Broken Walls

Hands down one of the most heart-breaking things that I saw while in Ethiopia working with the Somali people was the living conditions. When we were there, there were four refugee camps that all had over 25,000 people in them. In Dolo Ado, there were over 30,000 people in transitional waiting periods to even get into the camps. Today, there are five camps. The stories that we kept hearing was that Somali people were dying everyday as they were traveling to the camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. The conditions in Somalia are horrid and they need help. I am so grateful that I was able to go see and do.

The Somali people physical needs were being met in these camps. The thing that makes me sick to my stomach is that they do not know Jesus. Nearly 100% of the people are Muslim. Join with me in prayer for them and that God would tear down the walls, the physical and spiritual walls of these people. They are BEAUTIFUL people and I have a heart for them. Below are the pictures of their tents that they live in, and pictures of them in line to get food and water.

One thing I know is that I believe in the Ephesians 3:20 God, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” He is ABLE!

He WILL come through, ALWAYS!

Easily Amazed

One of the greatest things that made my heart full was the first day we arrived to one of the refugee camps down in Dolo Ado.  As it was no surprise, we stuck out like the moon does in the dark night.  You would have thought that we were celebrities.  But for many of these people we were the first white people they had ever seen.  I mean it truly was amazing, the reception we got from the Somali people.  They were incredible, and possibly a bit intimidated.  The best part was playing soccer with them.  There was no balls, no net, no yard markers, no goalies, uneven teams, but we played soccer with this tiny mesh ball that one of the boys had, and they were EASILY AMAZED.  It warmed my heart to see how happy they were.  Remember, before their arrival they had no food, no clothes, no water, and no home.  They had seen all kinds of family and friends die to starvation just on their journey from Somalia to Ethiopia.  They had been through it all.  And just when things get going at the camps, white people show up and play soccer with them.  I am serious when I say that I have never experienced that kind of true joy on their part before.  AMAZING.

Here is a picture of me with some of my soccer buddies:

I want to leave you with a question.  What amazes you?  Seriously answer the question.  WHAT AMAZES YOU?  Is it your family, friends, job, or you relationship with God?  How about Jesus?  Think about what he did.  That amazes me.  We have to be the people who bring the type of joy that I was talking about to the world.  As followers of THE WAY, we must bring hope to the world who desperately needs it.

Driving Somewhere

(Highlight From Ethiopia Day 3)

Day 3 was travel day. All that I could ask was, “are we there yet?” It is hard to keep the end result of where you are going when conditions are far from ideal. When you know that you are about to travel a total of 20 hours on the road and only 6 of it is paved, you start to think negatively. The good news was that we traveled in 3 land cruisers. Our drivers were such good troopers. In Ethiopia when you rent a car, it comes with a driver. That means they do not share the driving responsibilities. So in my opinion, they did a phenomenal job.

OK… Time to backtrack a bit. The driving in Ethiopia is like New York times a thousand. I am telling you, it is what we like to call white knuckle rides. You know what I mean? Do you know of someone that when you ride with them, you come close to losing your lives? That is what the driving is like in Ethiopia. Those people do what they want on the road. Oh, you have road rage? Good luck driving there. There were a few times that I thought that we were going bowling, and I am not talking about bowling at the local main event. I am talking about bowling for people. There are no stop lights, no stop signs, just people who miraculously get from point a to point b. Needless to say, I came close to wetting my pants a few times. SCARY.

Our drivers really did a great job. Riding on dirt roads for 14 hours is like playing 3 football games in 3 days. It took a toll on our body. Within the first few hours I actually got sick. Vomit EVERYWHERE. It was not pretty, but when I lost it I felt so much better. It was a great time to bond with our teammates and a time to really dwell on what God was doing in my life. He showed me a lot of things. One of the things that he reminded me of was that he was always with me. He tells us in Matthew 28:20 that, “… and surely I will be with you always.” Another thing that he reminded me was that we will be uncomfortable throughout our lives. A passage that I kept reading over and over was Isaiah 41:10 which says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” I had to keep reading that because I am a human, and I kept getting discouraged by something that was so minute. After all, God never said that our walk with him would be easy. We have to be uncomfortable at times in our lives to grow in our relationship with Jesus. So, How is your walk?

I once heard Perry Noble talk about a mentor of his in his life challenge him with a question that was, “If you could attempt something for God and you knew that you could not fail, what would it be?” And then, he said you are a coward if you don’t. I knew that we were going to be uncomfortable for a while, but serving God’s people who were in great need was our end result. I knew that negativity needed to go somewhere else. So I decided that from then on that I would have the heart of a servant. I stopped complaining.

I want to leave you with this: “If you could attempt something for God and you knew that you could not fail, what would it be?” Answer the question. Write it in the comments section and allow me to pray for you!

Here is what our Land Cruisers looked like:

I’m Seeing Things

(Highlight From Ethiopia Day 2)

Often we think that we have seen it all… right?  Our attitude seems to suggest that nothing can shake us.  Not even a hint of poverty, malnutrition, or anything to do with orphans and widows.  These last couple of months have been such a challenge to me.  I am currently taking a course at Truett Seminary called Urban Mission Issues.  I am here to tell you that my emotions and values have been shaken to the core.  The funny thing is, we have only been discussing these issues.  Some of the questions that have been asked were:  How do you attend to the poor?  What are you doing right now to take care of the poor?  What does it look like for you to look after orphans?  Those are just a few.

