Christmas with New Friends

After a bout with a lousy cold Sandy and I are up and blogging again. We were finally able to have a house warming/ Christmas dinner for a few of our new friends. So you might ask what do to American missionaries serve to their Ethiopian/German landlord and all their Ethiopian friends?  Spaghetti of course! With a lot of garlic bread and apple pie for dessert.

We wanted to serve a classic American meal and after much deliberation agreed on spaghetti  [I know its Italian] but it was really all we could find all the ingredients for. The apples were a big splurge and I’m not going to tell you what we payed for them. The next big challenge was finding a pie plate. OK. We asked a few in the know folks and decided the Mercado District  was our primary hunting  ground.

Now all we had to do was explain to our trusty driver, Dawitt, what a pie plate was so that he could interpret to potential merchants just what we had in mind. Well it would help if people here ate pie; but then it wouldn’t be something new for them and that would take all the fun out of our quest. We finally settled on a skillet.  BTW  I ended up using a broiler tray because the skillet was to small for a pie for 12.

On the way home from shopping we encountered a few minor technical difficulties with the car and after being pushed a few blocks by some very kind gentlemen we were off to Burayu. Not so fast , Dawitt explains that we need fuel.  Gas station crowded , people filling  up all sorts of unsafe containers with fuel, we get through all the crowd, get our fuel and are about to pull onto the street when a big truck tries to pull into the station, needless to say there is no way that truck ,our car and a half dozen other cars are going to navigate this space all at once. Well Dawitt being the kind soul he is backs up to let the truck in from the street. That was good until the truck driver turns to short and binds the rear quarter panel of our car up in his wheel well. I thought Dawit was about to cry,  or worse, all he wanted was to safely get Sandy and I home to Burayu .  He was able to flag down a contract taxi  and give him directions and we were on our way.  We did finally make it home  with our packages intact.

OK what  was this blog going to be about ? Oh yeah, Christmas with friends.  Sandy and I and Shaweye set about cleaning the house and making decorations. An old newspaper, some glue, a little string, a treasured piece of tin foil,some paint and of course good ol’ fashioned American ingenuity and soon the house was festooned with paper chain garlands , snow flakes and a sparkling silver star  over the table. Shaweye proved to be superior paper chain maker under Sandy’s diligent instruction. Sandy set a beautiful table complete with fresh flowers from Kifley’s garden.  Oh by the way this is a day after the shopping trip.

Right on schedule our guests arrived , Pastor Emanuel and wife Marge [pronounced mar gay] Samson and Enat husband and wife owner /directors of Bereket school, Balacho  from church and our dear friend Getachew also from church and of course Kifley and Sumbutta from upstairs. It took a little convincing to get Shaweye to come join the conversation but in the end all our guests were engaged in a delightful mix of English and Oromifa. Enat enjoyed reading the blog, and her husband Samson and Kifley were deep in a conversation that I’m certain solved all our worlds troubles.

I think everyone liked the meal. Marge seemed especially fond of the toffees on the coffee table and  that's perfectly acceptable for a woman who is 6 months pregnant. It was  great fun to share our home and meal with the people we are working with, to build  rapport and strengthen the bonds of  fellowship.  There is a lot of work to do here and I hope that  this will help to lay the foundation for our future cooperation.

All of you faithful blog readers be sure to blog in next week when we celebrate  The Ethiopian traditional  Christmas Holiday.   Merry Christmas and a Happy Birthday to our Lord and Saviour , Jesus Christ.       CW

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Holy Spirit Moves

After our local service on Sunday, Pastor Emanuel invited us to attend a ‘conference’ at a nearby rural chapel. Many from our congregation climbed into bijus[ 3 wheeled taxis] and 7 of us piled into a Toyota for the short drive.We turned off the main road a few kilometers from Burayu and onto a rough dirt track rambling through eucalyptus groves and the occasional grain field.

We came to a small cluster of farm houses where many people had begun to gather. We untangled ourselves from the Toyota truck and walked a short way to an outdoor pavilion made of poles and tarps. The ground was covered with fresh eucalyptus leaves and they gave off a lovely fragrance as we walked on them. A large group of worshipers had already gathered in the pavilion and we were given seats near the podium.  The guest speaker turned out to be the driver of the Toyota, Mitiku.  A local elder opened the conference with prayer,  then Mitiku launched into an enthusiastic message about the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives.

At several intervals the message would break and the music would begin and people would sing and dance and a man even began to play a large drum. Pastor Emanuel explained to me how King David’s wife Michal had disapproved of his dancing and that the Ethiopian people consider dance a form of worship just like David did.

