ET17A

 

13APR Thursday.
We closed out the village days with another fabulous day.

177 heard the gospel. 151 accepted. 681 total professions of faith. 774 have heard.

God moved in an amazing, amazing way this week. Today Mia and I were a team. (Mia is an awesome partner, by the way.) What struck me most today was that really, truly, what is happening is all about God. And nothing about us. What brought that home today is that Mia and I did not present a single cube today. As we had an early return deadline today, we expedited things by having the translator and disciple maker present the cubes in each home. So for the most part, Mia and just asked the villagers questions. And prayed, while the nationals presented the cubes. Today I had not even the faintest hint of an illusion that this had anything to do about me. And that is the best place to be! (And yes, every single person accepted today, in our homes.

Some of the more interesting non-conversion events today included both Mia and I holding a baby (~6 months old). Mia absolutely loves the children. She had one follow along with her from the first to send house, arm in arm. That was neat to see.

In our last home, 3 people walked in as we finished the acceptance prayer. Both Mia and I felt we should present the cube to these 3. But our translator felt we shouldn’t, and we should leave it to the disciple maker and host family to do later. This happened several times this week, where I felt we should present to a late comer, but we left it as an assignment. I took it that I needed to get over my desire for things to happen “while I am here”. So we left this home, and it was the last home we visited. Through a series of God-orchestrated moments, one of these men followed us, and caught up to us, after we left the house. The translator presented the gospel, and the man accepted. As it turns out, he was not supposed to visit that house today, and he does not live nearby, so the disciple maker would have probably not seen him again. For Mia and me, it was clear that God definitely intended for this man to hear today, and to become a believer.

I close with the lighthearted topic of volleyball. Several times on trips I’ve seen Ethiopians stand in a circle and practice volleyball. Today I got to see some play, close up. And by close up, I mean that I joined them for a few minutes. Emphasis on few minutes. At this altitude (~8500 feet), and with my “enhanced years”, I could only play for a few minutes before deciiding I had had enough. It was fun, though, both for me and for them.

 

12APR Wednesday.

First an addendum to Tuesday. In my haste to publish a blog entry, I failed to mention that Rachel nearly didn’t go on the field Tuesday. She had some pretty severe stomach issues, and with prayer and medication she felt well enough to go just minutes, literally, to join the team.

Another awesome day today. And we never tire of reporting it. This has been a week (so far) like I have never seen. We have such a high percentage of people coming to faith, that it is becoming uncommon not to have everyone in the house believe. We also had multiple healings today, among the villagers.

177 heard the gospel. 151 accepted. 517 professions of faith so far. 596 have heard, if my adding is good.

Today Lucy and I teamed up. She is an excellent partner. She presented the E-cube in the first two or three homes. I really appreciate her spirit. Everyone accepted God’s message in each of our homes today. In our first home, we met a man who is missing an eye. And I mean missing – not just not functioning. Both Lucy and I felt God leading us to pray for this man, and his healing. While it would make a great story if I could tell you that instantly God healed him so that he had two eyes to see, that is not what happened. However, we prayed and I am confident that God is going to do something powerful in that, and through that, man.

Another interesting event was that once again I had the privilege to pray for an unborn child, only this time it was two unborn children. The second pregnant woman just appeared outside the door as we were about to pray for the first pregnant mother. Since Ethiopia does have a problem with infant mortality, I am always honored to have these opportunities.

Thursday will be our last village day, and we pray and expect more amazing things.

11APR Tuesday. 

God worked in a powerful way again today. Everyone had a fruitful day. And there were accounts of a demon(s) cast out, people protected from trafficking, and much more. Again, check the team blog for stories, and/or ask the team when you get a chance.
team blog is e3iopiamissions.com

Today I went with Jax. For those who don’t know Jax, he is a 9 year old godly dynamo of evangelism. God works in Jax, when he presents the gospel message, such that people can hardly do anything but accept the message. It truly was a privilege to go on the field with Jax. He is a non-stop talking (and I mean that literally) bundle of fun and comedy, even while being a sensational evangelist.

As we walked to the first home, we prayed for the day. One of the things Jax prayed for was that we would meet some people who are already believers, in the home. Well, as it turns out, 2 of our homes already heard the message before we arrived yesterday, so Jax prayer was answered. Just not in the way we expected.

I had the joy and honor to hold a 2-year old boy for about 5-10 minutes. He was completely quiet the entire time, and jumped down when is mother arrived. That was no surprise.

Some other things from the day: in our last home, the father had adopted a boy, who is about 13. He is super smart, and when he grows up he wants to be a chemical engineer. What makes this so amazing is that our disicple maker for the day, Robbie, is preparing to go to university, to be a what? You guessed it, a chemical engineer.

In that same home, a man walked in part-way through the E-cube presentation. I wondered if he would accept, as he did not look particularly interested. However, he did accept. Our translator told him that it was no accident that he walked in at this particular time, as he was not expected to be there.

