1. The Town Halaba – From Persecution to Multiplication.

Five years ago, Rev. Dr. Okongo and the Unite 4 Africa team visited the town called Halaba, Ethiopia. During that time the churches in the town was in a severe persecution. He took a bold decision by the guidance of the Holy spirit to visit our churches there. Because, it was scary and risky for many church leaders to go and visit the churches in the town.

All the churches in the town were destroyed, many Bibles were burnt and properties of churches were totally damaged and even believers got murdered by Muslim extremists and displaced from the town. But, Okongo took that courage and went to the town together with us as local Unite 4 Africa team. He shared his life testimony and the word of God with them, encouraged them and prayed for them. God spoke to many of the church leaders and the saints through him, they got encouraged and changed their mind not to leave the town. We also supported them in many other ways to stand firm in the storm of persecution during that difficult time.

Few pictures of Damaged Churches and Burnt Bibles 5 years ago.

As the result of the life and testimony of Rev. Dr. Okongo and the continuous encouragement and support of the Unite 4 Africa team; the situation of the town has completely changed now. The number of believers got increased triple times and even our church has planted two more churches in the surrounding Muslim dominated villages. I conducted a training for more than 50 leaders in the town on how to accelerate a disciple – making movement in the region through disciple making small group.

Leaders Training on Disciple – Making movement

The motivation, boldness and their enthusiasm for the Gospel of Jesus was so impressive. We thank God for the impact of our ministry and for our local leaders who are standing firm in the storm of persecution.

2. God is Still at Work in Conflict Affected Regions in Ethiopia

Western and Eastern Wollega were areas that have been affected by conflicts in Ethiopia. Many people have been displaced and all the movements of our local leaders and ministers have been restricted by the conflicts.

Pastor Habtamu Namomsa, our regional leader, together with his team of leadership traveled to those areas and visited our churches, encouraged and ministered to the displaced churches. Their visit has brought a significant impact the lives of our leaders and churches members.

Pastor Habtamu Visited our churches

According to Pastor Habtamu he has seen that our churches have been growing even in those politically unstable regions. We thank God for His sovereign power and protection that He has shown for our leaders.

3. The Impacts of our Mission Out-Reach in Sodo Continues

Wolayita Sodo is the region where we conducted mission outreach just in November last year. We had a successful mission outreach at the time and its impact continues. Our leaders there were amazed by our ministry pattern and by the approach of Dr. Okongo. Many local and international ministries don’t do follow up after their mission week. Unlike those ministries we as Unite 4 Africa we have been keep doing the work of coaching and mentoring our leaders even after our mission out-reaches ended.

This motivates the leaders of the town to be equipped and help them to keep the movement growing and do some other continual work in the region. Pastor Chachi Eshetu is our regional leader and secretary of the pastors’ fellowship in the town. He organized a two days consultation and prayer gathering for the leaders in the region.

Consultation & Prayer meeting in Wolayita Sodo town

More than 35 key leaders attended this meeting and they prayed for their region in various prayer items. Pastor Chachi said that they organized this gathering based the direction they received from Rev. Dr. Okongo. He added that they will continue doing the same gatherings in various towns of the region to keep the movement growing.

We thank God for our leaders in Sodo for their commitment and hard work.

4. Conclusion and Requests

The following are praises and prayer request items to pray about with us: –
• Praise God for our leaders and churches in Halaba town for standing firm during the time of persecution and for their commitment to keep the movement grow.
• Praise God for the unity of SODO leaders and for their passion and commitment to transform their region.
• Pray for our Sodo leaders for the grace and strength as they are moving forward the impact of the spirit of our mission outreach in their region.
• Pray for our leaders who are in a conflict affecting regions for wisdom and protection.

Samson Weldemariam /Pst/
Africa & Ethiopia director of U4A

1. Pastors’ and Missionaries’ wives’ empowerment program

Pastors’ wives face so many challenges in their lives as they keep serving God and their families. Even though; they may not speak their burdens out; you can tell easily how they are leading their lives with full of stress and some of them are struggling with depression.

