On the trail of 'warriors' of ethiopia

I am embarrassed to see that my last post was from last year.......please forgive me. I hope you will enjoy this one though.........

We just came back from 2 weeks traveling in the bush. Tom and I went with a 4 man film crew from LA and our missionary friend Dr. Malcolm Hunter. The purpose of the trip was to film interviews and to re-create scenes of the early evangelists that first shared the Gospel with the nomadic tribes here in southern Ethiopia 20-30 years ago. The primary purpose of making this film was to first of all to give glory to God for the sometimes miraculous ways in which He orchestrated the spread of the Gospel amongst these primitive tribes-and also to pay tribute to these early men and women of the faith who endured incredible hardship and sacrifice-sometimes even unto death-for the sake of Jesus.

There were seven of us in all-we went in 2 trucks and took an enormous amount of camera and film video equipment. I was so excited to spend time with other 'camera geeks' like myself! haha These guys were so professional and have already worked many projects in Hollywood-but they are also strong, christian young men who want to make a difference with their work. So they were very excited to be making a film about this subject.

 It was a very rough and challenging 2 weeks. Sleeping on matts under mosquito nets, with only the stars at night.....cooking by campfire......no water to clean up with only bottled water to drink.....(at least we all were stinky together!) ........but it was really wonderful too. We had experiences that no other person in the 'civilized' world will ever have. 

One night in particular stands out for me. We drove for about an hour off the main road deep into the bush to a small village called Mino Geltie. We have been there many times before to visit an evangelist named Cheneke and his wife, Masalech, but never have spent the night. This is also the same village where we brought the wheelchair for the crippled boy named Uree. You can read about him in our blog or on Facebook.  Anyway, the 7 of us spent the night in the Chenekes compound. We spread out our sleeping mats side by side in preparation for sleep later that night. But first, we shared our campfire cooking skills with each other. Kurt and Nathanael made rice and beans and we had mango flavored water to drink. Masalech shared some very fine hot bush tea and honey mixture served in gourds for us to drink. It was delicious! Then as darkness fell, a few more villagers shyly joined our circle. Dressed in animal skins and beads, some of the men and children in western type clothing-nevertheless once the music starts we are all just the same---just people. Sharing a love for music and song. On a previous trip we had brought a boombox for Masalech to play her beloved christian music tapes-and so now she brought it outside her hut and played the songs of her faith. It was a beautiful night-so many stars- and the music sounded so beautiful in the night air. Mike and Nathanael each started playing some native bongo drums and a couple of  'egg shakers' and before we knew it we were all singing and dancing under the moonlit sky---praising Jesus!  After a while, Malcolm read from the Bible (using his headlamp) and gave a short teaching lesson to the people in their language. We prayed together and then everyone drifted back home to their huts and we to our mats.  Then something very special happened. Cheneke, the  quiet soft-spoken evangelist, kneeled down and started to wash our feet. All seven of us. In the spirit of Jesus in the Bible....it was a very humbling experience. Then we laid down on our mats. There was a full moon and it was so bright we were all joking about how we needed sunglasses in order to fall asleep. A cool breeze drifted over us and then Tom got out his ipod and played the song "How Great Thou Art"........we lay there, the seven of us, side by side, listening to that great hymn, under the twinkling stars and the full moon and truly were filled with the glorious prescence of God. It was a very special moment for us all and something I know I will never forget.

We drove many miles over very rough roads -sometimes you could not tell which way to go because it was only a path through the bush. We came to the hut of a man named Gersho.

He is a smiling, great big barrel- chested man with a great big faith as well. He and Dr Hunter were old friends and the genuineness of their reunion was evident. He invited us into his hut and served us honey coffee(complete with honeycomb AND bodies of bees.) It was  served warm and in a gourd that was passed around --I found the best way to 'filter it' was to drink it through my teeth. That kept me from swallowing the bee debris floating in it. It actually tasted much better than it looks or sounds! The film crew went to work filming Gershos story as he re-told it to Dr. Hunter. He faced and endured persecution and imprisonment for his faith in Jesus. --which one of us today could actually say that we have suffered for Jesus? As we heard these many stories from Gersho and others like him, we were more and more humbled by how these men only 20-30 years ago endured such terrible persecution  and yet continued to share the story of Jesus with others. What is it about Jesus that inspires such devotion--and where is that devotion in our western culture today?

My faith felt insignificant and shallow next to these people. 

Many of these amazing stories have been written down in a book called "Warriors of Ethiopia"  by Dick McLellan. You should read it!!

