Ethiopia is a country that captured my heart as a little girl and one that's continuing to do so as a resident here with my family. God has a special heart for this country and He's written about His pursuit of her...Here I get to do the same...
Psalms 68:31 "Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God."
Things that matter to us, here living in this tangible world
of materialism and consumerism are totally different to the things that matter
to God.
What matters to God is people.
He is not consumed by appearances.
He is not consumed by possessions.
He is consumed by heart.
And at the depths of HIS heart is inconceivable LOVE.
His Love for us, draws us to Him and the test of our LOVE
for him is our ability to trust His word and trust His Way.
It’s a matter of Faith.
And the Bible says that WITHOUT this simple ingredient, it is impossible
to please God.
Now FAITH IS the SUBSTANCE of things HOPED FOR, the EVIDENCE of things NOT SEEN. Hebrews 11:1
When I think about our journey here, the major aspect of
what God had to do within us was increase our faith. We cry, help our unbelief Lord! He does.
This is why we do what we do because we have faith in a God who has
created people equally and HE wants them to know His HEART for THEM. THOSE CREATED IN HIS IMAGE.
So first I had to know His heart for ME!
It makes sense for me that my lifelong struggle with fear
would not just be a strugglewith but
the struggleagainst something. The one who doesn't want you to win on the
hockey field wouldn’t attack you in a water polo match. He would attack you on the field of which he knows the victory is won.
He not only doesn't want you to win, HE DOESN'T WANT TO LOSE...
He knows the victory is already won, that's he's already LOST but he knows that we
don’t often see the Scoreboard. We're too busy focused on the game. He's got our heads distracted on the ball and we're too busy trying to WIN!
So my FEAR of DEATH as a child, my FEAR of REJECTION as a
teenager, my FEAR of being FAR AWAY from home, my FEAR of the DARK, of being HARMED, of being PUNISHED, of being ALONE…these all crippled my ability to have FAITH.
For fear is not just the opposite of faith; FEAR IS THE ENEMY OF OUR FAITH.
Worry, insecurity, anxiety, terror, dread are allies and
friends of fear.
But PERFECT LOVE is the weapon that defeats fear and casts
it all out.
So perfect Love came in to my life and rescued me from fear and
gave me the capacity to have faith. Fear
was evicted and faith moved in. The
anxiety attacks that took a choke hold on my throat at night, the torment that
filled my heart with regret and the deep underlying fear that threatened my
ability to progress all dissipated in a single night.
So what happens when we let fear win?
Moses had a crowd of followers begging him for water and
moaning about the very fact that he took them out of Egypt to die in the
dessert and God heard their cry and supplied a rock for them to draw water
from. God says, speak to the rock and
the water will flow out from it.
But instead Moses beats the rock. He does what we often do. He took the miracle into his own hands and
DID instead of trusted. He feared that
God’s way wouldn’t work and that people wouldn’t respect his abilities and he
broke life instead of spoke life.
In a world of materialism and consumerism, where the
pressure to work, to buy, to loan and to accrue interest is embraced and
nurtured, we want to WORK instead of TRUST, HAVE FAITH.
We feel that if we don’t, then we fail at being the provider. Essentially it appeases our pride. Our ego fails as we want to look like the
strong one who beats the rock till the water comes out but then we hear a voice
say “you did not believe me or hallow me in the eyes of the children of Israel
therefore you shall not bring these children into the land which I have given
them.” Numbers 20:12
God is not impressed with our strength and abilities as much
as He is with our faith and trust in Him.
We want to DO but He just asks us to BE. Be there.
Be obedient. Be faithful.
Full of faith that He will provide.
Full of belief that He will fulfil his promise…
Even if we don’t see it like Abraham.
Even if we don’t deserve it like Rahab.
Even if we had given up on it like the Shunammite woman.
Even if we reject it like Jonah.
When we sold our house at a loss, our faith was tested to
the point that it hurt! Was this the
right thing to do? Were we being SELFISH and not allowing our children to receive the INHERITANCE they deserved. Did we make a MISTAKE by not keeping a place
to go back to? These were doubts that
were reinforced by many concerned friends and family but quashed by a loving
God who wanted more for a house for us.
He wanted a life of FAITH.
Every time we give, we test our faith. We trust God that He will press down, shake
together and run over the blessings from the well in which we gave. He says to DO IT!
Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Malachi 3:10
Every time we press on past the obstacles we test our
faith. That these obstacles are not the
end of a thing, but they are there as resistance measures to increase our
strength. The strength that is made
perfect in our weakness.
Every time we fail and fall we test our faith. Our faith that the payment for our sin was
finished on the cross and that we can trust God to have taken care of it so
much so that we don’t need to suffer for it or let it decapitate us.
Every time we have to be still and delay our movement, we
test our faith. Faith that we are a part
of SOMETHING BIGGER than ourselves.
Something bigger than the MOMENT.
Something bigger than what WE ARE ABLE to DO. Faith that we just need to BE. And sometimes just BEING PRESENT is all
people need to know the Love of the Father.
Because when we BE still, wait, let me make this as personal
as it’s meant to be- when I BE still I am reminded that He is God. That He is able to draw the water from the
rock, not ME. That when we silence our
praise to Him, He can even use the rocks to praise Him. From a rock He can draw water and Praise. I can’t and therefore I CAN TRUST HIM. Have FAITH in Him.
Abraham birthed a people of faith because of his faith in
obeying God’s instruction to leave his country and GO!
