The next morning we split into two groups. My group enjoyed some morning coffee before Baru charged us with going to the streets of Addis Ababa to evangelize without a translator. Yes, you heard that right. NO TRANSLATOR. It's cool. At this point, very little was actually phasing me. Still, to say I was nervous was an understatement. I was paired up with Kevin. We gave our best prayer and set off with no plan, limited instructions, and a whole lotta trust in Jesus.
SineHinew, the first woman we stopped, happened to speak English. We talked with her for a few minutes and got to explain why we were there. We asked if she wanted to make Jesus her Lord and Savior. She said "yes" and was saved right there.
We were feeling good and went to talk to a small group of men selling goats. We quickly learned that the marketplace with goats was not a good choice for evangelism. We were quickly surrounded by 16-20 Muslim and Orthodox men and their animals. We quickly excused ourselves and kept walking.
Later, we met and prayed over a Christian couple who were building a shop for their business, three Christian women shopping, and a Christian woman named Hannah. Hannah was a pleasure to pray with and was overjoyed that we were there.
At this point, the tone of the day changed. The enemy got word that salvations were happening, and he wasn't happy about it. We learned that David's iPhone X had been stolen by a couple of kids right out of his back pocket.
We headed back to our meeting place and ran into a man named Solomon. He knew his name was in the Bible, but only knew the history of Christianity and not the theology. He wanted to talk more, but had to get back to work. I gave him my email and expected him to forget about it. Much to my surprise, he and I have exchanged a few emails back and forth together. It is hard to understand if he has captured the message of the Gospel, but I am sending scripture to him in Amharic and praying for the best.
There was also a devout Orthodox who was trying desperately to convert us. I respected his effort, but his method was different. He swore up and down that I was Saint Mary. He opened his Bible and there was a white woman who was named Saint Mary. I was the first white woman he had ever seen and just knew that I was her. We went back and forth in a respectful debate. He gave us permission to pray over him. I decided to boldly pray that his saints would fail him and only the prayers to the true Jesus would be answered with a multitude of blessings.
At this time, we learned that Christian was very sick. The whole trip he had complained that his stomach was upset, but nothing too serious (he ate food from a hut and was never the same after that). However, he had taken a turn for the worse that morning, and the team decided to take him to an internal medicine clinic where he was transported to the hospital (praise God there was medical care available). It turns out he had a parasite. We lovingly refer to him as "Christian Jr." He was seriously struggling the rest of the day but was able to semi-rally by the next day to fly home with us.
Once we knew he was going to be okay, we left to give him space to rest. We ate lunch at a Pizza Hut in Addis and each shared our best stories of the trip. Later that evening we left to paint a church in Debrezit. I think I still have dust in my lungs from the sanding and painting that took place that day, but we have since been sent pictures of missionaries coming for training in that room we prepared and prayed over.
That evening I wrote: "Today I feel encouraged that even though Satan has attacked this group, the trip has still been full of good fruit. God showed me that even without a translator, I can share the Gospel and change lives through the extraordinary and inexplainable power of God. On this trip, I have seen the power of prayer time and time again. We prayed in the church that we painted today, and I was overcome with the Holy Spirit. We are "done" with the trip for the most part. The ache to see my baby and my husband is strong, and I cannot wait to hug their necks. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything, but I am officially ready to be home."
The next morning almost everyone was feeling sick. Those of us that were still somewhat holding on went to visit the ministry's office. There, we got to see a unique view of the city, a map of everywhere the ministry has sent missionaries, and a Bible that was made to look like the Qur'an.
Eventually, the rest of the group joined us for souvenir shopping at the market. I picked up some unique finds!
Finally, it came time to say our goodbyes. We exchanged gifts, participated in a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, and tearfully gave our last hugs.
The flights back home were ridiculously long. I've never wanted to be home more. We no longer had our own rows, so it was really hard to get any sleep. I got bad sick on the last flight but took the hardcore medication and was feeling better by the time I got home.
Less than two weeks later, a flight from Ethiopia to America crashed and all 157 people on board were killed. We flew the same path. We visited the town of the crash site. It was devastating. I quickly thanked God that the worst I experienced was an upset stomach. When we were at the Germany airport, I had a special moment with God when I looked at my backpack.
During our layover in Germany, I also had a chance to taste my first ever German beer. I'm not a beer gal, but I give it two thumbs up!
Then, there was the long car ride home from Houston to Round Rock. We were all a little tired and OVER IT!
Though I was ready to be home, the trip changed my life.
I told God I wasn't called to missions. He said, "yes you are." So I went. I've never been more happy to be wrong. When you're scared, go. When God calls you to move, you better run. The consequences of the "no" will always be worse than facing the fear of the "yes." Go. Move. Obey. People's eternity depend on it.
Don't forget to read about the rest of our experience by clicking the links below!
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