Last Team Ethiopia Update 2-14-07

Its good to be back in Addis Ababa today after a great week in Bahir Dar and not so great of a trip back (more on that later).

Before I go into the happenings of this last week I will use some space here to disseminate some information about team Ethiopia and how things are going to go for this week and the weeks to come.

This will be Team Ethiopia’s last blog entry! The team will depart on Saturday the 17^th to go back to Kona; the whole team except for me (John). My stay in Africa is not over yet. There is a team that will be gathering in Jinja, Uganda for an extra 15 weeks. The team will be helping some of the Jinja base staff set up for an International YWAM HIV/AIDS conference held in Jinja the last week in May. The team knew prior regular outreach phase that they would be either staying in Uganda or flying in for this extended time.

Because of the response I had from this blog, I will be continuing a blog in Uganda, but the website will not be the same. It will be my personal blog site. Even after the fifteen weeks I will continue to update the blog at home and wherever the Lord takes me.

Okay, the week in Bahir Dar began last Sunday when the team left the front gates of the compound before the sun was even up. We were outside of Addis Ababa in the countryside when the sun finally decided to show us how beautiful the landscape of Ethiopia was. We passed the grass-roof huts with smoke still steeping out of them that a large number of Ethiopians live in. It was unlike anything many of us had ever seen before. The valleys of grassland were pockmarked with herds of cows and sheep (not typical American cows and sheep either). There were stacks of grass and hay, and shepherds and farmers were casually strolling across the vast expanse. There are also plenty of hills and rocky area (Bahir Dar itself is settled on top of volcanic pumice). The country was very beautiful and rustic.

We came to the Blue Nile Gorge which was almost as impressive and gigantic as the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The pavement ended and we began our bumpy descent into the valley. The Nile River has something about it that makes you silent in wonder the first time you see it. The Blue Nile begins from Lake Tana and the White Nile starts in Jinja, Uganda from Lake Victoria where I and the rest of the extended outreach team will be staying.

It took about 12 hours to get to Bahir Dar which is quite enough when the ride that you are in is a bit crammed and uncomfortable. When we arrived the sun had already set and we were tired and hungry. We ate at a local hotel that night, but were all ready for bed. There were no actual beds, which isn’t that bad really, and the only running water was in a spigot outside in the yard. The water only ran for about an hour every day and it was never really known when it would turn on or off. That meant that no one took a shower for the week, which also isn’t that bad, but we learned to appreciate some of the things that we had previously taken for granted.

The feeling of Bahir Dar was so much different than Addis Ababa. Sometimes even on major streets, we wouldn’t see any cars driving. It was much harder to get rides everywhere because so many people walked and there weren’t very many taxis. Many people rode bikes and walked because locations were never very far away. Even home life was different. I mentioned the running water, but communities were almost like families. Everyone’s children ran around with each other enjoying more of a laid back lifestyle. We even killed our own chickens for a traditional dish called dorowat one night. There wasn’t as much evident poverty and homelessness here. People lived more simply because it’s what they had always done. We learned that many destitute people flock to Addis Ababa thinking that they will be able to make some kind of life for themselves there.

Our week of ministry started with home visits on Monday and Tuesday. We worked with Dawn of Hope Ethiopia Association (like our previous visits in Addis) and went to many different houses. The story is similar wherever we go. People are afraid to reach out to those who are HIV positive. They usually lose their jobs and if their land-lord finds out, their homes as well. The discrimination and stigma is the main problem with HIV in Africa. People are afraid to let it be known that they have the virus because of the way they will be treated. Because of this, most people do not get HIV tests and continue life as normal. Once the stigma and discrimination are lifted, more people will feel comfortable enough to get tested and get help if they are positive. With the Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ARV) available to most all Ethiopians, testing positive for HIV is no longer a death sentence. The vast majority are able to live normal/healthy lives. But social issues are keeping the people who have HIV oppressed and suppressing the initiatives to stop the epidemic from killing so many people.

