We decided that we might never have the chance to be together in Ethiopia again and we would take advantage of this opportunity to extend our trip and head up to Lalibela and Aksum.  We first flew to Lalibela early in the morning.  It was a surprise that the little town was up on the top of a high mountain—a steep climb in an old bus on switch-back roads.  The hotel we stayed in wasn’t very good, but I doubt there were any much better available. Through the hotel we did get a very good English speaking guide and transportation—which turned out to be a real blessing.  He took us to 5 of the stone churches before lunch, brought us back to the hotel for a break and then took us out for 6 more churches in the afternoon.  We really were able to see everything we wanted to in the time we had. The churches were incredible—carved out of solid stone with hand tools in about the 10^th-11^th century AD.  They are still actively used and we saw tremendous devotion to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church among the people all around us.  The carved detail was so beautiful—and in some there were gorgeous frescos on the walls and ceilings that were aging and were barely visible.  Near every church was a stone carved baptismal font where they had obviously practiced baptism by immersion in the early days—however, not any more.  Pictures can’t begin to do justice to the things we saw and felt.

Worshipers at the church--they carry the special sticks to lean on because the services are 2-3 hours in length and all must stand the entire time.

The churches carved out of solid rock.

Ancient frescoes--always telling Bible stories

Another one of the stone churches.  These are UNESCO World Heritage sites, so they have put huge metal shelters over them to protect them from the elements. This was done in just the last couple of years.  You can see how the churches are basically underground--you look down on them from ground level and then walk down stone stairways to get to them.

This is one of the many carved baptismal fonts.

It is so incredible that this could have been done--it's truly awe-inspiring.

Notice the detail--perfect corners.  they were actually carved from the inside out.