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2023-02-24, Friday, Addendum
Since I forgot to post these results, here they are now.
- 985 people heard the Gospel message for the first time
- 475 people accepted!!!
- 142 people trained to share with the Evangecards
2023-02-24, Friday, Return day
After a reprieve from early wakeups for village day traveling, we had a later start before heading to The Breakfast Club, with the ‘grand opening’ of the Lifebridge Academy Breakfast Club. Here 25 kids get breakfast served to them, so that they can attend school. In Ethiopia we’re told, kids who don’t get to eat don’t go to school, because they are too sleepy/out of energy to stay awake and pay attention. It was an emotional moment to see so many kids receiving simple rice and bread (which smelled fabulous by the way) to give them a chance to learn and end a cycle of poverty. Our Ethiopia leader Mesfin said many of the children are children of prostitutes, and many are HIV+. We brought some simple supplies, and a clothing outfit for each child. I was reminded of the Scripture in that talks about how can the love of God be in our hearts if we see physical need and do nothing.
(1John 3:17-18: If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.)
Thought to self: I thought the last day was supposed to be a ‘fun’ day. Wait – we served children in great need and that was definitely fun. Am I learning that service can be fun?!?
This girl wasn’t part of the Breakfast Club, but she was nearby. And without a single word she spoke to several of us.
I hear there is a plan for a trip this Aug-Oct timeframe. Show me your surprised face if I tell you I don’t know if I will go on this next trip.
2023-02-23, Thursday 5th field day
GOD works in spite of – not because of – me.
On the final village day, I was paired with Ethan. Or, as I will call him now, The Ethanator. Because Ethan is such a trusting soul, I took the opportunity to give him a scare along our travels. One of those “Saved your life!” moments. To his credit, I did not make him ink. But I did lost my standing as someone who is “safe”.
We had a ‘typical’, yet wild and weird day in my experiences. I encountered the first “not home at all” family, and other firsts. We had the opportunity to pray for healing for a woman with a lame leg, after I essentially told her “You don’t belong here.” More on that faux pas later. I was served more rounds of food in one home today (eight, I think?) than I have ever been before.
Our translator was also our disciple maker today. Her name is Mercy (not sure of the spelling), and in her native Oromo tongue, Meseret. She literally did not need us there, as she speaks English, Amharic, and Oromo. The value we provided today was that of a door opener, and a way for her to make connections to those we visited.
Back to my faux pas. In this one home, I tried a new “dramatic element” to sharing the Evangecube. The idea came to me when the Ethanator was sharing the Evangecube in an earlier home. As we talk about Jesus being put into the tomb, I thought why not close the door in a hut with no windows, and demonstrate the complete darkness, and when opening it again, showing “the bright light of Jesus”. I thought it was genius, and divinely inspired.
Well, when I want to try that in this home, as I shut the door I felt a nagging thought of “don’t do it”. But because I really wanted to do this (I’ll be honest, I thought it would be really cool), I did it anyway. And as I was shutting the door it dawned on me how the people listening outside would react. In Ethiopia, shutting a door on someone standing outside is essentially saying, “This is private – you’re not welcome.” And I couldn’t tell them to hang on for just 5 seconds. Sure enough, when I opened the door 3 were already leaving. I tried in vain to encourage them to come back. And my heart truly sank when I saw that one of them was lame. Sherry, I’ll call her, has a lame foot. And I am telling her the Good News is not for her.
Anti-epic-gamer-moment.
Others were able to speak to her and get her to return. We did anoint her with oil and pray for her healing. I fully believe she is healed. I have no proof. I do have faith, and that not of my own. I believe God will use her healing for His glory, as He always does, and not at all to bring glory to us.
Sherry continues to remain in my heart and mind, as someone who almost didn’t get to hear the Gospel because I thought I needed to do something cool.
2023-02-22, Wednesday 4th field day
Day 4 I went on the field with Arya. And therefore… and therefore… it was a megatastic epic gamer day (not moment, day). Arya is the team’s resident hyperactive teen, with two modes – 100% and infinity%. He also has a penchant for nonsensical words and phrases. So I can relate….
We had a day of limited walking, and almost no walking by Ethiopia standards. Not every person accepted, but many did, fifteen in all for us this day.
Like many in this area, lots of the older (ahem… my age) couples said their marriages were family arranged, and that is the custom in the area. Some further said they will arrange their children’s marriages. What a wise thing to do (I’m looking at you, daughters!)
I was happy to see Arya have a prayer answered immediately. He was running out of gas toward the end, and prayed that the last two houses be combined. I had my doubts, since our guide was one of the homes. But in an answer to prayer, the guide and our fifth stopvlived side by side, so we did combine the homes.
