If you've wondered how we are perceived here there's a little known phenomena happening to us to tell you. The World Cup began this week so now's a great time. Since we are from a country that considers "football" to be a game played with a brown, oblong pigskin, while in the rest of the world it's not that way (as you know). Therefore, we had no idea what we were walking into coming to Ethiopia. It happened the first time in our church in Wheaton when a guy who lives in France said to Chris, "Wow, you sure look a lot like a very famous guy who plays soccer for France." Since we have arrived in Addis a week (most times not a day)doesn't go by that someone looking at Chris doesn't say, "Zinedine???" More than once a group of teenage girls will have been walking by and all of the sudden start giggling and whispering behind their hands "Zinedine?" Most often though it's little boys and men. All the while, you are wondering, "Who's Zinedine?" (His full name is Zinedine Zidane.) We've learned that on a couple of occasions he's been named World Player of the Year. Here's a link for the World Cup. (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com) France will play Switzerland on Tuesday the 13th of June. The link can get you to photos or just to the schedule for the games. It's a silly thing but it's been a great conversation starter with many, many people!

On a more serious note, we've been witnessing the thievery of death lately. It's nearly been three weeks since we had an incident where a colleague was electrocuted while working on a construction site. Andrew and his wife are from Australia and came to Ethiopia within a week of when we arrived. (He was a month older than Chris) They were to stay for just a year. She was teaching English at ETC, where Chris will teach. We walk through this construction site every day on our way to class, though the accident happened after we had left for the day. There was a memorial service for him here before his wife flew with him back to Australia. There were a couple hundred people attending, people who are from all over the world. It's difficult to watch the pain of such an event at home but here it was surreal. Before the service it felt so detached and lonely. But during and after the service we were reminded that we have family here too. It was a comfort to see the people we work with/will work with truly coming together as a family.

Today we attended our first "lik-so" or funeral. Hobtomwa's grandmother passed away and so Chris and I went to sit in the likso tent with the mourners for a while this afternoon. Hobtomwa will spend the next two nights and three days there in that tent with relatives and neighbors. Her grandmother is already buried. While death is never easy, this story is the most natural as she was quite old and died naturally.

And lastly, I particularly have been mourning the Laura VanRyn story. I remember her brothers (they played on teams with my brothers). What can be said? I am deeply sorry for the VanRyn family. I am praying that the God of all comfort will comfort them in this time, I cannot even imagine.

Truly death is a thief here in this world. We've certainly been reminded of the brevity of life. Also, it has been a reminder of why we live... we pray everyday for hearts of wisdom, that our lives are not wasted.

How to end? Maybe I should have started with the end? Hope this finds you well. (I would imagine some are reading for the first time due to the newsletter, please keep reading, I'm not usually so sad and usually there are photos.) Blessings to all!

-from the wife of a celebrity (or something like that!)