It’s difficult to know where to begin to describe my time in Ethiopia. I arrived from Uganda in good spirits, until I found out that I didn’t have a ride from the airport to anywhere. I hung around for a couple hours, then decided to try and find my way to the YWAM Mercy Development Center further in the city. It was my first time visiting Addis Ababa in the rainy season and the weather couldn’t have been more different that my previous 2 visits to the beautiful country. Mud and water were everywhere and it was cold.
When I first saw the children over three years ago, they had been just that – children, but seeing them now, three years later, so many of them are grown up. They are getting to be, or are already, adults. The scene was difficult to take in, but I am thankful that they have grown up so well and are dreaming big as far as what they want to do with their lives. The second day I was in Addis, I started taking pictures of the children for the sponsorship packets. We set up a photoshoot in the common room which has a blank white wall, much like the seamless that we have at Northwest. They boys all wanted to wear their best clothes and act famous in front of the camera. We had a great time.
A few days later, I left for Soddo. A friend of mine from Westmont, and a former roommate in Seattle, Sam lives there with another friend Noah and Katie. Together, they help facilitate an orphan care center than is part of a larger care organization in Ethiopia. They have been living there for the better part of a year and have a few months to go. The plan was to get media content for the CC Ethiopia website. On the way to Soddo, however, I started feeling very cold and feverish. The 6 hour ride down there with my 30lb camera bag wasn’t necessarily helping much and when I arrived in Soddo, I already needed a rest. Sam and I were able to catch up and talk about the orphan care center. We talked about the problems in Ethiopia and how they add to the orphan situation. We talked about Ethiopia as a whole, orphan care, and what really works. I went to bed feeling a little better, but didn’t end up falling asleep for a while. I had felt the fever returning and couldn’t get comfortable. The next day we had made plans for going to another town even further south called Arbaminch. We had hoped to do some relaxing and wildlife viewing in the national park near Arbaminch. We had to wait until the next day, but in the meantime, I had been feeling the fever return. Sam, Noah, and Katie, as well as another staff member at the orphan care center, went to Arbaminch to eat and hang out in the city, while I took to resting. It ended up being one of the worst, most painful nights I can remember. The fever had risen causing my whole body to throb, my head to pound, and my skin to feel needle pricks with every movement. Nothing I could do could alleviate the pain. I thought to myself that hell must be a searingly hot pain like this that lasts forever. I didn’t sleep. In the morning, we were supposed to get into a boat to cross the lake into the national park, but I had to get to a hospital. I couldn’t live in such pain anymore. We hired a driver and began the long journey back to Soddo, to the Christian Hospital there. Sam, Noah, and Katie had built a relationship with some of the ex-pat couples that lived in the hospital compound and served in various roles as doctors in the hospital. We went straight to the emergency room and I began going through various tests to see what exactly was wrong with me.
The doctor came back with a report that I was carrying a high concentration of Malaria in my blood. He explained that it was the worst type of Malaria, but I could be treated and would recover. Since I was planning on going back to Addis Ababa in a couple of days and then on back to the US, they decided to keep me in the hospital for a couple of nights and hook me up to the I.V. It was the most effective way to get the medicine into my body while being able to monitor my progress. Sam wanted to stay with me in the hospital, and I didn’t object. The hospital in and of itself was a cross-cultural lesson, with many stories to look back on. It was also a time for reflection on the majority of my summer trip to Africa. I came with high hopes, with definite strategies, with plans and ideas, but I left with many questions. Pages and pages of journal reflection uncovered unseen problems, cultural barriers, and deep issues that I could only see the surface of.
As I made the long journey back to Seattle, I thought more and more about my role in Uganda and Ethiopia. My first layover in Addis on the way to Uganda had reminded me that I will never blend in to these places I have come to love. My experiences in each nation confirmed this. Sometimes it made me want to stop my feet. Sometimes I wanted to give up and run away. Sometimes I wondered if I was doing anything at all. But it comes down to this – God has given me something. I call it a gift of revelation that these children are important to him. I am honored to see this importance and God has grafted this part of His heart onto mine. No matter what I feel or what I do, these children are a part of me and I know that no matter how large or small the end result is, whatever I am able to accomplish matters because of the value that these lives have in the mind and heart of God. He started something in me, and no matter how good or bad I feel, He is faithful to complete it.
Keep an eye out for stories from Uganda and Ethiopia of how God has had his hand on the lives of these orphaned children. God’s plans for them are much like His plans for us. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Thank you so much for your prayers while I was away and for your financial gifts that made it possible to go and collect photos and stories. There is still much more work to be done here to get the sponsorship programs ready, so I would appreciate your prayers in this season. Blessings.
