“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

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.”

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.”

Eliphaz could have provided Job with a sense of hope, but instead, he put the blame for his current circumstances on Job’s shoulders. He planted seeds of doubt instead of seeds of hope. He says to job, “What innocent man has ever perished?” accusing Job of not being innocent. It’s not sound wisdom. It’s not encouraging. He offers no hope. (And if Eliphaz really needs an answer to that question, we’ve got one.)

As we venture out in service to our community, we’re being given not just the option, but the responsibility of bringing hope to the desolate and despondent people we serve. We have the opportunity to speak hope into the lives of the homeless, the incarcerated, orphans, single mothers, and all in our community that we serve. We’re to be a light in a dark world.

Even in every day conversation with friends we’ve known for years, with those who have faith and eternal hope as Job did, a little hope and encouragement goes a long way. A kind word, a smile, a simple touch can cut through the junk that tries to drag us down and can encourage, lift up, and give hope.

Walk into a dark room and flip on the lights. The darkness retreats.

What kind of seeds are you planting?

We have now been here for 3 days and have had a blast hanging out with the change boys.  There has been a lot of changes in Addis since we were last here, they have made it illegal to beg and have moved out the street kids from their make shift homes under the bridge.  Now the boys live in mud huts- 4 boys to a hut.  On our first day, we played on the field and then took the change boys to dinner- we fed 35 people for $100 US money.  That just seems so crazy that you can feed and fill 35 stomachs for that little of money.  Day 2 we went to church and then threw a BBQ for the street boys.  We played silly American relay races, like catching a marshmallow in our mouths and the egg relay.  It was an amazing time.  It was the first time since they have become official “change boys” to be invited to someone’s house.  Alli made a great host, and bought a sheep that the guard slaughtered in front of us for dinner.  During the dinner portion of the night, one of the boys decided to share this experience by eating the testical of the sheep with Brian. All in all our time here has been great.

Love, the team

PS – Please be praying a few members have momentarily taken a turn for the worse.  Ryan is pretty sick with stomach issues, and Krystal hasn’t been able to sleep so she isn’t feeling too hot.  We love the prayers.

Psalm 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

I am so compelled to worship God after reading an update from one of our missionaries on the ground in Haiti.  I can not think of any song more pleasing to God than the one in this brief story. If a child can find a new song in the center of the chaos, surely I can find a new song in midst of my commotion…

As difficult as it is here, the people of Haiti are incredibly resilient. The hospital here takes in the worse injured. A brother, sister, mom, dad, cousin, aunt, uncle come here with their injured family member. For days (heading into weeks now), they have only the clothing on their back. They sleep on the concrete floors next to their loved one’s cot. Yet, no one complains.

Local church members come through the ER and OR in small groups and sing softly and pray silently at the bedside of the severely wounded. One by one the injured children stood up and sang, softly and beautifully (missing arms, legs, moms, dads, homes).

Please join us as we kick off the night with special performance by musical guest Taylor Carson.

Living Water International will share its heart and ministry for those in need of water, sanitation, and the Gospel. Learn about the many problems that stem from the lack of clean, safe water: education, poverty, burden on women, and health. Find out how you or your church can get involved!
Musician Andy Walker will wrap up the night’s activities.

This is a great opportunity to invite friends who may not have heard about LWI or the world water crisis.

Thursday January 28, 2010
7:00 – 9:00 pm

Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse
201 F Street NE :: Washington, DC
(near union station)

RSVP :: Cheryl Thornton
cheryl@water.cc :: 214.763.2762
www.water.cc

How then, can we utilize the experiences of our past, both personal and corporate, to help alleviate suffering around the world today?  How can the church worldwide harness the power of oppression and suppression that it has faced, to assist others in need?

If we do not learn and share from our experiences, constantly reminding one another of the struggles we’ve been through- the memory will fade quickly and the chances of the same events occurring again to others is very likely.

Just as God asked the Hebrews and later Israel to remember their past oppression in order to keep them from oppressing others-
Is He asking us to remember something now?

I am personally humbled to see the way that NCCers responded to the crisis and stepped up to raise thousands of dollars to donate to Convoy of Hope.  The act was one of great mercy- and it will tangibly make a difference in the lives of thousands of people-  it will be an immediate gift of relief- and it is what Jesus expects of us.

Along with mercy however, God asks his followers for something else- it’s called justice.  This in no way deducts or discredits any immediate acts of mercy, or the need for them; but mercy alone is not enough, we must push farther.  It is clear in the Haitian crisis and others like it, that though a natural disaster like an earthquake is unavoidable, the situation of the deep poverty that allowed for the effects to rise to such catastrophic level, is indeed something on which the church can have an effect.

We as a church, as followers of Christ, have to be on the forefront of finding and seeking out the deepest places of poverty and injustice and helping alleviate structures of oppression whenever we encounter them.  Now, I am not trying to reduce what happened there to a simple solution, or make the audacious claim that it was anyone’s fault- what I am advocating is that when things like this happen- that the church does not only act in responsive mercy, but that it challenges us to look at the world and seek out solutions of justice as well.

This of course can look differently everywhere.  It takes many forms, and what it means is far and wide.  However, with the help and discernment of the Holy Spirit, communities of faith around the world can and must decide on how to act- because the fact of the matter is that we are called to live lives of both mercy and justice.

I’m so glad that we have a community here that is so engaged in missions, both local and international, that hit on issues of injustice.  Let us however, not settle on where we are now, but continue to press on deeper and do more to educate ourselves and others, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit and the strength of our hands, to fight the battle for the oppressed.