Greetings to One and All,
We are thankful to the Lord for His protection and care for us. Brother Curry and I have arrived safely in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia (4 million people). My flight on American Airlines left DFW on time this past Tuesday, the 19th of February. After a smooth flight of some two hours, I made my way through a crowded Miami, Florida, airport, looking for the right terminal and gate for my next flight; it was 3:15PM as I lost an hour coming to a new time zone. After clearing security I had a long walk to the end of the airport where international flights originate. I found Brother Melvin Curry, gospel preacher from Tampa, Florida, and we began visiting, etc. We had a four hour wait until our British Airways 747 took off for London. So we sat and waited–a common occurrence for this kind of travel and especially for British Airways; they seem to never be on time. Since I left from DFW I was able to check my bags all the way through to Addis. Thankfully they arrived the same time we did. Some of my cookies were smashed but otherwise, no damages. The flight to London took nearly eight hours. Having flown several times before, we were able to get better seats–we were in the World Class traveler section–a cross between first class and middle class. The seats were bigger, more leg room, etc. Quite nice for such a long trip. We visited, dozed, ate, etc.

We arrived in London around 11:00AM at Heathrow Airport–a madhouse to say the least. We had a 2 ½ hour wait this time. Lots of walking through the airports, though, helps keep tired, sore backs limber. We made our way from one terminal to the correct one, checked in at the desk and arranged seats next to each other. As it turned out the flight was only 1/3rd full. So, immediately after takeoff (which was 45 minutes late), I moved to seats across from Melvin and promptly went to sleep. Our airplane was a subsidiary of British Airways. London was covered in fog, but we finally able to take off to begin our 4 ½ hour flight to Amman, Jordan. The time difference resulted in it being dark when we landed in Jordan, which means we couldn’t see anything. Most of the folks got off the plane and we took on only 5 more passengers. Again, more space to spread out, etc. We began the 3 ½ flight to Addis.

We arrived in Addis at 3:00AM (this is 9:00AM Ethiopian time) on Thursday, February 21st. We cleared customs with no trouble, found our luggage, and were pleasantly surprised to find Zerihun and Alemu waiting for us. These are two of the most outstanding preachers in Ethiopia; we always enjoy being with them and being in their homes. They are great assets to our work as they arrange our schedules, rooms, travel, etc. The principal reason Zerihun and Alemu met us was became of the change in location of the hotel where we are staying. On each previous trip we have stayed at the Hilton, a nice, but aging establishment. Increasingly though, the Hilton prices have been inching up–from 40 dollars a night per person to 75 dollars per night per person. While we did have reservations at the Hilton, Zerihun and Alemu took us to the National Ghion Hotel to spend the night. To make a long story short, this hotel is nice enough, cheaper, and we are already here. Brother Curry and I will share a room after the first night. That price is 72 dollars (total); by sharing we both will pay 36 dollars each per night. There aren’t as many amenities but the people are friendly, helpful, and solicitous of our needs, etc. The safety measures are not quite the same as at the Hilton but we feel no reluctance at all about staying here.

We got checked in, situated in our rooms, and slept for a few hours before meeting Zerihun and Alemu for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We gathered in my room to discuss our travel plans and to distribute money to the preachers–money you generous folks contributed to this trip. We were soon summoned to the hotel lobby to be greeted by Mesfin, Tagasse, Gramarian (nickname GMT), and Tesfaye Abate. Melvin, Zerihun, and Alemu left to check on another hotel (they did so at the suggestion of a good friend who lives in Addis). After returning, Melvin said that while the rooms were nicer the hotel was not located in a central place and was completely isolated from the main part of the city. We decided to just stay put. I excused myself but Melvin and the others had lunch together I just finished visiting with Beyene, a former resident of Addis, who now lives with his family in Fort Worth; they are members at the Castleberry congregation; Beyene is here for a visit (he will return back to Texas next week). I told him it was ironic that I have to come to Ethiopia to see him when we both lived in the same state!!!

Brother Curry and I just had supper together here in the hotel restaurant. We had pepper steak (it was a little tough), carrots, green beans, and potatoes. I doused everything with Tabasco and everything was O.K. Total price for the both of us was approximately 5 dollars! I am fixing to pack again as we will travel to the countryside tomorrow. I will be gone from Addis for 3 weeks; Brother Curry will return after 1 week and begin his program of teaching. I will spend time in Awasa, a city of 1 ½ million, Nazareth, a city of 1 million, and Hosanna, a city of only 20,000. In each location I will teach preachers for 4 days; 130 preachers will come in varying numbers to these locations. On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays I will travel among the villages, preaching and teaching. Three different teams of translators will assist, again, with a different set of men at each location. It will be an action packed time. I am looking forward to the entire venture.

Internet connections are difficult to find. I will send this as soon as possible. Please feel to forward this to anyone who has interest in this work. Again, thanks to the so many who have made this trip possible.

Ciao, randy harshbarger