So we left our country on the same accord. Not really knowing all the details of what we
would do or how we would do it OR WHAT STRUGGLES WE WOULD FACE ON THE WAY but just knowing that we needed to GO.
In my early Christian days, I memorized this verse Numbers
32:23 A verse that says “Your sins will
find you out.” A great verse when taken out of context to make one feel
condemned for yet the sins he is talking about is the sin of disobedience to
God’s command to inhabit the land. This
is what we are called to do- to inhabit the land. The land of Ethiopia.
This journey of faith continues to stretch me and grow me as
I am continually reminded that God is working where I do not see. Oh, how I wish I could work it all out
myself- go get a job, earn some money myself to support ourselves and find
prosperity as we wish it for others. But
God has not called us to do that. And He wants others to join in on our faith
journey. Those who freely and
sacrificially give every week so that we can be here. It’s not taken for granted. More than ever now it’s appreciated from the depths
of our hearts.
When we hear stories of people who God speaks to about
giving us more support and on the other side, we are praying for His supply, we
know that our God cares for us and that He is going to meet us where our faith
is at. So we continue to believe for
bigger things, greater provision, more people to join our faith journey.
For by grace are ye saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
“How was your 2005?” I hear the reporter asking random
people on the streets of Ethiopia from ETV.
I ask the shop keeper’s daughter the same question…”Houlet shi amidst
indet nebere?” “Arif new” she replies, as to say it was Nice!
We are sitting in her lounge room as she makes us
coffee. It’s been a long time since we
visited after being neighbours for the first year of our stay here. She’s being extra hospitable, making us
popcorn, bringing us soft drinks and biscuits from the shop and conversation
from her ever improving English vocabulary.
“Anchis?” she returns the question to me. How was my 2005? “Tiru new” I reply. Meaning: It was good. Then I stop myself and answer again, this
time a little more honestly- enough for an almost eleven year old to
handle. Actually, it was a little bit
difficult, I reply in Amharic. She
quietly nods her head in agreement. She,
like most of the community who know us, know that there had been some changes
and that Asaua was away for a while throughout this past year.
A year ago we had just reunited as a family as I had
returned earlier from a family trip to Brisbane Australia. We re-established ourselves with different
roles, different source and level of income, a different sending office and
then moved into a different house. They
all seemed like better options at the time.
And in most ways, they were.
Yet the different roles called for different routines. Ones we weren’t ready for.
The different source and level of income resulted in
different prices we had to pay. Ones we
weren’t willing to pay.
The different sending office faced some personal and
financial struggles that ended in death.
A tragedy that we weren’t prepared for.
And the new house begged for maintenance in water and
sewerage systems that caused four months of bucket showers and toilet flushing
in beautifully tiled bathrooms. A
problem that we weren’t equipped for.
We celebrated the fact that we were receiving a bigger
blessing at the same time as feeling caught between two worlds. The world of marriage and family and the world of ministry. A chasm we had found ourselves in before. A stretch that had before broken us and a
balance that was easily tipped. The
scales once again were straining.
Where my spunky husband ends up retreating to isolation in the home, I end up retreating to freedom outside the walls of home.
To tip the scales even further we struggled once again down
the path of work permit acquisition. A
mountain that we needed to climb yet one that continued to bring more twists
and turns along the way. The first New
Zealand missionaries with Mekane Yesus church not having being sent by a
Lutheran Church and not having a New Zealand embassy in the country all made it
difficult for us to obtain this piece of paper we so desperately needed.
Still the strain at home increased.
Without going into too much detail, as all good things often
come to an end, so did our time with the organization that we initially came
with. The death of a baby resulted in
the death of our support. But finishing
with that organization was okay with me.
I knew it was time. But I didn’t
see the war that was about to rage.
False accusations were fired. Mass weapons of destructive words were sent
by email and text. Defensive solutions
were intercepted with baffled lies. The
work of the enemy increased. Tears were
shed. And the target was me.
Not that I want to play victim. Coz I am not.
Not that I want to lay blame. Coz
I don’t. Not even that I want to spread
rumours. Coz that’s not right. But the war that lay dormant had finally
erupted and we were left with battle scars.
Fortunately we serve a God who took the place of our battle scars.
But he was wounded for
our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement for our
peace was upon Him And by His stripes we are HEALED.
All we like sheep have
gone stray, We have turned, every one, to his own way, and the Lord has laid on
Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah
53:5-6
I got to this point of straying. Of thinking that once again I knew the
way. I struggled to see the other
alternatives. I struggled to see His
way. The vision had preceded the
relationship that was needed.
Perceptions were misconstrued once again of the God who had saved me
time after time. Especially after Asaua decided to leave for New Zealand and his eminent return was not so eminent. Fear and insecurities crept in and I screamed "I WANT OUT!"
All that was good was forgotten and all that was bad had resurfaced. I devised an exit strategy and came up with a back up plan about who life with him was going to work. After 16 years of marriage, I decided that I couldn't do it any more. I know, so crazy.
I walked familiar streets yet my view was contorted. So God in His faithfulness, sent me a
message. I wrote about it a few months
ago in the middle of the mess.
After Asaua had gone to New Zealand, I went into Addis Ababa
to book a ticket for my son Jamal to join his father in New Zealand- something
I really didn’t feel at peace about but nevertheless attempted. My efforts failed and so I went on a hunt for
an internet café to see what information I could get online. After leaving the internet café in the heat
of the day I came out of this mall trying to find the fastest way back to my
next destination – Jamal’s school.