John Paul
Over the last few weeks I have really been asking myself if it was reasonable to go to Africa this summer or not. I tried to make it out last summer, but I couldn’t. This summer, I want to go, but I already feel the financial pressure of being able to raise the money to get out there. It would be so much easier for my schedule and wallet to look into other options. I know that there is a lot of work that could be done here to help a lot of organizations out, but my heart is constantly reminding me of smiles on young faces in the places that I have been before. I feel like God has so much for me to do for those children that I feel sad when I cannot be with them, taking care of them, playing soccer with them, comforting them in the storms, or telling them that they are worth more than what the world whispers to them in the darkest nights.
I asked if it was possible to have a backup plan. A harness, a net, a chute. Something to fall back on if I couldn’t make it back. Honestly, I don’t want one. I would love to hope without doubt. I would love for my mind to run free with plans of what I could do with the time that I would have in the land far away. I hope beyond to the impact that it would make. I think further to the type of man I want to be, to what God has for me, to what he has for the world. Does this all play in? Does this moment, this field experience, this research question have an impact? Would I miss something if I were to stay and find something else?
I want to go. I want it to be possible. It might not be reasonable, but it’s something that I can stand in faith for. It’s something to work towards, something to hope for. I don’t even want to ask about what would happen if it doesn’t work out because I don’t want to let myself think that this won’t happen. So I won’t. There is nothing I would rather do than to spend a month in Africa, renewing relationships with orphan care centers, investigating trends, offering myself and the gifts God has given me, and the mission that He has placed in my heart concerning the welfare of these children. What else could I do?
My church asked me to talk about poverty a little bit to tie into a message about how much money we spend at Christmas and what we spend our money. He asked us to think about how much we spend on people or how much people spend on us that is wasted because we don’t like the gift or whatever.
Anyway, he asked me to put something together for the service, kind of like a voice from within Northshore (the church i go to). So, I asked Devin to help. We shot it all on a Nikon D300s, 50mm f/1.4 with a RØDE microphone with video lights in front of a huge seamless backdrop.
The song is Needles and Thread by Sleeping at Last.
I stand among 25 people lifting their voices, their minds, and their hearts – in essence – their lives – to a Perfect Father. Over the last 10 months He has given us the nations, a tremendous blessing and opportunity, but also one that has had it share of struggles. We have witnessed the numerous heartbreaks of humanity; infanticide, famine, the deepest hunger, those on their deathbeds from HIV, the effects of war, the vicious cycles of poverty and disease that claim millions of precious lives each year, and the injustice of the apathetic. All of the traveling was not a joy-ride but one involving real and evident sadness. The situations and circumstances left us changes; scarred forever like a brand on our hearts and minds. So we continue to ask for the nations… along with all of their joys, but also their sorrow.
But, we are not left there because even in immense pain is beauty – we know of it as hope. In John 16 Jesus talks about sadness – that we will have it and that by following Him, we seek it out. When we follow Him into the life – into the nations – into love – We are following Him to the Cross. But as we pursue Him there He gives to us what can never be taken away; a peace that passes understanding and incomparable joy. That is why we are able to laugh hysterically at our living conditions, each other’s crazy experiences, and shake-face pictures (see below). It is also the reason that we are able to stand together wherever we are in the world and, with tears in our eyes and compassion in our hearts, cry out to God; telling Him in our feeble words how great and how good He really is.
“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
He wins.
Blessings through Him… the most beautiful One John Paul
Please don’t view this as an impression that the beautiful people, places, and moments are rare; they are definitely evident in every society and culture around the world. But pain and suffering are found everywhere as well and it is the reason that we are here, to proclaim Hope to those who may have lost it whether they be in Myanmar, Switzerland, or Denver, Colorado.