We were able to voice our opinions on this subject in another arena as well; one that we hadn’t been able to get access to. We held seminars at a major university in Northern Ethiopia called Bahir Dar University. Students come from all over the north, west, and even a few from the east to study here. There is a campus for the Engineering school as well as the Main campus; combined, the total population of the school is around 18,000.

We spoke first at the school for Engineering. There had been some confusion about when we were coming and had set up the engagements with only a little it of notice. Regardless of those speed bumps we were able to talk to over 100 students. It was discussion style, so the team split up into groups of two and took about 20-25 students each. We facilitated a discussion focused on what HIV is, how its spread, what we can do to stop it, as well as what we can do about societies outlook on the disease and people living with it. Most of the students stayed shy and only a few in each group spoke. We believe that we had a big impact on their lives and encouraged them to take the right steps in stopping the deadly virus.

The next day we headed over to the main campus. There is an Anti-AIDS group there started by a student names Binyam (Benjamin) and a couple of his friends. Around 300 students attended this discussion session and it had a greater impact than the day before. More people (almost all men) spoke out about the issues and we asked them what they were doing about it; not to guilt them, but out of genuine interest. Not one person, in either session explained actions that they had taken even in their own family. So we asked for ideas on how to get involved and really spoke highly of Dawn of Hope Ethiopia and recommended them to be proactive in the eradication of the stigmas involved with HIV.

After all of the students left, we had a meeting with the club officers. They thanked us very much, but also asked us questions on what their club could do better. Binyam was a senior and was graduating and was concerned for the future of the club, not for his sake, but for the sake of those suffering from the disease and stigma. We gave him some suggestions on building an organization, relationship with Dawn of Hope (and other NGO’s in the area), delegation of power, and the actual events and memberships as well. They took us on a tour of their facilities and I was blown away. They have an intricately developed club that has its own office, filing system, entertainment tools, as well as a resource center that is nearing completion. The computers (20), monitors (20flatscreen), printers (2 commercial), desks, and chairs were all donated to them by a United Nations division called the UNFPA. It was remarkable how well organized the club was. It gave us great hope for the future of the club and university being at the forefront of the war against HIV.

We also did some work with the Fistula Hospital. The Bahir Dar branch is one of 4 branches that the main branch is Addis Ababa hopes to launch in the next few years. It is a beautiful facility especially when contrasted to the general hospital that it sits behind. The head doctor there is and Australian by the name of Dr. Andrew. The women absolutely love him there (patients and staff). The same structural features are present in this branch as well being that all of the volunteers are recovered fistula patients. [Be sure to look up what a fistula is either on-line or the previous blog where it is mentioned.] The ward has fifty beds, but excess numbers of patients sleep on mattresses on the ground at night. I really love going to the Fistula hospital and working with the staff. We visited the patients one day and then a few of us wet back the following day and helped with the laundry that they have to hand-wash every day. The work load is crazy, but the women who do it all are in excellent spirits. I appreciate them because some of the sheets they have to wash have urine, blood, or feces stains on them as well as the surgery laundry they do as well. The last day we were there Nicole, Niene, and I were all able to observe one of the doctors repairing a fistula. Nicole and I made it through the whole operation and Niene was just about to finish up when she felt a little faint. Its not the prettiest operation, but it is so effective in restoring dignity to these women who have had it all taken from them. Almost every patient there has gone through some kind of FGM as well, which is sad. There was one girl on the first day that accepted Jesus Christ to be Lord of her life as well, which was so encouraging.

I encourage you to look into the issues involved with FGM and Fistula and see what you can do to help. There are about 9,000 known cases of women getting a fistula as a result from problems in childbirth. There have been just over 1,000 women treated and repaired, but there are so many more that need help as soon as possible. One of the women had to travel over 2 days by mule then bus to get to the hospital. She was immensely blessed in that she actually gave birth to a live child (almost all of the babies die after 2 days of labor). She had called the baby Lispeh which means “my clothing” in Amharic (the people in the north are very good at names with tremendous meaning). She said that we could also give a name for the 3 month old girl, so I called her Tsigah which means “Grace” in Amharic. It was a special experience.