To address these issues and encourage the wives of our pastors and local missionaries; we organized a meeting just to spend time with them; share the Word of God and hear their stories. 52 women attended the meeting and God has given us great time of encouragement, restoration and healing.

Pastors’ wives meeting in Adama /Nazareth/

After the delivery of the Word of God and prayer; they had a time of discussion and sharing their challenges and stories with in the small groups. This platform has helped them to get to know each other more and even gave them the opportunity to pray for one another in the future.

We also distributed 5Litters cooking oil, 50KG wheat flour and other local food to them so that they can feed their families. They were so excited and thanked God for this event and for His provision.

The following testimony is from Mrs. Gete Korme the wife of one of our Pastors.

“… It is not easy to be a pastor’s wife. I have been passing through lots of challenges emotionally, socially, economically, physically and even spiritually. All those challenges made me to fill lonely and isolated. Most of the time I got depressed when I think of my 8-year-old autistic son. But I thank God for our local leaders for organizing this encouraging and prayer event for us. I really got encouraged and helped me to realize that there are many other pastors’ wives out there who are passing through in a lot of other challenges. They really encouraged me and established a network and a connection to continue pray one another and share more. I want this kind of meeting to be continued” (Mrs. Gete Korme)

2. Local leadership Development through “Wisdom Seeking Meeting” strategy

Every community in Africa has its own good way of cultural leadership practices. Bansa Dayye is one of the communities in Sidama region, southern part of Ethiopia. This community has a culture of seeking solutions for any challenge that they face as a community through the gathering called “Wisdom Meeting”. In the meeting the leaders of the community discuss on the critical challenges and issues of the community and come up with all the possible solutions.

U4A trains, equips, couches and empowers our local leaders and shapes such kinds of local initiatives and makes sure that to be in line with the Word of God so that it will be a good tool to transform communities.

Wisdom seeking meeting in Bansa Dayye community local church

Through this “Wisdom Seeking Meeting” we have accomplished many programs and community empowerment projects such as water well, animal, and local initiative roads and bridges constructions.

3. Discipling, Coaching and Mentoring Young Leaders

Youth are our ministry focus in order to raise new generation emerging leaders in Africa. Identifying their calling and giftings, training, coaching and mentoring them are some of the activities that we are doing in the lives of our youth.

Joseph Zeleke is one of our leaders among many other young leaders that we are currently raising. He is a key leader in the southern region of the country planting many churches and mobilizing our mission work among our pastoralist communities of Guji, Borana and other people group in the boarder of Ethiopia and Northern Kenya .

A week ago, we had a very inspiring indoor meeting in the town called Yirgachefe and train many leaders. He mobilized the region and I was amazed by him and see how God is using this young man to reach out many in that region.

I had also a very good mentoring and coaching time with him and prayed and released him for the mission work in the region. I thank God for raising many young leaders in our movement and it is a witness that our ministry is being expanded in many aspects.

4. Conclusion and Requests

The followings are praises and prayer request items to pray about with us: –
• Priase God for raising young leaders among us.
• Praise God for our movement is being expanded and growing.
• Pray for our new mission work among Pastoralist communities in the border of Ethiopia and Northern Kenya.
• Pray for our young leaders that God would continue to inspire and guide them. Pray also for protection in their lives, keep them from every evil and temptation.

Samson Weldemariam /Pst/
Africa & Ethiopia director of U4A

Introduction

Psalms 103:2 “Praise the Lord, my soul; forget not all his benefits.” God’s word tells us that we need to tell our souls to give thanks. Psalm 136:3 tells us that one of the reasons we praise God is His mercy: “Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his mercy endures forever.”

