Miracles

Have you ever been involved in some of God’s miracles? I certainly have. On
this trip there have been many of them- some big, many small. Through each
of them God has revealed Himself in mighty and powerful ways. Here are 5 that
I’d like to share with you. Four of them happened in consecutive days, and the
first happened about a week and a half ago.


Miracle # 1- 700
Donations have increased so that now instead of the 660 people that were receiving food at the Feeding Center, 700 people can be fed at lunch. This increase of 40 people is amazing. 40 more people who were once turned away are now welcomed to a hot warm meal…awesome.


Miracle #2- Day 1 Kadist and Alayu-

Kadist and Alayu are a married couple who manage the guest house we where
we have been staying. As strong Christians, they both have experienced the joy
and pain that comes with following Christ. Kadist has been sick for over 15
years with an intestinal problem. The pain is evident, as it inhibits her
movement and often restricts her to bed. Doctors are expensive and ineffective here in
Ethiopia. The necessary surgery is out of the question as the concerns of
infection are too great a risk. But God is the great physician. A missionary
from Virginia decided to support Kadist and in one fell swoop, plane tickets,
money and visas were quickly given (This is truly amazing as it usually takes at
least 6 months to get a visa) and soon she’ll be having surgery. I wish I could
convey the awe and O MY GOODNESS, NO WAY! Of this story…Praise God! But I’ve got
more to tell you, so let’s move on.

Miracle #3- 3 more kids and an anonymous call

A family staying with us has 7 kids and felt called by God to adopt 3 more.
Yes. Process that thought. 10 Kids…that’s a lot. Now Carolyn, the mom, believed
that God would take care of all expenses. Kiel (the father) is a painter and
was skeptical that they would be able to make ends meet. But God provides.
Late one evening an organization they belong to called. Someone
made an anonymous $20,000 donation! It was so cool to be there! O man, if you
know me…you know I get all excited. Ok, now- take that image, multiply it by 10
and that was Carolyn. Ha! I felt right at home and it was amazing! Praise God!

Miracle #4- 40 more agree “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.”

The great commission was not something to ignore, but something to fulfill.
As Christians we have a responsibility to share the Gospel and its fruit with
all those around us. At the feeding center this past Tuesday, July 24th, 2007 I
was blessed with the opportunity to witness about 40 people accept Christ as
their personal Lord and Savior. What an amazingly humbling experience. It was
incredible to see the Holy Spirit work and all the glory is for Christ alone. I
can’t wait to talk to them in Heaven.

Miracle #5- The cost

Phone calls can bring happiness, and also great sorrow. In the morning
Carolyn and Kiel received a phone call that their child Ethan just suffered a
Grand Mal Seizure. His seizure lasted for 5 minutes and its cause is not known.
But thanks to God, it appears that little damage was done…at least that’s what
the results show so far. Keep Ethan and the family in your prayers.
The miracle is to have joy through it all (James 1:2), to rely on and experience God’s strength,
and to delve into a deeper intimacy with Christ. We all have been continuing to
persevere with God’s help and therefore, I’ve put this as a miracle.

Serving God here has been a roller coaster of a ride and you never really know
what is going to happen. But don’t worry, God is in control. I hope you’re
encouraged by this post. Keep your eyes open for the miracles God is doing your
life everyday. How great it is to be a servant of Christ.

Joe ( Katie and Josh)

Summary thoughts from Victoria

“We can do no great things, just small things with great love. It’s not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it.” –Mother Teresa

As I am nearing the end of my first full day at home, I have taken some time to reflect on the past month spent in Ethiopia. I struggle trying to find the right words to describe some of my experiences, as the past month has been an absolutely incredible and life-changing time for me. I feel as though I have seen and experienced God in brand new ways – in the city, through the team, as we were traveling, and in our everyday adventures.
A few highlights for me include our great quality time at the girls home. Seeing the girls’ faces light up as we baked, read books, talked and laughed made our weeks so much brighter! The language barrier certainly didn’t stop us from sharing lots of laughs and fun times together. On the last day there, the girls braided Katie’s hair and mine…and attempted to braid Susan’s. ;) What sweet, cuddly girls they are – and we certainly treasured the time we had with them. I’m so excited to know many of these girls have accepted Christ through their time at the Joy Home. The hugs and goodbyes were very difficult for me, but we promised to write each other and I look forward to keeping in touch with them as well.
Another memorable time for me was our lunches at the feeding center. It was quite a humbling experience to serve them, and know this meal might be their only food all day or week. It was so neat to recognize and talk with many of the people there.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I knew my time in Ethiopia had come to an end. I will never forget the smells, the sights, the people and the joy of Ethiopia. The experiences and friendships with the locals and the team have impacted my life in tremendous ways. I ask you to continue to be in prayer for the people of Ethiopia as well as for Katie, Joe and Josh as they are continuing their ministry in Ethiopia until August 18th. Victoria

