On Day 5, we were finally reunited with the other half of the group for Bible study. That morning we moved to study the question, "Who Are We As Ministers of the Gospel?" We read 1 Timothy 1:12-17 and Romans 10:14-17. During the reading, God reminded me to think like Paul, that I am the foremost sinner. To bow to that humbled place removes the need to judge others and simply emphasizes my need for a Savior.
At our study time, Dagne shared with us that there are churches closeby that were being burned to the ground over and over again by Muslims. He then encouraged us with this truth, "When churches are burned by Muslims, we are burning them back. But this is not with physical flames. We have a more powerful fire of the Holy Spirit that is within us." I got chills thinking of how little I rely on the Holy Spirit to ignite His power in and through me. A powerful moment of reflection and prayer took place that morning.
From there, my group went to a sister church in Adoma to baptize over 30 new believers.
Christian and Brandon taught on Jesus's baptism in their fancy baptism robes. Additionally, in preparation for the baptism, there was a ceremony to cast out demons and prayer for manifestations of the Holy Spirit within people.
It was at this exact moment that I realized how much I put the power of God in a box. I tend to think way too small of the powerful God that we serve. I do that because seeing His power in front of me is honestly frightening. The baptism preparation service experience will remind me not to be afraid, because God is on my side.
I got the honor of loving on the kiddos while their parents were getting baptized and learning some of their stories while they waited.
We then watched each and every single person get baptized. In case you are wondering, the joy that is on the face of someone being baptized translates across all nations.
After each person had been baptized, we went back to the church and took communion together.
In case you wondered, the "blood" was watered down kool-aid. :) It was such a special thing to watch their excitement for their first communion after being baptized.
From there, we went to visit a Fellowship Church plant in Adoma.
I cannot hype this up enough. It was a crazy moment to see our Fellowship cross on a sign in AFRICA. Once we got there, the members that had been baptized began to share their testimonies. They were unbelievable.
One lady spoke about how her cows were all getting sick and dying. However, once she decided to give her life to Christ, her cow came back to life and was healed. Our minds were blown. The people in the room almost acted like it was no big deal. In that moment, I realized that Americans don't see these miracles. Not because they don't happen, but because they are often explained away.
Another man talked about how he was an alcoholic and tried to commit suicide. His attempt failed, and he knew from that moment on that the Holy Spirit had stopped him so that he could give His life to Christ.
We also heard a man share about his wife's severe mental health issues. When he went to church, he felt compelled to pray over her in their home. She was healed instantly. Finally, a man's daughter was sick and dying. He took her to a witch doctor who was unable to do anything for her. He almost gave up, but he remembered a pastor had come to his door a month or so ago and invited him to church. After coming to church, she started to be healed. She is alive and well today because of his faith. These stories were moving and inspirational. I could have sat and listened to their testimonies all day.
However, after enjoying time fellowshipping with our church plant, we headed back to the cafe for lunch and some afternoon coffee.
From there, all the women went to visit the women's ministry in Addis. On the drive, we saw a few exciting things.
The women of the church sew pillows and sell them during wedding season. The money then goes to women in need (typically single mothers) to start a business. The ministry helps women until they can become self-sufficient. If the woman is unskilled, they will also help her craft a skill for her business. It is a wonderful ministry. The ladies showed us how to sew the pillows, but it became clear rather quickly that we were not up to their standards of excellence.
On the way back to the guesthouse, we were stopped, removed from the van, and patted down by the Ethiopian police. It made for an interesting experience. As we were all piling back into the van, Lori said, "They didn't actually pat me down, but I figured it was best that I not say anything."
We spent the drive back talking with our bus driver/missionary Benji. In a bus full of all women, he was trying to explain to us that movies are ruining women's expectations for engagements. Maz, one of the lead missionaries is single, and she asked for us to "import" her a husband. :) It was a fun ride with lots of laughs.
At the house, the boys from the local boys' home came over for a night of fun. It started with the game Pictionary on a mermaid style pillow. (This one pillow provided at least an hour of entertainment for us all).
Then we played the Books of the Bible game. The boys wanted there to be a punishment you had to do if you lost. The punishments ranged from silly dancing to animal noises, to singing. We laughed and laughed.
Finally, we took them outside for smores and charades. One of the boys asked me how all of America isn't fat from eating smores. I told him that we are:) We have a lot more than smores that are bad for us there. P.S. the fire safety was sketchy at best. I may or may not have been a little worried :)
I sat down that night to do my quiet time, and a teaching came out seamlessly. I thought this teaching would be used on the trip, but God had another plan for me. As I started to write in my journal, I had tears flowing down my cheeks.
My journal entry for the night: "Today I feel great. Today was a day of rest. I spent the day sitting back and simply watching God move through other people. God taught me that sometimes we will be the pioneers of the Gospel movement and other times, we will be supporting the pioneers. Both are equally important for ministry."
Don't forget to read about the rest of our experience by clicking the links below!
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