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.

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.

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.

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.