God’s Will is Always Greater Than Our Will

Written by Josephine A.

We have been doing ministry in Africa for several weeks, and God has continually guided our ministry.  He has constantly lifted us up in his hands and used us as vessels of his blessings to bless the women, children, and students of Addis Ababa.

The children are ages 5-13.  When we are with the children, we sing praise songs, share Bible stories, play games, share testimonies, and do crafts.  We bring joy, surprises, and God’s truth to them.  But we hadn’t had a chance to hear their stories or have deep conversations with them.  So I prayed to God about this – I shared my heart with God and asked him to prepare an opportunity for me to have this depth with the Ethiopian people to mutually encourage each others’ lives.

Leprosy Hospital

Written by Haley L.

The other day we went to a leprosy hospital.  I thought like most people that leprosy could be spread very easily just by touching someone with leprosy, that leprosy wasn’t curable, and that leprosy didn’t even really exist anymore.  But when we got the hospital, they gave us a lesson on leprosy, and I learned that everything I thought about it was wrong.  There are a lot of people who still suffer from leprosy.  It isn’t spread easily, and touching people with leprosy or just playing with them won’t do anything.  It can be easily cured, but most people don’t know that, so it goes untreated and gets worse.

We took a tour of the hospital, including the places where the patients make all the items that they sell in their gift shop.  They were amazing – some of the old men were making woven rugs with no hands.  I couldn’t believe it.  This one little girl with leprosy grabbed my hand.  She hugged me and told me her name and asked me to take a picture with her.  She led to some other girls around my age.  While everyone else shopped, we sat together, playing and laughing.  It was very humbling for me to experience how these girls, who are suffering from a terrible disease, were so joyful, kind, and welcoming.

Ministry Snapshots

Bryan B. enjoying himself playing with kids

  
Children’s Ministry (by Josh G.)

Children’s ministry is a blast here in Ethiopia.  The kids here are amazing at soccer and hopscotch.  It truly is a blessing to show God’s love to these children.  The best part about little kids is that they have a great imagination so they can have fun at any moment of the day.  It is definitely worth getting laughed at doing silly songs like The Funky Chicken just to see their faces light up with joy. I remember one VBS we did, and I was literally getting torn in half because all the kids were pulling me to play with them.  Even though we get exhausted at the end of the day, we feel good inside that these kids got to see God’s light shine through us.  Being in Ethiopia is an exciting experience, but the highlight is always getting the bus and knowing you are going to put a smile on a kid’s face that day. 

Some girls from Freedom House making crafts

Women’s Ministry (by Amy T.)

Every day in women’s ministry we teach a Bible story before teaching/learning a new craft.  A few days ago Tori M. told the story of the woman at the well who talked to Jesus.  After the lesson, we watched a clip from Magdalena (the Jesus Film for women).  There was a stillness in the room as the video played on a small TV screen.  Even though they couldn’t understand English, afterward I could tell some of the girls around me were deeply moved by the story and could relate to the woman with a hard life who wanted living water.

Soularium, one of our evangelism tools

Campus Ministry (by Owen T.)

Seeing God work through the people we’ve talked to on campus ministry has been incredible.  Last week I was able to talk with three men, each on separate occasions, and two of them prayed to receive Jesus Christ.  When these men accepted Christ, it was as if I could hear rejoicing from heaven as the kingdom had grown.  One of the most amazing parts was how God completely spoke through me and gave me words to say.  It was so humbling to see God use such a big sinner like me to bring two men to himself.

Some Thoughts From Us...

Last project we collected thoughts from everyone on project and put several of them into a post (see Just a Few Thoughts from the Project #1 portion of the blog).  This week, we did the same thing with Project #2, asking all students and leaders on project to share a little bit about the things that they have experienced and are learning.  I hope you enjoy reading about the things we're experiencing through women's ministry, children's ministry, campus ministry, and overall team life.

I’ve really been enjoying learning from the women in women’s ministry, watching them, seeing how they interact.  For me, that’s a peaceful way to experience the culture.  I’m excited to get closer to them.  Sometimes being surrounded by a new culture is really intimidating, but I like going through that anyway.  It’s a great growing opportunity for me. –Nicole M.

Last week my small group was out shopping after a day of outreach.  We were surrounded by chaos and people.  One beggar woman tugged on my sleeve so I would look at her.  I could see so much pain and suffering in her eyes.  She never knew when her next meal would be.  It made me realize just how blessed we were to always know when we would be eating.  The only piece of food I had was some chocolate, but I gave it to her anyway.  The thankfulness in her eyes reminded me of how we should be thankful for God’s love.  –Kelsey R.