Over the past 10 days or so, my travel to Ethiopia challenged everything.  I started to see people the way God sees them.  My prayer all along was that God would break my heart for what breaks His.  After all, I am pretty content in my life.  You too?  We live in a bubble.  NEWS FLASH:  the rest of the world does not.  Just when I thought that I have experienced global issues such as poverty and malnutrition, I HAVE NOT, that is until my trip.  Since my time back in the United States, I’M SEEING THINGS.  I can not shake some of the images I saw in Ethiopia out of my head.  Here are a few photos that I took in Addis during our second day there:

This is the view from the window of our hotel that we stayed at a few nights in Addis.

This is another view from our hotel in Addis.

Homeless people were everywhere, even sleeping on the medians during the middle of the day.

These people have no where to go, and nothing to do.

One of my favorite worship songs is “Hosanna” by Hillsong United.  This is an unbelievable song.    Here is what I believe:

I see a generation
Rising up to take the place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We’re on our knees, we’re on our knees

Watch this video and ask God to break your heart for what breaks His. The meaning of HOSANNA is GOD, PLEASE SAVE. Make that your prayer EVERYDAY!

Our God Is Greater

Ethiopia Day One

What an incredible day it has been. Of course the environment and culture here is totally different than being at home. We had quite the adventure at the airport upon our arrival. Rex who is a videographer with the BGCT is with us and we had problems getting his video equipment through customs. After an hour wait or so he ended up leaving it in their possession. Hopefully he will be able to get it first thing in the morning. We have to file a lot of paperwork and pay deposits to get it out.

My favorite part of the day was getting to worship with the Evangelical Ethiopian Church here in Addis. Sometimes it gets to where church can be boring an redundant. Being here with people who speak a different language was unbelievable. I was reminded that the same God we worship at home is the very same God that these people worship here. I left so encouraged because they are so enthusiastic in worship and you can’t help but join in on what God is doing. It is obvious that this country has way less than we do, but yet it seemed as if they perhaps have a bigger faith in Jesus than we do. Their worship was so exciting and their expressions were exuberant! They truly understand what it means to follow God in a way that is pleasing to him despite the lack of resources that we have. I am serious when I ask: how is your walk with God? What does your worship look like on a daily basis?

We literally just got in from walking in the streets looking for a coffee place. It is unbelievably dark in the roads due to the lack of street lighting. There are people walking everywhere an a huge percentage of homeless people (my heart is broken). Some would call us crazy for even doing that, but yet it brought tears to my heart to be among the poverty here. The streets are in horrible condition, and not to mention the sidewalks that have pot holes everywhere. This was just a small glimpse of what we will see when we travel down to the border tomorrow to the Dollo Ado Refugee Camps.

Hopefully we will have a charter flight down south tomorrow to get us there, or it could be a long 20 hour drive.

Overall, I got an incredible feeling that God is BIGGER than anything that we could ever fathom, and I am grateful to be a part of HIS story!

Please continue to pray for our safety as we travel and encounter new people, and pray that we may bring God’s hope and grace to these people!

Christ is ALL!

East Africa aid flow not fast enough

Additional Information About My Trip To Ethiopia

Thanks for your support for our Ethiopia/Somali Hunger Relief project. On the 1st of October a team of 11 folks from several of our TEAM churches will be going with Getahun and me down to the UN Refugee camps on the Somali border. We have secured permission from the UN officials and will be taking about $35,000 worth of food to help over half a million refugees who have fled the drought in Somali and Southern Ethiopia. Families are arriving daily at the camps in a state of severe starvation. Many children are dying because for them it is too late. We want to make a difference. We are taking several hundred birthing kits and hundreds pairs of reading classes. The team will be fitting reading glasses for the hundreds of refugees who help administer and distribute assistance in the camps. We want to be the presence of Jesus and provide a strong witness for the gospel in midst of a predominately Muslim people. Our Ethiopian pastors will take the lead in all that we do. Several of our TEAM churches have send funds to help with this project. I will send everyone a report once we return. Thanks again for your church’s support and prayers for this project. Any additional support funds or offerings can still be sent to TEAM Network, 1908 Mesquite, TX 75149.

Written by Jim Palmer / Missionary in Ethiopia

Dolo Ado Refugee Camp

The Dolo Ado refugee camp in southern Ethiopia has been overwhelmed in recent weeks by Somalis fleeing a devastating drought. As famine is declared in two regions of Somalia, AFPTV hears first-hand about the region thousands have left behind.

Somalia Famine

As I am getting ready to head to Ethiopia to work with the Somali Refugees I am trying to prepare my heart and mind for this encounter. I am so encouraged to work with people who need help, and at the same time I am so nervous because my heart breaks at pictures like these! Pray with me!

Who is God telling you to share His love with? Do Something Now!