2023-02-21, Tuesday 3rd field day
Day 3 in the village I went with Aaron, so we had an “elder” day. As it turns out, we had the village leader with us, so that worked out well I think.
I don’t remember exactly when the village leader joined us, but somewhere along the way he became our guide, and our guide left. In every home for us today, someone accepted the salvation message. So that was awesome. I would later learn from our trip teens that this was a mad epic gamer moment. I’m not sure, but I might be mad bussin’ now.
We’re having long, long days in the field as a team, so back in the hotel to relax/recharge a little and time to write has been scarce. We also had a disciple maker in training go with us. She is in college studying to be a pharmacist, and her mother is a full-time missionary in Ethiopia. I have noticed, at least so far, having smaller groups to share with, compared to previous trips I’ve been on. But no matter, we know God is working regardless the numbers of people in each home.
Here’s a pic of where we walked.
Here is a visual on our work this week, in relation to the parable of the sower.
2023-02-20, Monday 2nd field day
Today was our 2nd village day. While yesterday was only a sowing seed day, today was largely a harvest day. These days are always easier for me to enjoy. Anne was my teammate today, and we witnessed 26 people convert today. What a day! And in a manner of deja vu, Anne is the same age now as my daughter Rachel was on her first trip to Ethiopia.
Particular items of interest today were our first home, where the father of the house is an Orthodox priest/leader. Though I had concern I would have a repeat of yesterday (Day 1), in this home everyone accepted. This man also had physical problems on the entire left side of his body, and we made sure to pray for his healing before we left.
In our fourth home, which was the guides home, we met his father, who is 70 years old. A small crowd joined us, and in this home again everyone accepted, fifteen in all. In our final home, we met a widow, a couple of her children, and one of the lady’s grandchildren. Once again, everyone in the home accepted. We had much to rejoice over today.
A couple other interesting points: first, both our translator today and our disciple maker are evangelists, which I was encouraged to learn. And in a final note, my coffee drinking count for today was 4, 4 more than yesterday.
2023-02-19, Sunday 1st field day
Waking up this morning was a chore, after the long day Saturday and not being able to finish packing getting ready for bed until after 11pm. Oh, the suffering life of a short-term missionary, I suppose.
At breakfast, I confirmed the Helfrick-coined invention “chociatto” (machiatto with Helfrick-sized portions of dark chocolate added, for those trying to follow along) does indeed need added sugar to reach a tolerable state. It was a valiant effort.
I volunteered to do the devotion this morning. And here is the crux of that.
I won’t know an answer
1 Corin 1:25
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength
I am not strong, or I am not <whatever> enough.
Deut 1:30-31
The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son
2 Corin 10:3-4
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
I won’t know what to do.
Exodus 14:14
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still
Overall for the day, the teams had 190 people who heard the salvation message, and 34 (I think) who accepted. I teamed with Karen today, and we had a day of seed sowing. Every day can’t be harvest day. While I struggled a with sowing day, and always do, Karen encouraged me with her positive, and biblical, long-term view. If you ask me how today was – I’ll say I had a day that ends in ‘y’. Like joy…. Like glory…. Like eternity. So I guess I’ll say it was a good day.
2023-02-18, Saturday
I had a short night’s sleep, so this is not that great, as generally village days are early rising days. And those start tomorrow. Our first thing to do today was packing the gift bags for the villages. We had 175 to pack. That went relatively smoothly, and for a change I was not a (hot) sweaty mess at the end of it. I am very thankful for shade and a cool breeze. We packed the bags and Mesfin’s church. Which leads me to….
After this we had the privilege to hear the praise team rehearsing. That was pretty cool. Unfortunately, we did not get to go to a service. Instead, in a slightly less spiritual moment, I did one of the things I do best – make a spreadsheet. Because I am a quick learner, it only took my ninth trip to figure out that keeping track of team money in a spreadsheet is more helpful than just doing the same in a notepad.
Then came time for us to meet our translators. I’ll call our translator insane Hussen. He was very engaging, and his testimony was, well…. Insane. He was formerly a Muslim, and had been unable to speak for 7 years (as a teenager, I think). He had accepted Christ and 2 years after that, was healed at a church service. He could speak perfectly after that. Now, he is a missionary/evangelist to Muslims, and also is a Christian singer/songwriter. I have never been so excited to be with a particular translator after the meet/greet/training session.
After a lunch and coffee ceremony outside, we took a tour of the school on the church campus. We heard from the director, got to hear his heart for the school and its children, and saw the need as took a tour. Like so many material things here compared to home, the discrepancy is astounding. And in the exact opposite way, the joy and contentment people have is equally astounding. I am always struck, moved, and yes convicted, by how joyful, gracious, hospital and just generally happy the Ethiopians are that we meet.
