Project 1 Mural

One of our Project #1 projects was painting a mural at Big AHOPE, one of the orphanages we frequented. One of our staff, Sharon W., both designed the mural and headed up the painting efforts. She and her trusted sidekick Micah L. anchored a rotating team of students who worked hard to get it completed in a week. Here’s Micah’s description of the experience.


I had the opportunity to be present for the entire creation of the mural, and spending time with the AHOPE children, Sharon, and my fellow students impacted my time in Ethiopia in a big way.

We started work on the children’s mural from a faded chalk outline of Sharon’s design. I had been to the big AHope orphanage two weeks prior, and going back this time had me feeling at home. Sharon’s sketch had been there last time, so I knew where we were going from the start. Our helpers for the day, Reed S. and Lillian F., began work on the background. Reed was quick to coat his side (and at least one of his arms) with thick green paint by the first half hour. The children were so excited to help us, and their enthusiasm helped spur us on. By the end of day one we had completed the right side of the back wall.

Project 1 Women's Ministry

And we're back!  Sorry for the delay, folks.  We were experiencing some technical difficulties, but we seem to be back up and running.  If the internet holds for me, we'll have four blog posts today - two from Project 1 and two from Project 2.  Without further adieu, here they are! 

The women’s ministry team had some unique opportunities to serve low-income women in Addis Ababa by teaching them some marketable skills such as cooking and crafts. Here is Cori H.’s experience with women’s ministry.


From the time Amy K. [one of the project staff] told us about human trafficking in Ethiopia and the world, I knew I wanted to serve on the women’s team. She explained that many women lacked an education or the skills needed to support themselves. Many women choose prostitution or servitude in other countries so they can send money back home. When we signed up for ministry teams there was no doubt in my mind where I wanted to be. I hope to work with destitute women sometime during my life, and women’s ministry really excited me. This past week we taught cooking and crafts to former prostitutes and unemployed women. One of their dreams is to start a restaurant; we’ve bought them a stove and are giving them the cooking supplies at the end of the second project. I love cooking and helping them learn something I love. Today the women pulled out previous crafts we had taught them— beautiful rag rugs and paper beads. We also had them practice making peanut butter cookies. I find it really encouraging that the women enjoy and take seriously what we are trying to teach them.

The first women’s ministry we ever did involved visiting women with HIV/AIDS. I remember feeling burdened by the hopelessness and loneliness of their situation. But God also gave me a spirit of excitement and joy as I visited the women’s homes. I have a whole life to give to him and possibly to women like the ones I’ve met—if that’s His plan. I realize that in every part of my life, God has a way to use me to reach people. Whether I actually become a trauma surgeon, become a pilot, or finish college, my purpose in life is to serve and love Christ. I can’t wait for the rest of my life, and the opportunities waiting.

Jesus Film

One Friday night, our team split into three teams to participate in Jesus Film showings all around the city.  One of the groups went to a remote location on the outskirts of the city – here’s Connor O.’s story from that night.

We were all excited as we stepped into the bus, setting out for the Jesus film showing. It was about 5:30 in the afternoon, and everyone was energized and ready to go. After about 30 minutes of driving, we were met by some of the J-film staff who showed us the way to the site. It was quite humorous to watch so many of us foreigners tread through the slippery mud in order to reach our destination. All of our shoes were covered in sewage filth by the time we finally got there. But what we were about to witness was completely worth the effort, and it would etch a memory into our lives that we would never forget.

Father, We Adore You

Written by Courtney R.

The rain patters against my window, and the misty air swirls between the gray clouds. But I pull on my jacket and put on my shoes. I take a deep breath as the cold slices the air and chills my body.  I keep my head down, my Bible tucked under my arm. As the rain drops fall faster, my pace quickens and soon I’m gently jogging, trying to avoid mud puddles and torrents of icy water. Soon I face a tree lined path. I quicken my pace and hurry down the path. I come to a small building with several stained glass windows. I peak through the dim glass and smile when I see that no one is there yet. I duck under the cover of the chapel and scurry through its door. Once inside my chills die down. I take off my jacket and shoes and sit on one of the wooden pews in the back. As the clock ticks 5:28, a few people trickle in. By 5:30 six people are sitting on the pew next to me. We wait a minute, hoping that a few more students will risk the rain and cold, but no one else comes. So we begin. We close our eyes and bow our heads. Our lips form words of thanksgiving, adoration, and petition. The chapel is silent for the next half hour, except for our voices in quiet prayer. As 6:00 draws near, we open our eyes and smile, our eyes a little misty at the beauty of going to our Creator together. Then someone suggests we sing. Slowly six quiet voices sing in a beautiful broken harmony, “Father, we adore you and we lay our lives before you, how we love you! Jesus, we adore you, and we lay our lives before you, how we love you! Spirit, we adore you, and we lay our lives before you, how we love you!” And thus ends our beautiful time of prayer. We all pull on our jackets and shoes and venture out in the cold and rain. But now there’s a small warmth radiating inside, and somehow it doesn’t seem that cold outside anymore. 