The day after we spoke at the main campus of the university, it was time to come back to Addis Ababa. It was probably one of the most unexpected, crazy, long, and dramatic road trips of my life…Only now that I am safe, can I look back and give a little chuckle… (who says chuckle, by the way)

We wanted to get back to Addis at about 3 in the afternoon on Sunday, so we left just before 5 in the morning yesterday (Sunday). The trip was going great; we were making great time all the way down into the Blue Nile Gorge (which is only about 2.5 hours from Addis). Once we started going up the canyon walls, we started to overheat. So we would stop the van and wait. The driver and his helper would release the pressure in the system (they were using water instead of coolant). Then we would get back in and go for another half mile or so... I don’t even remember how many times we did this. An average trip from lip to lip of the canyon takes about 45 minutes to an hour… not this one. We were in that canyon (on one side of it) for over seven hours…. Yes, 7. During that time we called the driver that had taken us to Bahir Dar a week earlier to come pick us up in the canyon. He agreed, but didn’t arrive until about 8 at night. We weren’t expecting to be out this late, so we didn’t have anything to eat for dinner and our water was getting low as well. We thought that our trip was nearing an end when we were picked up by the other driver (Tesfeh) but in actuality it was just beginning.

We were driving along when all of the sudden our tire blew out (we had a flat on the way to Bahir Dar as well). We had a spare, so we were able to get to the next town and get the original tire repaired. In the town they warned us that there had been some armed highway robbers on the road between the town and Addis, but our driver said it would be okay, so we continued. We were about 10km from the town when BANG, the same tire blew out. Everyone in the car thought at first that the tire had been shot out because it had been so violent. Our driver was able to keep control of the van and we slowed to a halt. We changed the tire again, but in the previous town, they hadn’t really repaired the tire at all and it only got us about another mile down the road. We spent the next few hours waiting in the car for the helper to head back to town to get another tire. Meanwhile we are in Hyena country and could hear them in the distance…

He got back at about 1 in the morning (now Monday) and they put the tire on. We continued our journey but it seemed that something wasn’t right with the tire and it eventually blew out again (another violent one). By this time it was 2:30 AM and we were all pretty cranky. The driver and his helper took off again in search for another tire while the rest of us tried to get some sleep. The armed robbers were still in the back of our minds and forefronts of our prayers.

Relief came with the rising of the sun, and at about the same time the driver and his helper with a tire (they never seem to have new tires anywhere; they just patch up broken tubes and sell them in tires without tread over and over again). That tire carried us the rest of the way to the base in Addis Ababa. The entire trip, which is around 500 km, took us 29 hours. It was quite ridiculous, but as I said, now that we are safe, we can kind of laugh about the whole experience (the laughter is even better after a weeks worth of dirt and sweat is washed away).

So here we are in the last few days of outreach in Africa for the team. We will use them for debriefing and I will graduate from DTS on Friday in a mini-ceremony here (everyone else will graduate in Kona). It has been an exciting, sometimes depressing time for all of us here. We all have a new appreciation and compassion for those around us who are oppressed and distressed. I hope that we can encourage you to keep on praying for Ethiopia and the HIV epidemic that is claiming millions of lives per year in Africa. If you feel called to be involved somehow, let us know. Like it says in the book of James, if we have faith in what Jesus did for us, we will let it be known by the works we carry out in his name. That doesn’t mean you have to move to Ethiopia or Africa, but there are hurting people in your own cities and town that God wants to speak to through you. Be sensitive to where he puts you and who he puts in your life this week.

Thank you for being involved in our lives and investing in the Kingdom of Heaven. We are here in His name following in His steps. May God richly bless you.