In our first home, nearly everyone accepted, and after we finished, one man, who is roughly 60, told us that the priest(s) had never come to tell us this message. So he was profusely grateful and thankful that we came to share this message yesterday. It was an amazing, amazing day.

As for numbers,
151 heard the gospel. 134 accepted. So after 3 days, 366. If my math head is working….

10APR Monday.
Miraculously, our second day was even better than the first day. Every team had a very fruitful day today. Everyone has stories, but sadly, I can’t possibly include them.

145 heard the gospel. 137 accepted. 137!!!!

Today I got to go into the field with Rachel. We had a sensational day. In our first home, we had the privilege not only to see nearly the whole house come to faith, but we also took time to do an I Am Second story. I told the account of the 10 lepers healed, and only 1 returned. Those in the home thanked us immensely for coming, and for sharing the story. One of those who believed, I’ll call him Sammy, retold the story flawlessly. He was not part of the family, but came from some distance away, because he heard we were coming, and he wanted to hear what we had to say. (Just for clarity, that wasn’t “Rachel and I” we, but our team in general.) He said when he returned he would tell his wife.

Once again, we heard stories of trafficking in the homes. This time, however, we heard about adult trafficking as well as child trafficking. It wasn’t clear at times if the adults had been trafficked, or had legitimately gone to a foreign country to work. One such instance, a husband told us, was of his wife leaving the country to work, so that she could help her parents, who were in need. This family has 3 small children. So we prayed that the wife, I’ll call her Martha, would return no matter the circumstance.

We had other exciting times as well. We saw a man, who received the chickens, building a chicken coup when we arrived. We also met a young couple expecting their first child. She was due any time now, and they allowed us to pray for their unborn child. That was a first for me.

In another first, our disciple maker, Charlie, presented the Evangecube. In 4 trips, I had yet been able to persuade the disiple maker to be the one presenting. I also heard from our translator that Rachel is more active when not with me. He said that since he translated for Rachel the first day as well. Who knew – a teenage daughter would act differently around her dad.
-Dave

09APR Sunday.
First village day. This is always an exciting time for the team. Whether first time for experienced, we each anticipate that first day in the village. A mixture of nervous, excited, and unknown. Today God saw fit to

SAVE 95 people. Out of 123 hearing the gospel.

Wow. Wow. Wow. How blessed we each are to participate in that!! And when I say “we”, I mean all of you at home as well as those of us who are here. Our local E3 leader Mesfin said that he was very surprised, because this village (which he said has 2500 homes – we spoke to 35) is closed to the gospel from nationals. They are not allowed to preach here, or if they do the people do not listen.

JUST IMAGINEwhat God is going to do in the place in coming days.

Now for some individual stories. First from other teams. And let me say up front, you’ll want to talk with those folks individually. I no doubt am missing even some of the highlights, let alone the fascinating details. Allison and Jax saw every singleperson accept Christ today. Tom and Dave K also saw God save everyone they preached to today. Shannon and Marela saw many (all?) come to faith. Erin and Lucy experirenced the same. In addition to those conversions, their team cast a demon from a woman today (and yes, she was one of the saved today). Mia and Rachel – same. Emily  J and Emily W – likewise. What an amazing day.

Oh yes, and then there was Wendy and me. We had a different experience. Some sow; some, water; and some, sow seed. Wendy and I sowed today. While none in our house accepted the Message, they were very attentive, and at least receptive. (So much so that one man who planned to marry in two months invited us both to his wedding, if we would return. If only. If only.) We learned that they believe in God, but also worhip angels, the dead, and worship demons. Our translator said they worship Satan, though we learned as we heard more what they worship are “angry gods”. They worship out of fear, these god(s) who will do them harm if the people do not worhip them. And in this case harm can be killing animals, crops, and even children.

Moving to a very heartbreaking, and very real, note, today many of us encountered trafficking in a way I had yet to see. Traffickers have ravaged this village, so much that nearly all our teams heard stories of children being trafficked, about to be trafficked, and worse. In one case, a young male had escaped his traffickers, and returned to the village. However, he felt such shame that he struggled to look people in the eye. In another case, the child returned. But not alive, only her body.

I relay these horrific stories not to make you feel sad, or anything like that. I tell you to remind you, to remind me, to remind us all, that trafficking is real, and it is evil. But the promise we have is that Jesus is with us, He is greater than this world’s deceiver, and He has overcome the world.

Bless you all for teaming with us. And know that man oh man, God moved in a visible and powerful way today.
-Dave

08APR Saturday.
Still no water for the most part, with limited exceptions. We did, however, once again have water long enough for people to shower. Wifi also is very spotty and slow. So I’ll get these updates out first chance I can.

Now for the real stuff. I volunteered last night, after a lengthy wait, to do today’s devotion. I worked on Friday night, preparing where I believed God was leading. But I didn’t like it. I didn’t see how this devotion fit. And I wasn’t convinced it was meant for this team at this time. Maybe never. I still felt that way when I woke up this morning. To be honest, I was actually dreading devotion time.

