The Beauty of Africa

By Sharone Goe

Traveling as a part of a group of eight women to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia nearly two weeks ago, made a huge impact on my heart and restored so much of my own spirit it was truly an amazing experience.

Not only has the fellowship between the other women in the group and myself reminded me of the strength and beauty of human bonding, but the beauty of the people that I encountered and met during my time in Ethiopia was also a reminder of how much beauty there is in the world.

Most of us hear of the prevailing conditions of places like Ethiopia, where the poverty and illness is often all that is talked about, but for me, the most surprising element of this journey was that in fact, all the way across the world, in an entirely different world of its own, lives a gracious people... filled with joy, vibrancy and life.

Just looking around the streets of Addis Ababa one was constantly reminded of life as people filled the streets, selling their wares or just lounged in the mid day sun. The bustling traffic of city life was only one reminder of how life goes on, regardless of the 'conditions' and the people that we met all week long were testaments to this fact as well.

From the children we met at the Entoto project, to the villagers in our neighborhood, to the many servants of Christ who were busy in their various outreach programs to help the needy and sick within the community... All around us- there was LIFE, and a love of life, joy and smiles which all served to reaffirm that love is all there truly is.


The difference between a modest home made out of wood and tin and our modern Western world where structures and edifices abound... the perspective of driving on unpaved roads and through bumps and holes to get anywhere vs. the economy of what we know in the West...
all of it came down to one simple thing for me which I witnessed first hand during this trip...
People of all kinds, of all walks of life, and even those who have none, share the one trait of humanity that is able to transcend any circumstance and all differences...

What that boiled down to for me was SPIRIT.


Whether it was through the presence of a smile, the joy in shared laughter, the smiling eyes of a child who doesn't know the difference between being sick or healthy- rich or poor,
the fullness of life in those whose struggles have been hard to bear... all that I encountered was a testament to life itself... and the beauty of the world around us and having the hearts to see.
I thank God for Ethiopia, for Africa, and for the beauty and hearts in the spirit and people we met all along the way.