A world away

4 am and its -4 as I leave the quarters to begin my journey to Ethiopia. We arrive at about midnight their time and to summer.

But the weather and the time are insiginificant differences compared to the streets of Addis Ababa early the following morning, as we set out, for prayers at the Prison Fellowship offices. My eyes are on stalks as we pass through a modern city of new office blocks, horrendous traffic (mostly toyotas) and people rushing off to work and school. But at the same time there are small boys steering their goat herds along the pavement, donkeys pulling carts, beggars pleading at the window of the van when you pull up, women carry their babies on their backs, tin roofed shacks, and tiny shops selling anything and everything, shoe shine stalls and unmade side roads with children playing their games. It's a culture shock indeed.

And then suddenly we are ushered into the prayer meeting. They are singing in a middle eastern style and it sounds strange but immediately we are at home. Jesus is there. I have visited several countries now and it is always the same. I have a moment of complete wonder and joy at the universality of the gospel. I hear the same passion, see the same love and these are my brothers and sisters.

The staff at Prison Fellowship Ethiopia are wonderful and doing an absolutely amazing ministry but we do not have time to talk as very quickly it was time to set off for our first prison visit.