Ethiopia 2010 Slideshow

Here is a slideshow of our recent trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  We partnered with the Ethiopia ACT (AIDS Care & Treatment) Project.  Hope you enjoy seeing a glimpse of what God did while we were there!

If you’re interested in hearing more of the music from our church, visit www.citylifemusic.com.

Ethiopia 2010 Update – 10/25/10

Dear friends and family,
Our team has arrived safely back in the US!  We finally arrived back in Boston yesterday at around 2pm.  We are all healthy and each of us have a plethora of stories to be able to share with all of you.  Thank you again for your support in both finances and in prayer.  We could not have been able to make this trip without your support.  In addition, thank you all for your prayers.  In the times when we were going through difficulties as a team or individually, your prayers were invaluable to our ministry in Ethiopia.

 

 

 

 

 

As we continue to process and reflect on our trip, I wanted to encourage you all with one truth that hit me the hardest.  Going into this trip, I thought that we would have to do a lot of hard work in being mindful of the culture, language, and other issues for the sake of connecting with the Ethiopian beneficiaries.  Although all those things are important and all attempts should be made to do the hard work of researching and learning about the culture and language, the gospel of Jesus Christ transcends history, time, culture, language.  We experienced that if we were simply trying to preach the truth of the gospel, God would work through that posture (of course, we needed translators with us all the time!).  For me, this truth was something that I knew on a cognitive level, but being in a whole other country for 2 weeks, I saw that the gospel is the power of God for salvation for all people.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you again for your support and for partnering with us in ministry!
Tim
Ethiopia 2010

Ethiopia 2010 Update – 10/19/10

Dear Friends and Family,
We are in the midst of our 2nd week here in Addis Ababa, and there is so much to share about what is going that these updates do not dojustice to all that we have been experiencing.  We are looking forward to sharing more of these stories with you when we return and to sharethe amazing work that God is doing here in Ethiopia.
Overall our team is doing well both physically and spiritually.  God has been gracious in that we’re getting restful sleep, plenty of good food to eat, and spiritual encouragement everyday.  Our times here are filled with meeting patients (for Christine), visiting beneficiaries in their homes (all 3 of us), leading youth programs (Joanna and Tim), leading Bible studies (Tim).

I’ll share a quick story as I need to get going to our next activity. Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting one of the project’s beneficiaries and he probably had the deepest understanding of the gospel of all the people whom I’ve met so far.  Most folks have been heavily influenced by the teaching from the Orthodox church here, which preaches a message of works righteousness, i.e. as long as I do good thing in life, then I will be going to heaven and find favor with God while I live on earth now.

This man, however, knew the depth of his sin and the consequences of it, but clinging onto the hope that comes from the gospel and that issomething that he and his family clings to each day.  His family faces much pressure from the community since being HIV+ is a social stigmain Ethiopia.  If the people in his community find out that he and his family members are HIV+, they will immediately kick them out as they are renting their property.  I was able to encourage him, by reminding him of how if we truly are in Christ, then we are a new creation and that when God looks at us, he does not see our deficiencies or our HIV status, or anything else, but he sees Jesus in our place.  You could tell that his heart was being moved as he was reminded of this gospel truth.

We usually ask people at the end of our visits with them if they have any specific prayer requests, and this man did not mention the typicalrequests that people make (e.g. health, family, living situation, etc), although all of those matters are important and should not be dismissed.  Rather, this man requested that we pray for the members of his neighborhood that they might know Jesus Christ.  That was his only prayer request and he was completely genuine with that request.  I was floored when he said that.  This is a man facing daily pressure from his community, health issues, having to provide for his children and family, and the one thing that he requests prayer for is the salvation of those who do not know Christ.  Friends, God is doing something significant here in Ethiopia and this man gave me a picture that there is hope and that the gospel is indeed true and real.

Thank you for your prayers!  We’re hoping to send at least one more update prior to us leaving here Friday night.  Thank you for your patience in hearing from us.  Our days are quite full and it is difficult to get on a computer depending where we are stationed for a particular day.  We appreciate your understanding.