Our time at the church ended with much anticipated Ethiopians vs. Americans soccer game. One team won, and one team “tried real hard”. I would say we didn’t lose, we simply ran out of time. Or, we could have beaten them, but that was just our way of respecting them. (Um hmm, yep, that’s what I tell myself.)
2023-02-17, Friday
Good morning, world! It’s 5:30am and I forgot about the daily call to worship. Fortunately for me, it’s broadcast for the entire area over loudspeaker, so even over my sleep machine and fan, the call to worship penetrates the windows.
We went to Dan’s school to ask for permission for him to come with us next week to the villages. Principal said yes. Priceless reactions from many students. I definitely will not tell you about our trip leader who made 3 promises today and drilling into us not to make any. Because I definitely won’t say that that happened.
We went to Women At Risk Ministry today. It was founded by a lady called Cherry. Cherry is now not running anything day to day there. I was very glad to see it handed off and keep going. Canadians are there as we visited making a documentary about her story and ministry. They are from or associated with Samaritan’s purse. I will like to see that when it releases.
We spent a little time goofing off at a new part called Friendship Park. It was quite nice (the park). I rested in the shade while others did the goofing. For anyone who knows me, they’ll say, “That doesn’t scan at all for David.”
We finished off the day at Mesfin’s house, where Tigist (and a couple others) spent the day cooking a meal for us. It was all very good. “Konjo megab no!” (Amharic, best I remember). For those who know Dan, he has grown a lot. He is a little taller than Mesfin now, I think. I learned the secret to great coffee today at this house – adding some dark chocolate and letting it melt! For some that will seem like a crime against coffee; for anyone who knows me, they’ll say “That tracks for David”.
Prayer Request: I misplaced $80 of personal money. Like the widow, I’d really like to find that lost coin. Not to mention it looks poorly on me as a team money manager. Yeesh.
2023-02-16, Thursday flight landing & 1st day in country
Here’s my flight notes. First, remember not to shout “Boom!” In the airport when you’ve proven your trip leader wrong. Not everyone employs the same lateral thinking that I do, I guess!
I was blessed to have an empty middle seat beside me on the SAN-DC flight, and then even more blessed going to Addis. I had a “2 seat row” with only me in it. While I slept a good bid, several times I woke up and felt completely disoriented. It was hard even to think I coherent thought.
For our first day in Addis, we did some cultural immersion things – we visited the Red Terror (Derg) Museum, which retells the atrocities occurring in the 1970s and 80s when a brutal regime claimed power. We also went to an Ethiopian Orthodox Church and listened as a priest (?) told us some history of that church.
I had a few bad dad jokes here and there, and just so my body could prove to my mind that I am old, my safe dinner selection of “rice and vegetables” was much too spicy for me. I guess next comes not being able to handle the spicy ketchup!
We’re seeing God move among us as we gel as a team, and encourage each other through sleep deprivation, nausea here and there, learning how to care for each other. (And as an aside, those are the prayer requests as well.)
2023-02-15, Wednesday flight day
We are currently sitting in Dulles, awaiting the 15 hour flight to Ethiopia. The flight here was mildly eventful – some sustained turbulence that had even some normally stable fliers feeling nausea. I pulled a David sleeper, so I was fine as I was awake only 20% of the flight. We had some very American breakfast food – Chik Filet – before immersing in national cuisine. Lots of us are groggy/sleepy, but we are all in good health and good spirits. Before we know it, we will be on the ground in Ethiopia. That’s about it for now. Just a few minutes till boarding.
2023-02-14, Tuesday flight night (start)
Ok, so we are 6 hours from take off. I won’t say I woke up high as a kite this morning, but I did wake up “tipsy” in the Spirit. I am super excited to get there and be a part of whatever God chooses to do these next 10 days. “I feel like” it’s going to be the most amazing trip I’ve been on. Usually that’s a setup for a big letdown, but I am (re)learning that God exceeds expectations. My mom also reminded me of something I said in college: “I’m not afraid to walk alone at night, because I know that God is with me.” Seems somehow I forgot that along the way. It’s never too late to remember these things, so thanks, Mom!
I’ll just end with saying Satan seems to be working very, very hard to disrupt our team this trip. I think I remember reading somewhere who wins…
2023-02-13, Monday pre-trip
You all made my cry. I am overwhelmed by the speed with which you covered the daily prayer request list. And also, how many names (and even places) represent people I’m pretty sure I do not know. This is a fantastic blessing.
Friday we had the last team meeting. We learned that we are likely to encounter many homes where demonic activity is present. Relatedly, and unexpectedly, we had a healing session ourselves, which was very, very moving. I personally am now very motivated to pray for God to show Himself to those we encounter, in powerful ways, and pray like I mean it, vs. my normal “Oh, if it’s Your will God, do something here.”
D Helfrick 