About two years ago I heard the Gungor song, Beautiful Things. To be honest, I really didn’t like it when I first heard it, but the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me. This month the words of that song have a new meaning. Addis Ababa is a city that is rapidly growing geographically and spiritually. There is constant construction taking place, and therefore a lot of dust and pollution.
“You make beautiful things out of the dust”
I know it seems clique and corny, but this song truly describes this month in Ethiopia. God is taking this dusty country and producing some of the most beautiful people I have ever seen (I wish I could share pictures, but it is really hard to take them here).
The people of Ethiopia are stunningly beautiful. It isn’t just there physical beauty that is striking, but the genuine love and community that is evident on every street and in every building. We are always welcomed by handshakes, hugs, and kisses. They greet each other and shout to one another while driving down the road. Every morning we are greeted by a 10 year old taxi worker who hugs us tight and leads us to our mini bus. They love without fear of rejection, something I have always struggled with. I truly believe this country, and specifically Addis Ababa, is a family.
This past weekend we got to witness one of the greatest showings of country pride and support with the Ethiopia v. Nigeria futbol match. It seems crazy to think that a single soccer game could unite an entire country, but it did, regardless of the outcome (we lost 2-0). Coming from the UNC community, I thought I knew what pride and allegiance looked like. People deck out in Carolina blue for every game, but even the Duke/UNC rivalry game doesn’t compare to the unity that took place on the streets of Addis Ababa. These people truly love each other and their country, and being around them has made me fall in love with Ethiopia.
I would ask you to be in prayer for the people of this country. Not everything that takes place here is of the Lord, but these people have something in them that gives me hope for the Lord to do big things with them. He has a great plan for Ethiopia and the beautiful people here.
Ministry Update:
Our ministry for the first part of this month was working with the Luis Palau Association and the Love Ethiopia Festival. Our teams were split among different ministry sites, intermixed with Americans who came for a short term trip. The culminating event was the Festival last weekend. It was two days of games, music, and the gospel! There were thousands of people in attendance each day; Ethiopians of all ages and religious backgrounds. We saw over a thousand people declare that they were giving their life to Christ and thousands of others had a seed planted for the Lord to continue working in their hearts!
My role during the festival looked a lot like it did during grad school at UNC; serving as a supervisor and working backstage to make sure that things were running as planned. I loved getting to see my Sport Event Management background be used for ministry and it has sparked an interest in possible future endeavors.
Thank you all for the prayers and support during the first 2.5 months on the World Race. It is hard to believe that we only have 6 days left in this country and then we are moving on to the Philippines. Please continue to pray for those of us in Ethiopia who will be trying to make contact with some new ministry sites and the remaining XSquad teams in Mozambique.
with love from ethiopia,
Sam
