God changes hearts - Tuesday Ethiopia update

Today was such a great and encouraging day! We climbed up a mountainside to a village. We were invited into the home of an Ethiopian Orthodox family and shared the gospel with them. The mother and daughter of the family asked for us to continue to pray that they may have faith to accept Jesus as their savior. There is an incredible cost of following Christ in Ethiopian culture.  Many people lose their homes or small farms if they follow Christ & they are kicked out of the community.  It was so encouraging seeing our Ethiopian disciple makers follow up with the family members. Shortly after, we went to a home of a woman whose husband recently died. The woman said that someone shared the gospel with her in the past and she wanted to believe but her husband would not allow her or her children to accept Christ as their savior. This is common in Ethiopia as it is a male dominated culture.  We shared the gospel with her and she and several of her children accepted Jesus as their savior and broke off the orthodox necklaces that symbolized their past religion. It was amazing to see the Lord working in this family and how God is moving in these remote villages. It is incredible the time we have already had with our Ethiopian brothers and sisters!  Story by Ross 

 

Walking through the village with Tarikwa (translator), the village pastor and a disciple maker. We went to a Muslim home and were welcomed by a daughter in the home. When we were presenting the gospel the mom came into the house and as soon as she heard the name of Jesus she turned and left rejecting the gospel, but the daughter remained. She listened to the gospel and said that she believed and accepted Christ. The local missionary asked us to pray for her in English, praying for the entire family to come to know Christ and that she would continue to be faithful in following the Lord. After we prayed we continued to walk and came across her sister, Miram a young girl who was chopping wood. Other members from our team had shared the gospel with the group of women and when they heard the name of Jesus they walked away. Tarikwa began to talk with her and tell her about how her sister had accepted Christ then finished sharing the gospel. Miram accepted Christ and told us that even if her family disagreed with them that she and her sister would pray together. Many times we do not get to see the fruit of planted seeds, but today we got to see God work in an incredible way. The Lord has gone before us into every home making it possible for us to have conversations where before doors were closed. We are so thankful for what the Lord is doing in Ethiopia!- Story by Autumn 

 

Many people may ask why we are trying to “convert” people to another religion.  I would say that we are not trying to convert anyone.  We are simply sharing how Jesus Christ has changed our lives & giving them the opportunity to experience the same joy.  Ethiopian Orthodox is a works based belief where you have to “do” good things in order to merit God’s favor which is opposite of scripture that shares that we must accept in faith Christ’s redemption & only believe it in our hearts.  The team is healthy & feeling great.  We had some rain on the mountainside today & it was awesome being chilly enough where you had to wear a fleece & rain gear to stay warm. I’m sure those in Dallas had to wear a fleece today also right?  

 

Please continue to pray for:

·       Open hearts for the good news of Jesus 

·       Continued good health for North Americans 

·      That we would finally receive tomorrow (Weds) the luggage for 7 people 

·      Unity with our Ethiopian partners 

·      The new believers faith would be strengthened in the face of persecution