God’s word tells us that thanksgiving is a way to glorify God and reveal God’s salvation to us. Psalm 50:23 says, “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”

Thanksgiving is not only what we do when we feel it, but it is a way of life that we teach our souls based on a decision or a choice. We are so grateful to God for what He has done last year. 2022 has been a tough year for us as Unite Africa Ethiopia team in terms of direct attack and adversity from the enemy against our leaders, churches and members, but despite that, the Lord has grown the influence of our ministry significantly right around the world.

I would like to thank all of our courageous Leaders and their support teams for the great job they have all done last year and I pray that may God would give you strength and equip you for the huge plans God has ahead for you and your churches.

1. Amazing Mission Outreaches.

We have had great mission outreach events last year. And it has brought a huge impact in those cities and towns.

a. Wolayita Sodo Town

As Unite 4 Africa team we were so excited for the Mission out -reach in Wolaiyita Sodo. We, as a team and oneness, we preached the powerful Gospel of Jesus Christ and every heart heard the truth.

It was an amazing experience to see a sea of faces listening to every word. There were hundreds of thousands of people heard the Gospel and were many salvations, celebrations and healings.

We also ministered to all the leaders and ministers of the churches in Wolayita Sod and its surroundings. The ministers got equipped and encouraged to do the work of never like before. God is an awesome God!

Pastors’ conference in Wolayita Sodo town.

b. Arbaminch Town

Our Mission out-reach in Arbaminch town, Ethiopia was mind blowing. The conservative estimates were 200,000 people gathered to hear the Gospel. Many hundreds came forward for salvations and healings.

Words seem to be inadequate to describe what we have just experienced. God truly awesome, faithful and deep loving. We are so thankful for an incredible team and to serve together such an amazing God. Thank you all for your prayers and contributions in to the kingdom of God.

May God bless you abundantly for your commitments and faithfulness.

Amazing people in Arbaminch city.

2. Christmas celebration with Orphans and Vulnerable Children.

Christmas is many things for many people. Many of us view this time of year as a time of Joy and peace. However, for the past many years; our orphans’ vulnerable children had not been experiencing the joy of the holiday season for many years in past. Because; they were neglected & abandoned and there were no one with them who would have shown them love and care.

But we thank God for the opportunity that He has given us to serve these little children among us. Every year in Christmas season; we organize an event of celebration, fun time, prayer and singing. We also provide them various kinds of gifts, meals, soft drinks and candies. The children really love it and longing the event every year with great enthusiasm.

We did the same thing in this past Ethiopian Christmas holy day in our school Wonjishowa. My wife Addiskidan organized and conducted this event together with our local leaders. The joy, the smile and the laughter shown on the faces of those children was amazing and impressive.

As I said many times most of the children in our villages have never received any gift in their lives. So, when they received gift, they got shocked and became nervous. And they praised God and realized that God has given them the greatest gift ever His Son Jesus Christ to save us. I take this opportunity to thank my wife and all our partners who supported us in this program. May God bless you abundantly.

Ethiopian Christmas Celebration in Wonjishawa

3. Youth Development Training in Adama /Nazareth/ town

We as Unite 4 Africa team, our ministry is not limited in church compound only. We go out and bring an impact as God directs us and open doors to minister in every sphere of lives.

Last month one of our Master trainers Kalu organized a students’ forum & workshop in Adama/ Nazareth/ town. 469 middle & high school students from more than three private and other schools participated in this forum & workshop for one week.

The theme and focus of this forum & workshop were to help them to understand the meaning of “Excellence in Life” and “Character Development”. Kalu was so excited and thankful to God because he has got many feedbacks from Muslim and other non – believer students that their lives got challenged and their heart become more open to the Gospel.

Currently, Kalu is doing a close follow up with those students and started a discipleship journey of life with them. Praise God.

