Ethiopia Missions

Ethiopia is about 40% Orthodox, 30% Muslim and 30% Christian (which is largely emotionally based faith teaching). Ethiopia has one of the fastest growing populations in the world and since 80% of the population makes their living through agriculture very few children are able to actually attend school (I read somewhere that if every child under 16 were to attend school that the workforce would be so severely depleted that half the country's population would be in classes). This all results in only 42.7% of the population being literate. 

The city of Hawassa has a population of 100k. The orphanage that Argaw and Rachel Ayele have started there is called Ebenezer Grace Children's Home. Although they have been granted 10 acres of land they are still waiting on funds to begin building and are currently renting a large house with a dormitory style building in the back where the children sleep. They currently have 10 children and are hopping to get another 5 soon. The children in their care are currently between 1 and 9 years old. Some are healthy and strong, some struggle with disabilities and health problems, most of them have one thing in common though: They had become undesirable to their families or the societies they were born into. Some were born to parents who were too poor to care for them or to mothers who were not married and did not want them.

Lantu has only 20% of her vision. Her parents are too poor and don't want to care for her. She has heart problems and the doctors told Argaw and Rachel not to waste their money on her because she wouldn't make it anyway. Although she is 6 years old she had never walked before. She began walking 1-2 months after they got her and Rachel will tell you with a motherly pride in her voice that she speaks the best "American" English! "What's up Lantu?" "Nothin much!" comes the reply with a sweet smile.

Fasika's is very shy. Both of her parents died of AIDs and although she doesn't have the disease and her grandparents are well off they still don't want her. She is 8 years old.

Amanuel is about a year old. He was found by some people who fed him solid food but had no milk to give him. He has rickets and was severely malnourished when he came to live at the children's home.

These children have been taken from death to life, from lost to found, from unwanted and forsaken to loved, protected and cherished! What an awesome opportunity to bring the Gospel to such as these and share what our Heavenly Father done for us! What a wonderful picture of God's grace poured out upon His children!

There is such a strong need for fellowship and support. It can often times be discouraging to be in such a place so isolated from any sense of normalcy. Many people both here in the States and in Ethiopia seem to have the question always on the tip of their tongues, "Why would you take your kids to such a place? When you could live in America, why do you come here? Look around at all the crazy things going on in the world! Is it safe over there?" Being able to come alongside another family in ministry and share the same heart, the same vision and be able to be a physical reminder that yes, it's ok to obey God even when society doesn't understand- is an incredible blessing. This life is our one shot to give our all to our King. We will spend eternity praising Him yes, but in heaven our choice will have already been made. There will be no sacrifice of will because all that is of the flesh will have been cast out. King David said, "I will not sacrifice to the Lord that which has cost me nothing" This awesome gift of life that we have been given ought to be spent every moment for Him! It is all that we will ever have to give. I love the way Argaw put it, "We aren't here do a humanitarian work but to show the children Christ. That's the ultimate goal." What more awesome way to spend your life?!