Just a Few Thoughts

Hey folks!  We're back from debrief, and Project #2 Briefing/Training is underway.  We still have a lot of Project #1 posts to put up, so I'll be trying to get those up in the next few days.  Each story should have a label telling you which project it's from.  For those of you looking for the missing Project #1 stories, keep checking back!

This is a special entry of stories and experiences from lots of our students in their own words. We asked all the students and leaders on the project to share with us some of their experiences and the things that God has been teaching them.  Here are just a few of the many, many ways that our students have been seeing God work.

Note from the Blog Moderator

Greetings, friends.  I don't have much time, since we're all in the midst of last minute packing and cleaning for debrief, but I wanted to give you all a quick update.

We've been busy these past few days (and the power has been out at inconvenient times), so trying to upload blog posts has been a challenge.  There are a number of good stories from or students (and many more pictures from Sharon and Jeremy) just waiting to be uploaded.  We won't have internet at our debrief location, so it'll be just a few more days before we can put all our stuff up.  Even as the next project starts, we'll probably still have some good Project #1 stories to tell, so keep checking back.

In case you hadn't noticed, we've added pictures to some of our earlier posts, so feel free to go back and check those out.  Sharon and Jeremy are our extremely talented photographers, and we hope to have even more from them in the future.  Just a disclaimer about the pictures - some of them correspond to the quotes/stories they're next to, but others don't.  Just wanted to clear that up to avoid any potential confusion.

Please keep praying for us as we wrap up our project!

Remember Me?

Our women’s ministry team joined with Great Commission Ministry’s Lydia Ministry to visit women with HIV/AIDS.  These women and their families have been ostracized from society, have difficulty finding employment, and live in extremely poor neighborhoods.  Here is Hannah M.’s take on the experience.

As the group of girls walked into the straw and mud plastered house, we knew we would forever have a new perspective on life.  This was the women’s ministry team’s first time going into the homes of the HIV positive Ethiopian women. Our main goal was to go into the homes of the women who have been diagnosed with the virus and to talk to them and ask about their lives and pretty much show them the love of God. Then to finish off we would pray with them. This would normally take up to 10-15 minutes, and with four groups assigned to 5 women each, it took about 3 hours.

These women who we were talking with suffered depression, lost family members, and saw little or no hope in life. But even with all these miseries, they still had some of the most giving hearts we had ever seen. They all wanted to make us food and coffee. Some of the women even wanted to give away their valuables, such as the only picture they had of their son. This all happened just because they wanted to be remembered.

 When our group debriefed and discussed all that we had seen, we all agreed that it was emotionally draining; it was bitter-sweet. The second day we went out, one of the groups had the privilege of seeing two women pray to receive Christ.  What a blessing.

Just reflecting on all that occurred, I can say that every one of those girls that went to the HIV visits has had a whole new perspective on value. Just a few days ago we were complaining on not having hot water and the electricity going out every other hour, but after seeing the homes and the lives that the women lived in, we will never forget how blessed we are.

You Give and Take Away

Hey folks, sorry this didn't post yesterday - we had a huge storm that knocked out the power along our whole block.  But now we're back! So here's part two - Courtney R.'s experience working with kids at a local orphanage.

Giggling girls; eager boys; joyful eyes; desperate hearts; only a few years left to live. These are the things we found on our recent orphanage trips. We have been to four different orphanages in our ministry teams, and everyone has come away with so much, but also left a little of themselves behind.

