Shoes, Smiles & God's Love

This morning, I worshipped with the great folks of Mekensah Addis Kedan in the Mekensah / Korah area. It was great! 4 kids scrunched up next to me for the entire service. At the end, one little girl spoke to me in Amharic but quickly noticed that I didn't understand her. So, she spoke in English and said to me, "Give me a kiss." I kissed her forehead. It melted my heart! I love the kids here. After that, on behalf of HelpKorah, myself and Chris Vanallsburg were able to give out about 150 pairs of shoes. These boots will be great for the kids during rainy season. Anyway, much more to do tomorrow and the rest of the upcoming week. I'll leave here in about 6 days. Bittersweet! Anyway, check out the wonderful pix below. (Click once to zoom in or out and/or use keyboard arrows to move left / right.)

Oh Africa

So, here are some more pix from my trot out to the Ethiopian Highlands. This was my first trip outside the city and I must say, it was amazing. I chased monkeys (video to come later!), saw waterfalls, hiked for about 5 hours, ministered to people, built relationships and so much more. It was truly amazing. I just wish my wife could've been with me. Tomorrow I will attend church and HelpKorah will give out about 100 pairs of shoes. Then, I will do more home visits after that. Another big day (Sunday) tomorrow. Anyway, here are some pix. Enjoy and again, thanks to everyone who has supported me!!! Your reach has gone a million times further than even I could've expected!!! (To see the picture, click on it once. To zoom back out, click once more. To move from one pic to the next, use the arrow keys (up, down, left, right) on your keyobard.)

Serving In Addis

Well, I've been in Ethiopia for around 2 1/2 weeks now and it has been crazy busy. I've been preaching, teaching, feeding, visiting, networking, friend-making, studying, reading, dreaming big and losing weight. I've also been learning all the areas of the capital city and have been learning my way around. Anyway, here are some more shots from this past week:

More From Addis

It is super tough to find times and places to get good online access in Addis, so, I must keep this post short & sweet. Here are some more pix from around Addis (click on the pic once to view it up-close and click on it one more time to zoom back out). Much much more to come!!!

Around Addis

Here are some random shots around Addis Abeba / Ababba so far. I started teaching at the seminary last night and it was great. I'm looking forward to tonight's session. I teach 3 hrs each night of the week. Next week I will also begin teaching English, using the Gospel of Mark, at a local church. I will do that each morning for a week. Friday, I have been asked to preach at an HIV victims gathering. Saturday I may be visiting the Ethiopian prison and meeting w/some inmates. From what I hear, the prisons / jails are the worst on the earth. Kinda terrified. I will also be making home visits to HIV patients next week w/a local missionary. Anyway, there's a quick update. Many thanks again to everyone who has supported me and has a hand in making this trip possible! God is good!

From Addis With Love

Here are some shots (pix and videos) from Ethiopia. Internet is quite spotty and slow, so, it takes quite a bit of effort to get even these few things posted. Anyway, you will see here some shots from worship at Beza (Redemption) International Church at the morning English service as well as a gathering I attended with a number of missionaries. Despite what some locals might lead people to believe, there are lots of God-loving, Spirit-filled, established missionaries here (especially in the Korah area!!!), who have been doing great work for a long time. Many of them serve through CMF International and together, they have nearly 60 years of field experience in Addis alone. I hope to highlight some of these folks and their work when I get the opportunity. I have learned more from these folks in 2 days than over the last 7 months as a whole. I hope as you all get to know them, you may have a desire to come minister alongside them or to even sponsor them. Also, I begin teaching at the seminary / theological college tonight and am very excited. Anyway, I will try to post and share stuff as often as I am able. Thanks to everyone who has supported me and thanks to everyone who has a heart to serve the people of Ethiopia.