Leaving the Conveniences of Home...at Home!

When you go on a mission trip in a developing country, it's very easy to realize how blessed you really are in the United States. Even though we had the opportunity of using the Internet, the connection was so slow that our letters probably would have made it to the United States first, before we even logged on the Internet!
It seems like the few stop lights that we did see on the roads were just decoration on the street because many people did not follow them anyway! Where we lived, the water was turned off practically every other night and sometimes all day. If we didn't fill the water containers before leaving the mission house, when we returned, the little water that we did have was just enough to wash a few dishes. And because there usually was no hot water, we washed dishes and bathed in cold water. It was like being back in the Army all over again!

For those of us who like watching movies, there were no NetFlix or Blockbuster videos to rent. And for those people who have a desire to kick fast food out of their diets, you can easily do it "cold turkey" because there were no McDonald's, KFC, or Popeye’s Chicken to add to your high fat diet!

All in all, we would not trade the experience by going anywhere else in the world! There is much work to be done in Ethiopia and God is using us to do the part that He has called us to do. We are hoping to go back to Ethiopia in March or April 2010.

Our Mission is to Teach People how to Fish!

There is an old proverb that says, “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime." Our mission is to teach single mothers, widows, and men basic ways that they can earn an income and care for their families by selling simple items or providing a service. These items may be as basic as selling chicken eggs or as intricate as sewing traditional clothing that could be sold to people living in the United States. Everyone has a gift or skill that could benefit someone else and ultimately help their family produce an income, but in many cases people just need a little help to get them started. Unlike in the United States, people don't have the availability of receiving small business loans for a business idea. Our goal is to work with people whom God has led us to help by providing microfinancing. Microfinancing will be in the form of a donation, as little as $150.00, to help finance a business idea that someone may have in a developing country. We will assess their skills, help them develop their ideas, teach them some basic business concepts and then help them finance their ideas into income producing businesses. As we plan our next mission trip to Ethiopia, through your donations, we can help people by teaching them how to earn an income and ultimately feed their families for a lifetime--Amen!

Baptized not by water but by....!

On the last day before departing Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia, I was baptized by a child. Not in the same way that you may think! On the day of our scheduled departure, we accepted an invitation to eat lunch with a family that we met in Ethiopia. The taxi was scheduled to pick us up that afternoon, so there was enough time to have lunch before leaving to the airport.

Linda and I both put on our cleanest clothes that morning because we knew that we would be in the airplane for over 18 hours, and we didn't want to offend anyone sitting next us on the airplane or the person picking us up from the airport once we arrived in the United States.

In any case, our friend picked us up from the mission house to eat lunch with his family at his house. His wife prepared the national meal that all Ethiopians eat, injera; it looks like a pancake, with stew or "wot". It's a very delicious meal. Everything was going well until my friend's son decided that he wanted to sit on my lap. I thought that was nice gesture because on the previous day that I met him, he didn't want to have anything to do with me because I was a new face to him. Anyway, I felt pretty good that he wanted to be close to me. I picked him up and placed him on my leg. I told my wife that this little boy really likes me! As I ate lunch with one hand, I balanced my friend's son with the other hand as he sat on my leg. Over a period of time, my leg, where the boy was sitting, began to feel a little warm. I thought... hmmm... it's probably because he has been on my leg awhile. I continued eating. Again, I began to notice that underneath my leg was feeling a little warm. I still didn't think anything of it. Finally, I noticed that between my legs began to feel warm and also in the chair that I was sitting felt unusual. I lifted the boy up and there it was. I was baptized by pee! Yep, he peed on my cleanest clothes! All we could do was laugh... and we did. I was baptized not by water but by pee!

We Thank God for YOU!

Food, shoes, pencils, pens, clothing, vitamins, and money... we thank God for your obedience in giving what God has placed on your heart. Many widows and children only have what has been donated by YOU! Through your donations, we were able to provide food for 22 mothers and widows that had very little food to eat!

Many single women try to make ends meet using skills taught to them by leaders in the church. In Zion Church, women are threading cotton on a spool to sell in the local market.

Children listen,

as a Bible story is read to them.

Sponsorship Makes a Difference!

Sponsoring a child is important to helping underprivileged children find love, encouragement and hope for a future. Widowed mothers cannot care for their children without an income and many don't have jobs. Sponsorship gives children opportunities and provides regular support needed to care for children. In many cases, it pays for food, school supplies, teachers, medical care and much more. As we visited different homes in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia, we found that children who were sponsored through child sponsorship organizations are doing so much better than those who do not have sponsors.

Vitamins are Essential!

Vitamins are an essential element of a diet, especially when a child is not receiving nutritious meals every day. Children in Ethiopia often lack the basic nutrients needed for their bodies. Many mothers don't have money to buy food for their children, the water may not be adequately filtered, and many children don't have access to health care. But a daily vitamin can make a world of difference! We purchased twenty bottles of children's vitamins from the United States to give to widows caring for children. Although it was a drop in the bucket, it's better than not having anything at all. Additionally, as other missionaries visit families in the area, we are hoping that they will also bring vitamins with them. It's important that we all pitch in to help these children so that they will have an opportunity to live a productive and healthy life.