Mitiku began to preach again and someone spoke up saying they had received a word of prophesy regarding a man at the conference. He came forward and they prayed over him and laid hands on him and he received a healing from the Holy Spirit.

A woman came forward and was prayed for and also received a blessing  The preaching continued for awhile and after some more music  Emanuel  gave a closing sermon .

I find the worship here to be inspiring and uplifting and I very much enjoy the music and dance. It is as though people here feel free to worship with all of there being, in our American churches we seem to have lost some of that along the way.

I love the worship services in my home church and I greatly value the teaching of the Word also. I just pray that we can find a way to incorporate the  enthusiasm I find in the Ethiopian church.      CW

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Back Online Again

Well, after days of trying to diagnose our internet troubles we are finally online again. It seems that someone at the Gullele house thought they needed our sim card more than we did. After a long and confusing visit to the TeleCom office we were able to purchase a new one and we are off and blogging again.

The good news is that we have been given an absolutely beautiful house in Burayu to live in free of rent until we leave for America. Our landlord, Keefley, is a very gracious pensioner who has let us move into the ground floor apt. of his lovely home. It seems he has a heart for missions and has his own vision of building a youth center and library in Burayu.

God indeed has blessed us beyond what we could have imagined. We are learning our way around the town and meeting new shop keepers. On Tuesday Sandy and I and P. Emanuel took a scenic trip by pony cart to the countryside. We met two young girls in beautiful dresses sitting under a tree. I can imagine them planning their futures as they sat there in the shady grove of trees.

We should be all settled in by Friday. Then I hope to start teaching a Christmas Carol to our kids during the program on Saturday. If all goes well we can sing it at Church on the Sunday before Christmas. I’ll ask Sandy to video the performance for the blog. So be sure to stay tuned in!

Thank You for your prayers, Carole

Medical Surplus Saving Lives in Ethiopia

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

jumprope to numbers

On Saturday we played jump rope with our Burayu kids  between class and lunch. We have successfully fed our children breakfast and lunch  for our second time. We have so much still to learn and to teach. Sandy and I decided to divide and conquer.  She agreed to take our littlest ones and walk with them and teach the words for the things they saw. I  found the older kids in my English class  already know there English alphabet and numbers.  It was the first time I have ever taught children our English language.  The kids are so bright and we laughed a lot as I drew pictures on the board and had them say the English word. We have a bit of work to do on pronunciations but it was an excellent beginning.  This video of  the kids was taken by Sandy.  She is much better at the photos than I am.  I’m beat!  Playing with kids and teaching is hard work.  That’s all for now.   CW

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Our First Meal

Praise the Lord we made it through our first two weeks.

The first project from GGI was setting up a kitchen to feed a group of children breakfast and lunch on Saturdays. Last Saturday was our first. Carole and I thought, this is great…we can do this. How hard  could it be. As we set out to make our plan, we got out our pads of paper and started making a list. We got it on good authority that most everyone around here eats bread, or biscuits and tea for breakfast. For lunch, injera with wat, and tea. – we were ready to tackle the job.

First, we needed to set up the kitchen – then feed the kids and hand out their school uniforms and books. We’ll have a wonderful day, we thought, even have candy to hand out, and stay within our budget. Heroes!

OK.. things didn’t go quite as planned.

You see, we live in Addis Ababa, and our mission is at a church in Brayeu – about 45 minutes away.   In Addis, they speak Amharic. In Brayeu, they speak Oromo. Our driver and interpreter speaks Amharic. Do you see how this could be a problem? Now… our pastor, Emanuel, speaks pretty good English if you can get past his thick Oromo accent…

We all sat down with our lists and went over everything. You think you understand a person is saying, and that person thinks they understand what you are saying. Everyone on the same page…But no one was on the same page. Not even in the same book. Carole and I with pastor Emanuel arranged for a simple but sturdy table to be built to cook on. We needed a shelf to hold pots and pans, and door for the kitchen with a lock, which needed to be installed before any supplies could go in.

Not knowing how to cook Wat, we decided to hire Buse (a young women who also knows no English) to cook for the first month and teach us.

To save time and stress, we sent her out to buy the food, and some pots. She came back with some really big pots, and what looked like a lot of food. OK Lord, I’m thinking. I’m learning to trust You in all things. Carole and I were the only ones here feeling a little uptight. Everyone else was good and wanted to go get coffee. So, we went to get coffee.