Students attending the forum and the workshop in Adama/ Nazareth/

4. Conclusion, Praise & Prayer Requests

The followings are praises and prayer request items to pray about with us: –

• Thank God for all our Leadership development and DMM Trainers who are laboring to train others in various regions of the country for their commitment and dedication to equip and train other leaders.
• Pray for our young leaders that God would continue to raise, equip and grow them to be the leaders of this young generation.
• Pray for the fruits of all our programs and projects in our ministries as Jesus Promised us to bear more fruits even lasting fruits.
• Pray for the new year plan that may God would continue guide, lead and equip us to do His will in all the nations that we working as it is heaven.

Samson Weldemariam /Pst/
Africa & Ethiopia director of U4A

1. Coaching and Encouraging our leaders.

Pastor Burussei Bedada and Ashenafi Massebo are serving in the persecuted and a very challenging area in the country. However, they endure and are steadfast in their faith and ministry regardless. I had a very good coaching and mentoring time with them. They shared with me their stories and how they are passing through in this difficult time. I have noticed that how God has given them His grace to continue ministering in their region where conflicts, persecution and threats that they are facing in their lives and families are on an almost daily basis.

I visited them recently and encouraged, coached and mentored them during the time I spent with them in our heart to heart talk and I also prayed them.

I encourage all of you to pray for those pastors and their families for God’s protection, wisdom and guidance as they are serving in the riskiest areas in the country.

Pst BurussieBedada /on the left side/ & Ashenafi Massebo / Right side picture/

2. Sample of our Organic farming

Organic farming is one of our small projects that we are teaching and introducing to our local farmers. We believe that this small initiative will grow and help our farmers to produce more harvest in their farm lands.

My wife Addis has just started this method a few months ago in our yard as a pilot project. She grows vegetables, carrots, green onion and tomato. The vegetables and the carrots grow very good and my family are enjoying it.

My kids said that the taste of the vegetables is so good and it tastes different than the vegetables we get from the market. Our goal is to expand this small initiative to other villages so that our farmers will benefit from it.

I take this opportunity to thank my wife for her hard work.

My wife Addis on her vegetable farm in our compound

3. Disciple – Making Movement /DMM/ continues

We believe that the best way to bring about lasting life transformation is through life-on-life discipling, which requires of disciple makers to go deep with each person they are discipling. The more time that is spent in close relationship with disciples, the more the DNA of Christ will be transferred. We seek to mobilize disciples who will live their lives in such a way that communities in Africa are transformed by the life of Christ and the Father is glorified.

Training & spending time with our leaders are some of the tools that we use to mobilize our leaders for the disciple – making movement. Just recently we trained about 30 of our leaders in the southern region in the town called Arbaminch. We saw the life and ministry of Jesus in this Disciple -Making effort.

It was a challenging and a life changing training. I thank you Pastor Chachi and Pastor Wondye, who are our regional coordinators in the Southern region, for their leadership and work of facilitation and organization.

Training & fellowship time in Arbaminch town.

4. Conclusion, Praise & Prayer Requests

These are praises and prayer request items to pray about with us:

• Thank God for our leaders and workers of the Kingdom who have been laboring in the persecution regions of the country.
• Pray for those pastors and their families who are ministering in the persecution areas for God’s protection, wisdom and guidance as they are serving in the riskiest and most threatening areas in the country.
• Continue to pray for our Disciple Making Movement that; God would help us to make many more true disciples who are willing to follow Jesus with love and devotion.
• Pray for our organic farming project; that God would help us to reach out to many farmers with this method to ensure the food security of our farmers.

Samson Weldemariam /Pst/
Africa & Ethiopia director of U4A

1. Donation of Motorbikes to our Leaders.

God has been giving us a great opportunity to plant many churches in various regions, towns and villages of the Ethiopia and this movement is growing very rapidly. Our leaders are very committed and doing it aggressively even by walking from 2 – 4 hours a day in various villages and ministering to our churches.

Getting public transportation has been a challenge at this time for so many reasons. Unite4Africa understands this need and has come up with this project of providing Motorbikes and Bicycles to our leaders and local missionaries.

