Ethiopia Highlights

As part of my work with Food for the Hungry, I was delighted to go to Ethiopia with a vision team from EVBC to explore how the church could become involved in a community partnership with an area heavily hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It was an incredible trip full of heartbreak, excitement, beauty, and blessing. I saw haunting vulnerability, pain, poverty, children forced to grow up fast, sadness…..and joy, unaltered devotion to Christ, dignity, excellent development programs, and hard-working people. It is impossible for me to summarize everything I saw, felt, and learned through this experience.

Bethlehem

Our team gathered into a small shack of a home made of mud to visit a child newly registered into the Food for the Hungry child sponsorship program. Just to be registered means that her local community leaders and government officials individually chose her as a HIV/AIDS double-orphan in an economically poor living condition. Betheleham is an 8-year-old little girl who lives with her blind grandfather in the large city Ziway. She spends her days leading him around, helping with the house and fetching water with a 20-liter jerry can from a nearby well. This little thing lugs a huge can of water nearly a mile with only the help of a neighbor boy. Although her grandfather had a good job taking care of animals at a dairy, his retirement pension hardly provides for all of the needs of this precious little girl. She was obviously not used to all the attention this strange group of 6 foreigners and 4 FHI staff were suddenly giving her. As she held my hand very sweetly my heart broke with the sudden realization of how completely vulnerable this little girl is. Who gives her affection? Who protects her? Who would she go to if something horrible happened to her on the way to collect water? Who would prevent ongoing abuse of any kind?

Mesekele

One of the highlights of my time in Ethiopia was visiting the home of the little girl I have sponsored for almost a year now. Mesekele is an 8-year-old double orphan who lives with her aunt’s family. As I walked up to the house, this beautiful little girl came running out of the house in her traditional Ethiopian dress recognizing me from the pictures I had sent her. Her home was filled with relatives and neighbors with the best seats in the house given to the guests according to Ethiopian hospitality. She sat close to me half-shy and half-excited answering questions and smiling. She played with my hands, stroking the smoothness of my nails and wouldn’t let me go until I gave her a huge hug. Her favorite subject in school is writing her letters which she demonstrated for me. She also proudly brought out the letters and pictures that I had sent her earlier that year through the sponsorship program. After several days of seeing all the benefits that she receives through the sponsorship program in Ziway—health checks, school supplies, Sunday school classes, tutoring classes, and a Food for the Hungry staff who love, care for her, and show the love of Christ to her in a tangible way—I knew I would never see my monthly pledge the same again!

Simada Church

The rural areas in Ethiopia are pre-dominately Ethiopian Orthodox. This religion although claiming to be Bible based discourages its parishioners from reading the Bible and worships Mary. The priests have incredible power to dictate the lives of the people and have incredibly beautiful elaborate churches despite the intense poverty. Becoming a born again Christian in these areas means persecution and rejection from your family and community. We had the opportunity to attend a prayer meeting in the only Evangelical church in this region. Although they were almost prevented from the construction of this building, God has placed his hand on this small group of believers who seek to bring His light into this dark region under such spiritual bondage. After spending time on our knees in prayer, Yohannes spoke to us about the blessing that follows faithful obedience. Suddenly we heard God’s benediction as it began to hale on the tin roof of the church. It was so loud we could no longer hear anything! A group of children fascinated with the foreigners who had been walking through their small village had followed us into the church and were sitting on a bench. Colleen and I took the opportunity to greet them and though they were shy at first, we soon found ourselves piled underneath them. After the hale eased, we pray for this struggling church.It was probably the most beautiful service I’ve ever been a part of, with people who truly have experienced the glory of Christ in their lives. My heart will never forget it.

Personal Impact
The opportunity to go to Ethiopia, see the Food for the Hungry programs in person, meet the people and staff, and the potential of connecting my church with this ministry that I am passionate about—I was overwhelmed with extreme emotions, questions, and personal struggle. I felt how insufficient I am. My heart is too weak to wrap itself around the huge amount of need, pain, and suffering. I was brought back to God’s promises again and again through time in the Word. I was desperate for Him to renew me each night and for truth to speak to me. Promises to provide me with the grace I needed to respond to His call, promises to provide salvation to all nations, promises that His heart moves with perfect compassion and love for these people, and promises that He is sovereign over it all. Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Luke 24:46 “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.” I tasted God’s heart of compassion, love, mercy, and justice. As my heart was breaking and wondering how this reality could be in the same world I live in, God drew my heart close to his. I was reminded of Jeremiah 22:16 where a good king was praised, “He judged the cause of the poor and needy, then it was well. Is not this to know me? Declares the Lord.” The Food for the Hungry staff in Simada sent us off with this verse, Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen”