GA Ethiopia 2009

Ethiopia blog is now complete

2009-07-05T10:43:00.003-05:00

This completes the blog for Ethiopia to the best of our abilities in telling the stories, so many that we could not share them on line, but if you would like to hear about them first hand, let us know and we will be happy to tell you. Some incredible things are happening over there, but for the security of our partners in certain areas, we can not share everything on line.

I have included a link for each day. Some days there are two links that will help you see first hand what we were involved with and the faces of many of those that we worked with who are ministering everyday, the beauty of working with the local nationals; we come and go and they stay.

Under each day there is a link in RED than you can click on to pull up the pictures. I hope you will enjoy them and the stories they tell.

I will be going back to Ethiopia later this year with a group of men to learn more about how God is working and raising up His Body; I would love for some of you guys to join me. We have several who have shown interest already. The trip will probably only be for a week, but I think you will agree that it will be an incredible week to see what God is doing in Ethiopia and maybe how some of this can be brought back home to our own churches. It is time to ACT; I am ready, and I hope you will join me.

From our team who went to the wonderful people of BEZA International Church and their ministries to the people we got to meet that have been embraced by the love of God we thank you for sending us and praying for us. Please pray about joining us on a trip or see how you can help in a personal way. Maybe your church wants to get involved or your small group, or your family or friends. There is a place for every one to be involved. God wants you to be involved in His ministry around the world and at home. He doesn't need us, but He wants us to be involved. Don't miss out on the blessing.

Ethiopia update for Friday and Saturday

2009-06-27T09:30:00.004-05:00

Friday and Saturday

Electricity outages continue. We haven't had power most of the time, which means that even with generators at the hotel, there is no phone service or internet, so we'll try to catch up for the past couple of days.

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/EthiopiaYoungGirlsMinistry

Friday morning we went to a home for former prostitutes. Here they have safe shelter, get vocational training in hairdressing, nursing, and other skills so that they can support themselves and their children. There are 13 currently living at the home, with 5 small children; 4 girls, and one little two year old boy, Robel…the only male in the house. The ministry began with a group of young men who had grown up together in church, saw the plight of so many young women here (estimated 150,000 prostitutes in Addis) and decided to do something about it. They went to the one of the red light districts, talking to the girls, establishing trust, and proving to them that they weren't there for the same reasons as other men. In time, many came to trust Christ, and the men rented a house for them to live in and begin a new life.

Robel's 22 year old mother was brave enough to share her story with us. She like most, came from very poor conditions, no skills, with little education. She got a job at a bar where drug use was common and became an addict. She tried other jobs, but couldn't support her habit, so she returned to the bar. She tried to quit and get away from this lifestyle, going back to the rural area of her family. There an "agent" persuaded her that he could get her a good job working at a coffee house, but it was soon apparent that the coffee house was a front for prostitution. He forced her to be a prostitute at night and working in the coffee shop during the day. She finally fled and went back to Addis, but her parents had nothing to support her with. So she went back to the streets, still addicted and working for about $.50 per customer. Men usually were drunk, often physically abusive, and she suffered unknown horrors. She lived day to day, never sure if she would survive. She became pregnant and her situation became even more desperate. If she could barely afford food for herself, how would she take care of a child? She also knew that she was a great risk for HIV and had been afraid to be tested. After several months, she got the courage to be tested, and miraculously she was negative. The father of her child deserted her, and she continued to go to the HIV clinic for prenatal care, with the help of a friend. When it was time to give birth, her friend took her to the hospital, which she thought was included in free treatment of the clinic. As she prepared to leave soon after Robel's birth, she was told that she would have to pay before she could leave. The bill was 29 Birr (equivalent of about $3.00), but she didn't have any money. She borrowed 50 Birr from a friend to pay the bill, but couldn't afford a taxi to get back to her "room." So she climbed onto a bus and carried her newborn back to the brothel. When Robel was just a month old, she was back to work. Men didn't like to be with women who had children, so she would hide him under her bed. She hated what she was doing, but she had no place to turn. She attempted suicide several times, despairing of life, but she knows now that God intervened and kept her alive. It was during these first few months of Robel's life that she met the men who started the home. They asked her if she wanted to get out of this business, told her about the home, and invited her to come and see what the home was like. When she saw that this was a legitimate offer, that the men weren't out to use her, as all others had, she grabbed the opportunity and she and Robel began on a new journey. She came to understand that God created her, loved her, and gave His Son for her. Slowly she began to heal, began hairdressing school and did very well. She now says that she is a "hair doctor," very proficient with hair styling. People from the brothel neighborhood see her and wonder what happened to her….she isn't the same person! Physically and spiritually she is a new creature! She is quick to tell them that Jesus saved her, that He is the master of her life, and that she lives for Him! Though she told much of this story through tears, a smile will break through when she talks about the grace of Jesus. She wants to set her own salon one day, and is anxious to reach out to other girls caught in the same situation and introduce them to her Savior. There was certainly a hush in the room as this young woman made herself so vulnerable, sharing her heartache as well as her new joy. We commented to her how sorry we were that she had had to go through such terrible trials, but she said that she was not sorry, because it was worth it all to come to know Jesus, that without the trials, she didn't think she would have come to Him. That's eternal perspective.

We asked the girls if they would like to ask us any questions, and the first one they asked was whether or not we had prostitution in the US. They were truly surprised when we said we did. They couldn't believe that anyone would do that in America; here, it is because of poverty. When you have nothing else to sell, no skills or education, you sell what you have; yourself. Surely no one in the US would have that sort of need! We told them about human trafficking, and how prevalent it is in the US and all over the world. They were aware of many girls in Ethiopia being taken to Arab countries, but again, they couldn't believe that it would happen in the States.

Just as we saw at the boys' home, these young women, ages 12-23, have been totally transformed by Jesus! It was a joy to pray with and for them, to encourage them and realize that we were indeed sisters in Christ.

We took some time to visit some local shops, seeing the typical Ethiopian handicrafts. It started to pour down rain (the rainy season has just begun), dodged in and out of tiny shops and found a few souvenirs.

Betta and Sophie, directors of BEZA, had arranged for us to have a BBQ in the evening, which had to be transferred to the guesthouse instead of the open area at the church, which was now quite muddy. Before we left for the dinner, we got to meet with 5 women who are part of the Women's Empowerment Ministry, supported by BEZA and Women of Global Action. This program provides vocational training for very poor women so they can support themselves and their families. These women were in training for preschool teaching, elementary education, sewing and nursing. You could see the joy and pride they had, knowing that they would now have viable skills to sustain their lives.

The rain subsided enough for us to build a campfire at the guesthouse, and the fire actually felt good as things had cooled down. They cooked beef (sort of like fajitas) on a large wok on the fire, and we had a delicious dinner of beef, peppers, roasted corn, injera and bread. It was our final time of fellowship with Betta, Sophie, and Pastor Z, along with the Invasion Ethiopian team visiting from the US. Lots of sharing, thanks, and prayers as we thanked God together for what He is doing in Ethiopia, and in each of us as well.

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/EthiopiaSaturdayProgram

It's hard to believe that today, Saturday, is our final day in Ethiopia. It has gone by so quickly!! This morning we helped with the children's program held every Saturday at the Entoto center. We had about 80+ children from about ages 5-12, teaching Bible lessons, crafts, music and games. There are wonderful local young people who sustain this ministry, along with an American young woman who has worked here for 3 years. It was a great time! These children live along the mountainside, where most of the people suffer with HIV and live very hard lives. Breanna shared educational information in HIV/AIDS with the parents who meet while the children are in their groups. Even though so many people are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, there is still much misinformation and superstition about the disease. The more the people understand the truth about HIV, chances are much better to curb the spread of the disease.

Now we are packing up, sorting through dirty clothes, preparing for the long flight home. So much has been compressed into these few days! The people, testimonies, faces, voices, laughter, singing, hugs and enormous generosity and hospitality will long remain with us. There are many, many challenges here; life is hard. So many people suffer; so many children are homeless, living on the streets, or barely able to survive even with parents or guardians. BUT…..and this is the key word…BUT GOD IS AT WORK!! BEZA is a shining example of how the church body can respond to the needs of people, to be the hands and feet of Jesus, sharing and showing Jesus in wonderful, varied ways. They are responding to God's call to take care of widows and orphans, reach out to the poor, care for the needy, all in the Name of Jesus. If the people are to come to know that Jesus is truly the Way, the Truth, and the Life, they must see it in action. We are so thankful for what they are doing, how they are caring, and how very much they pray. There are no untouchables, no one turned away, and no one ignored, for they know no one is beyond His reach.

We are challenged and encouraged by their example. We are forced to consider how we are responding to the needs in our own country, city and community. And it all boils down to relationship, our personal relationship with God through Jesus, and relationships with others. We each have an assignment from God, a specific purpose that He has designed for each individual. How are we doing on our assignments? Are we obediently responding to His call on our lives? We have seen these faithful followers of Jesus fulfilling their assignments and the incredible results that follow, total life transformation. Our prayer is that each of us on this team will do the same, being salt and light at home, leaving a part of our hearts here in Ethiopia. They have captured our hearts; we have made very special friends and would love for you to meet them, too. We know one thing; we will come home as changed people. God has revealed Himself to us in powerful ways; may we continue on assignment with Him.

Wednesday Thursday update

2009-06-26T08:59:00.003-05:00

Wednesday & Thursday – Worship in Spirit and in Truth

I'm catching up on yesterday since we didn't get to post and were working on finding an alternate method of getting the blog out. We met with the leaders of two leaders of very special ministries. The sensitive nature of their ministries are such that unfortunately, we can't give any details here (we'll love telling you about it when we return), but suffice it to say, God is mightily at work in ways we cannot imagine!! Unprecedented encounters and a coming together of people groups never before seen! We discovered more of what it means to truly worship God in Spirit and in Truth, not the outward motions, but the inward motive. What we learned was both challenging and exciting. Again, our view of God is enlarged; He is so much greater than our finite minds can grasp.

Last night our group split up to meet with three home Bible study groups from BEZA. All the groups study notes from the sermon from the previous Sunday, discussing how to apply it to their lives. Our group began with a time of praise and worship, sharing prayer requests, and then dove into the scriptures. We felt instantly comfortable with the group; we commented that you could have picked this group up and placed them anywhere in the US, and they would have fit in. There was no awkwardness at all; they have delightful senses of humor, and you could tell that they enjoyed a very close fellowship, but also welcomed others in without hesitation. One lady from the US is part of the group; she has been here for 5 years working with CMF and has a number of "adopted sons," street boys that she works with along with her other work. One of the boys came with her. Another girl from the US has been here this year, teaching English at a private school, but also volunteering with BEZA. She is soon to return home for a few months, but is eager to return in the fall. The rest were local believers of various ages. One of the local young women is an attorney and is heading to the University of Michigan for an advanced law degree. It was an interesting mix, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with them. We discovered that legalism is very engrained in the culture here. It was interesting to hear them talk about going to a movie, even a Christian movie, and hoping no one would see them in the ticket line because going to a movie is considered sinful by most. So living by grace is an important issue for them, and they are learning about the freedom we have in Christ.

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/EthiopiaVisitingBoysHomeAndGovernmentOrphanage

Today we joined with the US Ethiopian group to visit a boy's home for street kids and a government orphanage. We were totally blown away by the boys! Three young men were touched by the plight of boys living on the streets 20 years ago, subject to violence, abuse, addiction, and began to build relationships with them. That led to them getting a house and taking them in, discipling them and guiding them to be trained in a vocation and be able to live independently. They now have a transition house where the boys live for about 6-12 months, then they transition to another home where the focus is on discipleship. This was the home we visited, now housing 33 young men ages 10-20 (approximately; it's hard to tell ages, and most of them don't really know how old they are). Each boy came in with his Bible, and one by one, they stood before the group, read a portion of scripture, and then expounded on what that scripture meant and how it applied to them. The insight and depth of thought was astounding. These boys haven't been there all that long (they stay at most, a year), so what they have absorbed has come quickly and set in deeply. Each one gave thanks to the Lord for his mercy and grace in their lives, admonishing one another and exhorting each other to praise God for his forgiveness and new life. Some of their comments were:

"If we have accepted Jesus, we can't just give him lip service. We have to give Him all of ourselves."

"You all know what I was like before, the awful things I did, but God forgives every sin; we are completely forgiven, and now we have to tell others."

"God has saved us for a reason; we have a purpose now in life, and we must live it."

"We have to walk like Jesus; we must finish our purpose in a strong way and not fall back."

"God loves everyone. He takes people like us off the streets and can use even us."

Talk about humbling! We spent the afternoon at a government orphanage that was dismal at best. Poor accommodations, feeble attempts at sanitation, these tatteredly dressed children were nonetheless smiling, singing and playing. They are so eager to grab your hand and just hang onto you. How we wish we spoke Amharic! But a lot can be communicated without words. We loved on them as best we could, aware that a little joy for them can go a long way.

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/EthiopiaDinnerWithStreetBoys

We have adopted Birukti, a BEZA worker, who has an incredible testimony herself. I'll save that for another time, but she has also reached out to a group of street boys living under a bridge. She started visiting them under the bridge, sharing what she could with them, and now has a pretty regular little group of guys who meet to play soccer (another BEZA friend helps with the soccer), just be with them, and she saves her money to buy them dinner when she can. Tonight we got to host Birukti and about 15 of her guys at a nearby outdoor restaurant. What a group of guys! Even with the language barrier, we enjoyed connecting with them with hand games, pantomime, and bits of English. The best "prop" you can have in most countries is a camera! These kids, like most we have encountered, love to have their picture taken and then see the image on the screen. Of course, they want to take pictures as well, and as cameras found themselves in their eager hands, flashes abounded. There has been no electricity today for the most part, so we were eating in the dark (interesting!), so the flashes were particularly bright. Ethiopia generates electricity by hydro-power, and there has been little rain, so electricity has been tightly rationed. Lately they have had power about half of the time. We have had a number of outages, but haven't really noticed it too much since we are usually outside. You would have not known some of these boys were from the streets, apart from their ragged appearance. Alex, a 14 year old who sat next to me, showed more manners and consideration that you would see in many kids anywhere. It was amazing to see how they constantly looked out for one another, shared everything, didn't grab or look out only for themselves like you might expect. They brought the boys' food before most of our dishes were ready, and we knew they were starving and could hardly wait to dig in, but Alex insisted that I eat some of it first, the traditional injera bread and assorted "dips" that I can't really tell you the contents of. When I got up to take some pictures and left my purse hanging on the chair, he quickly said, "Mama, your bag." I haven't been called Mama as many times as I have today in years! Gray hair brings some perks here; it instantly makes you Mama or Mommy, and they want to take care of you!

It was wonderful to see the boys heartily enjoy their meal, laugh, cut up and "just be boys," but so hard to see them walk back into the night, knowing they were going to a shelter of a plastic tarp propped up on sticks. It has gotten much cooler here, especially at night, and the beginning of the rainy season has made the ground damp and cold. This is their life; this is reality for so many here. Birukti is looking for a place to rent to shelter these boys. Though she has very little money herself, she has such a heart for these young guys. They are trying to figure out a way to provide for these boys, give them the chance that the boys at the home we went to this morning have had. We saw evidence of what can happen in the lives of the toughest street boys; total transformation! We are thankful that they are sleeping with full stomachs tonight, and praying for the Lord to protect them as they huddle together under the bridge. Pray with us that soon they will be off the streets, with a roof over their heads, food to eat, clothes to wear, but mostly, that they will know that they are deeply loved, specially created, and are precious in His sight.

Monday – On the Mountaintop

2009-06-24T15:16:00.007-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/EthiopiaMondayEntotoMountainProject
We just discovered tonight that blogspot is blocked here; we’ve been trying to get the updates out ever since we arrived, so now we know why it hasn’t worked. We’ll have to send out the update via email, so we’ll do the best we can to keep you updated.
Today we went to the BEZA ministry center on the Entoto Mountain. The area is very poor, with a high population of those with HIV/AIDS who have come to the mountain for what is claimed to be healing waters, administered by the Orthodox Church. Many of the people moved here from the countryside, renting small shanties in the eucalyptus groves. The center reaches out to those ostracized by society to provide a means to support themselves with the jewelry making and spinning projects, as well as a children’s ministry and parent support ministry, prayer and encouragement. The project began with a group of people having a heart for this community and their needs, going there weekly to pray and build relationships with the people. It was hard for the people to let down their guard, form trust, and realize that there were people who weren’t afraid of them and cared about them. Believing themselves doomed, they had little hope or incentive to better their lives. With the start of the jewelry project, those involved regained a sense of dignity, value and belief that they could have a future. With proper medication and nutrition, they could still live productive lives. Tamara, the young American woman who supervises this ministry, said you could see a visible change in their demeanor; they could now look you in the eye, hold up their heads, laugh, and enjoy spending time together. They felt human again.
We spend the morning with the women spinning cotton thread from local cotton, which is woven into the traditional scarves traditionally worn here. They use very simple hand spinners, nimbly transforming clusters of cotton into smooth spools of thread. With one hand constantly turning, the other guiding and stretching the cotton, they make the process look easy. However, as they encouraged us to give it a try, we discovered that there is definitely an art to spinning! These women are great teachers, though we might not be the best students; they patiently insisted that we keep trying and seemed to enjoy our feeble efforts. We were able to bring them safety glasses to use while they are spinning. Lint from the thread often gets in their eyes, causing irritation and pain, so they were very pleased to have them, opening the packages up right away to put them to use. Sitting there with these dear women was like an old fashioned quilting bee, women working together, chatting; for a moment you could forget that not long ago these women were the “wood women” who walked up the mountain to forage eucalyptus branches in the forest, bundle them up and carry these huge rolls of 10-15 foot long limbs all the way down the hill, only to sell them for $.50. Grueling work, and these are petite women. We’ve talked to men who said they could barely lift the bundles, much less carry them down the hill. What a blessing for these women to be able to sit, spin thread, and be able to provide for themselves and their families instead of being beasts of burden.
In the afternoon we met with the ladies in the jewelry program. Ethiopia is believed to be the origin of coffee, and they are making beautiful, unique jewelry made from coffee beans (roasted and varnished) strung on thread with silver and colored beads and often adorned with Ethiopian crosses and other pendants. They have many designs and are always experimenting with new ones. They also make bracelets and earrings, but the necklaces seem to be the most popular items. The director of the center had asked us to bring jewelry clasps with us because they were running out and finding it harder to get supplies. As we arrived, the supervisor of the jewelry makers said that the group finishing up necklaces, attaching clasps, were concerned that they weren’t going to be able to finish their daily goal because they only had a few clasps left. Their faces lit up with smiles as we brought in the large bag of clasps “in the nick of time.” How neat to be a part of God’s provision for their needs, to see that He really does provide. Some of the women bring their babies with them as they work. One little guy was sitting on the floor while his mother was creating necklaces. They told us that his name meant “be the hope.” His mother is HIV+, but he tested negative at birth; they are praying that he is indeed the hope of a new generation living without the disease.
Of course, the gals on the team had to support the ministry and purchase some beautiful jewelry……..these are truly gifts with purpose, changing lives.
We then got to go up the mountain, encountering many of the wood women making the strenuous trek down the hill, to go to the top and visit in some homes of those being ministered to in the program. We visited in two homes. We first visited a couple; the husband is ill from AIDS related illness; he was bundled up on a thin mattress on the floor. His wife works with the jewelry program, and said that if it weren’t for the program, they would not be able to survive. They had moved from the countryside four years ago when they learned they had the virus. Seldom seeing family, having the fellowship and encouragement of the ministry has deeply impacted their lives. We asked if we could pray for them; the husband said that we could, if we did so softly. He was afraid the local priest would hear us praying and accuse them of “defecting.” It is so sad to see the fear and control of tradition that still binds so many of the people here. They seemed very grateful, though, that we came to visit them. The second home was a young widow. Only 25, her husband had died of AIDS, and shortly after he died, she moved to the mountain. She is one of the leaders of the jewelry ladies; her speed and dexterity have made her a mentor to others who have difficulty learning the skills. She was obviously proud of her achievements as Birukti spoke of her leadership skills. She showed us pictures of her family; her parents have died, and her siblings rarely get to visit. She had papered the thin walls of her shelter with newspapers, adding decorative touches with whatever she could manage. Even with all her hardships, she manages a beautiful smile and sweet spirit.
Visitors are usually a curiosity, and as we visited these families, children suddenly appeared and followed us. Like all children, they were giggling, anxious to have their pictures taken, and loved seeing their faces on the camera screens. The guys had a pick up game of soccer on a patch of dirt, while the girls had fun with their make shift jump rope. The creativity of children! The Ethiopians are beautiful people, and these children quickly capture your heart. Their large, deep eyes and wide smiles disguise the harsh life that most of them endure.
It was wonderful to personally meet those whose lives are being transformed through these ministries; they have gained hope, value, and experience the love of Jesus in action. Here they are not outcasts; they are friends. They are not ignored, but affirmed. The workers here are selfless and caring, genuinely passionate about the work the Lord has given them. What a privilege to join with them!
Oh….my suitcase did come tonight! I have to admit it was nice to change clothes. After four days in the same clothes, I was feeling somewhat like the “sisterhood of the traveling pants.” Then I think of those who only have one set of clothes; how very spoiled we are to abundance!

