Allison, Adam and 19 month old Adeline arrived in Addis on Thursday, November 17th and got through customs without any issues. We were carrying quite a bit of baggage for teammates (including two 20 lb. frozen turkeys!) so that was a huge answer to prayer. The trip was such a blessing–it gave us a clearer picture of the dear folks we will be working with, as well as the specific jobs we will have while there. God has gifted each of the other 7 families with such a vision and passion for the work in Ethiopia. It is an honor for us to be joining this team.
The first couple we met were Tyler and Katie Selby. They are finishing language school this spring, and will work with college students in Nekempte. We landed on the 17th and left on the 18th on a 6 hour drive with them to Nekempte. There, we met Travis and Emily Weeks. They work on training church leaders and coming up with Income Generating Activities (IGA’s) that allow the local leaders to leave farming and focus on ministry. Both the Selbys and the Weeks have daughters that are Adeline’s age, and the girls made friends quickly.
We also visited the Kristos Andinet Church building in Nekempte which was built in 2013. It had long been a vision of Adam’s grandfather, Ray Giles, who was a missionary in Ethiopia for many years, that a church be founded in Nekempte. He passed in 2010 and did not get to see it come to pass, but the church that meets their now would not be there if it were not for the work he and his wife Effie did. We attended this church on Sunday and then headed back into Addis Ababa.
Monday through Thursday we went to see a future site for what will eventually be the headquarters for the Kristos Andinet Church in a suburb of Addis called Birayu. This will likely be one of the first jobs that Adam has when we arrive in Ethiopia. This will involve the construction of a Church building and finishing the construction on some offices.
Another big job for Adam will include well projects–the team plans to put in 9 wells during the next 3 years. The team is also branching out to a new area called Asosa–work there will be primarily with the Mao Komo who have not yet heard the Gospel. Wells will be important for making way for evangelism in these new areas.
Allison shadowed Rachel for a day to see what it will be like to be in charge of hospitality. There are four apartments on the compound that are used for when missionaries come in from down country. These will need to be organized and set up for the families who stay there. Part of what this job requires includes shopping for groceries and other necessities–which usually means 4-5 different stops! She also met the Ethiopian staff. Every other Tuesday, these ladies along with others from the adjacent village of Birayu meet at the compound for tea, English lessons, and prayer. It was a delight to be able to meet these ladies.
We came away with a clearer picture of what lies ahead. Much still remains unknown—but we know that God continues to lead us as more of our future responsibilities become clearer. Because the government is making it difficult to run clinics, and wells are the main way the team can continue to work in Ethiopia, we are thankful that Adam has the skills to cover this role.
And, not only did our trip in November provide us with helpful “mental pictures” of where we will be living, we also discovered that Adeline loves Ethiopia! As a mother, I think about how the next four years will impact my children. But I consider it a God-given gift to have witnessed first-hand her delight in meeting new people and seeing all of the sights. I imagine that, though life in Ethiopia will be challenging at times, new and unforgettable adventures await.
Please pray that support will continue to come in, that we would be able to work out the details of our house, and that God would continue to use our current responsibilities to prepare us for service in Ethiopia. The family currently serving in the logistics and hospitality roles is leaving in May 2017, and so please also pray for the team during the interim between their departure and our arrival.
Thanks to you all for your support and prayers!