Breathing in the shallow air of an elevated capital city and feeling the searing rays of the sun, Addis Ababa welcomed us. We arrived in Ethiopia at 7 am. The team fought through jetlag as our incredible LAC-supported missionaries, the Veltmans, hosted us for dinner. It felt proper to start at Unity park and see lions, hyenas and giraffes. But friends, there is so much beyond the exotic wildlife of Africa.
In our cultural and religious learning experiences we saw a vibrant city, economically stratified, with an emphasis on business intensity and solving the problems of a growing population. We attended both Orthodox and Pentecostal Protestant congregations. Tears were brought to our eyes as the worship touched our spirits. It was fascinating to encounter the devoutness of a country that is 90% religious (including Islam).
We transferred to a nearby town, Bishoftu, to join 950 passionate University student leaders and EvaSue staff at a Seminary campus. EvaSue’s annual National Leadership Summit was a total success in equipping as they studied the Bible and attentively attended workshops on biblical servanthood, reaching Muslims, and evangelism. They also worshiped and played together. It was our privilege to give back in a very small way by offering a women’s devotional time, a discussion workshop on staff care, and a media consultation with a fantastic tech team.
We were rocked by the testimonies of costly sacrifice to follow Jesus, the fervor and focus of witness, the inclusion of a day of fasting, the unashamed worship calling for God’s glory to be manifested in their generation, and the joy of Jesus on the faces of our sisters and brothers in Christ. With full hearts, our new friends were released to go and lead the 60,000-person student movement across the country this next year!
Our hearts were endeared to what the Holy Spirit was doing in this Ethiopian young adult generation, our comfortabilities were challenged, and our faith was renewed. Join us in praising God and praying for the seeds that were planted in their hearts and ours. Thank you for your financial and prayer support—it meant the world to us.