Here in Ethiopia the squad and I live in a small village in the town of Harbu Chulule about 3 hours from the capital. We live on a compound with 28 orphan children, and their house moms that take care of them.
When we arrived here in December we were quick to learn that ministry was gunna look a lot different then when we were in Cambodia teaching children. Here I have been given so many different mission opportunities to do and was given a whole new meaning for the word ministry…
Reforestation: during the first few weeks we would walk about 40 minutes to the sight where we were able to see where they planted the seeds and the progress they have made with the project. We were then able to put dirt in these plastic tubes so that the seed could grow, then be planted in the summer season on the side of the mountain.
Grass Cutting: step 1:grab a big knife or a pair of scissors, step 2: sit on the ground, step 3: start cutting… cutting grass is one of the silliest and best ministries Iv ever experienced, it creates a space for you to be full of complete joy and simplicity with the father without any distractions from the busy world around you.
Pictures: As a way to really just find a simple way to find beauty and love in my teammates I did an individual photo shoot with each of them to show them how beautiful they truly are, the way God intended them to be.
Christmas: as a way to choose into our squad the team and I planned a Christmas full of traditions so that in this season when we are all missing our families more than ever. We created a place where this was just like Home.
Bricks: brick made from dirt and water end up being very heavy, when your team Is told to carry them a good distance and their just happens to be a ton of them… haha then after all the sweat and hard work, I realized that the bricks represents a piece of my past where in order to move them to the side, I’m going to have to pick them up, no matter how heavy and use them to build something good.
Garden: I don’t know exactly what is growing but for the garden we water, fertilizer, weed, and just tend to the garden. God told me that I am that garden. And after that I’ve been trying to understand what that looks like, in doing so I’m always the first one out and the last one to leave trying to just understand. I learned that things take time to grow, including my future. And that there are many things in the garden some are growing and some are a little slower but the big picture is beautiful and simple.
Construction: Construction here for us basically just looks like helping out where ever is needed or needs fixing. For example one day we moved more bricks and also made bricks, another we swept the Training center, and other days we shovel rocks and dirt to make cement. Everyday is just a little bit different.
Team: As a way to step into joy and loving my team well I choose to serve them in different ways, if its buying stuff from the local market, or cleaning the room floor to ceiling. Whatever it may be, choosing into them makes me love them more and more each day.
Children: the main thing behind this entire ministry is to just love the children and just hang out with them teaching and playing games or drawing and playing sports literally anything that makes them feel loved and heard is why we are here expanding the kingdom. And honestly the kids here are amazing and full of so much life and joy, if they start smiling you know your doing something right.
….The thing I learned about ministry is that it’s not an start and finish kind of thing it’s a lifestyle that never ends. Long or short term it’s all the same, your building a relationship with people, loving them the way the father does, and just expanding the kingdom in a way that shows just how wonderful our creator truly is. It’s simple but it’s also meaningful, it’s easy but it’s also intentional. Doing missions isn’t just something that has to be done in a church, or by an organization that takes you to many different places. It can really be super simple. Missions can look like that sure, but they are also just simply going and getting coffee and asking the person behind the counter how their day is, and just coming back again and again building a relationship till they just simply ask why is this person showing so much kindness towards me, your answer is very simple “I’m just showing love the way our father in heaven does.” What I love about our creator is he reminds us just how simple life can be if we just love, and constantly seek him out in others around us.