Team Ethiopia (via John Vicory)

We Are Going North!!! Ethiopia update 2-3-07

I know that it’s only Saturday, but we won’t be in Addis Ababa on Monday to update the blog. That’s right, family and friends, on Sunday we will be driving up to a city in the north called Bahir Dar. It is at the source of the Blue Nile River, an on the coast of Lake Tana. It is a city with about 70,000 people in it and the Orthodox Church is very strong there. [More on the Orthodox Church later]

We will be working with Dawn of Hope Ethiopia Association (the organization that sets up the home visits for us) because they have many branches in the rest of the country. We will most likely be doing home visits in the city as well as HIV/AIDS awareness programs at a university and in a few visits in some of the surrounding villages. It is exciting for us as a team to see some more of Ethiopia and to see what the current situation is there as well.

Please pray for us this week, because a few of us have not been feeling that great. I had some stomach problems earlier this week and Luis, Chele, and Niene are recovering from similar stomach issues. Niene’s back is still tender, so pray for her continued healing as well. We also have more than 9 hours one-way to get to Bahir Dar, so pray that the time will pass quickly and for protection on the road. Pray that God will go before us and that we will be bold in our faith. The Orthodox Church there (as well as in Addis) has a real hold and control over the people. Pray that the people will have open eyes and hearts to what we have to share with them, and the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Now, for the happenings of the past week!

(The team at a dinner preparing to leave to the North[Girum's eyes are sensitive to light])

Tuesday we worked with Hope Enterprises at a different location than the regular feeding center to serve breakfast to street kids. Most of these street kids aren’t in school. Hope Enterprises have set up a little base for them to learn different trades and crafts. They have a huge bulletin board with all the names of children who are in the “Street Children Rehabilitation Program” with about 1,000 children who are now in school. It was really encouraging to see that there are those who are getting a chance at life. It was also humbling because I know that there are also countless thousands more street children living in Addis alone.

After the street children breakfast, we went to the main branch of Hope Enterprise to do our regular Tuesday lunch. On the way there, we were asked for the lunch tickets that we carry around. The tickets come in a little book of eight that are purchased from the main branch and are good for 1 meal at the feeding center. I gave all of my tickets away and by the time we got to the main branch (it was within walking distance) I was even showing children that I didn’t have any more tickets by opening up the empty booklets. During lunch at the feeding center, I was playing with some kids that we usually see there on Tuesdays. When we were done, they asked me for tickets. It made me sad that I didn’t have any more. I wanted them to believe me that I didn’t have any more, so I reached for the empty booklets in my back pockets. To my surprise, there were 6 tickets (enough for each of them with one left over) in one of the booklets. I know that they were empty before, because I had shown them to people earlier on the way to the regular feeding center. God literally provided them with another meal that day, and taught me that he can work in any way he wants. He is SO Good!
I also prayed with a man that day after we were done at the feeding center. At the end of my prayer he pulled out a little book and had me write my email address for him. I knew that he didn’t have an email address, but I gave mine to him anyway. After that, he showed me two pictures that he had in his little book. I came to find out that the pictures were of him, but he was hardly recognizable because he had lost so much weight. The stamp on one of the pictures told me that they were taken a year ago and I was shocked by the amount of change that had occurred in only a year. His name is Chalew Birhana and he ended up giving me the pictures that he showed me. I was honored but didn’t have any pictures in return… or so I thought. He left the feeding center and eventually we did too, but I had remembered that I had one picture in a C.S. Lewis book I was reading. I never bring the book with me, but today I had for some reason. I thought that he would be long-gone by then, but after about a minute standing outside the feeding center, he walked up. I was so relieved that I was able to give a photo of myself (and it had Chele and Nicole in it as well) to him. God was so evident and close that day. I saw his hand everywhere we went. All glory to Him.

On Wednesday we went to the Hope Enterprise School in the outskirts of Addis. Here is a school where more than 200 children who are from desperate families come to get an education. Hope helps them to pay for the school and provides a free lunch to them as well. I had never realized the extent to which Hope Enterprises is helping the seemingly helpless situation of poverty in Ethiopia. We were able to help feed the children and clean up after them as well as provide a bit of a program (including Luis and I being Goliath) for them as well. Wherever we go and work with kids, I always see hope in their faces. It’s such an amazing expression that they have.