Then Dave K, a teammate, knocked on our door just minutes before breakfast (and devotion would be immediately after breakfast). He asked if I would mind if he did the devotion today. I said yes as graciously, and calmly, as I could. I instantly knew God meant that to be, and I felt a burden lift. He told a wonderful story of how God led him to that devotion.

We then went to visit home churches started in the area we visited here in Fiche a year ago. How excited we were to see what God has done in the past year. The churches ranged from about 10 members to 45, and they meet 2 or 3 times per week. The one my team visited (Emily, Emily, and me) already had a vision to evangelize their neighboring villages. We went there to encourage them, and I believe that every single one of us left being encouraged ourselves.

I can neither confirm nor deny that I had fun with many (kids) in the village….

The rest of the day we spent prepping for Sunday ministry day. We packed bags full of many essential things for gifts for the homes. Marela did a great job leading that. And, I’m thankful to say, she gave me a job staying mostly in the shade. After we finished the bags, we split into our village day one teams, and met with our translators for day one. I am lucky to be with Wendy. She is very demonstrative in her story telling, so I know she’ll do great!

07APR.  Friday evening.
Today we realized we are in Africa. And that’s ok. We spent a large portion of the day waiting. Waiting for transportation, waiting here and there, and a long travel day. When we got to the hotel, there was no hot water. In fact, there was no running water at all. The hotel did get running water long enough for us to shower. And all my teammates are grateful for it, that I showered!

The very quick story is that the town recently upgraded the water supply to have more consistent water supply. However, the regional official wanted to have a ceremony where he turns the water on. Unfortunately, he is quite busy and unable yet to get to this town.

Despite those trifles, we saw God working from morning to evening, as the devotion on trusting, patience, and obedience prepared us for the day. We visited the Women At Risk ministry, a usual stop for our team. And one that I’ve mentioned before. It is always a pleasure to listnen to Cherry speak about how God started her ministry.
Add to former blog post

Superman back story. Last year, we came and stayed at this same hotel. A man with a superman shirt was one of the wait staff, and he did a stellar job helping to get our rooms in order. So, to honor him in some way several of us wore Superman shirts today, for when we arrived at the hotel. We also had one for him as a gift.

07APR AM.

We are off to Fiche today. With a couple of stops before.   While we know Jesus is the only Superman, some of us wore these shirts today. Back story later.

Hmmmm… pic might have to wait

06APR.  PM.  
I’m sharing the blog below with the team blog, so the wording might not quite sound the same as my normal self.  Some pics at the end of the blog.

Day one in Addis. We made it!  It is always a bit of a relief to be safely on the ground again, after 18 hours of flying.  We made it partly rested, and mostly healthy.  We are thankful for all your prayers and for God’s goodness to us.

We visited several places today, including the Red Terror (Derg) Museum, the Hamblin Fistula Clinic, and a much attended Ethiopian Orthodox Church.  Just briefly for those first time followers…. The Derg Museum commemorates what is essentially the Ethiopian holocaust, a recent time of great internal strife and intense persecution.  The Fistula clinic helps women who have/had fistulas become medically, spiritually and emotionally healed.  In this culture, being healed from a fistula is a big, big deal.  The Ethiopian Orthodox church is something we tour, to help get an understanding what it means to be Orthodox in Ethiopia.  Today, a couple of us saw people kissing the steps leading to the church, I suppose to show their sincerity and devotion.

While multiple team members have very interesting stories about these, and I encourage you to tease those stories out of them, I’m going to tell you about another ministry: Make Your Mark (MYM).  Started in Charlotte, North Carolina, this ministry focuses on getting and keeping young boys off of the streets.  We heard first hand, and for a few minutes got to participate ourselves, in how God is using this ministry to change lives and share Jesus in an authentic way.  God stirred this couple to move to Ethiopia several years ago to begin an MYM setting in Ethiopia, in Addis.  They are living here ever since, working with local nationals to help change young boys lives who live on the streets homeless.  God always stirs my heart when I listen to someone speak passionately about what God is doing in them and through them.

I’ll close with two quotes Trent, part of the founding couple, said today.

* God said here is a need right outside your front porch.  What are you going to do about it?

* Your mission field is between your two feet.

-Dave

06APR.  Thursday Addis am.  Safe arrival at the hotel.  About to head out for ministry in Addis.  Some tired folks and a little bit of sickness.  Hopefully more info tonight.

05APR2017.  EDT.

We arrived safely in DC.  We now have roughly a five hour layover before our flight to Addis.  So far so good.  Here is the first team pic.

04APR2017 – We are nearly ready to embark.  We leave San Diego in 3 hours!!  About 12 hours from now, we’ll get on an Ethiopian plane, but larger than this one.  Stay tuned, and please pray….  I could be wrong, but that looks like gray hair forming on my head.  Must be the lighting.  Yeah, definitely the lighting.

-Dave

Page for David &Rachel’s upcoming Ethiopia missions trip, April 2017.

April 3 – updated picture for this page.  We return to this region, though not the same villages.