When we first saw Gadisa in Adiss Ababba (the capital of Ethiopia) I immediately made a few assumptions about him. I assumed that he must have grown up in an affluent Ethiopian family. He likely went to a private school that offered a more “western” style of education including english classes. He was probably part of a church his entire life.
None of my assumptions about Gadisa could have been further from the truth. He is a man with a truly incredible testimony that is more about God than it is Gadisa. I was blessed enough to hear his testimony twice and wanted to share it with all of you:
Gadisa was born in a village in Ethiopia, which is a country of 88 million people with over 80 languages that are actively spoken. Gadisa’s parents both passed away before he was 4 years old and he became an orphan. He lived with his older brother until the age of 13. He would go to school off and on and work off and on. As he grew his brother got married and his brother’s wife became increasingly abusive to him. Ethiopia has national exams that are taken 3 times in one’s school career. Gadissa’s brothers wife was abusing him and forcing him to stay out of school to work instead of allowing him to go to school and study for the 1st of the 3 exams.
Gadisa decided he had enough and moved out on his own at 13. He would go and work various physical labor jobs during the day and then would go to night school. Amazingly, Gadisa thrived during this time at school. He did well on his exams and ended high school at the top of his class. He said that from the time he was 13 and on, he was extremely driven to do well in school because he wanted to become a social worker so that he could help kids who grew up as orphans in Ethiopia like himself.
James 1:2727 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Once Gadisa graduated from high school he was able to go to college because he was at the top of his class. He ended up going to a school in the town of Waliso, which is about 35 miles from where Hope Ethiopia is (our ministry site in Ethopia). Gadisa received some help from the government for his schooling but he still had to pay for all his living expenses and had to ask around to various friends just to come up with enough funds to pay for the bus to Waliso. Gadisa again thrived in school despite having to work full time.
When Gadisa was 21 years old he graduated and was looking for a job. He determined that he wanted to work for an NGO (non-government organization) as a social worker but up to that point he had been striking out with the job search. One day while he was in Waliso at the internet cafe to fill out applications, he met a Canadian named Dr. Ralph. At the time, Gadisa spoke very little english, but everyone else at the cafe spoke zero english so Gadisa offered to translate. Dr. Ralph was very thankful and he started talking to Gadisa and ended up hearing his life story. Dr. Ralph told Gadisa that he was the founder of Hope Ethiopia and that he would be in touch with him. Three months later Gadisa was contacted again, interviewed, and then offered a job. Little did Gadisa know at the time, but Dr. Ralph and his other 2 founding partners had been praying for a young male social worker for many years to add to their team.
Proverbs 16:9 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
Once Gadisa started working for HopeEthiopia things started to change extremely fast. He picked up english rapidly and was able to rent a place to stay in Addis Abbaba (the capital city). Gadisa started to help with various mission teams that visited Hope Ethiopia. People visiting would sometimes ask if he was a christian and he would say “no, I don’t know anything about Christianity”. Then, Gadisa had a string of three consecutive mission teams come. Of the first 2 teams, each had a person ask, “Gadisa, can I pray for you?”. Each time he said that it was fine and the person prayed for him and gave him a verse: Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Next, a the third team came and a person prayed for Gadisa and gave him a bible, in the front cover the person had written Jeremiah 29:11. At this point, Gadisa said he just figured the entire bible was about Jeremiah 29:11 because it was all anybody seemed to talk about, but he then started to read the bible he had been given and realized their was much more to it. He took an interest to it and shortly after one of his co-workers invited him to church on a Sunday morning. He went and responded to an altar call and gave his life to Jesus that day. That was 3 years ago and since then Gadisa has grown extremely fast in the Lord and has found peace with his true father in heaven.
Psalm 68:5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his
holy dwelling.
Gadisa has started a birthday tradition for himself where every year he throws a party for other people, specifically orphans and widows. His first year doing this he invited mostly orphan street kids, the next, he invited the elderly who were homeless. Last year he had over 70 people to celebrate with. He told me about how leading up to his birthday he didn’t even have the funds to throw a party but planned it anyway and sure enough, God provided for him a few days beforehand.
Luke 14:13-15 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” 15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
Gadisa also had a goal when he was a teenager to meet three people, the president of Ethiopia, Bill Gates, and the president of the USA. Gadisa, through some extraordinary means, now has the Ethipian president on speed dial. Recently, he became friends with the best friend of Bill Gates daughter when she visited Ethiopia. Additionally, I have no doubt in knowing him that someday he will meet the president of the United States.
Matthew 7:1111 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Gadisa’s generosity is not limited to his birthday. Financial advisors would hate him, but he has a habit of giving away money he makes and simply relying on God to provide. Last month he was short on funds after his landlord changed up his rental agreement. He prayed to God up until a week before the money was due, nothing had arrived. Then, he met an old widow who had come to him and was asking him for money because she wasn’t able to pay her rent that month. He felt the Holy Spirit saying to him, “help her”, so he did. The next night he had a dream and in the dream he was being told to email an Italian man he had met 3 years earlier but had lost contact with and that the man would give him rent money. He said he ignored the dream for a few days because he was to ashamed to just email someone and ask them for money, but finally, with time running down, he gave in. Sure enough, he emailed the Italian man and $500 was in his account the following day, just in time to pay his rent.
Matthew 6:31-33 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Proverbs 11:25 25 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Gadisa had many more stories to share of God’s faithfulness to him but in reality, his future it looking bright than his past. His main goal in life is to help as many orphans and widows in Ethiopia as possible. Being just 24, he plans to continue to work for HopeEthiopia for now and to open his own NGO soon. The main theme that every story Gadisa told was how God cared for him even when he didn’t know it was God. Our Father in heaven truly is a father to the fatherless and he truly does take care of us when we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.
