Team Ethiopia

Last Team Ethiopia Update 2-14-07

2007-02-14T05:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

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)

Ethiopia!!! Update 1-29-07

2007-01-29T01:50:00.000-08:00

Well, after another week in Ethiopia, we are all feeling fine and are in relatively good spirits. Niene was injured on Friday at Hope Enterprise feeding center while picking up children. She has had back problems in the past, but thought that picking up the kids would be okay... I (John) partly feel responsible because I started picking up the kids and she was standing out there too (we were waiting to pray for people), so the kids flocked to her as well. So, please pray that her back will be restored and that we as a team will face no other physical issues with our bodies for the remaining weeks that we are here.

A Week ago today (Monday) was a day off for the team, as are all Mondays. I use them to update the Blog and to send emails to family and friends and then do a myriad of other things, from visiting the YWAM Mercy Development orphanage, to visiting Kebeneshe (a local woman living in our community with HIV), to going to the National Museum which is what I did last week. Luis, Niene, April, Nicole, and I all went down there for the afternoon. It is kind of run-down there, but they still have some pretty interesting stuff. "Lucy", the oldest human-like fossil ever found was discovered in Ethiopia and is in the museum. They only have castes of the bones on display, but the real ones are in the archive. They also had some contemporary art on display, which was my favorite part of the Museum. The art was all done by Ethiopians. The work below is done by Abebe Zelelew in 2003 and is called "Genital Mutilation". It was my favorite work for two reasons; the first is that it reminded me of the atrocities that occur many places in Ethiopia (87% of women have some kind of genital mutilation), but it also gave me hope that some people are standing up for injustice.

Tuesday we went to the feeding center at Hope International for our weekly visit. Every time we go there, my heart breaks for the people. We walk up the cold concrete stairs from the actual dining room to the driveway outside where we come face-to-face with over 600 hungry men, women, and children. One day, it would be nice if we walked up there and there was no one waiting, that all of them had found jobs and could finally get off the street. Jesus told us that the poor would always be with us, but my heart wants that for them. We continue to pray for them while we are serving them, as well as personally if they ask for prayer. We have built some relationships with the "regulars" as well as many of the staff that work there as well. We feel that it is such a vital part of our ministry in Ethiopia.

On Wednesday morning we went to a Missionaries of Charity home near the museum and lion zoo. The Missionaries of Charity is a Catholic organization started by Mother Theresa. The particular compound that we went to was for handicapped children. It was one of the hardest days that we have had since coming to Ethiopia. We walked in and my heart instantly sunk. There was no way that I could see them in the condition that they were in and think that God is not going to redeem them someday. We spent most of the morning playing with the kids and some of the time we spent feeding them as well. They are completely dependent on those (staff and volunteers) around them for everything. A few could hold a pencil in their hands and scribble on sheets of paper. Some needed to be physically strapped into specially designed chairs so they would not hurt themselves. Our whole team stepped out in compassion in a powerful way that day. Not one of us shied away from touching and holding the kids. We all understood that they need affection just like every other child (probably even more), but these do not get that kind of affection often.

We ended up going to the feeding center three times this week. We went on Tuesdays as usual, but we also went to the Children's breakfast on Thursday and the regular lunch on Friday. The Children's Breakfast is served every day like the lunch, but as the name suggests, is only for kids. There is only one session then, so we were able to do our little program in the dining area. We sang a couple of songs and Daniel gave a simple message on how Jesus is our best and only completely true friend. The children proceeded to eat after that and followed eating with the throwing of banana peels at each other. All of the kids that we saw that day are precious to us and to God. It was hard knowing that most of them might not eat for the rest of the day, and probably don't have a bed to sleep in either. They still showed some great smiles, and I could see Jesus in all of them. Below is a picture of just a few of the children that came to the breakfast.

We also did home visits this week with Dawn of Hope Ethiopia this week. I went with Brittney and Girum on Thursday which is why it is mentioned here, but we had been doing them since Tuesday. We went out in pairs to people in different communities who are HIV positive. Most all of the staff at the Dawn of Hope are all HIV positive as well. It is so good to see that people who are HIV+ are taking such powerful steps to comfort others who are HIV+. Two staff members also accompanied our team at the home visits.