Tuesday – How does our garden grow

2009-06-24T15:16:00.006-05:00

We got to meet with the BEZA staff today. As we met with individual staff members and heard their testimonies, we were all impacted by how God has worked in their lives and drawn them to the ministry they are doing now. One is a dear 78 year old man who didn’t get to go to school until he was 12, met Jesus at a Mennonite boarding school, and went on to get a master’s degree at Purdue in engineering. He has worked in road construction/design for the government, also with World Vision, and when most people would be fully “retired,” began working with BEZA just 18 months ago to help with the construction of their ministry centers. We then had a very special time with Betta Mengistu, the founder of BEZA with his wife, Sophie. Betta has a quiet, gentle nature and instantly made us feel like honored guests, reminding us that God had brought each of us here for a special purpose, one that we may not even realize. You cannot help but be caught up in his passion for the Lord, the reality of a loving, intimate relationship with Jesus. He was very transparent with us as he shared his own spiritual journey, which has led him to passionately pursue relationship with the Lord and others. It was a strong challenge to us to reflect on what specifically the Lord has designed for each of us personally. He drew us to Song of Solomon 4-5: “You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.” The comparison was made to what is often true of believers and institutions today, full of knowledge, but no outflow. Our gardens can be full of giftedness and knowledge, but not expressed or shared, not nourishing others. The springs of the Spirit’s work in our lives can be sealed up, not flowing out. So we are examining our gardens, our hearts and souls, to see if/how we are closed in, if there are things blocking the outflow of His spring in our lives that comes directly from a personal relationship with Him.

We had lunch at a pizza restaurant, whose Ethiopian owner had recently moved back to Ethiopia from Seattle with his family. His 7 yr. old son was there, seemed curious about us, and clutching his daddy’s hand, came to say Hello, even demonstrating for us what he was learning in his salsa dancing lessons. Yet another example of Ethiopians returning to their country.

After lunch, we learned a bit more about Ethiopian history and culture at the national university’s museum, where Birukti, our new friend, went to school. The exhibits revealed the rich history, culture, and craftsmanship of the Ethiopian people.

Every Tuesday Sophie hosts a women’s prayer meeting, so we were able to join them. Though we don’t understand Amharic, we could certainly identify with their spirit and His spirit in them! Their songs of worship and praise are beautiful and sung with such passion. It is obvious that prayer has high value here, and it was a special time to pray with and for one another. Sophie reminded us that the power of God is in prayer, that we truly are blessed women, and we can expect God to work mightily in our lives, restoring what the enemy has stolen or held captive; God delights in giving us His blessings and victory.