Roggie Report

Roggie Report

After meeting the Johnson-Hammack team (another MPPC-based teaching team) we boarded our tour bus for the five hour drive to Roggie. We mixed and mingled with the other team (16 of them) and it was interesting to hear their stories and their excitement about their trip. They had just arrived in Addis the night before from the US so we did feel a bit like “locals” as we described our past month’s adventures to them.
The view out the window quickly changed as the kilometers went by. From the crowded, noisy streets of Addis to the more wide open agricultural areas on our way south. I’ve previously described this view as more like a National Geographic picture of Africa – round huts clustered in compounds, thorny wooden enclosures for animals, and small cooking fires being tended by women and children.
We left the paved road and made the last 5 km journey on a rutted dirt path passable only because it was not currently raining. The leftover “puddles” made the trip a bit like a cross between Great America’s Log Ride and Disneyland’s Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride but we made it safely across.

The road represents the journey that many of the school children take each day and it was dotted with clusters of huts and grazing animals of all kinds. As our bus passed, the sight and sound brought dozens of running children to the bus windows, waving and cheering our arrival.

As we rounded the last turn we could see in the distance the school buildings on the hillside. This was especially exciting for me since on my last visit to Roggie in January 2005 there was only a single church building on the site.
We were met by what appeared to be the entire Roggie community but before we could enjoy the welcoming ceremony they had planned for us we couldn’t help poking our heads into the classrooms where the KG1, KG2 and Grade 1 students were sitting quietly at their desks. Who knows how long they had been waiting for us but they greeted us enthusiastically (WELCOME!!!) and eagerly presented all of us with pictures they had drawn thanking their MPPC sponsors. Another personal highlight was meeting Meskerem Terefe, a KG1 student who I am sponsoring. What a blessing to meet her in person, see her smile and hold her hand.

Our team spent some time doing a few songs and some crafts (Todd’s team worked on a photo project for MPPC) before breaking out the jump ropes and playing with the children. Before leaving Roggie for the day, we visited one of the school children’s houses and delivered gifts that had been sent by MPPC families to their kids in Roggie.

Our overnight stay was at a lodge on the shores of Lake Langano.
This was our visit to mosquito country and the large and numerous ones were waiting to greet us when we arrived. The grounds were beautiful and we enjoyed a dinner together before heading to bed. Yeah, about that…..this was the first time for all of us (except Stephen) that we spent the night under mosquito nets. Katie and Victoria had the added adventure of sharing a twin bed under a mosquito net. The 90+ degree temperature inside and our inabililty to open any windows (“Will we have a goat in here?, because that’s my only concern” V.G.) made for an interesting night’s “sleep”.

In the morning we returned to Roggie. We stopped at the site of the well, another MPPC project which is completely changing the way these villagers will spend their days. The construction of the pumping stations and generator will begin this next week so future visits will show even more progress. Zenebe had asked the kids to come to school this day bringing with them their goats. Last summer’s MPPC children’s offering had been designated to purchase goats for each of the children of the school. What an amazing sight to see all of them and their goats gathered together on the school grounds. Many of the goats had offspring during the year so I think the kids outnumbered the kids.

We spent some time again with the children in their classrooms teaching some simple songs and a few English lessons. By mid-day it was time to leave.
I know as I approach the end of my month’s stay in Ethiopia I am facing several difficult goodbyes but hugging Meskerem goodbye was especially tough for me. As with all of the many lives we’ve touched and been touched by, we count it a blessing to have been here even briefly and we trust God with the continued care of His people.

More poetry

Here are a couple of poems that I (Susan) wrote inspired by our time at the Feeding Center. Thank you for your continued prayers for the 660+ men, women and children who are served each day by this ministry of hot food.

Sofia

7 months ago.
Sofia discovered that a new beginning was growing within her. Excitement and joy competed with the sorrow that life with her ill husband imposed.

6 months ago. Sofia’s stomach churned in the early morning. A reminder that soon there would be yet another mouth to feed.