The rest of the afternoon was spent recovering and at the Mercy Development Home (affectionately called Abdissa’s Place because Abdissa is the one who is their “father”). Abdissa is 28 years old and has amazing vision for this Mercy Development Home. He is wanted to expand the program from 18 orphans to 60 which is requiring a new base as well. Please pray for God’s provision in his life and for the Mercy Development Program in YWAM Ethiopia as well. God is definitely using this amazing young man of God for his glory. Abdissa’s life was completely transformed in his DTS. When he was in DTS, he would often get made fun of because since he is from a different region of Ethiopia, his Amharic (the language of Ethiopia) was different than anyone else’s. Not many people expected great things out of him, but God can use anyone he wants (remember that Moses wasn’t good at speaking either).

On Thursday we went back to the main branch of Hope enterprises to do their Children’s Breakfast. They remembered a certain song that we did the week before and were eager to do it again! Their voices are almost angelic to me and I feel God’s love in the place especially when they are singing. The breakfast went very well and they weren’t even throwing banana peels at each other this week; which is always good.

Thursday afternoon was mind-blowing to me. Anna’s parents had sent her a book called “There is No Me Without You” by Melissa Fay Green. The book is written about a woman in Addis Ababa named Haregewoin Teferra. Haregewoin started an orphanage in a rather strange way. He was a regular woman in Addis until her husband died and left her with 2 daughters. One of the daughters married a young man and had a child. After they had a child, Haregewoin’s daughter died of HIV/AIDS related illness. Soon after, her son-in-law died too, but before he did, he said that she would never see her grandchild or be able to take care of her. Haregewoin plunged into a state of depression that left her to the point of taking her own life. At the time, she was Orthodox and told her priest about a plan to live at the graveyard (many people who no longer want to live do this, begging from the people who come for funerals to survive). Before she could get the chance to carry out her plan, the priest would give her children whose parents had died. She would take care of them and even get comfort from providing for them. She took more and more children, and eventually she had over 60 children. She would not only take care of them, but would school them as well in used shipping containers. She has been running the orphanage for 6 years, and now has two separate bases, one for children who are HIV positive, and one for children who aren’t.

We had the privilege of visiting the orphanage with the HIV positive children, as well as a new base that they will be moving to shortly. On the way over, I was looking through the pictures of the book when one caught my eye. It was of a little boy named Yohannes (John in English) who was one of her children. He is HIV positive and later I found out from Haregewoin that the doctors said 3 days away from death. I recognized the picture because I had seen it while we were still back in Hawaii. Our team had to put together a presentation of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia and the same picture that was in the book was a picture that we had used in our presentation. We later had the opportunity to meet the little Yohannes (who is an excellent traditional dancer by the way). The whole base was full of life and the children were all so happy. It was so encouraging to see that God has provided to much for Haregewoin and the children that she is so faithful to take care of. I see the love and hope that comes from Jesus in her life.

I encourage you to read the book and to reflect on the presentation we put together (it was the first blog posted). God has been guiding us every moment of this outreach. It has been amazing to see the people that we have been connected with by his grace.