Saturday came. Twenty seven beautiful children were fed the most delicious and satisfying breakfast of macaroni, cooked with lentils in an array of vegetables and bread. We handed out uniforms and schoolbooks. They had their pictures taken. We all played ball until lunch was served. Buse, and a handful of dear sweet women served Wat with meat, injera, beats, cabbage sauteed with potatoes and bread. Carole and I didn’t get to learn how the Wat was made….Because of some confusion, we got there an hour late.

The table and the door is being painted, not to worry. We were over budget. We will do better next time. This is Africa.

Learning to trust Jesus, Sandy and Carole

“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever” - Psalm 73:26

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Malaria Outbreak in Uganda

Please take a moment and pray for our Ugandan team in Bukeeka and the Fountain of Hope teachers and students as they are currently experiencing a malaria outbreak in the area.  Over 150 students are currently staying home, one teacher came close to passing away but is doing better, Pastor Robert is also currently sick, and the 7th grade class has been hit hard 2 weeks before their national exam.  On top of this poor weather conditions have hurt many of the families' food crops and they are faced with having to purchase food at increasingly higher prices.

GGI recently distributed 200 mosquito nets but the need is still large.  We thank all of you for your continued support of the work in Uganda and appreciate your prayers and additional giving that you provide.  While we do not have any additional information on our website at this time you can contribute to the Uganda work and designate your donation to mosquito nets or humanitarian outreach via the donation comment section and we will immediate disperse funds to Bukeeka to assist with medicines and food.  Thank you for considering this request.

Together For Adoption Conference 2009

Together For Adoption has posted the audio sermons on their site from this year's conference.  These are some of the sharpest minds on the Gospel's collision with orphan care and adoption.  They are definitely worth a listen...or two.

T4A Conference Audios

Carole and Sandy Go to Burayu

GGI is very excited to send Carole Wilson and Sandy Weiler to Burayu, Ethiopia this month.  They will be blogging their experiences over the next year and we get the blessing of following along.  Come along for an incredible journey!

Carole and Sandy Go to Burayu

GGI's First Missionaries to Ethiopia

by Debbie Scott

We are very excited to have our own missionary at Lake Shastina Community Bible Church.  Carole Wilson has been called to the mission field.

Through a series of unexpected circumstances the missions board has been put in contact with Grace Giving International.  Grace Giving Int’l was founded by Dale Boudro.  Our church was blessed to meet Dale and his family back in August.  Dale and his wife Yolanda have a heart for adoption and had, in tow, 10 of their 13 adopted children during their visit.

After seeing for themselves Carole’s commitment to being used by the Lord in the missions field, Dale and Grace Giving International have been working diligently to put her to work.  In the process we have seen many doors open and some have closed.  Nonetheless Carole’s determination and enthusiasm have not waned.  Carole says she’s the ‘eternal optimist’.  What a blessing!  She also admits that she’s ‘chomping at the bit to go!’

Carole has made a commitment to stay in Ethiopia for 12 months.  She will need to raise money to pay for all of her own living expenses.  This is the life of a missionary.  So far her fund raising efforts have been very fruitful and she is significantly on her way to being funded.  Thank you to all of you who have been moved to give!

Carole has a partner in this mission named Sandra Weiler.  Sandra lives in Ashland and has also been called to be a missionary in Ethiopia.  Please pray for them both!

Here are a few pics of a get together with Sandra and the Boudro’s at Carole’s house:

 

 

T4A - Freed to Visit Orphans

Freed to Visit Orphans from Together for Adoption on Vimeo.

GGI Spring Newsletter

Spring has arrived, the snow is melted (almost), and it’s time for the spring GGI newsletter. In this issue we’ll share the latest news from Uganda, talk about our upcoming trip to Uganda,
and share sponsorship stories. 

Click here to read the Sponsorship Guide and here to read the newsletter.

Ugandan Sponsorship Program

Our Sponsorship Progam has officially launched.  If you click on the "Sponsor A Child" link at the top of the page you will be directed to a few of our available children in need of sponsors.  I am amazed at what $20 a month can do for the future of a child.  One of the incredible things that we are able to do is send the entire donation amount directly to the support of your child.  Come find out how you can help!

Be sure to click on the "2009 Sponsorship Guide" to help better understand what a sponsorship includes with GGI and how to best develop a relationship with your sponsored child.

The children of Bukeeka thank you for prayerfully considering investing in their future!

Treasured Moments With Fairview Team

One of the great pleasures that we have at GGI is to hear back from teams that travel to minister at our projects.  The following is an article about a recent team to Uganda and the challenges and joys of international missions.

