Here is an email I sent from Lalibela...

Hi Everyone,
It's so difficult to write due to time restraints and lack of working internet. But I am in Lalibella...a city out here in the mountains of Ethiopia. There are churches carved out of the mountains and the people and the houses and the way of life are what you envision Africa looking like. Lots of poverty, but such warm people. Beggars everywhere. So difficult, b/c you give all your money and belongings away. we took a mule/horse ride up the mountain to 9000 ft. above sea level. It took all day. There was the little girl (9 years old) that lived up in the mountains. She was ragged adn dirty and had no shoes, like most of the kids. Her feet were hard as rocks. This mountain path was full of large boulders and rocks. She followed me all the way down this large mountain barefoot. She was like a lost little puppy. No matter how many times we told her to stay, she followed... All she wanted was a pair of shoes. When we ran into her initially she had cut her foot...so we bandaged it and she just followed us. So, I got her up on the horse with me and loved on her and let her ride the rest of the way down since it was obvious she was not going to stay in her village. Once we got down, I gave money to a guy to go buy her some tennis shoes. When he brought them back, her feet were just too filthy to wear them, so I asked the hotel for an open hotel room to bathe her. This was the most incredible thing yet...I put her in the tub and I've never seen a child so thankful in my life. She went crazy washing herself and thanking me over and over again. She had not been bathed in like 3 months due to a drought here. Then I put lotion on her and gave her the shirt I was wearing as I had on layers. I've never experienced the love of God like this...I could just feel His love flowing through me to her. Then I took her into the restaurant to eat with us all and she looked like a little princess...she'd never seen a restaurant or so much food. She was so overwhelmed... I will send pics of her when we found her and when we sent her off again. It truly was an example of what God does with us when we come to Him and He adopts us into HIs family. He picks us up, bandages our wounds, cleans us up, gives us new clothes of righteousness and then invites us to HIs banqueting table...and of course, in the mean time, He loves on us.
I have to go now...so many stories to tell.
Love in Him,

amanda