The home visits were incredibly hard. The first woman that Brittney and I visited was a 38 year-old woman who was HIV positive and had cancer of the uterus. I stepped in to the room where she was lying down and it was as hot as a sauna. It was very dark too and i couldn't see much. I went over to shake her hand and introduce myself when she grabbed my hand and started kissing it. She then started to weep and clutched my hand to her cheek. She has two children one of which is also HIV positive. She said that she was waiting to die, but was afraid that her children would not be taken care of. She lived in a room attached to her landlord's house. She lived in constant fear that her landlord would find out that she was HIV positive, because she would be immediately evicted.

The last person that we visited was the hardest of the 3 houses we visited that Thursday afternoon. She was blind in addition to the HIV. The story involved with her blindness is too long to share here, but please pray for her. We asked if we could pray for her and she said that she was not willing. I was taken back with surprise because people are usually open to prayer. She afraid because after we left her family (she was living in a room at her family's place) would ask her what happened while we were there. They were Orthodox (don't even get me started) and if they found out that we prayed in the name of Jesus, they may kick her out on the street that night. If that happened, she wouldn't even be able to make it to the hospital by herself. She said that her family sometimes cooks for her and sometimes they don't. She is completely dependent on them, but they don't even buy her underwear. It was heart-wrenching.

Lucho (Luis), Anna, Girum, and John Bills did a home visit on Friday to a man who was paralyzed from the waist down and a friend of his who is blind in one eye. Their pictures are down below. Their families also rejected them, so now they live by themselves. They also fear that their landlord will find out that they are HIV positive and kick them out of their room. Our team members had a profound impact on their lives. As they were leaving, John Bills (the Compassion DTS school leader) held the paralyzed man in his arms and kissed him on the neck. The man instantly started bawling, and we later found out that John is the first person to kiss him in 4 years. They were so shocked that these foreigners would take their time and spend their money to go visit people who are suffering from this virus. It was a real witness to Jesus' love for them (they were Orthodox) and I know that God is doing some serious work in their lives. There are many more stories from the home visits, but not the time or space at the moment.

Pray for the Dawn of Hope Ethiopia Association in this ministry as well as the people that we are visiting during these home visits. There are others not mentioned here that were visited by our team as well that need earnest prayer too. We are planning on going back this week.

John Bills, the Compassion DTS school leader arrived Thursday night for a pastoral visit. He had already been to South Africa, Mozambique, and both of the Uganda teams by the time he arrived in Ethiopia. It really is a miracle that he was able to come to Ethiopia because his passport and all of his money were stolen in Uganda 3 days before he was supposed to come. By God's grace and divine appointment, he was able to get a temporary passport, a visa to Ethiopia, and a visa to Tanzania before he got a plane to Addis. His visit here has been so encouraging to us as a team. He went with us everywhere and saw what God was doing through us here. Last night we had a great time, finding out what the other teams were up to as well as getting a word from the Lord for our team. He anointed us all for these last two and a half weeks and encouraged us to finish strong. Pray for his continued visits to Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, and then back to Kona for debriefing. He hasn't had one day off since he began his visits, so pray that God will give him rest amidst the travel and ministry.

On Saturday we went to the Mother Theresa House, which is a little village where there are about 400 children who are all HIV positive and orphaned. We were able to go and help serve the lunches and some of our team even hand-fed the little ones their lunch. The organization is so organized and their love for the children was completely evident. I couldn't believe how clean everything was. They have a lab on base to check the children's CD4 counts, as well as a couple of pharmacies. The children were so sweet and they participated in our program where we sang songs and did a little skit to the story of David and Goliath. Even the director, Sister Maria joined in with the actions of the songs. It was encouraging to see the work that they do. They have literally saved hundreds of lives. Please pray that God will continue to use the Mother Theresa Home for his glory and his work. We praise God for that place and their heart for the children.