Tim
Ethiopia Team 2010

Ethiopia 2010 Update – 10/15/10

Dear friends,

We’re writing from Kolfe, one of the communities of Addis.  We have been doing well and enjoying all the various activities which have been filled with home visits, clinics, support groups, and children’s groups.  Everyone has been very hospitable and welcoming.  We have been able to meet many of the beneficiaries of the HIV/AIDS Project, and are seeing God’s work all over the city.  Everyday has been new, and a learning experience for all of us.  Joanna and I had a couple days of not feeling so well, but our recovery has been quick, so we praise God for that!  I can’t believe its already been a week, but am excited to see what more God has in store for us.

 

 

 

 

 

Please pray for our interactions with the SIM staff and beneficiaries, that we would continue to live in a posture of humility and love.  We have been able to share the gospel with many, so pray that seeds will be planted, and that people’s faith will be encouraged and strengthened.  Pray that we will continue to be bold in our words and actions, and that they will reflect the love of Christ.  Also, please to pray for our continued health and safety. (One more thing, pray that my PPD doesn’t convert!)
Thanks for all your prayers and support!  We’ll continue to update as possible.
Christine, Tim, and Joanna

Ethiopia 2010 Update – 10/12/10

Dear friends and family,

We are all well here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!  We arrived here safely Sunday evening and everything has been going very smoothly since our arrival at the airport.  Customs was surprisingly very smooth with no questions from any officials, and from that point on, we’ve been busy with supporting the staff here at the project.

 

 

 

 

 

Our first day consisted of various home visits to some of the beneficiaries of the project.  Joanna and Tim went together and met several individuals whose life stories ranged from parents who are tirelessly supporting themselves and their children, to single mothers whose fathers have abandoned the family completely.  Christine has been going on home visits as well with one of the staff nurses and checking on the health of beneficiaries in their homes as well as meeting others in the project’s clinic.

 

 

 

 

 

We’re also going to have an opportunity to spend time with the many children’s programs that the project facilitates.  In addition to these programs, we’ll also be present for the community Bible studies that beneficiaries are encouraged to attend, Christine will be giving a few health education seminars, and we’ll also provide spiritual counseling at the support group meetings.

It has been a great experience overall to see how God is working in a completely different part of world and thus expanding out global vision for missions.  It is so encouraging to see some of the beneficiaries who are extremely sick and yet they are able to say, “Praise God”.  The gospel is at work here in Ethiopia and we are so privileged to be a part of it, and know that all of you are a part of what is happening here as well.

Continue to pray for us that the gospel would give us the confidence to speak and encourage freely.  Also, most of us are starting to feel the jet lag today, so prayer that despite our health condition that our ministry and posture to the community here would not waver.

Thank you all and we’ll be in touch again soon.

Tim
Ethiopia Team 2010

Ethiopia Medical Missions Supply Drive!

Please support our team by donating much needed supplies. These supplies will be used in aiding the sick and needy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We will be accepting donations in the box at the Welcome Table after every service on 9/19, 9/26, and 10/3. We are requesting donations of the following items: Over the counter medications: Adult multi-vitamins w/ minerals Artificial tears Ibuprofen Ibuprofen syrup Liquid vitamins for infants Kids chewable multi-vitamins w/ minerals Lice shampoo w/ combs Ranitidine OTC Wart remover Other items Vaseline in small tubes Dandruff shampoo Toothpaste Dispensing bottles for liquid meds Hand sanitizer All donations would be greatly appreciated.

Support our team

Each team member is trying to raise $3,000 to cover the costs of this medical missions trip. There are 2 options to financially contribute to our team: [1] Mail a check Make checks payable to: Citylife Church In the memo line write: Ethiopia 2010 – (team member name) Note: if you would like your funds to go towards the entire team, then simply put “Ethiopia 2010″ in the memo line. Mail to: Citylife Church 10 Milk Street Suite 230 Boston, MA 02108 [2] Donate via Paypal Make a contribution using your bank account, Paypal account, or credit/debit card by clicking on the “Donate” button below. To apply your donation to a specific team member, please list their name in the checkout process. You may enter their name in the field labelled: “Specify team member here:“ (Note: this will be found on the page where you review your donation)