in 1996 when I was a child, and have since been back twice, in 2010 and 2012. As you would expect, Addis has changed dramatically with new development of roads, highways, and commercial/residential real estate across the entire city. It's utterly unrecognizable to anyone who hasn't been there in the last 10 years.
Now, most of our immediate family (aunts, cousins, etc.) live in the States, but my mom still has a lot of relatives living back in Ethiopia. When she first signed up for the trip, her initial plan was to take part in the 9-day mission trip, then stay an extra week or so to visit with family she hasn’t seen in almost 20 years! But as the trip drew closer and closer, she began to think of the implications of doing so.
As is the case in most 3rd world countries, there is a perception that if you live in the US, or any civilized nation for that matter, then you are well off financially. And really, there is a lot of truth to this when we compare our standard of living with folks living in one of the poorest nations in the world. But even so, with this assumption comes the expectation of generous financial gifts when a relative from the western world visits.
With that in mind, my mom began to go through all the relatives she would be visiting, and that's where it started to get complicated. If she were to visit this cousin, then that uncle would find out through the grape vine and wonder why she didn't visit him, and so on. Simply put, she wouldn't be able to visit every family member because of the financial implications associated, and she can't be selective about who she visits because it will upset those she "neglected."
So when I was home last weekend for Good Friday, I could just hear the stress in her voice as she discussed her options. After consideration, she now thinks her best course of action is just to stay for the 9-day mission trip, and leave right after without telling anyone she's in the country. But then there's Facebook to consider. She's friends with a lot of the relatives back home, and if they see pictures of her in Sendafa, there will undoubtedly be questions of "why didn't you visit?" This is only magnified by the fact that she hasn't been back in almost 20 years and likely will not be returning any time soon.
This has weighed heavily on my heart. I want so much for her to be able to fully enjoy this experience without having to worry about finances or ducking relatives. She should solely be focusing on how to serve the people of Sendafa then have the opportunity to reunite with loved ones.
My goal in setting up this fundraiser is not related to the mission trip itself. She has already sent out her fundraising letters, so if you plan on making a financial contribution please give towards the Sendafa trip. I don't want to take away from that. This is solely meant for the extended stay she initially planned on and the financial gifts she would give to the relatives she visits. Any amount you donate is greatly appreciated!
$1,000 translates to roughly 20,000 birr (Ethiopian currency) which would adequately cover the costs. Ideally, I'd like to make this a surprise and present it on or before Mother's Day next month. The timing will depend on when the church books her flight. I would hate to go through this effort only for her return flight to be booked already!
So with all that said, will you be a part of my Mother's Day gift for my Mother's trip to the Motherland? :)
Organizer
Isak Maybury
Organizer
Philadelphia, PA
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