Sunday was Church at Beza International Church. Dejen, one of the staff members at YWAM Ethiopia is one of the singers in the choir there. It was the second time we have been there and the worship and message are so powerful and Spirit-led.

We also went to an Church and orphanage called "Phares". We stepped into the compound and stared at what had once been a huge building, but now was an open space with burned wood at either end. The building was once a grain storage facility, but had been converted into the church and orphanage. About a month and a half ago, there was a massive fire that destroyed almost everything. No one was hurt or killed, praise God. The police aren't saying much, but it is suspected that a group in the area could have set fire to the building trying to force the ministry out of the area for good. The orphanage has 14 children, most have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS, and a couple of them are HIV positive. They are living in what were the office areas. We were ushered into a rather large room (shown below) that was completely made out of tarps. That is where the church service is still faithfully held. The Children do their schooling in an area about 4 feet by 8 feet that is exposed to outside. We did a little bit of a program here too and spent some time with the kids. We were all blown away that the minister, Abraham, and his wife continued their ministry in the face of everything that had happened. They would not let the enemy get the best of them. Please pray for a release of finances for them. It will cost a lot of money to rebuild (they were renting) and they also want a different compound for the orphanage (the church would still be at the same location). Please also pray for the area in which they live; there are many non-believers and those who are enemies of the church. We saw the church as a lighthouse to the surrounding area, that many would come to the Lord because of their light.

We can't wait to see what God has for us this week. Pray that we walk in boldness and confidence that only comes from God this week. We want to keep doing His work even though we don't have too much time left here. We know that God is not done with us yet and are believing that these 2 weeks will be the weeks that God will do something huge in Ethiopia.

Thank you so much for your prayer and support. We rely on them heavily. May God bless you for praying and standing with us.

Love and Peace in Christ,

Team Ethiopia (via John Vicory)

(Photos by John Vicory except for the Home Visit Photos. Those were taken by John Bills)

Ethiopia Outreach Update 1-22-07

2007-01-21T22:58:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Ethiopia! I pray that you are all in good health and that God is at work in your lives.

Last week, I ended the post wondering what we were going to do this week. I didn't know that it would be such a powerful week. We really heard from the Lord every single day and when we were obedient, we were able to see the fruits of His will.

Tuesday started off with Going to Hope Enterprises feeding center to volunteer like we usually do on Tuesdays. This week was different though. God impressed on our hearts to not just give a message and feed the people, but to open time for them to come forward and receive prayer for whatever they are going through, for healing, and for salvation. We got there and the Holy Spirit delivered a message through Luis, Brittney, and Niene. There was some huge distractions going on during the message, people coming and going, and even people being loud. When there are over 600 hungry people waiting to eat, distractions can be evident. At the end of the message we told the people that if they wanted to get prayer, they would have to ask for it after they ate.
We went in and served the first batch of people (they usually only let in a little over 100 at a time) and after a few people asked for some prayer. By the end of all of the groups, we had prayed for over 30 people, which i didn't expect at all. There were people praying for the blind, the lame, the destitute, and the oppressed. The last man that we spoke to said that the message that was delivered had touched his heart and that even through all of the distraction had decided to give his life to Jesus. This was the first man who had truly given his life to Christ since we have been here (that we know of), and it made the whole trip totally worth everything. We had decided as a team that we would surrender all of the words, confirmations, and visions of what this outreach would be like for the soul of one. We believe that the worth of one soul God's sight is infinite and he would have sent Jesus to die just for that one person. It was a huge moment for our team. God also broke my heart again for the people of Ethiopia. The Lord prompted my heart to pray for a woman with only 1 eye, and I could hardly get any words out because I was so choked up. We know that its not through us, but by the Holy Spirit that we see anything happen here, but it was a powerful time for all of us.