A few weeks ago, we donated four Motorbikes to our leaders who are ministering in various regions, districts and hubs of the country.

Our leaders with their Motorbikes

Pastor Midekso is one of our hub leaders who received his Motorbike and said that he had to walk 3 hours every day to visit the flock of God and minister to his church members. He has been doing this for the last more than 10 years. But now God uses Dr. Okongo and who has visited him and he has received his Motorbike. He added that by using this Motorbike he is going to reach many villages and Muslim communities even beyond his districts. We praise God.

Pastor Midekso receives his Motorbike

2. Disciple Making movement / DMM Continues.

We thank God for our brother Pastor Paul Parker Chico the founder and leader of a ministry called TMMI (The Master’s Mission International). We had a blessed and impactful Disciple Making Movement Training/ DMM/ for two weeks traveling to various towns and cities of Ethiopia / Adama/ Nazareth/, Bishoftu / Debrezeit/, Shashemene, Hawassa & Arbaminch. More than 95 church leaders who have come from five regions and districts of the country got trained “The Master’s Plan” way of disciple making method.

This movement has been continued like a wildfire impacting many other churches across the country.

I take this opportunity to thank Pastor Paul Chico for his obedience to the Lord and for his devotion and commitment to the Kingdom of God to come to us and minister unto us.

Disciple -Making Movement Leaders

3. Our visit to Tanzania – Experience Sharing on Organic Farming

A majority of the people in many regions of the country who we are ministering to are farmers. But their land has become barren and has lost its fertility as a result of using Chemical fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides.

The price of chemical fertilizers is getting increased time to time these days and our farmers cannot afford to buy it. As a result, we came up with the idea of training & introducing to our farmers organic farming. Just a few weeks ago we went to Tanzania to get the practical training of how to produce natural fertilizers in various forms and the process of healing the land. It has been a wonderful eye-opening experience for us and has given us the knowledge and the skills that will help our farmers to ensure their food security as a family and as a community at large.

We are planning on how to share this knowledge and skills with our farmers here in Ethiopia in order to enhance their productivity. We thank God for this opportunity.

Organic Farming Training & Workshop in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

4. Conclusion, Praise & Prayer Requests

These are praises and prayer request items to pray about with us: –

• Thank God for our leaders and workers of the Kingdom who have been laboring in the harvest. Pray for the protection of God over their lives and families.
• Praise God for our new Organic Farming Project and continue praying that God would use it to transform the lives of our farmers in the region.
• Continue pray for the peace of Ethiopia.
• Continue pray for our disciple making movement that may God would help us to make many more true disciples who are willing to follow Jesus with love and devotion.

Samson Weldemariam /Pst/
Vice – president and Africa director of U4A

1. Our Underground MBB Ministry grows

Reaching out communities from other religion by the Gospel of Jesus Christ is one of our key focus ministry areas as U4A. This ministry is very sensitive and we are doing it underground. God is doing tremendous things in this Horn of Africa region by drawing many souls to Him.

In the past month I visited one of the countries in Horn of Africa region and met our leaders. I encouraged them, prayed for them and strengthen them in their faith. We thank God for the great salvation He reveals in this region.

Discipleship & Mentoring time with one of our leaders in the region.

 

2. Equipping Leaders and the Churches in Tanzania

Unite 4 Africa offers different levels of training, seminars and workshops for local leaders, church leaders of various backgrounds and for believers as well.  These training sessions empower the people to address the issues of their own families and communities.

In the past month I have got the opportunity to travel to Tanzania to speak in churches and train leaders there. The meeting was successful and many lives have transformed by the word of God. I thank God for the door of the ministry that He has opened in this country.

Ministering Churches and Leaders in Tanga City, Tanzania,

3. Visiting our Orphans in Butajira town in their Family Home

Family is the foundation on which we build our lives. Every strong foundation requires cornerstones that bear weight. Those cornerstones established in a family setup. Unite 4 Africa is working in villages and communities to provide orphans with homes and families with whom they will live and grow.