There were two ways I could have gone. What seemed to be the fast way, was a back
path that I had gone down a couple of months before with an Ethiopian friend
who found our way through the short cuts and quickly to where we needed to go. We were on a hunt for Telecom so we could get
a new sim card for our visitor.
That day, my eyes were peeled for a Telecom sign and I ended
up taking notice of all the shops and products that were available on that
street. It seemed like a back street I
had not seen and far from any street I had previously encountered on my visits
to Addis Ababa. I remembered the way I went with my friend that day and as I
collected my memories of that street I realized it wasn’t familiar at all yet
the street I wanted to get to this day was.
This time I was by myself so I had to navigate my way
without asking anyone for directions and possibly giving away the fact that I
am not Ethiopian! It was Jamal’s
school’s street and I had been down it many times. So I took the long route and started walking
down this all familiar street.
As I walked down the street, I started to notice shops I had
gone into with this friend a couple of months before.
The most bizarre moment came when I realized that this road
that I thought was far away and foreign was the familiar road I was after-the street of Jamal's school. Before I had seen it in a different light as
I had entered it from a different direction, was paying more attention to
detail and was accompanied by a different person. A translator. So I could have taken that short cut after ALL! But because I thought it was a different
street I went the long way!
It wasn’t that I was just disoriented that day. This was me seeing the road from a different
perspective and in a different context.
But it was the same road. There
had to be a message in this experience…
A man I had a conversation with that week, started sharing with me randomly how we can walk the road of life by ourselves or we can walk it with God and know our paths are directed and ordered by the One who knows best for us. I could relate.
A few years ago, I found myself going down a road- not a
literal road, but a path that lead me and my family to a place that I didn’t
want to be. But then I got to a place
where I realized that “By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned
for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.” Proverbs 16:6 I turned away from the evilness that was
invading my soul and my world and embraced the love that God had for me in His faithfulness. I went on this “soul searching” journey to
deal with STUFF from my past and learnt a lot about what led me to that place
and how not to go there again! I was
paying attention to the details of my life as I felt it was key to experiencing
freedom from my past. I was walking with the greatest Translator of all who translated my thinking into the language of heaven. Instead of meditating on what I had been told about myself in the past, I concentrated on what God said about me.
I found new friends and support systems, we started at a new
church that offered the answers and helped me to navigate my way around my life
choices. I was restored and felt like I
was in a good place, that I had dealt with it and that a new “me” was
found. I was in a different place, armed
and guarded from the evil that so easily beset me. I was GOOD to go and move
forward from a place of wholeness and restoration. A place that didn’t seem familiar to me at
the time.
Recently a lot has happened here and in my
heart. Pressure and pain came in again
and with an unexpected force. Emotions
ran high and confusion reared its ugly head.
It seemed like from every direction troubles were knocking on the
door. Magnified by the fact that we are
on the MISSION FIELD and we shouldn’t be facing such hardship with the blessing
God promises when we left our homeland to do HIS WILL (false thinking 101), I
was thrown into a spin of betrayal and disappointment and abandonment. And surely, as a missionary now under the
covering of a great church and pastor, there would be victory and freedom that
I should experience. Even as
missionaries called to Ethiopia, we should already have it all together and be
able to withstand all the fiery darts that were being thrown at us, or at
ME!
“I have been down this road before!” was something I kept
saying even out loud! “I know what this
is about and how this will end- this is all familiar territory…I will keep
going with the experiences I have learnt from the past and this time I will get
it RIGHT! AND since I have had all my
STUFF dealt with, I can do it now from a more mature and more spiritual
place!” (false thinking 102)
I! I! I! It is always I! - from the movie Lean on Me
I was slowly sinking back into my old habits of doing it in
my own strength, I found myself alone again and trying to navigate my way down
this familiar road so that no one would know that I was LOST! So I kept walking down this road, feeling
confident that this was the right way to go and that this was NOT the road I
had gone down before. I had already
tackled that road and this time I was more the wise. Even though the road was longer, it made me
stronger but as I got stronger, I realized how the muscles of my heart were
hardening. As my heart was hardening, I
realized how my STUFF about to make a re-appearance in my life as the pressure
slowly squeezed out what was deeply embedded in my soul. Ahhh…not a road I want to go down again.
Oh, it’s the same road!
But this time I am seeing it in a different context and I am seeing it
with a different destination in view. My
heart formed a seal that was bouncing off the attempts of my husband to keep
our love going and I wanted it to end. I could do this, I thought. I can go this alone and no one can stop
me!
Who are you to judge
someone else’s servant? To their own
master, servants stand or fall. And they
will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. Rom 14:4
So this amazing master, Lord, Abba Father of mine. He took me through some standing exercises. He was not about to let me fall.
A wise lady said to me this week, that God deals in layers. While He may have dealt with some of my STUFF
in the years prior to coming to Ethiopia, He was about to tackle the next
layer! And it cut deep and it brought up
more STUFF and the way I reacted was an indicator of where my heart was really
at. Was it pliable and teachable still
or was it stubborn and hard? God was wanting to circumsize my heart.
So I went back to Addis the next day after this failed
attempt to buy a ticket, for another failed attempt. But so as to not waste time, I took my
daughters with me and we hung out for breakfast and ended up in a
bookstore. I found this book called “The
Woman behind the mask” by Jan Coleman. I
reluctantly bought it thinking that maybe people will know that sometimes, I still
wear a mask. Eek. Not what I stand for. I want to be authentic and real all the
time. This would show how much integrity
I have and how open I can be for people to talk to me. Haha.
