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When
I first became a Christian if you had told me that I
was going to be a missionary in Africa, I would have
never believed you. Yet, little did I know what God
had planned for me. I never pictured myself as a missionary
traveling overseas. In-fact, my perception of a missionary,
was someone filled with charisma, and I am not the most
charismatic person one could know.
Last
year God presented me with an opportunity to go to Ethiopia.
A small group of people from my church were planning
to travel to Addis Abba and Gambella. They were going
to work in a feeding center and to teach a vacation
bible school for young children. After hearing this
information I remembered a rather specific time when
I was a kid. I was sitting in front of the TV at my
babysitter's house. We were watching a special on how
a famine had affected the people of Ethiopia. I was
impacted by the amount of starving children, so many
young and old were dying.
My
first step was to attend a meeting and find out more
about the trip to Ethiopia. Then I prayed that God point
me in the direction of his will. He reminded me that
I had always enjoyed working with kids. As well God
pulled on my heartstrings with the memories of that
particular TV special. It soon became very clear to
me that God was calling me to join the team headed to
Ethiopia. He gave me complete peace of mind about it
and opened the doors. I had no trouble getting time
off work, raised the funds needed to purchase my ticket
and pay for accommodations. Through all the preparation
I was not worried or scared to go, and this was a sign
to me that I was following him. God had selected a very
specific group of people to join together as a team,
and make this journey together. Step by step, God made
sure everything fell into place.
A
verse from the book of Proverbs stayed with me while
I was preparing for the trip- “Trust in the Lord
with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your
paths straight.” (Proverbs 3: 5-6 NIV) I did not
know why God was moving in my life in this way, and
at this time, but I had to trust Him and lean on Him
to take me on this journey. At the time, I had no idea
of all that God had waiting for me on the mission fields
of Africa.
A
few, very strong, passionate Christian men escorted
our group while we traveled in Ethiopia. These men were
pastors who spread the word of the God despite opposition.
The Ethiopian Government does not support or encourage
Christianity. Over half of the population is Muslim
and nearly forty percent is considered Orthodox. A couple
of these men have been imprisoned in the past for teaching
from the Bible. Yet, they strive to live completely
for God. I was amazed by their devotion to living out
Jesus’ desire for us to spread the news of salvation.
These men live in an impoverished land where there doesn’t
seem to be any hope for a prosperous future. And yet
they are very happy with the life they have been given.
They have endless hope that the people they touch will
join God’s family. God really is working in every
corner of the world.
When
our group arrived at a new school in Gambella, the children
greeted us in song. Their voices were powerful and joyous.
These children had never seen foreigners because they
lived in an extremely remote and primitive village,
away from where tourists might venture. Most of the
children were orphans and did not have much to eat;
yet they had a strong sense of community and hungered
to learn about Jesus! They were excited to work on arts
and craft projects and to learn songs in English. They
even taught us songs in their native language about
David and the Lion’s Den, and Jesus Loves Me.
The children sat and listened carefully as our interpreters
retold the stories and lessons we had for them.
The
people from this village did not speak a word of English.
Until recently, the language they spoke had no written
form. Within the last few years an alphabet was developed,
and today these people finally have a written translation
of the New Testament. Despite their many hardships,
the people we met while in Ethiopia were very hospitable
and happy.
During
the two weeks I spent in Ethiopia, my relationship with
God and my faith grew by leaps and bounds. Before this
trip there had never been a time in my life when I was
literally living every moment for God. While in Ethiopia
He was at the forefront of my mind at all times. I needed
God and had to depend on Him to bring me through the
challenges I encountered. I couldn’t help but
thank Him for all of the blessings I received. I experienced
first hand that when you follow God’s will for
your life, He will make things happen.
I
was honored to be able to teach young children about
salvation through Jesus. Through this trip, I learned
that we are all missionaries. You can travel across
the globe or you can turn and talk to the person next
to you. It doesn’t matter where you are. God has
called us all to spread the news and give Him glory.
This is the one thing that I am sure of in my life.
Whenever I begin to question where God is taking me
in my life or what the future has in store for me, I
remember this one basic, simple, yet most important
fact: We are here on earth to give glory to God. We
glorify God by worshiping Him, loving one another, and
serving Him. Jesus said to his followers, “Go
everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.”
(Mark 16:15 NCV)
I’d
like to encourage you to take the first step and “Find
out more”. Don’t disregard an opportunity
until you take the time to see if it really is an option
God has for your life. So often people miss out on experiencing
God because they get too comfortable in their daily
routine and do not take the time to simply look into
what else is out there. You never know what God has
in store for your life in places that you would least
expect. God wants us to seek Him out in all areas of
life, sometimes in Ethiopia.
Written
by A. Mercer
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