We were woken up bright and early the next morning by some loud bird chicken things.
I prayed that morning that God would continue to use me and that I would feel needed and wanted. Immediately, I heard the selfishness of my prayer and changed my heart to say, "God, my prayer is that your name would be lifted high above all other names. I desire to be a part of glorifying your holy name. Lord, fill my soul with more of you. Let my lips be filled with your praise. Remove my desire to be liked, appreciated and affirmed. Fill it with a desire to praise your name. Amen."
We spent the morning devotional in the hotel lobby discussing James 1:19-27 and 2 Timothy 4:1-8. We discussed that fulfilling our ministry requires that we lay down our gifts for the Gospel. It also means that sometimes we will be covered in mosquito bites for the Gospel.
Our breakfast spot was stunningly beautiful. Plus, we got to see some pretty cool monkeys.
We then drove to another location where they were hosting a training for the missionaries who are working in the underground ministry. This means that they are living, functioning, and even attending Islamic worship services while remaining undercover Christian missionaries. We would come to learn that this was an incredibly dangerous and brave role. Despite the tremendous danger, God had blessed the ministry immensely. They had started by sending one person, and there were well over 60 converts in less than a few months.
***Note I am not able to share many photos to protect the identities of those undercover.
Before meeting the missionaries, the leaders of the training gave us some tips.
They told us that all you need to share with someone who doesn't know Christ is:
1. God created us and loves us
2. We are all sinners that have set an impossible gap between us and God. We cannot save our own souls.
3. God sent His son to us to die on the cross for our sins. He rose again to conquer death once and for all so we could spend eternity in Heaven with Him.
4. All we have to do in response to the Gospel is believe and receive Christ in our hearts. It is our only responsibility (this is big in an area that follows Islamic traditions that require a great deal of responsibility only to be left with an unknown destination).
The Gospel message is so simple yet also so difficult.
We were then lead into a room of about 20 undercover missionaries. There were men, women, and even a young teenager there to receive training for their ministry. I so wish I could share this special place with you all, but we were given strict instructions not to take any photos for their safety.
I walked into this room and immediately saw a sign in plain English that said, "break my heart for what breaks yours." This is one of my favorite lines of worship. It is my driving plea for working in care ministry. I pray often that my heart would be broken for the hurting and hopeless. As soon as I saw the sign, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit come over me. I knew this place would be special.
They opened up the room for those undercover to share their testimony and explain the reality of the immense burden they carry daily.
One man shared that when he converted to Christianity, his son tried to stab and kill him. Another man that attended the conference had just had his leg broken and was left for dead on the streets after Muslim leaders learned of his conversion. Another man told us that three underground churches had been burned to the ground by the Muslim leaders. He remained in good spirits. He said, "every time they burn down the church, God has rebuilt it even larger in numbers."
Another man shared that he was a teacher of the Qur'an. One day he was studying the Bible as they were encouraged to do in order to better evangelize to the Christians. As he was reading the Bible, God captured his heart. He began to ask why he didn't just believe this book instead. He was drawn to the God of peace, mercy, grace, certainty, and unfailing love. To this day, he has kept his job as a teacher of the Qur'an. One day, he was brought in front of some of the highest-ranking Muslim leaders, because he had been seen talking with a suspected Christian. When they questioned them, he used the Qur'an to remind them that they must talk to Christian believers to convert them. They couldn't argue with him and gave permission for him to continue.
After hearing his powerful story, Dagne reminded us to evangelize with intentionality. Know what the person you are sharing the Gospel with believes so you can fill in the gaps of their faith with what only Jesus can provide. The missionaries were begging for us to pray on their behalf. We asked what we could pray for, and this moment has forever changed my life.
They did not ask that God would protect them or their families. They did not ask that their ministry would get easier. Instead, their biggest ask was that the hearts of Americans and Ethiopians would be awoken and stirred to seek out the lost.
At that moment, I was taken back to the sign "break my heart for what breaks yours." More than anything in the world, God's heart is broken for the lost. He desires that we would feel the same. I couldn't hold it back any longer and tears began to roll down my red cheeks. Apparently, tears translate in every language because a young man walked over with a box of tissues for me. It was such a tender moment.
As we were about to leave, a man stood up and told us that just our being there was a miracle for them. Through us, they felt fellowship and hope (something that is oftentimes greatly lacking in underground ministry). They felt more encouraged by our desire to spend an afternoon with them than anything else. I was instantly taken back to my prayer that God would reveal how He was using me. All God needed from me that day was my presence, my heart, and my listening ears. I was waiting for some big sign, but that was the answer to my prayer.
We went outside and each prayed over a group of 5-6 missionaries. They had no idea what we were saying, but God did. That is all that mattered.
We got back in the van and had incredible, deep conversations. Eventually, I (truthfully jokingly) asked Benji when we would see a Lion or Giraffe. He said, "no giraffes, no lions, how about a Hippo?" I thought he was joking, and we went on our way.
We stopped at this beautiful resort for dinner. It was nothing I ever expected to see in Ethiopia.
We relaxed and enjoyed a wonderful meal. I had the fajitas (though questionable description, delicious entree). We had a deep conversation about the difference between spiritual gifts and gifts of the Spirit. It was enlightening and probably a blog topic for another day. As we were wrapping up, Benji said, "time to see Hippos." As it turns out, he wasn't joking.
We walked through the resort and made our way down to a pier where what looked like a random guy off the street handed us lifejackets (I'm sure they were up to safety standards...😫). We nervously got on the tiny little boat and set out to see the Hippos in the river. As we made our way out towards the hippos, we started to film goodbye videos just in case things went awry.
It didn't take long for us to see a group of hippos. The moment was so surreal. We were only a few feet away from HIPPOS in the WILD!!
We took an excessive number of photos and videos before we took off to see another group sleeping in the water. After some time, I remembered that my back was to the other group. If you aren't aware, hippos are one of the most deadly animals on the planet. I was SO scared that one would jump out from behind me and eat me. Alas, nothing terrifying happened. They barely even moved, but it was incredible to see.
We stopped at a few different cafes and resorts on our way back and enjoyed the beauty that is Ethiopia.
All in one day, Christian and David fed monkeys right out of their hands, a bird pooped in Kevin's drink, the Holy Spirit moved in big ways, and we saw hippos in the wild. It was a great way to rest and enjoy God's creation after the heaviness of the trip.
Don't forget to read about the rest of our experience by clicking the links below!
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