Our team of 35 spent five weeks in Ethiopia. The Lord did so many things as we shared the Gospel and encouraged believers in many settings in Addis Ababa and nearby.
A look at Addis- tall glass and marble buildings mixed with shacks walled with mud and cow dung. Rusty corrugated roofs attempt to keep out ferocious daily rains. There are no malls or fast food places in all of Addis. There are very few older people around, since the average lifespan is 42 years. We have never seen so many beggars anywhere. The numbers of handicapped and blind people are overwhelming. Some have leprosy or elephantiasis, a parasitic disease that causes massive swelling. The very thin ones either have AIDS or are just starving- the average annual wage in Ethiopia is $100. Herds of cows and goats take up space on the streets, and donkey caravans are common. Shops are full of fruit and large bundles on the popular narcotic, khat. People stared at the strange sight of many young Americans.
A busy day would put our team before 1000+ people in 2-3 places. The team presented the Gospel in music, drama and testimonies, followed by much effective personal ministry, with people weeping and prayer for healing. Many children prayed to meet the Lord, but as in all children's ministry, it's hard to tell who already knows Jesus and who are responding for the first time that they have genuine understanding of salvation.
Locations included:
Each day of the summer Bible class at another church brought many teenagers, with over 100 on the last day and a great response. The final teaching was about Biblical standards for sex- a very important subject in a nation full of AIDS. We found out that government surveys show the average boy here becomes sexually active at 12.
At the end of the day, we returned to the base for dinner, worship and Bible study. The staff cooked good meals, usually stews or pasta based dishes cooked over charcoal on a small hibachi grill. We ate Ethiopian injera and toppings about three times a week- most kids did well with it, but some headed for the peanut butter and jelly. The team came home exhausted but inspired and glad to be part of advancing God's Kingdom.
March and April 2005 will be packed with new experiences as hundreds of youth, their leaders and families meet in Juarez, Mexico to share Jesus' love with children, work on construction projects for ministries and reach out to the poor.
In a 2 ½ week adventure, 25 children, youth and staff embarked on a journey with the mission of reaching the Hopi Indian tribe for Jesus. The Hopi Indians, based in Arizona, are the oldest Native American tribe in the United States. All of the other tribes respect and look up to them because they have been able to best preserve their culture, traditions and way of life.
We started out with an Extreme Encounter, where the team heads out into the wilderness for 3 days and bond together through experiences such as lugging 40 pound backpacks while hiking, digging latrines, and having food rations. Broken into mini teams, each group would also have to face challenge games where they would need to cooperate, plan, and build trust with each other. This greatly prepared us for the ministry that would follow.
Next we had a few days of “Bootcamp” where we trained the youth in the areas of performing arts, as well as having powerful teachings about what it means to be a man or woman of God.
Once at the Hopi Indian reservation, we were able to minister in many ways. Unlike most outreaches, reaching out to the Hopis is similar to reaching out to Muslims. Hopi Christians are persecuted and their lives are even threatened, as becoming a Christian is seen as betraying their people and their culture. They can also be ostracized from their community and family.
Because of the unique challenges in this place, we focused on children's' ministry. We had “world adventures” which weaved the Gospel through learning activities and games in the morning. In the afternoon we had recreation time with the kids, (relays, outdoor sports, tag) to build friendships with them. Although we had been told not to expect more than 10 children that week and no teenagers, we had about 50 showing up the last couple of days, including several teens. Also a few of us were able to go to the Hopi jail and minister to the men and women there, talking and praying for their needs.
Our final night we had a wonderful time of ministering to the community. We hosted a carnival and a big hot dog cookout, with an evangelistic program where people could receive prayer and ministry. On this outreach we were able to see how constant and consistent prayer (long before outreach started) was crucial. We thank God for the opportunity to share Jesus with these people who are precious to Him.
A week after returning from the Hopi Indian Reservation Outreach with Summer of Service, KKEP staff member Karen Rissling ventured to Haiti to partner with a local Haitian church. This progressive church has a youth ministry with over sixty young people who are being discipled, and they use performing arts as a tool to reach out to many different cities and villages in their country. This is the second summer Karen has gone to teach dramas and choreographies to the youth and it was a very intense but great week. Eight hours a day, the Haitian teens learned dances with soundtracks that would be sung in Creole, their native language. They also learned the drama “Champion” by Carman. The last day all of us headed off to do an evangelistic outreach to Marmalade, a mountain village two hours away. God was faithful and the people there were very responsive to us and to the Word. Although Haiti is known for being a place of darkness because of widely practiced voodoo, Karen reported that God is moving greatly in the churches there and Haiti is moving from being a place of darkness to becoming a place of light. Thanks to all of those who knew to pray!
This year about 65 children ages 9-12 and teenagers ages 13-18 will participate in the year around Junior and Senior Teams. We'll have numerous outreaches in El Paso and Juarez, ministering to the homeless, youth groups, poor neighborhoods on both sides of the border and in other settings as the Lord opens the doors.
About 30 teenagers ages 15 and up will learn God's Word through the intensive 12 week Dunamis Discipleship Courses. Each of the three courses will challenge them and expand their vision for reaching out to others.
This year a new emphasis on ministering to the family will add to our existing programs, and a special group for 12-14 year olds will help the younger teenagers discover God's plans for their lives and their identity in Him. It's going to be a busy year!