Ethiopia Update – September 2024

1.God Can Use Anyone Who is Available 

God does not discriminate based on physical abilities, and He can work through anyone who is willing to follow His call and serve others. With the right support and encouragement, physically challenged individuals can be powerful agents of change and inspiration in the church and beyond. Ultimately, God can use anyone, regardless of their physical limitations, to fulfill His purposes and bring glory to His name.

A 34 years old Shamble Abdo is among those who got baptized in our mass baptism event that was held in June/2024 in Bishoftu/Deberezet, Ethiopia.  He was from the small village called Golbo – Gobessa in Adama district and he is not be able to walk since birth due to an unidentified reason. He uses crutches to help him to walk. 

Shamble was so excited when got baptized

God is using him amazingly to lead many to Christ in his village and its surroundings. Currently, he is leading a home church in his parents’ compound. 

Shamble is a live witness who testifies that God can use physically challenged people and spread His message across many villages in his region. He has brought a great transformation in the belief system of many communities that people with disabilities have unique gifts and talents that can be used to serve God and build up His church. 

2.Addressing the Needs of the Community Opens the Door of Evangelism. 

Addressing the needs of the community is an essential aspect of evangelism because it demonstrates love and care for others in a tangible way. When people see that Believers are actively involved in meeting the needs of the community, it can create opportunities for sharing the message of the Gospel.

By serving others and showing compassion, Believers can build relationships with those in the community and earn their trust. This opens the door for conversations about faith and allows for the sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Shuferu Badada is one of our leaders and serving in the location called Dibibisa – Wachulafa around Adama area. He is one of our trainees and practitioner in our approach of Evangelism called CHE / Community Health Evangelism/ emphasizing building relationships and empowering local leaders to address their community’s needs. 

By working alongside community members to address health and agricultural challenges, CHE practitioners can earn the trust and respect of the community, making it easier to share the Gospel message in a culturally relevant and respectful manner.

The Church members are helping the community in. their farmland

Likewise, Pastor Shuferu mobilizes his church members and helping the Boti -Tedecha community in their farming in the work of clearing of weeds from their farm. As they were doing that; they were sharing the Gospel with them. 

People are responding to the message of the Gospel and accepted the Lord

As a result of that, 47 people accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior just in this month and planted a new local church. Glory to be God!

3.Praise and Prayer items

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

• Praise God for His salvation and drawing many people to Him in our region.
• Praise God for our leaders who are committed to God and spread the Gospel in so many ways.
• Continue to pray for our newly planted churches in various villages in our region; and that God would cause them to grow spiritually and be equipped for the work of the Kingdom. 
• Pray for our farmers and for their farm that God would bless the works of their hands and their farm so that they may get good harvest from their farm.

Samson Weldemariam /Pst/

 Africa & Ethiopia director of U4A