Our pilgrimage to Axum (Part 1)

After leaving the home of my daughters I felt empowered. It was a strange sort of thing but I felt like a changing of the guards had taken place, now they were in my court yard. I felt connected to them as I saw their roots and how the family interacted. I felt connected to their mom and now I was a part of their family. I can't express the release that came over me, God had done something in this meeting and I am soooo very Thank-ful that I got the gift to meet her.
Thank-you Jim in IAG for saying yes to my request:)
Now we head to Axum and on my finger is a Palm leaf ring made by a girl at the hotel in Mekele. I found that many people were making them or wearing them,in preparation for the Holy Day ("Hosannah" to them) of Palm Sunday. So we drive an hour or so on rough roads and we began seeing more and more people journeying to Axum on foot as the evening services were to began. When we got to Axum there was like a sheet of white covering the ground as all the people where wearing white cloths. I bought a long white scarf in the US, unknowingly God had prepared me for this moment and now I really fit in!!!

We stopped at a couple of places to lodge and were told that every place was full,no doubt, as we saw streams of people pouring in. I saw people getting ready to bed down outside on the ground; and I thought it really looks like that could be us tonite (gulp!), except we had no blankets. It was like we were experiencing what Mary and Joseph felt going to Bethlehem -- with no room at the Inn.
I pictured us sleeping in the van-like truck we were riding in and I knew that was going to be a rough night of sleeping. This could be an interesting night, it was then that our guide said,"Wait I have a friend who owns a room and I'll call him and see if he will let us stay their for the night." I held all thoughts captive as my mind was starting to run,and said to myself, "Cindy, whatever happens,happens; you've just gotta go with the flow, it will be alright!" I was doing this calm, healthy Jesus-talk to myself, which works, fairly well. He called, off we go, we get out, walk through a trellis and there were small like apartments. Ours didn't have a bed but it had two couches a big table, no hot water, but it was clean.
The same friend got a room for the driver, driver's brother and the guide, as they refused to stay with us, telling us not to worry about them however we did wonder if someone got dumped out of a room that night. As they brought our bags, rapid cleaning began, and we were told to wait in the court yard as they were getting the room ready. "What's to get ready?" I dumbly thought! Well, as were sitting there waiting, the only white guy we have seen starts to talk to us and you know how you automatically think we must be on the page because we are after all kinda the same, but the more you talk the more you realize that you're worlds apart from each other. We prayed for him and asked God to reveal His love to him.
When we got back to our room and opened the French-like door, voila!! they had created a bedroom where there wasn't one, and it looked beautiful. They had put in a full-sized bed that had a headboard and footboard made of rich, red wood. For a moment I thought, "Where in the world did they get this bed, and is someone sleeping on the floor because of us??" I guess I'll never know the answer to that question.
I'll share more about our midnight walk alone to the Holy place where thousands of people gathered.