I got slapped in the face with this book. I turned my head and my heart and it gave me a different
perspective. (And if you are a woman,
you should read this book!)
It took the road I was walking down, which seemed so
familiar and right (There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is
the way to death. Proverbs 16:25) and put it in a different light. In God’s light. It reflected the reality of the temptations
that we face as women in the 21st century to appear like we have it
all together. I could finally admit
that I didn’t have it all together and that I needed some support.
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul
and health to the body. Proverbs 16:24 These are what the words of friends have done for
me. I am thankful that some people take
time to press reply on my email updates and encourage me, us, with gracious words.
One quote I will give you from the book, is this:
“Turn your pain into passion and your messes into
ministries. Go on the road with the
story of your life and share it with those who need to know that God is the
answer. God is enough.”
And that last statement is what is being drilled down into
the depths of my heart again- God, plus nothing, is enough. When that is engrained and embedded in the
deepest layer of my soul, then all else will fall into place. I thought that God was done with my heart,
but He dug deeper and WILL continue to do so.
I am praying that one day, from a place of strength, as I walk down this
road with other women who find themselves in similar situations, that I will be
able to help them navigate their way too."
God took me through a process where He sifted me, shifted me, brought me through the storm.
I felt like Peter, going through this amazing journey with Jesus here for almost two years. Then betraying him at the last. But there was a purpose in the pain.
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desiredto haveyou, that he may siftyouas wheat:But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. Luke 22:31-34KJV
God sifted me and allowed me to go through this process of pain. The pain of rejection. The pain of my sin. The pain of betrayal and feeling alone. He allowed it so that He could put to death all the things that I thought I wanted and needed. He helped me to realize once AGAIN that HE knows best! His ways are always better than mine.
Jesus prayed for Simon Peter to succeed and then to comfort others with
that comfort of a forgiving God. Imagine
the confusion that set in for Peter after he betrayed his closest friend and
Lord. And just after Jesus had just changed his name to Peter, meaning Rock and shared His deepest heart with Him. He
changed his name but not his destiny.
His destiny was to play a part in Jesus’ crucifixion in the worst way
imaginable. But God’s grace came down
and He used him again to establish the church on the day of Pentecost.
He didn't deem him useless. He didn't condemn him even when He knew that He would betray Him.
We have it all wrong.
When we look at sin and people’s messes.
We see their mess but God sees their ministry. I am SO thankful that God sees mine. I am so thankful that God took time...Four months of separation with my husband to show me the Covenant God He is and the importance He places on Covenants we make with each other. Now our marriage is stronger and healthier than ever. But that's another blog. Suffice to say, Danny Silk from Bethel Church Redding California has some REALLY good relationship advice that totally broke through to us and our situation.
"A chord of three strands is not easily broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:12
This is me.
This is my Hope.
Thank You Jesus for taking the place of the penalty I should pay and rightfully deserve. You gave your life for me, I will live my life for you.
It was about 1pm on a cloudy Saturday afternoon, the seven
of us, our twenty one suitcases and a plane load of anticipation landed on the
tarmac of the Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa. We had three things going for us from the get
go: our colour, our culture and our children.
Who knew that being born brown with black hair and having
children who were born even browner was going to make life more comfortable for
us during our time in Ethiopia. Somehow
looking like the locals makes a total difference in being able to work and
connect with them. We can walk
down the road with unassuming passers by taking a second look but for the most
part, not even noticing the “ferenji” in the room or on the sidewalk. One man said out loud what I see on so many
faces as he was able to articulate it in English. He yelled out to Jamal and I after walking
past us one day, “Ferenji? Habesha? What are you? Please tell me!” Even when we tell people sometimes, they
don’t believe. It can work for us or against us especially since we can't barely speak the language soon and we are assumed to know what is being spoken to us. Thankfully we have learnt how to respond in such situations but look forward to the day where no explanation will be necessary. We take being called “Habesha” –the people of Ethiopia, as a compliment as they are beautiful people.
My beautiful daughter and Ethiopian little sister
The second advantage we came with was the cultural mix we
brought- not the Anglicised culture that affects many around the world but one
that was akin to the indigenous culture of New Zealand, Aotearoa; our homeland-
the one that derives from the Samoan heritage which flows through our
veins. The culture that respects our
elders, the culture that lives off the land, the respect of the biblical
foundations that were passed down through generations and the role that food
plays in relationship as a communal event. While there are some similarities, there are still many differences. Ethiopia is the only African country not to have been colonized so that has affected their culture and their guarding of it in so many ways. Their culture is strong and pure. It's great.
The third advantage was the fact that we carried five children
here with us. Not only does that also
fit in with the culture of having many children, but it opens up streams of
communication that wouldn't have otherwise been opened. It’s like when you JUST have your first baby
and you can have a conversation with any woman who has had babies from then on
about the whole birthing experience. You
always have a story to tell. Our stories
were packaged in five beautiful bodies, packed with an enthusiasm for life like
not many others. Every day they would
thank God for this opportunity to be here and for the blessings he had given
us. We came for children, with children
so the relationships they were able to have with these children extended beyond
our capabilities.
So we are now six, our lives have been shaken, molded, bent, stretched and humbled in so many ways.
