Hello Hope Church! As I sit to write this, we have been in Ethiopia for almost a full day. We arrived last night at about 10 PM local time, almost 24 hours after leaving our home the day before. My body refused to believe that it was nighttime, so it was a long night! The flight was smooth, all of our baggage arrived with us, and we breezed through customs. Praise God! It’s now 6:30 PM on Thursday and I just wanted to get some thoughts jotted down before I collapse for the night!
I wasn’t sure what to expect on this trip. I am used to Missions trips where there is a clear plan and purpose such as building something, teaching/preaching opportunities, or leading VBS-type kid’s programs. This one is different. This is more of an opportunity to become familiar with ministries that Hope Church has worked closely with for decades now. It involves meeting a lot of people whose names I have heard often over the last two years, and seeing firsthand the significant impact that the people of Hope have had in Addis Ababa over the years. It is also my first opportunity to travel with Erin on a Missions trip other than Haiti, it is wonderful to have her here with me and not just have to describe things to her when I get home.
Here are some of my first impressions upon arrival:
• The center of the city is beautiful and almost all brand new. It is clean and decorated beautifully. It has the feel of a very modern city and there is new construction everywhere!
• I had forgotten what it was like to drive in a third world country and I will never complain about the Merritt Pkwy again! At one point, we reached a busy intersection with no traffic lights. If my count was correct, there were 14 directions that cars were coming from and all converged in the center while trying to make their turns. It was absolutely insane!
• The people here are wonderful. Everywhere we have been so far, we were greeted warmly and with huge smiles. The children are beautiful and I am already begging Erin to let me adopt!
We left the hotel this morning and it was difficult to reconcile the sleek modern hotel with the abject poverty that was just a few blocks away. It all seemed so familiar with many of the sights, sounds, and smells reminding me of my times in Haiti. We had the privilege of going out to HOH (Holistic Opportunity for Humanity, formerly Hannah’s Orphan Home.) Hope has worked with this ministry for many years. I finally got to meet Hannah, one of the most incredible women I have ever met. You can read a bit about what they do here, https://hohethiopia.org/index.html, and here, https://hannascommunity.org.uk/history/. What began as a home for orphans, has pivoted to a community project where families in the community are raising these children who have no hope otherwise. Once a month, the mothers gather and receive a stipend (a portion of which they have to show is being saved for the child’s future). Today was that day and we had the privilege of meeting the moms and passing out a very practical Christmas gift of cooking oil to each one. (their Christmas is next Tuesday) The gifts were made possible by the generous donations of our Hope Church members. Thank you!! HOH works closely with another Hope Church missionary, our very own Tom Mustico and HOE ministries. https://hoeministries.org. Tom’s name came up often in conversation. We got a tour of the facility and were given an overview of the many other ministries that go on there. This place is truly having an impact and is able to put at least a dent in the hopelessness that many in that area feel by showing the love of Jesus to all.
After lunch, Frew Tamrat (pronounced Fray you) took us over to the Evangelical Theological College, where he is the president. You can read more about the school here, https://etcollege.org. Frew has been a Hope Church Missionary for years. He shared the story of the Divinity School from its inception with 17 students to what it has become today. It is now one of the premiere Theological Training programs in all of Africa with about 750 students attending. They are busting at the seams and have begun construction on another building in a prime location in the city. It is 13 stories high! Hundreds of churches have been planted by the leaders who have been trained here. Thousands of people have made the decision to follow Jesus as a result of the ministries that have been launched! God is using ETC to change the world! Frew also shared that it was a former Hope Church member, Steven Strauss, who affirmed his ministry gifting and mentored him. He said that he would not be where he was without him. It was obviously a story that he had told often to those who know him and it was fun to see the recognition in everyone’s eyes when we were introduced as being a part of Hope Church in CT. I had not realized how deep the roots went here!
There is still much to see and many more people to meet. For me, this has been so important. Until today, the ministries that we support in Ethiopia have simply been a line item in the Hope Church budget. Now, they are faces, stories, life change, and hope. My mind is already churning with ideas for what more we can do! That’s it for today, it’s bedtime! We love you all and will see you in a couple of weeks!
Dan