Before we had even left the feeding center, we had received word that Tigu (the chairwoman from the Addis Ababa Women's Association [AAWA]) had invited us to another event sponsored by the AAWA. This event was a Marching Rally through the streets of Addis Ababa that concluded in front of the City Hall building. We didn't really know what to expect the morning that we left, but we were blown away by what happened that day...
Over 10,000 women as well as children and men, showed up in support. Many of them held up pictures (as shown below) of women and children that had been raped or beaten to death by men in their communities. It was heartbreaking to see how many pictures there were. The rally concluded with a speech by Tigu, the Mayor of Addis Ababa, and the French Ambassador to Ethiopia. We were honored to stand with them on the stage in front of all of the women and in support of the speakers. There had been laws passed in 2004 (previously there were no laws or weak laws that enabled men to beat their wives and children, abductions were okay, as well as cultural traditions that should be considered crimes against humanity [FGM included]) that made it illegal for activities like this to continue, but there is still a problem with implementing these laws. The activities still continue, so the speakers encouraged the women to keep on shouting, and encouraged men and authorities to stand up for the right thing as well. God had really put us in a good place to stand with them and we continue to see our relationship with Tigu as divine appointment from the very beginning.

This is a picture called "A Brighter Future". A woman at the Rally asked me to take a picture of her daughter. I pray that she will have an opportunity to live a free life, free from oppression by men and from harmful cultural traditions.

Friday, we had planned on going to the YWAM Mercy Development orphanage in our neighborhood (we go there very often), but plans fell through for that. We interceded and asked God what he wanted us to do that day and the word Lucy was impressed on my mind... Lucy is the oldest human fossil on record and it's kept at the national museum downtown... I was very confused about it, but came to find out that others had lion's impressed on their hearts. We came to find out that there is a lion zoo across the street from the national museum, so we decided that God wanted us to go down to that area. The Museum was closed because it was a holidy, but the lion zoo was open for business. It wasn't really a great zoo, the animals are very poorly kept and treated there, making me sad. After we had seen the lions, we went to an area where monkeys were on display. There was a little bit of a grassy area across the path, so many of us decided to go in there and pray. A crowd soon formed around the area and we felt like just another exhibit at the zoo. There was an opportunity to tell people about Jesus, but I missed it. I asked God to give me another opportunity and he did. Anna started playing with a little girl on the grass, and a bigger group than earlier formed. My heart pounded as a stood up, but the Holy Spirit totally spoke through me and for the next 35-45 minutes, i preached the gospel right there in the middle of the zoo. Girum (our contact and close friend) was able to translate for me and together we told people of God's love for them.
I fully realized the state of most Ethiopians at that moment. Many of them are born into Orthodoxy, so they think that they are saved, but rely on the Virgin Mary and other Saints for salvation instead of relying on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Please pray that the lies of the enemy will be stopped and that people will open their eyes to see that salvation is through Christ alone.
After we left i came to find out that other people were able to tell their testimonies and talk to people about HIV/AIDS, Jesus, and religion. God used our obedience in a way that we didn't expect that day and we thank him for that.
This picture was taken as I realized that The Holy Spirit wanted me to tell these people about Jesus.

Saturday and Sunday were spent at the Mercy Development Orphanage, and the orphanage that cares for HIV positive children called Bereket Orphanage. We love visiting these children and each one of us has developed relationships there with the children. Sunday at Bereket Orphanage we gave a little message about the full armor of God and followed it up with making the armor of God. It was great, and i think that they fully understood the message. Please continue to pray that God will keep on providing for all of the orphanages as well as for healing for the children that are HIV positive. We fully believe that God can heal them; he has already spared their lives for this long and they are so happy.

This is a young man they call "Pastor" at the Bereket Orphanage. He is HIV positive and doesn't know it, but is in seemingly perfect health. Pray that God will allow him to continue to live out his name.

Please also continue to pray for our health. We are all healthy and in good spirits. Pray as well for YWAM Ethiopia as they want to start up their DTS program again in March, but are in desperate need of staff and finances. We were able to help the YWAM Ethiopia director, Muluwork, raise funds for a conference in Kenya. It was a meeting for all of the directors of East Africa. He will be there until the 29th of January, so pray for his protection as well.
Also, if you feel that the Lord wants to say something to us through you, feel free to email us at teamethiopia@yahoo.com

Grace and Peace through Jesus Christ
Team Ethiopia (via John Vicory)

Ethiopia Update 1-15-07

2007-01-15T02:46:00.000-08:00

Hello from Ethiopia!
A lot has happened since the last post, so i will try to catch everyone up-to-date.
First of all, Ethiopia has a different calender, so they celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January by our Calender. It was nice because our Christmas was on a plane flying over Europe and the Middle East. We celebrated with another YWAM team here from Sweden and the rest of the base here in Ethiopia.