February 25, 2009

There are many privileges that Pam and I enjoy as we experience God’s placement of us in Uganda.  One of the most enjoyed and productive is hosting and leading short term mission teams.  Monday evening we returned 12 wonderful people from Fairview, Oklahoma, to KLM at Entebbe Airport so they could go home.  We lived life with them, here in The Pearl of Africa, for 12 exhilarating days.

The team from Fairview had three primary projects while they were here.  First, the men had brought a well drilling bit, from an outfit in Oklahoma City, that has been used successfully in various places on this continent.  After researching three locations it was determined that a water well would be dug on Widow Sarah’s farm to help care for the dairy cows there and provide good water to those living around her.  The prospect for water was very good.  James, a Ugandan, was chosen for training so that he could take the resources and start a business with them, employing several other Africans as well.  Such adventures are always filled with challenges and this one was no exception.  We discovered that the pipe we purchased, first locally in Jinja and then from Kampala, was so inferior that the treads would break off easily in the couplers.  This problem must be remedied before this project can continue to move toward success.  While disappointment was high because we never enjoyed water flowing from the well, no one is ready to abandon this valuable empowerment of some nationals.

Secondly, power hand tools were brought from the States (and others purchased here) to assist in the construction of school desks for 500 students at Fountain of Hope School in Bukeeka.  Fifty desks were delivered to the school on February 20 amid the shrieks, cheers, and clapping of excited students who have had only benches on which to sit for their long hours of education.  A team of trained Ugandans have been working together to complete 52 more desk in the absence of the Oklahoma team.  They now have viable, marketable skills and are being paid a good wage for the work they are doing to complete this project.  The baton was successfully handed off by the Americans to the Africans and this project can be labeled as extremely successful.  35 more desks will be constructed for younger students because of the generous contribution of the Becky Bryan Memorial Fund.

Lastly, the women on this team were able to bring hope and encouragement to the students of Rock of Ages Nursery School, Fountain of Hope School, the residents of Amani Baby Cottage, the patients of Jinja General Hospital, and the friends, associates, and team members of Next Generation Ministries.

Above the accomplishments of these efforts was the personal transformation the team experienced under the custom made work of the God’s Holy Spirit.  They will never be the same.  Some of them are already planning on their second mission to Uganda and they will bring others with them so that lives and life will be affected here.

Pam and I were sorry to see them go, but we treasure the many moments we shared as we experienced God together.  Thanks for all the great work you did here, Fairview, and God willing we hope to see you sometime in August or September.

 

Attempting to drill the well

  

Excited Ugandan children

 Soda and pizza after a hard days work

Easily Forgotten

The Guardian wrote a great article today addressing what most of us in the international orphan care arena see first hand everyday, that is the slowdown of financial aid to developing nations like Ethiopia.  While we are absorbing an incredibly bad economic forecast we often forget about how the rest of the world is reacting to our financial meltdown.  The article produced some incredibly devastating numbers and there is no surprise in the fact that children will be the hardest hit.

The study also highlights wider human development impacts, including the prospect of an increase of between 200,000 and 400,000 in infant mortality. Child malnutrition, already a rising trend, will be one of the main drivers of higher child death rates. "Millions of children face the prospect of long-term irreversible cognitive damage as a result of the financial crisis," says Montjourides.

 Psalm 10

17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Lord's Resistance Army

I'm not sure why, but I am always amazed at the depravity of man.  There are moments within humanity that we rise above all circumstances for the betterment of man, and there are moments where we dive deep into the darkness of our own hearts and carry out acts that are unspeakable in the daylight.  "The Lord's Resistance Army" continues to be a threat in northern Uganda and surrounding countries murdering civilians and stealing children for their own exploitation.  While our school is not located in the northern region of Uganda, we keep a close eye on this group that is decimating the child population in northern Uganda.  

Please continue to pray for our school and students as they work hard to receive an education.  If you would like to find out more about our students please visit our Sponsorship page for more information on how you could change a life today and for tomorrow.

Lord's Resistance Army Kidnaps at Least 20 Children

Ugandan and Congolese Presidents Discuss Regional Security 

No Ordinary Plumber

Sam and Esther

This is a new video that is currently floating around the net.  Please watch it and allow the impact of hope to sink in.  If you would like to know more about sponsoring children like Sam and Esther, please contact me at patrick@gracegivinginternational.org .

Southeastern Office

We just setup a new office in the Southeast.  We now have offices in Hayden, ID and Macon, GA.  Are hopes are that we will be able to reach more people for the sake of the gospel in the lives of orphans by creating two offices that can network among two geographic regions in the US. 

If you are ever in the area please contact us or if you need someone to speak at a gathering, we would love to share with you what is happening in Ethiopia and Uganda.