We spent 2 nights with an evangelist named Berhanu and his wife Nigist.  He not only is raising his own children, but has taken in several other children who  have no parents, and one young woman who was kicked out of her home and tribe for believing in Jesus. Every night this man leads his family in song and worship and teaches them from the Bible.

He does many things to assist the small church in his village and is always smiling and helping others. He also travels to other evangelists and helps them in any way that he can. He only makes $28 per month from the church and he hasn't been paid in 3 months.......

One night when we were in Turmi, a christian named Alfa and his wife had us over to their house for roasted goat. It was quite a feast! He really knew how to roast the meat stuck on a stick which was then stuck in the ground next to the fire. Somehow it wasn't burned at all and we dived in to savor this delicious meat- hoofs and all!  It was a great time and we all posed for pictures each one of us eating goat ribs and hoofs!  It's not everyday that you get THAT in LA !! haha They also served us a type of bread made from sweet potatoes. The moon was almost full and the night ablaze with stars. We sat around a table and shared this simple meal with only the light of the moon, the fire and a few headlamps some of us wore.  Then we each had a sweet mango for dessert. His wife brought out a photo taken of her before she became a believer in JC. In this photo she wore 11 metal bracelets around each wrist and ankle and metal rings around her neck. These are permanent rings that the woman never takes off. They can only be cut off. She was a young woman when she first heard the gospel preached and immediately gave her life to Jesus. She became such a strong believer that she took off her rings and declared that she would never marry any man who was not also a believer. She was beaten by her family and others-ostracized by her tribe, but she remained strong in her stance. She would NOT marry an unbeliever. Eventually, she married outside her tribe because there were no men in her own tribe who were Christians. She married Alfa who was from a different tribe, and they have been a wonderful example of a christian marriage to everyone they come in contact with. Now they run a successful milling and trucking business and have a respected place in the church and community.

Another thing that stands out about this trip was the very first day that we started out. We had a short meeting talking about logistics, etc...Then Kurt asks for prayer that somehow we would find someone who has a little bit of acting ability and could help the crew find other 'actors' to re-create some of the stories from the book. We knew this would be difficult-how are you going to drive into a strange village and find someone who can act and speaks some english?? I myself thought that was an impossible request.

But guess what? As we were finishing with our prayer time, a young man came walking up to us and introduced himself. His name was Bereket and he had traveled from Soddo town all the way to Addis (where we were) because he had heard that a film crew was coming and so he was offering his help and assistance to us! He was an artist, and also active in his church drama group. We just stared at him with our mouths wide open.............how about that for God's perfect timing???????  ( and yes, he rounded up plenty of extras for the filming!)

I dont know how the final product will turn out--and it will take a year to do all the post production work- but we will let you know when it's finished. 

I do know that Kurt, Tyson, Mike and Nathanael were not only very professional in the execution of their jobs under extreme conditions, but they were great guys too! 

So- we made some new friends, and had some amazing experiences in the bush together. And we will pray that the ultimate message of this movie- God reaching out to the nomads-the forgotten people of Ethiopia- will be made, His power and glory will amaze people, and draw all people closer to Him.

T

Sorry

Sorry its been so long since I have posted anything new.....I tend to post on FB and then don't get around to the blog.

I am coming back to USA next week- not because I want to, but because my visa expires in a couple of weeks. We had thought by now we would have our work permits and residence cards----but we have met with obstacles and problems. I wont go into any detail here-but it has been very frustrating and time consuming trying to obtain these necessary permits in order for us to legally work in Ethiopia.

Highland horses on parade.....

Some of you may have heard that the Prime Minister of Ethiopia recently passed away. He had led the country for over 22 years.
No one is sure what the next few weeks will bring- the last time something like this happened there was much violence as various factions struggled to gain control over the government.
We must wait and see what happens now-but in the meantime, the whole country is in mourning.
Today,  we happened to catch the following video. A national day of mourning was scheduled in all cities around the country with all churches closed down and all people told to gather in the stadiums of their towns for a memorial service. There were many horses from up in the highland mountain areas and they were decorated in all their finery for this important occasion. They must have started way before dawn to to get from the highlands down to Arba Minch by 9am.
We were lucky to see this and would have liked to see the whole show---but decided it wouldn't be prudent to try and go to the stadium with all the crowds and the emotions running high....
Please pray for Ethiopia that godly men will be placed in positions of power and authority these next few weeks.

Poverty

I am aware that I am living a life that most people never experience. The things that make up my daily life here in Ethiopia are things that you only see on NatGeo.

