On a day like today, I thank God for airplanes. Without air transportation, we would not have been able to make our quick visit to Makki to inaugurate our new school building for the Mursi people.

SIM missionaries Debbie and Tim Ricker have worked tirelessly to help the Mursi learn to read and write their own language to prepare for formal schooling in a distant town. Young children, moms with clay plates in their lips carrying babies on their hips, and adult men wrapped in nothing but a towel and a rifle all come together to learn in the school. What a thrill to see these remote people anxious to learn about life and about God and His ways.

The first day of our trip began with a false start. We waited seven hours in the airport, boarding the twin engine, 12-seater plane twice, only to disembark due to engine problems. The next day we departed without problems and a few hours later, breezed onto the grassy airstrip located right between the shops on the main street of Jinka town, the provincial capital. A three hour drive through the beautiful south Omo valley brought us to the school just in time for the ceremonies to begin.

Celebrating Education

An atmosphere of celebration welcomed us: flags and banners, bright scarves, bracelets, and all manner of clothing concocted by people who normally wear nothing. We were greeted by 150 students smiling, wanting to shake hands and practice their English. We greeted our friends and hundreds of others we didn't know. Then we made our formal introductions to government officials, most of whom were friendly and expectant.

After I gave my speech, thanking those who had sacrificed to make this school happen and encouraging cooperation on all sides to strengthen this experimental program, we enjoyed the celebration. We were led on tours of the classrooms, where Mursi students demonstrated their reading prowess. The students performed dramas depicting Mursi culture and the problems that education was helping to solve.

Feasting Together

Finally, we were rewarded with a fine meal of raw meat (actually Ramonda and I avoided that one and enjoyed some food we had brought on the plane). I thought the eating ceremony was over and had just washed my hands, when I was pulled into the feast of roasted cow being enjoyed by the Mursi elders. Now that's my kind of food, pure grilled meat gnawed straight off the bone.

We could have stayed a week, but I was due in another part of the country the next day. We made the most of the few hours we were on the ground—spending time with the government officials to talk about the project and garner their support; and visiting with our missionaries to listen about their lives and offer our encouragement.

In the rainy early hours of the next morning, our plane slipped in under the clouds to take us away to our next adventure.