Mekele: A Walk Back in Time

Horse-drawn carriage in Mekele.

One of the beautiful women in our sponsorship program.

True Ethiopians.

Walking through the market in central Mekele was like walking backwards in time, to a day when life was simpler (or more difficult depending on how you view it) and slower. Horse-drawn carriages, donkeys carrying loads, walking staffs, stray sheep, and dust-ridden roads. This was the scene I walked into yesterday morning. I felt like I was walking through the pages of the Bible. I love this kind of life…. one where everyone needs everyone else to play their part to keep society operating, one where you can stop and linger at a coffee shop and have 2, 3, maybe 4 cups of espresso while enjoying the company of friends. Mekele is the capitol city of the Tigrey region of Ethiopia (way up north). It is the largest city in the region, so the countrymen come from long distances for an “opportunity” in the city. But Mekele to me is about as small as a city can get. You can’t walk 10 minutes without running into friends or acquaintances. It is a friendly city, one with character and depth.


I came to Mekele last February and I believe the second time around the city has grown on my. I didn’t have the best experience last time, getting kicked out of my hotel, waiting at the airport for hours upon end for late flights, getting sick with the food. You get the picture. This time Mekele treated me differently. We still got kicked out of our hotel the first night (man it pays to be a VIP in Ethiopia), but were able to stay in the hotel we wanted to second night. The food was outstanding. Seriously, I think I would have a serious health issue on my hands if I lived in Ethiopia…I just can’t stop eating the shiro and tibs, SO GOOD! And the company was amazing. Rebekah and I were very well taken care of by 4 absolute gentlemen. Tadesse (he works for AGCI at the Northern Hannah’s Hope location), Weldie (he’s his cousin and intern at HH), Abeb (who runs his own orphanage called Lola), and our driver. They walked us to our hotel rooms, bought us coffee, and taught us a lot about Ethiopian culture. These guys are real gems, and we’re thankful to have had them during our weekend in Mekele. To top it all off, pwe got an upgrade to Cloud Nine Business class on our flight home because we were “frequent flyers.” Ok, that definitely makes up for last time. :)


Our weekend was jam-packed. We started out by visiting with several of the women in AGCI’s Rachel’s Faith program, which is a sponsorship program for women in need. These women start various businesses with start-up costs that AGCI provides. We met women who do beautiful embroidery, weave baskets, make injera, and have do hair. It was really cool for me to come back and visit some of the same women I met back in February. Rachel, the woman who was the head of the Tsion Bakery, has started her own injera and bread making business in her home. The women at one of the salons will be graduating the sponsorship program next month and starting another salon on their own, business was great! We also took a taxi out to one of the rock-hewn churches nearby. The second day was as full as the first, we started off by going to the Full Gospel church and worshiping, then got to see Abeb’s orphanage, Lola Children’s Home. The kids at Lola were so lovable! We’re excited to partner with this orphanage and bring a mission team back next May. Lastly, we spent time visiting several of AGCI’s sponsorship families in the Mekele area. Wrap that all up with shiro and tibs at the Castle hotel, and that makes for one good day in Ethiopia!