It's really hard to imagine what life is like in Ethiopia unless you come and visit yourself and to say life in Ethiopia is the same for me as it is for a family living down the road, would be ignorant to say the least. So for us, here is a little bit of what life looks like. I snapped some pics on my phone as we walked to the main road to catch a taxi the other day. And when you think Taxi, don't think it's the expensive way to travel. It cost us about 10c in USD each to catch the taxi that day. And the taxi seat is often shared two between three people or three between four. This has been our mode of transportation for the last two years. Taxi, bajaj and horse and cart!
A common sight when we walk down our street as we sit between a rural area and an ever expanding new development area
The rural area uses what is typical in Ethiopia as agricultural instruments- the old Ox and yoke
These precious girls were carrying this 20 litre bottle of dirty water they had fetched.
This is what we see. How we respond is another story. How we live has also changed. From a humble three bedroom house to an extravagant two-storey seven bedroom home then back to another humble three bedroom house with really sporadic and lowly dimmed power, no hot shower and common water issues. But we are contented with what we have now. The kids have adjusted to the cold showers. God provided some nice furnishings to make it feel like our home and we are still able to sleep in peace as mostly it is quiet.
Outside our current house. Most houses are closed in like this. No picket fences here!
This coming school year, which starts in just less than two weeks, our children will go to a local International school for the first time in two years all together. The boys have been there since January of last year and now the girls will join them.
Work for us will include teaching at the school just adjacent from us. This school was our only source of power as the lines haven't been built up around our area yet. So we made an agreement with them that we would help at the school if they helped provide power to our house. Asaua is really excited about teaching English this year as well as a little sport. I too will be helping out when I can.
We also have been building capacity to work through Zion Church to rehabilitate prostitutes in the area that surrounds our church. Our church family are a major part of our life here and we were captured by their vision for the community, the poor and the future of Ethiopia. Their five fold vision was just shared with the church members this past weekend as we come to the close of another year and the vision looks like this:
1. To Preach the Gospel
2. To Make Disciples
3. To bring Deliverance to those who are bound
4. To Plant churches in rural areas where there are no churches
4. To Help the Poor
We are trying to help the church realize their vision in whatever capacity we can. Right now they are also planning to build an actual building to replace the sticks, tin and tarpaulin that has made up the building for the last 12 years.
We have started an English service that continues to grow and serve the English speaking community of Debre Zeit but we have a long way to go!
Often we are frustrated, disappointed, stirred and discouraged but this verse I found this week reminds me that even though we may not see fruit yet, we must keep carrying on...
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor 15:57-58
There is huge potential in Debre Zeit for business and income generating activities and our hope is to help lead the people here into a place where they can tap into the resources that are already available to them- through education, through rehabilitation and through a growing faith in a God who wants to give His children good things.
Without the support of people like you who read our updates, who pray for us, who give financially to support us to be here and support those we work with, we wouldn't be able to do any of this. So for the two short years this has been a reality for us, we want to say AMESAGENALEW!! THANK YOU! We are blessed.
Right now it’s hard for me to talk about the next member of
our tribe because I miss him so much! He
performed in a talent quest just two nights ago and I am reminded of all the
small things in his life we will get to miss out on. Like his first steps as an independent adult. He’s sixteen now and not quite as adult as he
needs to be, but adult enough to be a part from us and know the importance of
still staying connected to us.
We came here unsure of how we would educate our children (a
seemingly foolish life aspect to be ignored) but we were assured that it would
all be sorted when we arrived. So we
forced Jamal into a school and a grade that he didn’t belong so that at least
he would get some education and social interaction. Fairly soon Jamal was asking out. He had discovered how far advanced the
students were here in their academics and how far behind in their English. At last, I was called into school because
Jamal was disturbing the class. “We
don’t have time in our 45 minute classes for students to ask questions”, the
vice principal told me. “Either he
learns to be quiet, or he needs to leave.”
I understood Jamal’s predicament as I was the same in a school I was accustomed
to. To get full understanding, I would
always ask questions. We had given him
three months and it didn’t seem to work so we decided as a family to pull him
out and home school him and join the Bingham home school program so we could
access some materials.
Some people called Jamal my shadow for that first year. Not really out of choice for this handsome 14
year old, but more out of lack of other cool people to hang around with. This for me was a catching up for all the
times I neglected to spend time with him in New Zealand. All those times he had come home and gone out
again to hang out with his friend Johnny and we authorized it because it suited
our lifestyle. And all those times I had
come home and gone out again to be with friends, or at church. Now there was no Johnny. Now there were no church commitments. There were very few kids in town his age who
even spoke English, let alone understood his culture.
The place, therefore, where Jamal was able to shine was when
he joined forces with visiting short term teams who did small projects around
the city. From laying the foundation of
concrete at the school, to assisting with activity days in the sports to
helping buy souveneirs at the markets for decent prices. Jamal is such a social being who loves to
lead. He became involved in our English
service by playing guitar which he improved in so much over his time here. He often entertained visitors with his
dancing skills and helped us curb the chocolate cravings by baking some good
chocolate brownies.
Eventually Jamal was able to go to school at an
International school in Addis Ababa that we were introduced to through friends
of our pastor. It was a Greek school
that was started by the Greek community in Ethiopia. I am half Greek so that was good for me. They also taught from the Cambridge
curriculum so that was a big bonus. As
it fit into our budget at that time we enrolled him and we had friends who were
able to transport him to the school every day, an offer that ended up changing
when Jamal decided he was confident enough to catch public transport. He loved it so much he said to me one day
that when he was in New Zealand he couldn’t wait for the weekend but now he
didn’t even want the weekend to come. He made good friends, caught up with his academics and got to show off his dancing skills (something he missed doing on a regular basis.
