Wow. The fact that I am bound for Jinka brings me so much excitement!! Jinka is located in southern Ethiopia and according to things I’ve read about it, the lush landscape exceeds the beauty of the Lion King Africa you may imagine.
So here’s the story:
2 month’s ago in Romania I started listening to an audiobook called “No Greater Love”. I was drawn to it because it took place in Ethiopia. And I’m going to Ethiopia. Simple. What began as curiosity about this orphanage story and wanting to learn more about the culture, turned into being fully captivated in a very intriguing story!
It is the story of a Californian man who left everything and flew his family to Jinka, Ethiopia to help organize a rescue orphanage for children destined to be murdered as part of a tribal superstition known as “mingi killings”.
Mingi translates as “unclean”, or “cursed”. A child can be declared mingi for three reasons: if the parents are not married; if the parents do not announce to the elders an elaborate ceremony that they intend to conceive; or if the child’s top teeth come in before the bottom teeth.
Once the infants or children are labeled mingi, they are murdered to protect the village from evil spirits. The elders teach that if the killings don’t happen, the whole tribe will be harmed. It will not rain. Crops will fail. People will die. Although nobody knows the exact number, some believe as many as 1,000 Ethiopian children are killed each year because of the mingi superstition.
Now, 2 months later, my team is assigned ATL in Ethiopia. ATL means “Ask the Lord”. It means we are not given any specific ministry and we do not have a host. It means that we will walk this month in prayer and seeking the Lord’s direction for ministry.
We have been assigned a specific people group to work with, the Hamer-Banna. On the introduction page taken from google, there were two cities listed: Arba Minch, and Chencha.
The Hamer-Banna are Muslim shepherds living in the highlands of southeast Ethiopia. They raise cattle, sheep, and goats. They families live in tents arranged in a circle, and the livestock is brought to the center of camp at night.
A striking characteristic of these people is their indulgence in elaborate hair dressing. Men may marry as many women as they like, but only within their tribe.
The Hamer-Banna are mainly adherents to traditional religions. For instance, they believe that natural objects (rocks, trees, etc.) have spirits. They also believe in jinnis, or spirits that are capable of assuming human or animal form and exercising supernatural influence over people.
Soon after I learned that we would be ATL this month, I thought back to the story about the orphanage in Jinka. At our 7 hr. layover in Turkey, I did some research, praying that there could be ministry for us potentially in relation to what I learned in the story.
I found the website to an orphanage in Jinka. I don’t know if it’s the same one from the story, but it is a rescue orphanage for children subject to mingi.
We also learned that Jinka was close to the two cities we were directed to. And we met the host of one of our other teams and he said he worked with the Hamer-Banna, and yes, they are in Jinka!
In so many beautiful ways, the Lord has been highlighting and confirming His guidance for us to Jinka.
We emailed the orphanage, offering our service, and we got accepted!!
We are beyond excited to go there in two days and see what the Lord has for His people there!
Also, I found a testimony from Lale, the founder of, and who is now welcoming us to, the orphange. It is so worth the watch!! https://youtu.be/gzsKBqa_3T8
Pray for us!
- Edna