Shake-Face – just use the flash… compliments of Anna
[A government owned forest on the northern outskirts of Addis]
You may remember about a year ago I posted the first blog on a community of believers in Uganda. It is not a typical community, not a neighborhood or even a church congregation but an orphan care center called St. Ameria. At the time there were about 120 full time orphans; their parents passing from the war in the North of Uganda, HIV/AIDS, malaria, or any number of other factors. All that is left is the memories and statistics on a page. Somehow or other, the children ended up in the care of Richard and Edith, the directors and full time parents of the children at St. Ameria. Edith founded the organization in 1994 when she accepted her first orphan and hasn’t turned away anyone since. When I was introduced to the home last year there were no beds to speak of, dorms and rooms submitting to the harsh rains and intense heat. Soon after the blog was published help was on its way and money started being sent – first for food and beds, then for new building projects. Then, the Not Alone Benefit Tour kicked off and most of the interest generated was geared toward St. Ameria. Thanks to John Bills and others, churches started picking up on the lead, sending teams to Uganda to document and come to the aid of the children. It is hard to say how much money and effort has been given, but I do know that about a week and a half ago, a bank transfer was sent from Los Angeles to Jinja containing over 7500 dollars. When the Benefit Show was coming together an outlet had to be available for people to send money tax-free. With the help of John Bills and Nigel at the base in LA – the African Orphans’ Fund was set up and continues to accept funds for St. Ameria. Thank you for catching the vision, feeling God’s heart, and allowing yourself to be moved by love, after all, we know that love is a movement – first by God giving His Son, then His love flowing through us to the world and His special creation.
[Abune Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church at a women's rights forum at Meskel Square, Addis Ababa]
[She didn't want her picture taken at first... then she did]
And now, Ethiopia. It was amazing to be back. I did my DTS outreach here over a year ago. This is the first time I have been back, but I am praying that it won’t be the last. A young, passionate, gifted speaker came from Kona with Paul Childers (our school leader). His name is Andy and he rocked our faces off (which is an expression that means that he blessed us tremendously). It is easy to get tired with so much traveling, class, culture shock every month, and to add to all of that, living in community 24 hours a day for months on end. Most of us were drained to say the lease, but then there was Andy. God used him to bring us a proverbial cold glass of water to our souls, refreshing us from the inside out, invigoration us for our relationship with God. It was just what we needed and we are now better equipped for the next four months of the traveling taking us into Kona.
[Construction site watchman]
[Toothbrush (stick) salesman]
[Garlic Saleswoman at Markato, the largest outdoor market in Africa]
Laura Fisher came to speak to us for the next week about African Worldview. There are an almost incalculable amount of people groups in Africa, so it is impossible to come up with an African Worldview, but there are many major characteristics of most of the people groups. Using those, we constructed the main areas of worldview: Reality, Human Nature, Value, and truth. It was an amazing week not only to observe African Worldview, but to examine my own worldview to see what I think and what I hold to be true. The Bible says that we are to be continually transformed by the renewing out our minds (Ephesians 4:23). I think that this means we should be continually examining ourselves and our thought processes and aligning them to God’s Word. The goal is to be a citizen and child of the Kingdom, having a worldview that sets the Word of God as the grid through which we see all.
[Poor homeless woman approached me asking for a picture after church]
[Various grains for sale at Markato]
[The woman, and now friend, who was selling the grain. Her name is Mini]
[A little guy having fun with his brother in a public mini-bus]
With our newly acquired information about how to see the world around us with our eyes open, David Fisher (Laura’s husband) taught about Documentary Photography and assigned us a project for the following week. A previous Family member had com
e to Ethiopia a couple years before and came again to do some follow-up work. I really wanted to go down to the Hamar Tribe where she had worked, but I really felt like God was asking me to stay in Addis Ababa to get a few stories around there that he had laid on my heart. I had met a woman the first time in coming to Ethiopia who was HIV positive, so that was the first story, and the other was about the population of street children in Addis and what ministries existed that provided hope for them. So I started researching (without the internet… tough), getting stories, and attempting photos. As far as photography goes, I had never been more discouraged. I really felt like none of the pictures were what I had envisioned and ultimately, I was disheartened. I questioned whether or not I had heard right; did God really keep me to be frustrated? Looking back on it, I can tell he really just wanted my obedience and humility to follow him first. I turned in what I had, but was completely awed at what the other students had been doing. We have some amazingly talented people searching for what God wants for the world, as well as His heart for it.
[Kebeneshe, the HIV positive woman and good friend, that I did one of the photo stories on]
[Kebeneshe's Mother]
[Kebeneshe at home]
[Kebeneshe displaying her AntiRetroVirals (provided for free by the government)]
Officially, Spring Break started and most of the team left for Europe. Four of us stayed for a few extra days (as long as our visas would allow), so I kept working on the Street Children story. Abdissa, the direction of the Mercy Development Center helped me tremendously. He has the most passionate heart for street children that I have ever seen. His ministry was a beneficiary of the money that came in during the Not Alone Benefit Tour last summer, but even then, I didn’t really understand the tip of the iceberg of everything he does in the community. I had thought that his only (but massive) undertaking was the orphanage he runs (and lives). It is a center for children who have been taken right off of the streets. The home is actually a last resort for full orphans who have no family or guardians. When I left last year there were 18 at the home and now there are 25. These children are provided for in every way; food clothing, shelter, school fees, uniforms, and whatever else they may need. Abdissa treats them as he would his own children although he is only 28.to watch the interaction and love between them is amazing to behold.