With prayer and wisdom, U4A meets with local leaders, demonstrating the value of caring for the orphans of their own community themselves by placing them within the families in their own communities. This increases accountability within the community and the precious children are redeemed from deplorable situations into the safety of a family unit. The family unit within the community creates a nurturing environment where the orphan receives a healthy diet, medication if needed, and a quality education that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

Recently my wife and I visited one of the family homes in the town called Buatajira. We have three boys in this home with their mother figure. We provided them cloths, food and other holy day gifts for Easter celebration.

Our local church in Butajira has taken all the responsibility of taking care of those boys since from their childhood. Now, they have grown in good health and reach to Grade 10th, 9th & 8th. We have observed that they are doing very well in their schooling, in their Spiritual lives and in their character. We spent good time of fellowship in their homes during our stay there; visiting & encouraging them and prayed for them. We thank God for the opportunity that He has given us to serve them.

My wife, I and the three boys in our family home in Butajira (Biniyam / Benjamin/, Chalew & Samuel)

4. Conclusion, Praise & Prayer Requests

These are praises and prayer request items to pray about with us:

• Thank God for the breakthrough that he has given to preach the Gospel, to win souls in the Horn of Africa region and to see thousands of people to respond to the Gospel from other religion background.
• Praise God for connecting partners to work together with us in many areas of the ministry.
• Pray for the new believers who live in this persecuted region.
• Pray for our ministry for the impact of our movement in the lives of our leaders to be seen in terms of multiplication and lives transformation.

Samson Weldemariam /Pst/
Vice – president and Africa director of U4A

1. Leaders Forum on “Women Ministry”

Women have been playing a significant role in various ministries in the church and in advancing the kingdom of God. But we don’t see most church leaders recognize their contribution and encourage them accordingly. There might be various reasons for the leaders in Africa to get in to this confusion. One of the reasons is believed that the cultural biases and barriers that most leaders have towards women.

In order to help our leaders to understand the place of women in the ministry; we have organized a discussion forum for our leaders in various towns and regions of the country. Just few weeks ago we did this forum in the town called Hawassa. More than 50 pastors and church leaders gathered together. I presented a discussion paper to the leaders and they also discussed on the various cultural barriers and challenges that we are facing today towards women in our communities.

We believe that such kinds of discussion forums will help our leaders to understand the role of women in the ministry and engage them in the process of transformation that we are aiming to bring within our communities.

Leaders Discussion forum in Hawassa, Ethiopia

2. Persecution cannot stop our churches to grow in Muslim dominating regions.

Pastor Mulat Seyoum our regional coordinator of Eastern Arsi & Bale District of Ethiopia visited our Churches in those Muslim dominating areas. Our churches there have been passing through lots of severe persecutions in the past several years. False accusations, imprisonment, physical & emotional abuses, damaging properties and churches and even losing lives are some of the persecutions that our Churches have been facing in the previous years.

However, according to the report of Pastor Mulat; he saw the Grace of God in their lives. They are still committed to their faith regardless and even ready to suffer more for Christ. He spent few days with them by sharing the word of God, praying for /with/ them. They were so excited and got encouraged by his visit.

Since most of them are still suffering in trauma without even they recognize it. So, Pastor Mulat is asking us to pray for them and they are in great need of frequent visit, trauma treating trainings and prayers.

Pastor Mulat with our Leaders and Church members.

3. Conclusion, Praise & Prayer Requests

These are praises and prayer request items to pray about with us: –
• Thank God for our Churches for the strength they have got from the Lord to stand firm through persecutions.
• Continue pray for those Churches that have been passing through various persecutions that May God would continue strengthen them and fulfill all their needs accordingly.
• Continue to pray for our ministry outreach in South Omo remote regions. May God would continue transform those nomadic communities holistically.

Samson Weldemariam /Pst/
Vice – president and Africa director of U4A