It doesn’t take long in Addis Ababa to realize that life is not fair. There’s a sort-of jagged society here. Tarp and cardboard shantytowns juxtaposed with elegant skyscrapers and luxury hotels: scenes that can make a God of Justice, or a humble college student, very very angry. Although the college student is more confused about why.

            With this in mind, our group had an interesting day. We first visited a fabulous hospital setup by a group of Korean medical staff about twelve years ago. It’s the nicest hospital in Ethiopia and addresses a great need of the MDGs by training medical personnel. But like so many other places on this trip, a nice hospital only raises more questions. How does a hospital of this size serve a city of eight million? What about the poor who can’t afford it? Can’t reach it? (85% of Ethiopians live in rural areas). So many people are fighting for Ethiopia, but the task is overwhelming; the work, discouraging. I constantly find myself wondering: are the Millennium Development Goals making a difference here? Can we bring equality to such a twisted Earth?

            These feeling only continued when we reached the Sisters’ Charity for Hope Orphanage, a facility mostly for children with AIDS, addressing Goal six of the MDGs. We listened to children singing and simply loved on them. It’s impossible to replace in one’s mind the idea that many of these smiling faces are going to die. Where is the God of Justice in this? What does he care for these beautiful, doomed, abandoned children?

            At such displays of vehement disparity, it’s difficult to see God. But his presence is near. Yes, life is not fair in Ethiopia, but God is. Yes, not everyone may receive quality medical treatment, but thanks to the Myungsung Christian Medical Center and the Fistula hospital from yesterday, some can find peace, equality, and dignity; maternal health, decreased infant mortality, and primary education are a few steps closer to being achieved. The orphanage can also help with Goal six of combating AIDS and other global diseases. Yes, the babies we held today might die, but knowing there is a loving network of sisters and other children at the orphanage makes their situation more bearable to the world, to a questioning college student, and to God.

-Caleb