“Adami Tulu” means “cactus hill,” and there literally is a huge hill covered in cacti right in the middle of town. You can see it from everywhere in town, and the school is no exception.

We asked Solomon, our translator and good, good friend, if there was a path to climb it. “Of course,” he said, “I’ve climbed it many times.” So one afternoon, when we were tired of painting, a few of us decided to climb Adami Tulu. It ended up being one of my favorite times during the trip.

The climb was easy, and took only a few minutes. The path was filled with cacti, roaming goats, and random cows.

It was kind of comical to come around the corner of this small mountain and see cows grazing. And, of course, a group of white folks in Adami Tulu always attracts an entourage, so we made some friends on our trek.

Solomon showed us the dugouts in the hillside where the Italians hid, and at the top of the hill, we could see the ruins of their fortress. It makes me livid to think of the Italians swooping in and building a fort right in the center of my favorite town. Thankfully it was short-lived.

Solomon, pretending to be an Italian guard

Now cows and goats fill these hideouts.

Once we got to the top, we stopped for pictures.

Our hiking group, minus Solomon, who took the picture

I loved having my brother with us!

After some pictures, we all sat around and soaked in the beautiful scenery.  You can see the entire village from the top, and all of the breathtaking countryside.

And, of course, our little school, painted in bright, “Adami Tulu Blue.”

Before heading back down, our group circled up and spent time praying for Adami Tulu.  We prayed that God would minister to the people there, that He would establish His kingdom in their midst, and that He would use us to help them.  We prayed that the lost would come to know Him, that He would bless His church that was already at work.  We prayed that He would relieve their suffering and pour His blessings on this town.

It was an incredible, mountain-top experience, and I didn’t want to leave.  Ethiopia is so beautiful to me; I could spend hours just gazing at it.

And though Ethiopia has filled my heart for years, Adami Tulu has now taken up permanent residence there also.  I want to see healing there. I want the children’s thin faces, with large, hungry eyes, to grow into happy, round faces with laughing eyes.  I want there to be no more hunger, sickness, or poverty.  I want all the children to receive a good education, so their mother’s aren’t forced to beg for help.

We’ve come home with lots of plans for the Adami Tulu school, which we will be unveiling in the near future.  And very soon we will begin fundraising for another new school building.  But we know that ultimately it will be God alone who restores, rebuilds, and renews Adami Tulu.  We know that it is only by His power that healing will come.  We are asking Him to let us be a very small part of His work there.

Would you please pray about joining us in our efforts?  There is much work to be done.  Details will come soon.