On Monday my team went to AHOPE Orphanage – a refuge for HIV positive kids. We played games, sang songs, and acted out a Bible story. The kids were so excited to play with us; I loved seeing their eyes lit up when we spoke to them! My favorite part of the day was when one of the girls braided my hair. I had just commented on how pretty their hair was and before I knew it I was on the ground and my hair was being twisted and turned. It hurt like crazy, but it was definitely worth it! Minus the fact that it is blonde, my hair fit in perfectly! Well, at least for a few hours…

Overall, it was a beautiful day and I loved getting to make a small impact on their lives. 

Here are some thoughts from other students:

Campus Ministry

We have three main ministry teams - Children's Ministry, Women's Ministry, and Campus Ministry.  Students from each of those teams have written about their experiences serving on those teams.  Here's part one - parts two and three will be posted tomorrow (hopefully). The Campus Ministry team focuses its efforts around Addis Ababa University and its many campuses.  Here is Chris T.’s overview of some of the work that they’ve been doing on campus.

A Day in the Life of a TCK

Here is Lizzy G.’s account of a typical day in the life of an MK on our project. I hope you enjoy reading about all the fun things that take up our days!

MK Life
MK2MK is not only known for its spiritual impact but also for its ability to throw a party. As soon as one MK sees another, they become the best of friends. And when you only have one month, you want to go deep with someone as fast as you possibly can.

A Few Images...

Hey folks, I know I said last post that there would be a slew of blog posts coming up, and that still holds true.  In fact, they're on my thumb drive ready to go.  However, due to some technical difficulties (and not wanting to waste our precious internet time while I try to figure them out), I'm not able to upload them right at the moment.  We've got posts about our kids ministry, women's ministry, campus ministry, and our team's daily life, so be looking for those once we get our act together over here.

In the meantime, here are a few images from Jeremy, one of our many talented photographers.  At least I think the images are there.  We can't actually view the blog from over here, so I'm going on faith and your comments that these things are actually posting.  If the images don't show up, please let me know, and I'll do my best to fix those technical difficulties, too.  This is Africa, after all.

We're Halfway!

Happy Fourth of July!

We just got back from church - hundreds of people worshipping the Lord in Amharic with high energy singing and dancing.  We were able to understand a good portion of the service thanks to the sweet older gentleman who took it upon himself to translate for those of us fortunate enough to sit in the front row - and got himself a job up on stage translating the sermon for us!

It's been a busy week - we've had groups working with children at several different orphanages and with the children of the Ethiopian national staff.  We've also had a large group go everyday down to the university campuses to share their faith with Ethiopian college students.  Next week looks to be even busier, as we add in our women's ministry team (teaching marketable skills to low-income women) and a team working to repaint one of the orphanages where we've been working.

It's hard to believe we're already at the halfway point of the project - please be praying for our health and stamina and that we will be able to maximize every minute of our time here in Addis.  Several of our students are working on blog entries about their ministry experiences from this past week, se we should have a slew of entries in the next few days to tell you all about the things we've been doing.

We're so thankful for your prayers and encouragement.  Keep your comments coming - everyone loves hearing from you!

This Is Africa

*Thanks everyone for your all your comments!  All the messages are being delivered, and we're so encouraged to have you all thinking about us and praying for us while we're here.

**Today's blog entry is our very first student entry - so please give a warm round of applause to Courtney from Italy and Lizzie from East Asia who worked very diligently to put this together.  They're already working on a second installment, so anticipate that coming your way soon.


….It all began one foggy morning at 3 am – the students from Europe arrived in Africa and the project was officially underway. The next day everyone else arrived safely, but not until after the bug crisis in one of our four houses. We were all playing cards, happily waiting for our teammates to get here when suddenly our house was swarmed with huge monstrous bat-bugs!!!

We're here!

Seulam from Addis Abeba!

This will be short because I'm sitting in an internet cafe, but we wanted to make sure you all knew that our whole team made it in safely (and only lost 1 bag!).  We've been really busy these past few days getting acclimated to the altitude, the food, and the weather (which is beautiful when it's not raining).

We've also been doing a lot of training for ministry and learning about Ethiopian culture because tomorrow is when we start our first day of ministry on the university campus!

Here are a few ways that you can be praying for us:

• For our time on campus tomorrow to be fruitful and encouraging
• Health - no one's sick yet, and we'd love for it to stay that way
• For our outreach on Saturday distributing food to children

Hopefully we'll be able to update again soon with stories from our first few days of ministry.  Thanks for all your prayers and support!