5 months ago. Her husband’s ever-worsening symptoms coincide with her ever-expanding belly and she waits.

4 months ago. The difficulties increase as her fears about the future deepen. There is no work. There is no food. There is no hope.

3 months ago. The worst happens. A visit from death and the family that should be growing larger loses its Father.

2 months ago. Her pleas for hospitality go unanswered. An unmerciful landlord forces her eviction into the cold, dark streets of Addis.

1 month ago. Her toddler son asks the questions for which she has no answers. When is Daddy coming back? What is there to eat today? Why?

Today. Sofia slowly travels the cement walkway that leads to lunch. Exchanging her ticket for a bowl of injera and wat. All that she’ll receive today to share with her wiggly 3 year old and her unborn child.

Now it’s my turn for questions that go unanswered.
Where will she go to deliver this new baby? What will happen to them? Why?


The Feeding Center

Group after group they come
Women and their children
The sick, the poor, the lame
Blind, orphaned and alone
Wearing their entire wardrobe at once
The sum of their possessions in the bottom of a twisted plastic bag.

First order, and then chaos
Now noise, and then quiet as food placed in front of them makes its way into their empty places.

All the same, and yet all different.
A bit of onion broken apart, some pepper seeds or pieces of garlic waiting at the bottom of a blue plastic bowl. Story after story of heartache, hurt and suffering among the young and the old alike.

Injera.
Torn, folded or rolled above or below the steaming wat.
The only meal they’ll see today or the only meal they’ll see this week.

Up from the cold cement benches
Bowls empty
Up the ramp and out
Or maybe first what passes for a bath at the cold-water spigot
Making their way back to the street and to the world that looks at them every day without seeing them.

Not a chance for me to turn around or to turn away and then it comes again.
Another wave of people. More stories, more suffereing, more need.
The scene repeats itself.
4 times each day
6 days each week
660 x 6 x 52 = 205, 920
No, that’ can’t be right.
Is it over yet?
The last arrive.
No more injera.
Just a piece of bread and a platter of leftover scraps on the ground like a dish of food I might set out for my dogs.
Gathered around it are the squatting men, 10, 20, 30 of them.
Dipping.
Dipping their bread together as they share this communal meal.
It is almost too much… this relentless suffering.
Look!, There’s Jesus

Matthew 25:40 “For whenever you did this for the least of these, you did it for me.”

Summary thoughts from week before Roggie

Welcome Blog Readers,

It is a pleasure to write this blog update about this last week as Karen and I prepare to leave tomorrow (Saturday). We just arrived back in Addis from being in Roggie Thursday and Friday. Susan will be giving more detail on that; I will recap Monday through Wednesday and some parting thoughts.

This week felt as if we finally established a routine. On Monday Karen and I went to the RSCP feeding center while the rest of the group was teaching at Hope School. It was a heartbreaking last time at RSCP for Karen and me. That morning was very cold and rainy and most of those boys have hardly any clothing; the little clothing they have was soaked. You just wanted to wrap them all up in your jacket. We sang some songs and then re-enacted the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The boys enjoyed having one of their friends be the Dad as I played the part of the lost son. Karen beautifully narrated and then concluded with prayer. This lasted about 30 minutes and then it was time to feed them. The woman in charge then informed us that the bread had not yet arrived. It didn’t arrive for another 15 minutes, which isn’t long but it was painful to watch as these boys were trying to sit quietly, but they were wiggling in hunger and shivering in cold. It was quite the reminder that for some of them this little meal of bread, bananas, and warm milk is their only meal until the next morning.

After the feeding center we met up with the rest of the team at the school. From there we went to the feeding center for the adults, continuing to build relationships with the people there and making a few smile when we used the little Amharic we know. After the feeding center the girls returned to the girls home for another rewarding time spent with these young women who have had little positive interaction such as this. I know the women on our team have truly cherished the few times they have been able to spend with the girls. Erstwhile, the boys went back to the word working shop to continue our building adventures. The highlight was being able to completely finish some of the school chairs that we had started the first day we came. We put the finishing touches on by putting on the seats and backs of the chairs. I believe that it was the first time for any of us to put rivets in with a hand-powered machine instead of an electric tool. At least the drill for the holes was electrical. For us boys it was an “awesome rah-rah manly” feeling to look at these chairs and know that we went from bending pieces of metal to now having them complete.