There is also a huge community based support system as well. There are 16 families all over Addis. The children were full or half orphans who were either on the street or at risk of living on the streets out of poverty. Many have lived parts of their young lives on the streets but have now been reconciled to their guardians.
[Standing with Genet in her one bedroom home (meaning space for one bed with a little extra space) in which she lives taking care of 4 children]
[Genet making Ingera, a traditional Ethiopian bread]
[Hanna, the youngest and most recent addition to the YMD Center Orphanage]
[Daniels parents died of AIDS and so did his youngest brother. Now he takes care of his brother and 2 sisters by himself with the help of Abdissa and the YMD Center]
[At 28, Abdissa has a heart for the poorest of children in Addis Ababa, sacrificing his life for theirs]
[Solomon, a country-side boy who now lives on the streets]
[Another Solomon. Crazy how the Solomon of the Bible is said to have had splendor beyond all others. This Solomon doesn't know where his next meal is coming from. I met him last year at Hope Enterprise and randomly met him again this visit. Praise God]
[A couple of young homeless men sleep in their shanty tent outside of an Orthodox Church downtown Addis Ababa]
[A Street Child in front of the Cuba
n Friendship Memorial on Churchill Road, Downtown Addis Ababa]
Anyway, there are plenty of other details, but I want to tell you about my last day working on the story. Abdissa and I got a taxi and headed to the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Addis. It is the nicest hotel that I have seen in Africa and probably one of the nicest I have ever seen. Immediately across the street of the Icon of Luxury is the poorest section of the city, Arogokera. We ventured into the thin, windy streets complete with creeks of refuse. We arrived at the home of Amabet, a former street girl who had been raped while she was homeless. Her son Yonathan, now a month and a half old, her, and her other 2 children live in a room that is 5 feet by 4 feet; the only place they can call home. It isn’t much, but it’s all they have. 3 other girls with children live in the same city in similar rooms as well. Their rent is paid for by the YMD Center and they are now living with hope that their children won’t have to live in the same situation they did. There is even an elderly lady in the community called ‘Mama” who looks after them and provides a safe place and gives them her strong Godly advice and direction. It was amazing to behold the dynamics of the group, not to mention I took pictures that I really like the whole day that I want to put into a more formal presentation/publication. I am encouraged continually with how God has used me to bring a change to a handful of children at St. Ameria and I am anxiously hoping that He will use me to bring change to the over 200,000 street children wandering the streets of Addis Ababa losing hope that there is anyone out there to care about them.
[Amabet and her son Yonathan in the doorway of their "house" in Arogokera, Addis Ababa]
So. Spring Break is now underway. We will resume back to classes on April 6th in Amsterdam. As for me, I am in Cairo for the break and will then travel to Amsterdam starting on the third. Pray for safe travels for everyone this week and that we find rest and refreshment from the Lord.
Pray for the children in Addis Ababa tonight; that the hope of Christ will infiltrate their minds and hearts.
Our first week at the Hopeland Base in Jinja is almost over. It is much different than I had originally expected. Before we got here I thought that it would be a lot like the base in Ethiopia, which had only 2 people living on base (besides our team). There are three schools running here and over 50 people on base.
(Jonathan, Jack, and Rob before going into Jinja, Jonathan and Tara walking down a local road)
The base here is so beautiful. It is so lush and green. The campus is pretty big, but reminds me of where we were during lecture phase in Hawaii; Makapala. Its kind of outside of towns and cities and has a lot of open land. Many places on campus have a view of Lake Victoria…. One of the most spectacular views on base is from the soccer field at the bottom of campus. One of the first mornings we were here, a few of us went down there to jog and I was blown away by the beauty. The sun had just risen and was the biggest I had ever seen it. I will try to get a picture of the view for next weeks blog update, so hang tight.
For the community base clean up on Friday, we spent the morning with these tools called “slashers” slashing one of the fields of grass. All of us have blisters now because we aren’t used to that kind of work, but I’m sure that our hands will toughen up because we will probably doing the slashing every Friday. It was a great workout, however, and my muscles are still a little bit sore.
