God's Grace in Ethiopia

What an incredible trip! I struggle with words or even what to say in this first post since Ethiopia. I knew it would be an amazing experience but even that does not describe it fully. The joy and happiness that I experienced in just sharing the Gospel with people that had no hope was truly life-changing. I never knew how much fun it would be to see lives changed for eternity and for God to allow me to be part of that.

While I could not possibly share every story from this trip (as I think it would take a book), I hope to give you an idea of what I experienced. I've been asked many times during and after the trip to give my favorite moment. I'm not sure "favorite" is the proper term but I can certainly share one of my most memorable. God allowed several of us to pray for a young girl who was very sick. It was a very emotional day for me and I was just grieved to see this beautiful girl in her early 20's dying. By the end of the day God allowed me to get a glimpse into His sovereignty. For in this situation, the girl's mother accepted Christ as her Savior. I wrote about this story on our trip blog while we were there so if you have not already read it, please check it out...http://watermarkinafrica.blogspot.com/2010/07/gods-mercy-at-work-in-assela.html.

Each day as we journeyed out into the various villages, we usually started out by playing games with the children...volleyball, soccer, and "American" football. It was never long before adults began to join us. It was truly amazing to see how God orchestrated each and every meeting and conversation that we had with the Ethiopian people (children and adults alike). We saw many, many people brought to a relationship with Jesus Christ during this week. I couldn't tell you how many times I fumbled when sharing the Gospel but God still managed to use it. It was strange...but I shouldn't be surprised. After all, it's in our weakness that God's power can really be demonstrated (see 1 Corinthians 2:1-5). On the last evening that we were in Asela before returning to Addis, we were told that more than 1,200 people had heard the Gospel and 200 accepted Christ. INCREDIBLE! Praise God!

On Saturday morning in Addis, just prior to when we would begin our long journey back home, we visited a couple of orphanages. This was a time for us to just love these children. So we played games, gave piggy back rides, played "duck, duck, goose", sang songs and told them how much God loved them. Yes, it was somewhat heart-wrenching and we all wanted to bring them home. But what an incredible opportunity to display God's love to them.

It was really the second orphanage, an all-girls orphanage where most were 8 years and older, where I found myself just heart-broken. A young girl, age 10, was standing to the side by herself. She was wearing a jacket with the hood pulled up over her head. But as I looked into her eyes, I saw pain. One of the translators came over and helped me talk with her. Her name was Anna. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she shared that she had only been there a week and missed her parents terribly. You see, not all children there were without parents. Oftentimes, they are sent there because their parents cannot take care of them. She had not really made any friends and so she felt very alone. As a child, my family moved around a lot. I think by the time i had graduated high school, I had moved 14 times. I remember very well the loneliness I felt each and every time we moved...and how hard it was to make friends. So I understand THAT pain but I can't imagine the pain of being separated from your parents too. Not being able to speak the language was frustrating because I couldn't really love her with words but I tried my best to love her through hugs and by holding her hands. Her demeanor stayed the same the entire time so I wasn't sure if I was really getting through to her. But as I was sitting in the van getting ready to leave, I saw her waving to me with a big smile (for the first time) on her face. I blew her a kiss and she blew one back. I pray that God would continue to comfort her and the other children there.

So, this trip in summary...GRACE...God's grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - this is not from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." I would not have been in Ethiopia had it not been for God's grace in my own life. I don't deserve it; I can't earn it; I just accept it. And because of that, I was able to see God's grace displayed in so many more lives in Ethiopia.