Ever changing plans and locations. This month has already proven to teach me about being flexible and having confidence that the Lord will lead us in the direction of His will. We have stayed in 3 different places and done a slew of different ministries. The World Race has never been to Ethiopia so we are getting to experience it all and pave the way for future racers.
Trusting in God to provide. This is a main focus for me this month because it is in my nature to try and do everything myself, so as I work on planning debrief for next month(a logistics task) I am praying that God will help me release my control of things and allow Him to show up in our planning.
Handing out 12 thousand flyers. Our first few days of ministry were spent handing out sports flyers in different communities. In Ethiopia they LOVE taking flyers so it was an adventure to be mobbed by school kids and adults.
In love with the beautiful people. After almost two weeks here I am in awe of the beauty. Not only the different cultural aspects but the people here are stunning; each in their own way.
Overwhelming dust. One thing we experience daily is the constant dust that is blowing around in the streets of Addis. We come back covered in dust and pretty much a different color of skin.
Persistent street kids. Addis is home to over 60,000 street kids who roam around begging and selling products to live. Many are actually involved in under the table child labor and others are simply thrown out by their families. They will follow you for long periods of your walk and consistently beg for money. It is heartbreaking.
Interacting with locals. Our two weeks here have been filled with mastering public transportation and making new Ethiopian friends. We traveled the city with Nega and Yonas, two local soccer coaches, while passing out flyers. I laughed until I cried and made some of the greatest memories with these two. We have also had many taxi drivers try to rip us off and we love the look on their faces when we confirm the government mandates prices for the rides. Team Xuberant Joy is officially Addis locals.
Awesome worship! Last week we got to worship and attend 2 services at City of Refuge Church in Addis. It was a surreal and almost numbing experience. Most of the songs were in Ahmaric, but the Holy Spirit was so alive in the service that the language barrier wasn’t even an issue. The congregation was so filled with the Spirit that their energy was contagious and infected all who entered the church. It really made me wonder what it would be like if someone came to my church in the US and didn’t speak English. Would they feel the power of the Holy Spirit moving and the love of the congregation? I think this is something we should all strive for; living so much for the Lord that the Holy Spirit is not just inside of us, but He is flowing out of us and impacting all that we meet. I want to walk a life that makes others wonder where my joy comes from so that I can shout from mountaintops about the love, mercy, and grace of JESUS!
team Xuberant Joy with our new friends Nega(above) and Yonas(below)
Ethiopia is one of my favorite countries so far and I have loved all of my time here. Our main ministry this month is with the Love Ethiopia Festival. There are many mission teams working around the capital this week in preparation for the main festival this weekend. Please be in prayer for those serving this week and the thousands that will attend the festival this weekend.
with love from Ethiopia,
sam
