{ March 6, 2010 | Posted by andy }

This week we’ll be sharing reflections from our Ethiopia team that recently returned from Addis Ababa.

Jonathan reflected on being drawn into a growing passion for the gospel in seeing “God’s light penetrating the darkness (John 1:5) and despair as hope in the gospel came alive before us as we experienced the fruit of those who had been burdened by God to care for the poor, widows and orphans. We were all incredibly encouraged to see, hear and experience all that God was doing through Beza International church (www.bezainternational.org) -aka “NCC East”- to serve and impact Addis. To hear how their spiritual influence was affecting broader Ethiopia (”the heart of Africa”) and the entire continent, then actually seeing the change being created was incredibly faith-building (in the sense of Mark 9:22b-24). We experienced incredible hospitality when sharing with poor, HIV-affected families in their homes (mud huts). We shared life-journey testimonies of breakthrough and God’s deliverance with the men at breakfast, but found ourselves much more impacted by their resolve to live and build for their families despite living with HIV. One clue why so much was being accomplished through the church, in a place where other NGOs had failed or abandoned, was Mark 9:23, hanging on the Entoto outreach office wall:

“All things are possible to him who believes”

On the plane ride home, Dave reflected on what we witnessed up-close (in a considerably unfamiliar setting abroad) that we may never recover from “They plan to serve like this for the rest of their lives. For Elias (Entoto Director), Anna (Beza Outreach Coordinator), Adam (Change ministries coordinator), Eden (Entoto Admin. Coordinator) and others, this is what they do, there is no other plan.”

May the Lord increase the desire in our hearts to give our lives away for his sake and the gospel, that others may live. (Mark 8:35)

“It was a truly amazing experience, and I’m eager to get back there.” -Brian

{ March 5, 2010 | Posted by andy }

This week we’ll be sharing reflections from our Ethiopia team that recently returned from Addis Ababa.

We were all considerably impacted by engaging the Youth Impact program and how it has touched the lives of the street kids who are participating in it. One of the first statements of introduction given were “We spend a year studying the life and teachings of Jesus…” We were told how (12) boys (living on the streets) are invited in each year to be housed, clothed and discipled. The majority embrace transformation from living for their next meal to discovering and experiencing a growing understanding of their identities in Christ and desire to pursue God’s purposes in their lives.

In reflection Dave shares “Each kid had a testimony something similar to this: ‘Hi, my name is _____, I’m 22 years old, and I am in the 9th grade.’ Two things come to mind: 1) it disheartens me to hear how these kids have not been loved or served by their community, and 2) it amazes me that despite their trials of being on the streets and ignored by the city, they are still working hard to make something of their lives. I hope they develop into strong Christian men who impact the lives of others.”

Ryan journaled about realizing that “through God, anything can be accomplished. There is so much going on there with so little resources, and it always seems that God provides what is needed. This can be seen especially through the Youth Impact boys and Ermias. He started with nothing, and just has faith that what is needed will be provided, and it is. Every year they are provided with the money needed to be able to change the lives of the (12) boys that they take in and do so much [with it].”

In another memorable moment during our trip, Dave reflects on the team helping (3) women carry their loads of firewood and brush down Entoto Mountain. “It amazes me that these women, each of whom are about 5 feet tall, were carrying loads weighing 200 lbs! While walking down a mountain. For (3) hours. To make (10) – (15) Birr (roughly $1 USD). The joy on their faces when we helped them (by inviting them to join us for a ride in the van down the mountain) was priceless.”

{ March 4, 2010 | Posted by andy }

This week we’ll be sharing reflections from our Ethiopia team that recently returned from Addis Ababa.

For this year’s first trip, the Ethiopia Mission team of (8) was comprised of (5) guys and (3) ladies who spent (10) days serving in Addis Ababa.

The heart of our mission was to support and bring resources to empower the work of Adam Taylor, who is effectively a missionary from NCC, and others who are reaching out to about (28) (out of an estimated 50,000-100,00 at-large) streetkids.Adam reflects: “Just seeing familiar faces, being built up by loved ones from home was amazing. Really it was just confirmation of God’s will. Watching Gods will envoke so much passion from [the team] was amazing. It was clear as day to see His will transforming lives. It was happening right in front of me and I just felt like I was watching a life changing movie. I can’t wait to see the end to this drama and see what script he chooses to write for all of you and all of our boys. I do have to be honest and say the [sheep testicles] dinner, with games was the highlight for me.”

Serving in Addis was an eye-opening, humbling experience for the team in many ways. “On a social level, I’ve developed a new understanding and appreciation for food.” says Brian. “In D.C. most of the the homeless population wouldn’t dare to take leftovers from a meal, but in Addis, even the smallest of scraps (the crust of bread, or a half eaten piece of fruit) are accepted with a thankful smile. Coupled with this, the street kids we served alongside Adam offering numerous gorshas (hand-feeding food) to us ferengis (foreigners) showed us how much they appreciated us being there. For them to so rarely have food like that, and still be willing to share it with us was a humbling experience.”