Although Jamal never gave up his desire to go back to New
Zealand, he definitely made his own mark while he was here. He came here having never had read a whole
book, and left reading many just in one year.
He came to Ethiopia a disconnected son and left a part of our family and
our mission. He left New Zealand
spiritually dependant and left with his own personal convictions. In New Zealand he always wanted to be paid
for any work that he did, and yet he returns with a collection of service
duties performed for free and a servant heart.
Now he continues his
journey in New Zealand with his grandparents and Aunty and Uncle where he is
able to go to school in the system that will hopefully take him into a good
tertiary education. His residency there
will force some more frequent trips back or trips for him to come back and help
in some way.
Asaua is the head of this family. We met when I was 16 and little did he know
then that 10 years prior, I had committed to going to Ethiopia. We were young and stupid and drank and
partied and fought and then, we got pregnant and decided to wake up and get
married. Our lives changed dramatically when we decided to invite Jesus into the mix as not just a religious event, but as a major part of our lives. Even before that though, Asaua volunteered at an after school club at his church for 7-9 year olds. And he loved it and the kids loved him. He had done this for a couple of years I
think by the time I met him at the age of 17.
Soon I was to find out how good he was with kids as my little brother
and sister and then nephew hung on to him like a big brother. Almost like a dad.
So in this young couple both from dysfunctional families, (he with a father who was an alcoholic and I with a father was bipolar) was this common love of children divided between a visionary (me) and a vision builder
(Asaua). Asaua has been just that
here. I see the big picture, he works on the minute details and makes them happen. He has been helping to build not
only the vision that WE came with, but the vision that others here have. And he does it by connecting with kids that
extends beyond the boundaries of language.
Before we came to Ethiopia, Asaua had two dreams of him on a field
surrounded by Ethiopian kids but he came here under a Social Work internship. As interns we really just came to fill gaps
where we and the organization recognized as suitable for our giftings. Asaua had been teaching Alternative Education
for ten years and within that had taught Literacy and Numeracy but mostly
enjoyed connecting with the kids on a relational level through sports and
activities. So the gap was identified in
the school for a sports teacher and it was a gap that he could fill. As newbies to this country, this school and
this community, we took plenty of photos.
While going through the photos one day, he realized the work he was
doing was a fulfillment of those dreams.
My dreams also existed but started a long time before. I had images of me standing at a table with a
pot full of food serving people lined up for miles. This was after I saw the graphic images of
starving children in the famine of 1984 and wondered how such an injustice
could occur in a world full of food.
What was planted in my heart at that tender age of six stuck and has
still never left me. I heard it said “Let
what you love, be how you love” and I love to cook and so I love to feed
people. That is my expression of
love. And so here now almost two years
into our trip I am thankful for the opportunity God has given for us to fulfil this
dream as a family unit. I have had some
opportunities to feed and to cook for people but I have also had many
opportunities to feed people spiritually by sharing the word of God, to
discouraged mums, hungry Christians needing to hear the message of grace and to
rural churches set on hills. I love it.
Right now, we are in a phase of transition where we are making way, building capacity for the next phase of our journey. We are now officially missionaries under Ethiopian Evangelical Mekane Yesus Church, which translates into the Camp of Jesus church. It is based on Lutheran foundations but exudes the faith filled and Holy Spirit filled beliefs of the New Testament church. Here we are looking to start a development project working to rehabilitate prostitutes and help orphaned children. We are also working alongside a school who's new owners have a common vision to ours. One thing we have learnt over the years, is that if it's a God vision, it's a shared vision and if it's a God vision, it's a resurrected vision. The school owners and the leaders of the church share visions that we have to help develop the city of Debre Zeit and the children and families who reside within. To give you more information on what the future will unfold, you will just have to keep following!
Two years ago we set sail from Auckland, New Zealand, the
only home we had known as a family except for a year we spent in Rotorua. South Auckland to be exact. Otara, then Takanini were places that we
called home. Our first boy was born on
the North Shore as that is where we resided as 19 year old parents, Michelle
from Glenfield and Asaua from Otara. Shortly
after his birth we gave our lives to Jesus and moved to where that dedication
was made- Flat Bush, South Auckland where we served in Children’s Ministries
and eventually youth ministry.
In the meanwhile, two babies came at the same time! Beautiful little girls, the ones I had longed
for after having a boy and being limited by the amount of clothes I was able to
dress him up in. They never looked quite
as pretty as the girls dresses I would see in the shops. Two and a half years later, we had another
boy to balance out the family.
Not long after the girls were born, in 2001, a couple who
were missionaries to Ethiopia for 10 years then Kenya for 15, came and visited
our church on what just happened to be our Missions emphasis weekend. They shared slides and spoke of the years
they spent serving God in Africa. I
(Michelle) grabbed my first opportunity to speak to the wife of this couple and
told her of my long desire to go to Ethiopia as a missionary. She said to me, “They need missionaries in
Ethiopia!” and a large lump formed in my throat at the very thought of it
ACTUALLY becoming a reality and all I could say was “Well, you need to convince
my husband of that” to which she replied, “No, we need to let God convince your
husband of that.”
So there we started a conversation and a journey of
understanding what and how and when and if God was really calling us to
Ethiopia. After one more baby and ten
long years of growing and learning and discerning and waiting, we set sail for
a place called Debre Zeit. The both of
us had come on separate trips to Ethiopia.