We have visited a few orphanages since the last update as well. The first one we visited is part of YWAM called the Mercy Project. It is headed up by a man named Abdissa. There are 18 children at that orphanage and it is within walking distance from the base where we are staying. We have been there a few times, even before the last update. On Christmas Eve Day (January 6) we helped put on a program for over 100 street kids from Addis Ababa. These are kids that don't have homes and don't know where their next meal is coming from. We see these very same kids when we are doing prayer walks downtown. It was great to see so many of them there, but hard because we knew that the meal that went with the program could be more food than they eat in a regular week.

The next orphanage we went to has 24 children as a part of it. This orphanage is a lot different because 7 of the children are HIV positive. They have been so since the orphanage opened 3 years ago, and not one has progressed into full blown AIDS. This is a miracle because the process is sped up greatly in children. Its a blessing from God that all of them are still alive. All of these pictures are children who are HIV positive. These Children do not know that they are HIV positive. They are too young to understand the implications associated with HIV/AIDS. Only the staff are aware of their condition.

Please Pray that God will continue to be merciful to these children and the orphanage that houses them. The orphanage is fully funded by one family from Toronto, Canada. Please email me if you want more information about the orphanage.

The other orphanage that we are involved with is an orphanage outside of Addis about 45 minutes. All of the children in the orphanage have had both of their parents die of AIDS. There are 50 children enrolled at the orphanage. There is a "mom" for every 10 children, and children from the community surrounding the orphanage come to the orphanage for school classes. These children LOVE to play!

We have also been working with organizations for women's rights as well. Traditionally, women in Ethiopia have not been treated very well. In many areas it is culturally acceptable to beat, rape, and abduct women. There are laws that the government have established throughout the country against these things, but the problem comes on implementation. Many people were brought up to not respect women, so they continue in the tradition. Ethiopia needs strong enforcement of human rights to break this vicious cycle. More women than men have HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia, and there are many more poor women than men, because men use women and then leave them with nothing. Even men who are educated attempt to have sex with prostitutes without condoms, when they know that they (the men) have the HIV virus. Most of the men who are involved in the sex industry are educated men.

Pray that Ethiopians will stand up for what is right, no matter what the cost. Pray for implementation of laws that have been set up that protect and esteem women. Pray also for the Addis Ababa Women's Association as they are doing great things for the women in Addis and in the countryside as well. They claim that HIV/AIDS is the number 1 problem in Ethiopia and have been working tirelessly on programs for those who have HIV and also preventative programs and education/awareness. The Chairwomen of the AAWA, Tigu W/Senbet is the director of the program. She has a great influence in the government of Ethiopia as well. Pray for God's guidance over her life and the decisions she makes daily that effect the future of women and HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia.
This is a picture of some of the over 6,000 women that attended a forum a couple of weeks ago to discuss women's issues. This was covered by all of the local TV and newspaper agencies in Addis. We were escorted to the front row by the vice-chair of the AAWA, and Tigu was the main speaker.

Please pray for health and energy for our team. Your prayers are so powerful and we see God working so mightily in Ethiopia. Thank you for reading the update.... stay tuned...

Love, John and the rest of Team Ethiopia

Friday January 5, 2007

2007-01-05T01:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! well, in Ethiopia, the New Year is in September and its still 1999. Crazy.

Anyway, God has been so good to the team. We filled the New YWAM Ethiopia base. We are the first team to be there!

Addis Ababa is a different city than any other city i have ever been to. It is not only the capital of Ethiopia, but is considered the capital of all of Africa. There are about 5 million people here, 3 million of them are women. There is a lot of poverty here, and a lot of street kids. Our hearts break every time we go outside the walls of the compound.