Tomorrow we will have opportunities to meet with those working in very special areas of outreach in Ethiopia. We are looking forward to all that God has to show us, how He is challenging us. We are both humbled and blessed by everyone we are meeting. We are so thankful that He is allowing us to build special relationships with our family here and that He purposed for us to be connected with them.

Ethiopia Monday update

2009-06-24T15:15:00.008-05:00

Worshiping in Ethiopia!
http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/EthiopiaStreetScenesAndChurch
What a wonderful first day in Ethiopia! There is no better way to begin than worshiping together with the body of believers at BEZA church (BEZA and their ministries are our Global Action ministry partners in Ethiopia). We went to the first service (English) and joined in amazing praise and worship. Amazing worship team! Truly a joyous celebration! We truly felt His presence as we sang "I live to worship you," which set the scene for the worship time and message. Another visiting team from the US sat behind us, young American Ethiopians who are here to experience their roots and minister to and with the young people here. Many of them are from an Ethiopian church in Dallas, and we enjoyed getting to visit with them and hear about their experience here. We stayed for the worship portion of the Amharic service. It was interesting to see the contrast, the difference in the music and style, though they are all one congregation.
Pastor Z, as he is affectionately called, is the son of Betta and Sophie Mengistu, founders of BEZA. Raised in Kenya and the US, he, along with many Ethiopians, have come here to minister and build into their country of origin. His message centered on Matthew 22 and the parable of the wedding feast. We were reminded that the man who was refused from the feast was not "clothed" for the occasion. Both "good" and "bad" came to the feast, but the properly clothed were invited to join in the feast. A vivid picture of grace, how we are clothed in the righteousness of God through Jesus, not through our "good" or "bad" works. So the question is not a matter of performance, but how are we dressed? In the robes of righteousness of Jesus, or our attempts to look good? The pastor challenged us as believers in the area of judging one another; God is The Judge, and He has put a call on each of us, our own "race" or assignment that may look different from anyone else's. Though there are non-negotiables for believers, there is great freedom in Christ. We were challenged to keep our eyes on our own assignments, rather than judging how well other believers were doing theirs. The receiving and giving of grace!
http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/EthiopiaChurchServiceAndCulturalShow
We enjoyed a wonderful Ethiopian meal at the BEZA guesthouse after church, getting to spend time with Sophie and Pastor Z. They shared their vision for ministry, the miracles that God has done here and is doing, how He is reconstructing His church and calling all of us to a deeper relationship with Him.
Jet lag began to creep on in the afternoon, and after a brief rest, we went to an Ethiopian dinner/cultural show, where the traditional foods are served in their historic fashion, the coffee ceremony is performed, and extremely talented dancers demonstrated some of the traditional dances of the country. We were glad they didn't call us up on stage to attempt these rigorous moves! It is always a treat to get to enjoy the music, dancing and cultural heritage of the countries we visit. This rich, ancient civilization has much to be appreciated.
Tomorrow we will go to the Entoto Mountain where one of BEZA's outreach ministries is located. Many have migrated to this mountain in hopes of being healed by the supposed magical, healing waters on the top of the mountain. It has drawn many with HIV/AIDS seeking healing. Here there is a center to care for the people, offering micro-enterprise training in jewelry making and weaving of cloth. We will spend time with those in the center, sharing, praying and encouraging them. This mountain is where the women carry enormously heavy loads of wood down the mountain to the market below to make $.50 for a day of overbearing work! Some of these women are now in the ministry program, a tremendous blessing to them.
We are so very happy to be here, to be meeting our brothers and sisters and seeing what God is doing in this nation. We're thankful, too, that Anna safely met up with us from Sudan (what an adventure she has had!), and that the suitcases, minus one, arrived with us. I (Diane) am without mine, so the travel clothes are getting a little wearisome, but perhaps it will arrive tomorrow….praying so J.
Please pray for us as we meet with the people in Entoto, that we will be a blessing and encouragement to them, though I'm sure we will feel the most blessed.