Firstly myself, with a group called the Mocha Club accompanied by 12
others from the States and Canada. I
visited a ministry called Women at Risk in Nazaret who worked to rehabilitate
women who had been involved in commercial street work. Then we visited a church in Ambo who were
working to reach out to Street kids who numbered about 100. That trip changed my life forever. I wrote this poem as a result in my
frustration of what to do from there.
“New Flower”*
I was six years old when God gave me the dream
Through images of poverty like I’d never seen
Children crying – so hungry and poor
Death stealing the lives they knew once before
To go to Ethiopia a dream had come true
Though I feared the long flight over the ocean blue
To know a world that was close to my heart
To make a difference and give a fresh start
But nothing could ever prepare me to see
The raw streets and culture that was before me
The eucalyptus scaffolds, the pavements of mud
The beggars, the markets, the horses that trod
On the street with the people – so many there were
But where they were going, I could not answer
HIV/AIDS so many had carried
Fistula relief was why women tarried
So long and hard their journey began
With labors that left dead babies in hand
Nazaret prostitutes number five thousand
Living for money but lowering the standard
Women At Risk reaching them slowly
Offering hope and love to the lowly
Healing and forgiveness is what I had witnessed
Knowing God’s love now through Grace and Forgiveness
The Street boys in Ambo so dirty and torn
Not just their clothes but the families in which they were born
No dad or mum to kiss them goodnight
No house to call home, no hope in sight
So broken and hungry but kings of the street
Orphaned and lonely no shoes on their feet
But hope was given as we entered their vision
For education, restoration, love and provision
What a blessing it was to be Jesus to them
To serve and feed, to show love through men
But now I have seen my heart breaks much more
Each life I have touched I feel responsible for
To bring them more hope? To bring them home?
To bring out my heart, to touch yours alone
So what would you do if you saw their pain?
Would you come back empty? Would your trip be in vain?
Or would you want to change the world One Soul at a time
That was my Ethiopia trip 2009
In April of 2010, Asaua came for only 8 days and spent his
time in Addis Ababa visiting different ministries including similar ones to
which I had visited. He too came back
with the conclusion that we had to do more than just a short term trip but when
we would go and what we would do was still a mystery. After doing some searching on the internet,
we found an organization that seemed to fit our vision of working with orphans
and street kids as well as women. It was
able to accommodate our needs as a family and also our financial needs, so it
seemed. We contacted them but then left
the idea for a while until one morning Asaua woke me up at 5am on a Monday
morning. You can read about that here . He told me that we have
to go to Africa. So we made
arrangements, sold our house, our car, all our furniture and belongings that we
had held so ridiculously dear and we moved into Asaua’s parents house for a
month. During this time we worked as
much as we could to raise the extra money we needed but we still left New
Zealand short of the deposit we needed to pay the organization we were coming
with. And also fully short of the
monthly commitment we had made to pay.
So for two weeks we took our kids on a journey to see what
it looked like outside of New Zealand.
We visited family in Melbourne, hung out with my cousin and her daughter
in Kuala Lumpur and then spent two nights in a hotel in Dubai paid for by old
friends. During that two weeks, God
fully came through and provided for us to stay in Ethiopia. He has continued to do so in so many different
ways.
So for almost two years now, this has been home. We have met so many different people, run
into so many different embarrassing situations, fumbled in so many
conversations and been blessed in so many different ways. We went from the known to the unknown, the
comfortable to the uncomfortable, from familiar relationships to total
estrangement. But we knew without a
doubt that this was God’s calling for our life and our season to make a change
in other people’s lives outside of ourselves.
And it’s been a journey that sometimes feels like is still
in it’s infancy stage. We learn the
language like an infant, by totally immersing ourselves around people who speak
it. So we sound like babies with funny
accents. We have learnt the culture and
seen how similar it is to that of our Samoan culture where relationship is so
important, but we are still challenged by the different systems and processes
that exist. We have seen great need yet
we feel like we haven’t even scratched the surface on helping to make a
difference in that place of need. We
have met babies who were struggling and who are now toddlers walking around and
laughing with their friends.
And we have all had a different part to play in this
journey. I just wanted to introduce you
to our family, in case you don’t know them and how they have served in this
place. This is our mission team: The
Tiatia Crew.
Wesley is our youngest and came here when he was six and
just turned eight. As a cute six year
old, living in a culture where physical affection is part of the norm, he was
smothered by anyone and everyone who wanted a taste of his cuteness. Still now his character draws people to him
and he loves to just ignore them and just get in there and play. He has made some good friends here and loves
to join in where he can in being a part of what’s going on. His friends age from 7-12 as his maturity
level is higher than most.
Matthias is now 10 but came when he was 8. For the most part, when people see him
walking on the street, they will say “China!” which means they think he is
Chinese with his straight hair and round face.
But he has adjusted and doesn’t flinch at it. He also has made some great friends here at school and from our church service. Matthias loves the local food and says that
if we ever move back to New Zealand we have to take back as much as we
can. He loves to get involved in making
food when we have guests and even just cooking for our family which normally
takes a lot longer as most foods have to be cooked from scratch. He has also grown so much spiritually since
we’ve been here and prays and reads his bible from a place of passion.
Lydia is the second of our twins who graces the stage of our
English church service every Sunday with her beautiful singing. She is now 12 and a half and counts down each
day till her 13th birthday.
She has gained a love for horses through our South African friends who
have horses and a cow and chickens on their farm in Koka. She has also gained a love for photography
and has taken over my instagram account to display some of the beauty she has
captured. She is a girl who sees beauty
all around her and often points it out to our unseeing eyes. She has also been a big part of our ministry
and is always willing to help out
especially when it comes to working with children.