Tuesday was Amharic lessons again in the morning. From there we rushed back to the feeding center to serve lunch (one last time for Karen and me). This part of our ministry has been a completely unexpected heart rending experience for us. It has really challenged Karen and me to pursue this type of service back in the United States. Following this we went back to the Sisters of Charity Orphanage and taught English.

Wednesday’s recap will be short for your sake and mine. Karen and I spent the morning one last time at the feeing center with the children while the others were teaching. We caught up with the team at Hope School, enjoyed the rare and beautiful sunshine by playing outside, and then headed out to the orphanage. It turned out to be a gorgeous day in Addis, one of the few full days of sunshine we have had. But, this was also followed by the hardest rainfall we have had. That night as we were playing cards, the power went out. We finished our game in candlelight around nine and decided it was a good time to go to bed because we were getting up at five for our trip to Roggie. The rain awakened most of the team around midnight. It sounded like the rain was going to collapse the roof of the house. The rain continued to come down this hard for another 3-4 hours – it was phenomenal, the sheer power of the rain. Yet, now that I hear the rain I think of what Susan shared early on in the trip how there are so many in this city who don’t have a home. Now when I hear the rain I thank God for the replenishing of the soil and pray for those without homes.

It is time to say good-bye – to the blog, blog readers, and Ethiopia. It has been an amazing time here, made possible by our team and Hope Enterprises. God moves in amazing ways: bringing this team together, Hope Projects, the Hope staff, etc. The love of Christ is alive and well here in Addis – all you have to do is see Pastor Matheos face light up every time he sees someone – and his joy is typical of the many wonderful Ethiopians serving the Lord here.

God Bless,

Stephen and the Team

Lalibela and some thoughts from Karen

Hi all,
Before jumping into our Lalibela experience, we felt it important to recap last Thursday. As Josh mentioned we all felt pretty discouraged last Monday evening, in part due to the teaching and in part due to the time at “Joy Home” and woodshop. Thursday afternoons mirror our Monday afternoons, so we didn’t quite know what to expect as the girls and guys headed off in our separate directions.
Unsurprisingly, God proved faithful yet again. The 10 girls at Joy Home shyly greeted us and we began to show them how to make pineapple pizza. While the girls seemed interested and helpful, they still were a bit reserved with us. As the pizzas were cooking, we told the girls that we had brought a camera, a photo printer, and decorations for a craft—the girls came alive at this! They scurried to their rooms to get ready for their “photo shoot”, some trying on 3 or 4 outfits to get the right look. Once all the pictures were taken, the girls huddled around the photo printer, watching with joy and giggles as the pictures slowly made their way out of the printer. Konjit, the woman in charge of the girls’ home, told us that these were the first pictures that some of the girls had of themselves. We felt God really blessing our interactions and relationships with the girls and couldn’t wait to return Monday.
The boys were similarly blessed with some good conversations and interactions at the woodshop. For the last hour of their time, there was a project that all three guys, a shop teacher, and some of the shop students all worked on together. This facilitated a time for talking, sharing, and even a few theological discussions. The boys joined us in the minivan with dirt and glue on their hands and big smiles on their faces at the end of the afternoon.
Now on to the Lalibela adventure! Our flight to Lalibela went smoothly. We stepped off the plane onto the gravel runway, smaller than most parking lots in the States, and were surrounded by green hills and lush countryside. After the constant crush of people, sooty black car fumes, and dusty roads of Addis, we all took a couple deep breaths—inhaling the fresh air and the natural beauty that surrounded us. As we drove into Lalibela from the airport, it felt as if we were driving back in time. Straw and mud huts dotted the hills and shepherds looked up from their herds of sheep and goats to smile and wave at us.
We spent the day touring the ancient Orthodox churches for which the city is famous. These churches were built in the 1100-1200s and carved out of the soft red rock of the land. Many of these churches were literally carved from the top down and then the inside of the building was hollowed out from the stone. It’s amazing to think of the manpower and determination that it took to carve these beautiful churches. The centuries-old sanctuaries are still being used as places of worship. It was humbling to look down at the floors of the churches, worn smooth by hundreds of thousands of feet coming to worship across time, knowing that our footsteps were now joining theirs.
We got to see a service in progress with about a dozen priests and clergy chanting in praise to God. Stephen’s highlight of the trip occurred in that dimly lit sanctuary when an elderly gentleman mistook Stephen for a pillar in the church and was about to kiss his stomach. The man was quite surprised when the “wall” moved out of his way! Another of the group’s highlights was getting to travel through an underground tunnel that connected two of the churches.
Overall the trip was awe-inspiring and restorative; it was a nice mini-break as we reached our two-week mark. Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we continue this week with teaching and serving.
~Karen and the rest of the gang