We have arrived Saturday night it is about 11:25 p.m.

2009-06-20T15:19:00.006-05:00

Khartoum from the air.

We have arrived in Addis and got all checked in to the hotel here and the first person we saw in the lobby of the hotel was smiling Anna who had been in Sudan the previous week. She landed just before we did so luckily she already had her shower and cleaned up, the first one in a week, thank you Lord, so we got checked in and then got a quick meal in the restaurant. Oh I forgot to mention that Diane did not get her bag so she will be without, at least her stuff until the next flight comes in Sunday morning from Paris, why Paris I do not know. Any way she is very tired and already in bed which is where I should be. So this will be short. We have a busy day

tomorrow starting with church, which I am sure will re-energize all of us.

Thanks for your prayers for getting us over here and now looking forward to a great week as well. Oh I forgot to mention that we made a scheduled stop in Sudan on the way over that our ticket did not spell out but it worked out ok we just sat on the plane for about an hour until some of the folks got off and we took on more fuel. See photo above.

More tomorrow.

Off we go

2009-06-19T12:48:00.002-05:00

We are now heading to the airport to meet up with the rest of our team who have been making their way to Houston today. We are excited and looking forward to what God has in store for us. Keep praying for us for the long journey over our connection in Amsterdam and arriving late Saturday night their time in Addis (we will be 8 hours ahead of CST.

Keep in as we will try and do the same.

Daily schedule in Ethiopia

2009-06-18T14:11:00.002-05:00

The following will be our daily schedule while in Ethiopia. Please pray for us each day.

We will all meet in Houston and fly to Amsterdam on Friday June 19 arriving in Addis late on June 20th and rest up from the long flight. (Pray for Anna one team member coming from Sudan/Uganda for safe travels and good flight connects).

*JUNE 21:* Attend church with locals; City orientation
*JUNE 22:* Spend day with Beza leadership
*JUNE 23:* Visit Entonto Outreach Center; Anna to lead devotional for
program participants; Visit homes of families participating in Entonto
Project; Visit Orthodox Church’s water project; Prayer meeting with Beza
*JUNE 24:* Meet with Entonto Project leaders; Meet with Home Care Groups
*JUNE 25:* Special outreach (confidential)
*JUNE 26:* Day trip to Kuriftu
*JUNE 27:* Shara to lead program for Entonto Children’s Project; Depart for
the states that night (with team)
*JUNE 28:* Arrive back in the states late night

Leaving Friday for Ethiopia

2009-06-18T12:37:00.000-05:00

We leave tomorrow for Ethiopia; we do covet your prayers as we go! We’ll be working with a number of outreaches as well as working with the ministry/micro-enterprise program on the Entoto mountain, ministering to the very poor and AIDS widows and orphans.

Experiencing Ethiopia

2009-06-15T17:22:00.002-05:00

We’ve been hearing about the amazing ministry of our national ministry partners in Ethiopia, BEZA International, for some time, so we were glad that we were able to spend a little time recently following our conference in Turkey. Though we were there for only a few days, we felt instantly connected and managed to cram a lot into those days. Getting to meet and be with Betta and Sophi Mengistu and the staff at BEZA was an incredible blessing and joy! It made us look forward with great anticipation to this ministry trip which we will share with six young women from various parts of the US.

BEZA ministers as a local church, evangelism outreach ministry, and supporter of micro-enterprise projects to provide skills/opportunities for people to earn a sustainable income, as well as hear about and experience the love of Jesus. We are looking forward to participating in the various facets of their ministry, praying, encouraging, learning and sharing with those to whom they minister, as well as with the believers there. We know that God has gone before us and has incredible things in store that will touch all of our lives.

Please pray for the team as we pray, pack our bags, and prepare for this journey. We will update this blog as often as possible so that others can journey with us, experiencing Ethiopia through our eyes and His.

Pray for our team members: Breanna, Melissa, Shara, Anna, Cicely, Kamilla, Diane and John

We would love to hear from you if you have time to drop us a note.

Map of Ethiopia

2009-06-13T11:56:00.006-05:00