We have so much to be thankful for this as the year draws to a close. We remember hearing about the cease-fire and peace talks when we first arrived on our recent trip to Ethiopia, and feeling cautiously optimistic about the end result. After all, the war in Tigray had been raging for two years. We had heard about peace talks before.
But this time was different. We were on our way to visit a maternity health center that Healing Hands of Joy had renovated when we saw hundreds of soldiers taking a break on their journey home. The convoy stretched for miles! It was then that we finally allowed ourselves to feel relief.
A recent piece from The New York Times “The Morning” section had an excellent interview with their East Africa Correspondent Abdi Latif Dahir in which he said, “The T.P.L.F. said it withdrew 65 percent of its forces from the front lines. Party officials said they will not fully demobilize until Eritrea withdraws, as the Tigrayans are worried about ongoing attacks from their northern neighbor.”
As Abdi noted, there are a few factors that we will continue to monitor in regard to the cease-fire holding. Even still, there is so much we can be encouraged by in this development. Tigray’s airports are becoming operational once more, and electricity has been restored to the region.
Thank you to all who have grieved as we have grieved, and now share in our joy! The Healing Hands of Joy team in Ethiopia and the U.S. have felt your prayers and encouragement through this dark period of war and unrest.
We head into the New Year with peace in our hearts, ready to start a new chapter of healing and joy. Thank you all for coming along with us.