Remote tribal peoples- bodies decorated with colorful beadwork, intricate braiding of hair into traditional tribal styles that have been the same for hundreds of years. Ethiopia is rich in culture and traditions- but it is also one of the poorest countries in the world.

When we first came to Ethiopia two and a half years ago, we had many ideas of how we could help these people. Many lofty ideals of how truth and justice and compassion would prevail. If we just loved enough....just tried hard enough...just were patient enough.....we could make a difference.

The problem of poverty here is so overwhelming that it seems insurmountable.  

Time and again we have tried different ways of helping- our hearts were in the right place for sure. But the way that it works out is often complicated by the culture. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try and understand--they just view it from an entirely different viewpoint. For instance:

We have been helping a very poor family named the Bekeles for 2 years now. 

This family of five lives in a mud house with 2 rooms. A father, a mother who is handicapped (walks with leg braces and crutches) a grandmother, 12 yr old Yigermal- the son who is also handicapped with the same genetic condition as the mother, and then daughter Misganye, who is (so far) unaffected by this disease.

Anyway- they are truly one of the ‘poorest of the poor’. The neighborhood where they live is pretty rough- extreme poverty, packs of small children 2 and 3 years old running loose and unattended, mothers working from dawn until dark and men drinking the local brew and neglecting their families. People see that the Bekeles have a farenji (foreigner) who helps them. They see me visiting them and sometimes bringing small gifts of sugar or coffee, etc.

I love this family and we have become very close. I take Amarech to the market every 2 weeks to get food supplies for the family and since she walks with crutches I pick her up in my bajaj. Now the neighbors are jealous. They come into the yard and steal clothing drying on the bushes. They mock them and say cruel things. Bekele has a goat that they bring into their house at night because they are afraid someone will steal it. Can you imagine sleeping in the same room with a smelly goat? And yet they do.

So-enough is enough. We had someone come and build a kokoro (corrugated sheet metal) fence all around their ‘compound’ so they will feel safe and secure at night.

We built a drainage ditch along the side of their compound so they wouldn’t keep getting flooded out of their house during the rainy season. Nothing fancy here- not talking marble floors or even flushing toilets-just a fence and a ditch. Now the neighbors are jealous. “Why does your farenji help you like this?” they say. “I am hungry same as you- I need a fence also”. I thought to myself in amazement-how could ANYONE begrudge these poor handicapped people a little bit of help? Where is their compassion? 

I was disgusted by their callousness and petty jealousy.

But then an habasha friend (Ethiopian) explained to me--when you are this poor-your empty stomach aches just the same as a handicapped boy’s.  Have you ever gone to bed at night truly hungry? Not because of a diet- or because you were too busy to take the time to eat all day........but because you had nothing in the house to eat?

As sad a commentary as that is, it did help me to understand the situation better. 

Poverty changes the way we see things- the way we see life.

Coming from affluent USA-where I never have really gone hungry or been helpless to do anything about it- I can’t possibly understand these people.......but it does help me to have more compassion for these ‘callous and petty’ neighbors.....to not fault them too badly. After all- I can escape all this anytime I want to. All I need is my credit card and a plane ticket and I’m back in easy living. But the Bekeles and others have no safety net- no escape from the sometimes bitter and harsh life that is theirs.

So I learned something out of all this- not to judge others too harshly even when it first appears to be a slam dunk about the appropriateness of showing compassion to others.

Here is another example of problems with poverty alleviation. Mangos.

Something as simple as mangos. We have an abundance of mangos from some trees that we have. Mangos sell for 2 birr each in the market. So I asked my habasha friend if it would be a good thing to give all these mangos to a very poor person in our neighborhood. Then she could sell them in the market and earn some money for her family. After a few minutes of thought, she told me that although she knows my heart and that I just want to help people--how will we decide who indeed is the poorest of the poor? As soon as we pick someone, then another person will complain-”why did you not give these mangos to me? I am poor also and need to feed my family”.

OOps.....can’t do that......so instead we decide to give away a few mangos to several of my friends in the neighborhood. Discreetly, without attracting notice. So we walk to a few sick friends’ houses and give them each 5-6 mangos. They were very happy to receive this treat. But now the ‘paparazzi’ have spotted me, and the cry goes up “Teresa! Teresa!” and I am surrounded by children. All rubbing their tummies and asking for a mango. So we try and make them stand in an orderly line. This too is impossible. One thing that Ethiopians do not do is stand in queques or lines. Push and shove is the name of the game-even adults in government offices and banks. They simply are never taught to stand quietly in a line and wait their turn. I can’t tell you how many times someone has pushed in front of me....