On the way back to the base after visiting Haregewoin’s orphanage, we (minus Anna, Chele, Luis, and Daniel) were changing taxis and decided to stop by an Orthodox church. Deborah had been looking for a certain cross-necklace that she had seen some children at some orphanages wearing. The church was across the street from city hall (where the AAWA march had concluded) and there are always people selling things outside of it (like crosses, umbrellas, candles, literature, and many other traditional items). While a few of us were perusing the necklace selection, April and Niene began to pray for a man who we had seen at a Hope Enterprise lunch feeding. A huge group of people started to form around them, including our team. There were people laughing and jeering at us and others were just standing by silently waiting for what would happen next. One man started yelling at Girum because the man knew that he was part of our team. He was upset because he knew that we were Protestant and claimed that we couldn’t pray outside of the church. Girum calmly explained that he wasn’t the person getting prayed for and since it wasn’t his land, it wasn’t really up to him. That made the man pretty angry and I honestly thought that he was going to attack Girum. Girum told April and Niene that they weren’t doing anything wrong and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep praying for the man. By now, the rest of the crowd was pretty riled up and we decided that we should go somewhere else. The man who was being prayed for expressed that he would like to talk some more, so we walked a little ways down a ramp, but the whole crowd was following. We were only able to say a few words to him before the angry mob was upon us once again. One young man, told Girum that we should probably get going before things escalated. As we walked the rest of the way down the ramp, the man that already was hurling insults at us had a club and had it raised towards another person who was trying to protect us. I almost stretched out my hand to stop him, but he was restrained immediately by others in the crowd. I was so proud of April, Niene, Girum, and the rest of the team that was there for being so confident in what they felt was right to do. We got a little glimpse of what it felt like to be jeered out of the synagogue in the Bible times. I felt like Peter and Paul in Acts when they would share of Jesus’ love near the temple. It was the first time that I had seen the true oppression and control of the Orthodox Church in Ethiopia. I know that it is not all bad, but when law and tradition enslaves people, it is not of God. Even the people that enter the gates spend minutes crossing themselves and even kiss the gates of the church. Even when we are in a taxi and pass an Orthodox Church some of the people in the cab will start crossing themselves and bowing. Some of the priests are even involved in witchcraft and the occult. I feel that the enemy has a foothold in Ethiopia because of religious tradition. Most of the people in Ethiopia are either Orthodox or Muslim, so there is light that needs to be spread here.

The New Testament says that we will face persecution, and for many members of the team, that was the first time they had seen and experienced it first-hand. All I could think about during the whole thing was the book of Acts. I thought of the persecution that the Apostles faced to tell even one open heart about Jesus. They saw many people become Christians there, but they also faced hardship in the same place.

Please pray that we will have more opportunities to share the love of Christ with those oppressed by the Orthodox Church in Ethiopia. Pray also that we will walk in the wisdom and path that the Lord sets before us, and to be bold and confident in our faith and in what God tells us to do no matter what we will face. We are here on his behalf and we have all counted the cost of following him.

Friday morning, we went back to the Women at Risk devotional. In case I haven’t told you about the Women at Risk (or if you forgot… either one), they are a group of young women (probably from 20-30) that were once prostitutes in Addis, but have turned their lives around and are now living for God. They are all born again and have a Bible study/worship/devotional time on Friday mornings for 1-2 hours. Last week, John Bills was here and went with us.
This time was very powerful. They sang some beautiful worship songs, we did a body worship song and the Heart Skit (about giving your heart to God alone) and then Brittney shared about God’s redeeming love for us. I then spoke on the living hope that we have in the Kingdom of God and the importance of intimacy with God. April facilitated a time of sharing because last week they had drawn out their dreams but didn’t have a time to share. A few shared out loud with the whole group and then they split up into pairs to share and pray for each other. It was a powerful time of encouragement. The night before, our team heard from the Lord that we were to wash the feet of these women, so that is what we did next. We weren’t sure how it would be received, but we acted in obedience and washed their feet. The time was one of the most powerful that I had experienced while being here. There were many tears shed (some even by our team). There were two women from Kenya there as well that were interested in starting a similar program in Nairobi. Next we anointed their feet with oil, and while we were doing all this, we were just praying earnestly for each one of them. I felt the Holy Spirit there in a very powerful way, and I felt that God blessed our obedience to him.
Please pray for these women at risk. Pray for their hopes and dreams. Some of them dream to be doctors and prominent members of society. Pray that they will draw close to God and that they would feel God’s presence in their lives in a powerful way. Pray that they would be strong and courageous for who they are in Christ and what they believe in.

Until we come back from Bahir Dar

Team Ethiopia

John Vicory

(all photos by John Vicory except the one below by Nicole Strom)