Kiara is the eldest of the twins and is at least five
centimetres taller than Lydia. I always
have to tell people that they are twins and always receive a shocked reaction
because they look so different. Kiara is
great with people and especially children.
Her heart exudes through her smile and her welcoming hugs. Out of all our children, she has probably
been the one who has most caught the vision here as her own. She has a dream to build a village to house
orphaned children and get them off the street.
She knows what it looks like, what she will call it and she plans to be
a part of looking after the children in it.
She is superbly artistic and is constantly putting out works of art that
blow me away. I have seen her take
control of a class full of children in a way that totally eluded me and she
totally excels in that area.
So they are the youngest four of our team here in Ethiopia. I will let you know about us older three in Part 2!
Last week I went with my Ethiopian sister to go and watch a
movie in Addis Ababa. I had to go into
town for a short visit to the dentist and so I thought I’d use it as an
opportunity to catch up with her.
Checking out the line up on the movie list, nothing really
appealed to me at that time in the English speaking movie section. However, since we had planned to see a movie, there was
an Amharic movie on at that time so we thought we’d go check it out. Not knowing what to expect- thinking there
wasn’t even going to be subtitles and nervous about being the only one in the
cinema not laughing at the funny parts, I was so happy to see the first English
subtitle pop up at the bottom of the big screen.
Triangle. The English
interpretation of the movie title- Soset Me'azen
It began with a group of Ethiopian asylum seekers walking
through the Egyptian desert, one wife talking about how her husband blamed
everything that went wrong in their life, with the country of Ethiopia
itself. She was part of the six main
actors who we followed through their journey in search of a better life in
America. To do this they risked life and limb to cross Egypt, travel by boat
across the rough Mediterranean sea to Italy, illegally boarded a plane to
Mexico then after a long drive up North, had a five day walk by foot and truck
to Los Angeles.
Along the journey they suffered many struggles; an attempted
rape, malnutrition, dehydration, bribery, a dust storm that killed one, the
death of one man’s wife (had to get the tissues out for that one), and a
hijacking of their plan at the end by the American’s who took them into the
country.
The thing that amazed me about this movie is that this
happens all the time. The movie is a
collaboration of many stories people have told about their exodus out of
Ethiopia. It is a mass exodus.
I remember telling my friend in New Zealand before we came here about my strong desire to go to Ethiopia. She was like "are you crazy? Everyone is trying to leave that country and you are trying to move in?!" I didn't know how right she was.
Desperation.
We’ve seen it so many times here. It leads people to go beyond their limitations to find something better,
reach for something more. It lines the
immigration steps every day, all day. 4000 women every day are there to apply for visas and passports so they can go to the Middle East to work as modern day slaves of many kinds. The thing that frightens me the most is that these women are living on a word of a man they do not know about a country they do not know where they speak a language they do not know.
My friend here volunteered some time at the Refugee and Returnee Services in Addis Ababa and she said that some women who returned from these countries took three to four months to regain consciousness after being drugged for such a long period of time. Used as sex slaves under the disguise of house slaves. And I say slaves because these women only earn around USD200 a month- maximum! For a job that requires 24/7 labour. That is worse case scenario, I know, but why risk your life, your dignity, your self worth? Desperation.
Recently the news here promoted the news story from the
Australian government who announced that any asylum seekers who try to enter
Australia by boat will now be deported immediately to Papua New Guinea. How ironic that this news comes out at the
same time as this movie. That it’s
broadcast here in Ethiopia to send a message to Ethiopians who might be getting
ideas about illegally trying to enter the land so wide that is called
Australia.
Why does this desperation exist? Why must it exist? There’s got to be some hope at the end of the
tunnel. And I would like to say that
hope is Jesus- because it is-but even within the church I hear stories of women
going to Arab countries to work as slaves, and men risking their life to
illegally travel out of the country in hope for something better.
It’s a breaking free from the bondage that is set here by
governmental policies, a need to be satisfied with the land flowing with milk
and honey that defeats the dry barrenness that can be perceived to exist
here.
I wish I could say I empathize; that I understand. I have had tastes of it here and there and I
know the frustration of living in a country that’s so far behind in so many
ways but I can not say that “I know how it feels.” I have a country I can escape to at any
time. Many countries I can go to without
having to go through a rigorous Visa process.
But I see Ethiopia as a land of opportunity and potential. It's economy is growing and it's landscape is beautiful. The people here have hospitality built into their DNA and have so much to offer the world. If only they would see. If only the world would see beyond the poverty. If only the government would see beyond their current policies.
I think some people are getting it. I have met some well off Ethiopians here lately. Some who have lived overseas and have returned because of the prospective business potential Ethiopia holds. The lifestyle here is more suitable for them. The return on investment is getting higher and higher. They have a vision for the country and for their lives that involve the country.
Over the last few months while Asaua was away, the option of moving back to New Zealand seemed like a logical move to make. But in my mind, I couldn't imagine living back there. I like it here. I really do. I think that if I had an option of where I would bring up my children, that right here is where it would be- even outside of the calling. Last night even as I was talking with my husband about our kids, he said, these four that remain here with us, they really like it here. Yes, they miss New Zealand and our family and friends but life here is adventurous, it's exciting (too say the least) and it's good for our family. We feel spoiled and blessed to be here. So let's stay.
Pray for this beautiful country. That within it, there would be a contentment and a realization of the potential it holds. And as Psalms 68:31 says...that
Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.