Hola mis amigos/as! July 5, 2007

Josh here with the next edition of Our Life in Ethiopia: The delightful tale of seven wonderful servants adventuring… Sorry, but there has been a running joke that my blog segment would be more soap opera than update, but fear not, I’m here to inform. (Pretty sure Karen & Stephen are going to hook up though)
Where to begin? Well this has been our first full week with some semblance of routine. It began on Sunday with a visit to Pastor Matheos’ church. Pastor Matheos has been our companion and translator on all of our ministry adventures, consistently taking care of us and adopting us as his sheep. It was great to experience worship at an Ethiopian church and proved enlightening despite the language barrier. Occasionally we would receive interpretations as to what the sermon was about or what the songs we were singing actually meant. Or, thanks to our Amharic lessons, we would pick up words we recognized here and there causing us to smile and meet eyes excited by the familiar words. The speaker focused on the obedience exhibited in the life of Joshua using Joshua 1:1-9 and 1 Cor. 10. The rest of our day was preparation for our teaching debut. At 3 pm we left for a traditional coffee ceremony at Pastor Matheo’s house followed by an Ethiopian dinner at the Crown Hotel with entertainment taking the form of excellent traditional dancers…and our very own Joe. The room is fairly large, seating 100 people or so. Well the music gets going and the dancers get to dancing and pretty soon some nice middle-aged Ethiopian men to the left of us are standing up dancing along. So naturally Joe, jumps up and starts clapping along to the beat with a little awkward hip shaking thrown in for good measure. Next thing we know he’s running over to the middle aged men having a dance off Ethiopian style. Dancing over here is all about moving your shoulders, chest and neck to the beat. So there’s Joe with his hands on his hips thrusting his upper body and all of us crying from laughing so hard. What made it even better was that half of the place was watching Joe instead of the dancers.
We entered classrooms Monday morning ready to teach English, one of the major tasks for which we had prepared, only to be severely humbled and forced to take a step back and rethink a few things. Most of the kids proved to be more of a handful than we had expected and our limited language skills impacted our abilities to present our lessons in an understandable way. We left the school that day disheartened, but continued on to the feeding center at Hope headquarters to serve some familiar faces and see some of our new friends. After that, we split up and the girls went to “Joy Home” a house ministry to about a dozen orphan girls ages 10-16. Meanwhile the guys went back to HOPE school to spend some time with our friends in the woodworking shop. There were a few discouraging and uncomfortable parts of the afternoon as well and by the time we all regrouped at home we were pretty down. Together we discussed our experiences as well as a plan of action. We realized that maybe this teaching thing was not going to go as planned but either way we would pray and seek God’s guidance. So Tuesday morning we had our Amharic lessons followed by a trip to the ASCO Children’s Center, a home run by the Sisters of Charity for HIV+/AIDS children. We took a brief tour of the facilities and then we spent time with the directors discussing the possibility of some ongoing teaching to the children. The day went by but unfortunately for me, it was not much more than just another day. We prayed that night for God to give us patience with the children, and that we would be filled with strength and love to approach all of our teaching with a different perspective. I was reminded of the Scripture telling us that it is when we are weak that we realize the true strength of God. The next morning was a beautiful reminder that God answers prayer. The kids were attentive and quiet, ready for instruction and eager to learn - that’s what I saw in the classroom Stephen and I were in and basically mirrored the input from everyone else. We celebrated our victory in the classroom (and the 4th of July) with steak, hamburgers and fries, our attempt at being American. It was refreshing to sit down and have lunch together rather than rushing from place to place eating our granola bars and trail mix in the minibus.
Wednesday afternoon we began teaching at the ASCO Center and it was a great experience which we will be continuing a couple days each week. This trip has reminded me that a beautiful thing about service is that everyone is called to serve, just in different ways. Each individual has his or her unique talents and strengths that fill different niches. We can do more together than we can do alone. This is the truth found in the body of Christ. Pray for us as we leave for Lalibela Friday morning at 5am; although this might not be posted until we get back so…maybe just keep us in prayer for all of our ongoing and new relationships and ministries. Thank you for all of the support, prayer and love, keep it coming.

-Josh and the Ethiopian Entourage