(Slashing Day… it was a little rough for us)
We haven’t been too busy this last week because we only had orientation to do. So we spent our time in various ways: going into Jinja (we are a few minutes outside of it), working out in the mornings, having brief meetings in the evenings, one-on-ones with Lucy, a bit of base management as a community, and yesterday (Saturday) we went to a resort on the shores of Lake Victoria called Kingfisher for a day by the pool.
(Gina, Rob, Tara, and Scott [another staff member at Hopeland] at the Kingfisher pool)
Base life is different here than in Ethiopia as well. Since there are so many people, meals are prepared for everyone and served as soon as the bell rings. Alex and I learned pretty quickly that if you don’t heed the bell, you may not eat! Now every time we hear that bell, we run to the line. We have a cup of milk tea with 2 rolls every morning for breakfast (similar to what we fed the children at the feeding center for breakfast at Hope Enterprises in Ethiopia), but we have also bought some fruit, bread, peanut butter, and jelly to supplement our diet when we get hungry.
Alex, Jonathan, and I went to a church this morning called Abundant Life Church of Kikera (Kikera is the nearest town to the base; about 30 min. walk). We went with a staff member from Uganda in the DTS School whom Alex had met in Arusha, Tanzania. There weren’t many people who attended, and it was a bit hard to understand the pastor because the translation was pretty much sandwiched on top of the English, but it was still amazing to see how God works in the lives of the people here. It will never cease to amaze me. The minute I got there two kids came over and grabbed both of my free hands and held them through the whole worship service, testimonies, encouragement, and announcements.
During the last week, we have only begun to know our team leader, Lucy Burrows, in a better way. Like I mentioned, she had one-on-ones with all of us and found out about who we were and what God was doing in our lives. She found out that I was the only one with Microsoft Access experience (thank you, Mike at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History) and was pretty excited about that. She had convened with one of her good friends and intercessor back in the UK before she came out and also had stuff to share with us about what she had received from the Lord. Some of what she had received was precisely what I had communicated to her in my one-on-one (she shared at the end of it), so it was very encouraging to me because I had never met her before. God revealed to her exactly who I was and who I am wanting to become. God is so good!
This next week we will be going through some team building exercises and planning out what we will be doing for the next three months. It will be a key week in the grand scheme of our future at the Hopeland Base, so please pray for clarity of vision, teamwork, and unconditional love especially in this next week. Please continue to pray for our team members that have already gone home that they may continue to experience the Lord in new and powerful ways and that they may be witnesses to God’s glory! Thank you so much for your prayers, we see the effects of them in a powerful way at our end. I pray blessings over you for your faithfulness.
This is my first entry after arriving in Kampala from Ethiopia yesterday. It was so good to meet up with fellow members of the extended team and catch up on everything God was doing in Africa over the last 2 months.
During the last week in Ethiopia, God continued to work mightily. We were able to hold a party at the YWAM base for many of the people that we had been working with in appreciation for letting us be a part of their lives. It was an amazing time of fellowship and closure for our brief time there. God opened so many doors for future teams in Ethiopia that it blows my mind. Continue to pray for the ministries that we were a part of and that God would unleash the Holy Spirit over Ethiopia in a new and dynamic way.
I was able to put together a brief slide show together for review night back in Kona that will take place this Thursday. It is just a brief sample of the stories, places, and pictures but i hope that you like it. The music in the background is “You’re Not Alone” by an amazing band called Saosin.
Now, it is time for Uganda! I can’t wait to see what the Lord has for us here. Everyone on the team thinks and feels that it will be a powerful time and that God is doing something BIG in Uganda. Please pray for us, for protection and deliverance from the enemy. He has already started tactics to dissuade us from our mission and what the Lord wants Here is a list of the members of the extended team: Rachel Donnelly Maleea Morelock Rob Broening Jonathan Stoner Jessie Gear Ruth Dodgson Jack Klinhomsopol (can’t pronounce) (from Thailand) Alex Fung Gina Kim Tara Naylor and Me (John Vicory)
A picture of us will appear soon, but i haven’t had time to get one uploaded yet… Until next time, Grace and Peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
This is my first post and i wanted to give everyone an update. I leave for Ethiopia in a week from today and it’ll take me three days to get there. The time at Makapala is winding down and i have been reflecting on how much i have learned here. It almost seems like i am a completely different person. During the next few months, i will be posting pictures and videos of the time in Ethiopia and Uganda.
Here is a little video that gives some staggering statistics for HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. None of these photos are my own, but soon i will have some of my own.
