Greetings dear friends!
I hope you’re all doing well in Gods grace! The past two months in Ethiopia have been both fruitful and emotional. As I have shared with many of you over the past year, I have been sensing that this might be my last time living in Ethiopia. After extensive prayer and counsel I now realize that my time living here has come to an end. I am now in flight to Cape Town where I will be for 10 days and then will be returning to Addis for about 10 days and then am planning on returning to NC.
I am thankful beyond words for all of your friendships, partnerships, prayers and financial support over the years. The work here would not have been possible without you. We can rejoice together that a school that has impacted children, their families and it’s community has been established, churches have been planted, many have come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, many have reached their educational goals through scholarship assistance, many young leaders have been equipped and empowered through our leadership development initiatives, missions conferences have been hosted, missionaries have been sent out, teams have come and served in Ethiopia, young entrepreneurs have been equipped and empowered, countless emergency relief assistance has been provided, and many lives have been touched in miscellaneous ways.
I am still praying about my next steps so please pray for me as I continue to seek Gods will for this next season of my life. I would also ask if you would consider continuing to partner with me financially for the next few months as I finish my time here and continue praying about what God has for me in the coming season of my life. I will keep you posted as to my upcoming plans as they unfold. If anyone has any questions please feel to reach out to me.
Some highlights of the past two months in Ethiopia include:
-It has been encouraging and a joy to see our church moving forward in this season. Pastor Fejiro and the leadership team are doing a great job and the church is growing in number, in spiritual life and in its impact. We ordained Pastor Fejiro last week and it was a wonderful, touching and memorable time. Please keep the church in your prayers as we have a couple of upcoming medical outreaches and for the church in general as it continues to step into this new season.
-Our partner school in Wonji is doing well also. We are excited and thankful to report that we recently had one of the highest National Exam pass rates in the country! Praise God 🙌🙌 and congratulations to all of our staff and students! It’s a blessing to see students that began with us in KG now doing well at the university level.
-On a sad note, Tinsae, the young girl who we raised money for to have a bone marrow transplant recently passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. The transplant went well and she was back home recovering well and all was looking good…then on a Friday evening she developed an infection in her throat and passed away early Saturday morning. It was shocking and devastating for her family and for all that knew her. We all took comfort in knowing that her suffering was over and that she is now rejoicing fully with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The family also took comfort in seeing how much love and support was demonstrated to them throughout their journey and in knowing that they had been empowered to do all that they could do in terms of medical treatment. They/we send our heartfelt appreciation to all of you who prayed for and supported them financially throughout their medical journey.
-This past Sunday one of our partner churches hosted a celebration of my years of service in Ethiopia. It was a special time of sharing memories, thanking God for what He has done and wonderful fellowship. It was an honor, a blessing and an encouragement to me.
-Got to attend and celebrate the graduation of Ephrem, one of our church members from medical school. Ephrem was Vice President of his class, had the highest academic scores in his class, and began a thriving community development initiative as an outreach of his school. We are thankful for the financial support that was provided to help make Ephrem’s education possible!
-Have enjoyed spending relational time with friends that I have lived life with and served with over the past 18+ years…it’s been special.
-Have been enjoying eating as much delicious Ethiopian food as possible!😋😊
I am looking forward to my time in Cape Town and with a partner church there. Please keep this trip in your prayers as well.
Love and appreciate you all! Blessings!
Eddie