Anyway, we handed them out one by one-keeping an eye out for a few rascals who tried to get back in line for another one!  Soon mothers started coming out of their huts-asking for mangos for themselves or for their ‘baby’ who is in another place. I quickly ran out of mangos. Now some of them are mad because they didn’t get a mango. Or the mango they did get had a bruise on it.

What started out as a simple gesture of sharing turned into a big ordeal. I had to really get ahold of myself and not let their attitude upset me. I did not want them to rob me of my joy in simply giving.  But it is hard, sometimes.

These are some of the lessons that Tom and I are learning about life in a poverty-ridden nation. Simple things are not always so simple here. Things that sound good in the beginning don’t always work out like we thought they would.

When we first came here, we had ideas of how we were going to help.

It sounded pretty simple really. But maybe after reading about ‘Fences and The Great Mango Giveaway’, you will better understand some of what we are up against. 

May God bless you and keep you.........TnT

Shipping container arrives in Arba Minch!

Finally!  The container has arrived!

And so ends the most frustrating and tiresome effort ever undertaken by Tom-who is my new hero in the patience department! Who could have thought last December as we loaded up that 20’ shipping container full of donated equipment and tools that we would still be struggling to get it here 6 months later??

Money, ultimately, was not the problem-because many of you generously contributed to help defray the costs of shipping this ‘free container’ to Ethiopia.

Once we maxed out our credit cards and then simply directly asked some of you to help--the result was immediate and gratifying. Our friends and supporters are the best anywhere! If you had a part in this effort, please accept our heartfelt thanks once again.

The problem was dealing with a system of bureaucracy not understood by Westerners.

Crucial papers were lost-misplaced-misfiled-whatever could go wrong went wrong.

Tom was forced to make 8-10 separate trips back and forth to various towns trying to secure stamps and signatures of approval--which had already been approved-and yet he was made to do it over again. The things he had to do made no sense to us---I would have lost my cool months ago--but Tom stayed calm and on course. We later found out that the agent we had hired was unscrupulous and had delayed the release (probably in hopes of ‘augmenting’ his fee!)

But finally, the container was stamped approved and Tom had it immediately loaded onto a flatbed truck and then high-tailed it out of there to our town of Arba Minch, a 10 hour drive to the south.

So the repair work can really continue now in earnest-as we have many necessary tools at our disposal now.

         

First items to tackle in Turmi are:

Installing two rope pumps in two separate wells in surrounding area.

Repairing two cement tanks that were leaking due to cracks in the walls.

Installing solar panels on roofs of dorms to enable children to have 2-3 hrs of light in evenings.

Again, thank you to all of you who prayed and gave so we could get the container over here.

One last note- if you notice the photo attached here below-the case number of our trouble-plagued container????? 

C-6666   That explains a lot, don’t you think???

In His joyful service,

Teresa and Tom 

Container sitting on dock in Djibouti

We have run into a problem with the shipping container......although we were assured that all the paperwork was in order and the order was then given to sail from Houston to Djibouti-there has been a problem.
Not wanting to go into detail because it is all so frustrating-but basically they are re-assessing more taxes on what had previously been determined as 'duty-free'.  We must raise another $5000.00 in taxes and overland shipping costs to get the container to Turmi.
We are asking all of you who have been so faithful in supporting us with prayers and financial support to continue in both those regards. We need your help now!
You may donate by clicking the "Donate" button on this blog page, or you can pay by credit card or PayPal. Also, you can pay by check making it out to "Emerald Bay Church" and writing "Project Ethiopia" in the memo line of the check.
Please mail it to the address below:  160 LaSalle Dr.  Bullard Tx 75757

We are confident the container will be released soon and the tools inside will soon be on their way to Turmi.

Thank you for your prayers!

In His joyful service,

Teresa and Tom

Running water for first time in Turmi

What an exciting time it is for the women and children living in the compound in Turmi. Tom and the men he is training for the water projects have been working very hard (while I have been here in USA)
They have been installing solar panels to run the pump for the well located 1/2 mile down by the river. This pump feeds water into the main line that they trenched and laid pipe in. This line then feeds the new showers and hand washing station and a tap in the main compound. For the first time ever, the women and children do not have to carry 48 lb jerry cans down to the river every day.
The smiles on their faces and rejoicing by them all, made the effort well worth it! All the thanks and glory goes to God our Father--because it is only through His love for us all that these things are accomplished.

After this compound is finished, we will head to the next village in the area we have targeted for development.