Our
home for the first few nights in Ethiopia was the SIM Guest House, located right in
the heart of Addis Abeba, across the street from the Black Lion Hospital. The
guest house was intended to shelter missionaries as they came and went to the
big city from their homes in the countryside and it still operated that way
twenty years ago, with a few rooms available for people like us – development
workers in transition, or short term visitors who were affiliated with the
SIM mission or its sister church.
The
accommodations were… adequate. We had a room on the top floor that was meant
for longer stays with a little kitchen and a sitting area in addition to the
bed; more than enough space for us and our abundance of luggage. The facilities
were down the hall and around the corner, the shower rooms separate from the WCs.
Meals were served downstairs in the dining room, with everyone seated family
style around long tables. We were grateful to the staff who provided coffee and
delicious hot cereal every morning, along with an unlimited supply of purified
water -- less for us to worry about as we settled in to our new surroundings.