One of our first days in Addis we were doing a prayer walk in the middle of the city where all of the government buildings were. Chele, Anna, and Girum (Director of Outreaches for YWAM Ethiopia as well as out friend and translator) were walking around and ran into the Addis Ababa Women's Association building. We had been getting words about women's issues in intercession, so they walked in to get more information. They ended up talking to a woman named Tigu who happened to be the Chair of the organization. She invited all of us to a forum that was held Wednesday the 3rd of January. We walked into a room with over 6,000 women who belonged to the association. Every seat was packed; there were women sitting and standing all around the stage, in the isles, and around the back. There were 11 empty seat in the front row... The white people from Kona, HI were escorted to them by the vice-chair of the association. What a surprise that was. Tigu was up on stage and proceeded with the forum. All of the major news networks from Ethiopia were there as well.

The forum focused on the conflict with Somalia and how the women of Addis need to be united under peace! At the end of the conference, different women were able to speak. There was a woman there that i(john) had met in our small sub-city, Gera. She was sitting on the ground in front of the stage and it was a wonder that we were even within eye contact. She stood and said that she had AIDS and that 2 years ago she had been bedridden. A local church in Gera (one that Brittany and I had visited randomly) had supported her and her family and she is now on anti-retrovirals and has been able to walk for 2 years. She said that the association was the only place where she had been accepted after crying out for help. We were able to get her name and even prayed for her after the meeting. She rode in the same cab with us back to Gera and we walked her home, which is about 2-3 blocks from the base. It was awesome to see God's guidance in the whole thing. My meeting with her, her boldness in the association, God's provision for her to get medication, the support of the local church (who also supports one of her 5 children), and our relationship with her. I forgot to mention that her husband died 11 years ago. God has been so good.

We also volunteered at a Hope International's feeding center. Lucho (Luis) delivered a powerful message of God's free gift that brought me to tears. By God's grace, we helped feed over 600 hundred men women and children injira (a local type of bread). It was powerful to see Jesus in each and every one of the children especially. Our hearts broke with God's heart for them.

There is a big need here is Ethiopia. Please continue to pray for us. The language barrier is something that has been frustrating at times. We just want to do God's will and follow in his steps. Thank you for your prayers, we really appreciate them. Continue to pray for ethiopia as well. They are starting to speak, but they still need to scream!

Love, Team Ethiopia

Getting on a Plane Tonight!!!

2006-12-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

We are finally leaving for Ethiopia tonight!

After a week of seeing 80 other people leave, we are ready to get going ourselves. The last few days here at Makapala have been pretty quiet.

So here is the itinerary. Kona to LAX overnight tonight. We will get in to LA tomorrow morning, change planes and head to JFK in New York City. By then it will be Christmas Eve. We will have an 8 hour layover in New York, so we are going to go to the Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree and to have a Christmas Eve dinner.
After seeing a little bit of the city, we will be getting on an Emirate Airlines flight to Dubai, UAE. We get into Dubai with 5 minutes of Christmas left, and will have a layover there for 8 hours... On the 26th, three days after we depart Kona, we will leave Dubai and arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!

We have already been getting reports from other teams on what God is doing and about the situations in each country. Please continue to pray for the other teams as well. Here is a list of them: 2 Uganda teams, Rwanda, Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa, and Zambia...

Here is a list of the people on our team: April Bang, Niene (pronounced Nina) de Groot, Daniel Kim, Luis de Valle, Brittney Abner, Deborah Bush, Nicole Strom, and John Vicory. The team leaders are Chele (pronounced Shelly) Diffenbaugh, and Anna Milligan.

One week till departure

2006-12-16T16:28:00.000-08:00

The first team from Compassion DTS will be heading to Africa later tonight. While it's hard to see them go, we know that God has already gone before them and that they are in his hands. We have another week to prepare, but we also have to work on the base a bit to get it all cleaned up.

This is a slideshow that has some staggering statistics about HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. There will be more to come when we get some of our own pictures. Please pray for us as we prepare and as we see teams off. We are the last to leave.