The Coffee Ceremony

Ethiopia's coffee ceremony is an integral part of their social and cultural life. An invitation to attend a coffee ceremony is considered a mark of friendship or respect and is an excellent example of Ethiopian hospitality. As we ministered to people in their homes, we had the opportunity to observe and be blessed by taking part in a coffee ceremony! Some of the people whom we visited would go out of their way to prepare coffee for us. In fact, one lady insisted that she go to the market to purchase some coffee beans so that she could prepare a fresh pot of coffee. The Ethiopian women that you see in these pictures are making coffee from scratch! After roasting the beans, they place the roasted beans in a little container and crush them with what looked like a piece of re-bar or a metal stick. After the beans are grounded, the grounded coffee is poured in a pot that contains some water and then the pot is placed over a fire. As the grounded coffee beans were heated in the pot, the one room home quickly filled with a sweet aroma of coffee! Once all the grounds were cooked the coffee is poured in little cups and sugar is added to bring out the taste. It was better than any Starbucks coffee that I have ever tasted! In fact, Starbucks actually purchases their coffee beans from Ethiopia! What a wonderful treat.

Transportation was not what we expected!

Transportation can be difficult in many countries and Ethiopia is no different! In some cases a horse and carriage or a three-wheeled "bajaj" scooter are the best means of transportation. As we traveled throughout Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia, we realized that the best way to travel once you leave off the primary and only paved road is by horse and carriage or by using a three-wheeled "bajaj" scooter. Since many of the people whom we visited lived off the main road, we either walked or used these alternate modes of transportation to get to their homes. We also found that walking was a form of relaxation in that we could really slow down and think about our experiences and how sad that it was to see children and mothers who didn't know where there next meal would come from or whether they would have enough money to pay for shoes for their child. God has really blessed the people of the United States and we have a lot to be grateful for by living in such a great country.

Surprising Facts about Ethiopia

The Calendar
There are 13 months in the Ethiopian Calendar! Each month has 30 days and the last month has only 5 or 6 days. New Year's is celebrated in September and there is a 7 year difference with the western calendar. For example, in 2009 it is actually 2002 in Ethiopia--they already had their New Year celebration in September.

The Clock/Time of Day
The Ethiopian clock begins & changes time at first light or at 6am rather than at midnight. When you ask an Ethiopian what time it is, although, it's 12 n00n because the sun is right above your head, they would tell you that it's 6:00 o'clock (in the morning) which is also when the date changes; at 6am rather than 12 midnight. It can be very confusing!

The Food
Ethiopian food has a lot of flavor with a wonderful blend of spices. The basic meal usually includes "injera" and "wot". The injera is like our bread and looks like French crepes or pancakes. The "wot" is like a stew that may use all types of ingredients like beef, lamb, chicken, lentils, split peas, potatoes, carrots, spinach, cabbage, and green beans. The injera is used in the place of a fork to pick up the stew and then eat it all together. The key to the flavor of the stew is the spiced butter and berbere powder. There are plenty of dishes for vegetarians and vegans, but the main traditional dish is "doro wot", or chicken stew.

Our first days in Ethiopia

We arrived safely to Ethiopia; unfortunately our luggage was still in Germany! Thank God that it only took 2 days before we finally received our luggage. In any case, Ethiopia is a wonderful place and the people are beautiful. The organization we were with provided us with an opportunity to visit with many people. We met people who were hungry; not just spiritually but literally--for food. There are so many people in Ethiopia who just don't have the ability to earn an income because of so few opportunities compared to what we have in the United States. In fact, as I spoke with some of the people in Ethiopia, I realized that it's a shame how people in the United States complain so much about their circumstances and situations without knowing that there are people in a country around the world who have so much less but still can smile and are so willing to share what little food that they have not knowing how they will get the money to pay for their next meal to feed their family. Even though things may seem bleak, our God is able!

Thanks for your Clothing Donations!

We would like to thank everyone for donating their used clothing for the children of Ethiopia. We are packing them tightly so that we can get as much as possible in our luggage. The airlines have changed the rules so many times concerning how much you can carry that we decided to pay the additional cost ourselves if we are over the allowable weight limit. The cost to purchase or obtain clothing in Ethiopia would be higher than what it would cost us to pay for the added weight that the airlines would charge us. In any case, we would like to thank everyone for their donations. If you still have more clothing that you would like to donate, please contact us. We may not be able to take everything on this trip but there will be other mission trips that we will be going on where children will be blessed by your generosity.

Preparing for Our Mission to Ethiopia

We are preparing for our mission to Ethiopia in October 2009. Ethiopia is located in the 10/40 Window and has a population of over 81,520,000 with 50% of the population being children. The large population of children in proportion to adults is a result of the high number of HIV/AIDS related deaths. Although this will be a short-term mission trip, we cannot take anything for granted. We must continue to prepare ourselves by praying and fasting and we are also praying for opportunities to preach the gospel. Please keep us in your prayers.