It is seemingly beautiful when communities collide. When people are connected from various parts of the world to learn, encourage and inspire one another.
Below is a post from Sarah Ulrich a former member of the Cedar Ridge Christian Church youth group. Sarah and six other students traveled to Nazaret, Ethiopia in the summer of 2009, yet their passion to serve and stay connected to this community and the people they met has only grown with time. Read below to see an inspirational group of youth banding together to serve the world around them in unique ways.
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“Our youth group at Cedar Ridge Christian Church (CRRC) in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma has been supporting a church in Nazaret, Ethiopia through Life In Abundance International (www.liaint.org). We have come up with many ways to partner and advocate for what God is doing there. One of our most beneficial events that happened recently was our “Impact Africa Luncheon”. There was much hard work that went into organizing this event, but the teamwork and passion behind the cause made it an absolute success. The students of our youth group each had different tasks for the luncheon; some serving food, some selling t-shirts and even some playing music. Not only was this a great fundraiser but we all had a blast working together and making every situation a fun one.
It would be one thing to say that we just raised money for a church in one community in Ethiopia, but it’s definitely another thing when I say we have incredible students in our youth group who are passionate about helping people half way across the world. When talking with a few members of our youth group, I could see this passion through every word spoken.
“I just feel so joyful and happy when I hear Kyle (our youth minister) say how much money we’ve raised and where it’s going to,” said one of the students that attends the CRCC youth group.
“I’m so eager to get out there and make a difference in another country.” Another student said, “I put so much energy into it because I love that feeling when you know you’re helping someone out. It really puts things into perspective.”
Over the past couple of years, our youth group has raised $37,000 for our church partner in Ethiopia through several different fundraisers. This money has been used to glorify God through LIA. God has given us our money and talents and I speak for the whole youth group when I say we wouldn’t want to spend them on anything other than what we’re doing in Ethiopia.”
Check out our get involved page or email us at info@liaint.org to hear about ways you and your local community can get involved with our ministry!
FACT: It is estimated that over 150,000 children live on the streets in Ethiopia.
It can be a humbling moment when realities clash. When you realize that how you have come to understand the world around you may be very different than others. When you see elements of, and comforts in your daily life that are taken for granted, until you realize your projected “norms” are far from even conceptualizing for others.
This is what struck me most while driving through the streets of Nazaret, Ethiopia at dusk.
In this peri-urban community, the prevalence of street children is more than apparent. Pitched tents serving as makeshift dwellings lined the walls of buildings. Clusters of youthful people claiming various areas of the ground as theirs for the evening. As the sun was rapidly setting, the neighborhood was quickly being constructed, growing in numbers, and taking on a different make up than that of the night before. There were some people that seemed to have been embedded in this street community for awhile, greeting those as they walked by, whereas others, after claiming their spot, shut off from the world in their tattered shelter.
FACT: Ethiopia has the largest population of orphans in the world: 13% of children throughout the country are missing one or both parents. This represents an estimated 4.6 million children (UNICEF)
It was as if he appeared out of nowhere.
On this particular day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia we were visiting Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, checking out their school stationed on the grounds with grades ranging from 1st-7th. After spending some time in each of the classrooms, we started our way back to our van to continue on our journey, proceeding to check out the other initiatives of the local church.
With 344 screaming children, frantically and joyously yelling and waving goodbye, I almost didn’t see little Beto and his brother that were walking beside us.
Timid in nature, Beto was a third grader at the school. Dressed in that bright yellow jacket, his initial acknowledgment to us all was only the sly smirk that would emerge whenever you sought to ask him a question.
Beto quietly informed us that we were actually on our way to visit his house, the details and reasoning behind our venture however remained a mystery.
August 7th marked the 10th year anniversary of LIA-Ethiopia!
It is with great joy that we are able to announce this milestone regarding the work in Ethiopia. We are especially grateful for Dr. Yared Mekonnen, LIA-Ethiopia Country Director, and the entire Ethiopia team as they have faithfully served and sacrificed to ensure the success of the ministry in this country. They have remained steadfast in the direction of the Lord and have allowed God to work through the ministry, impacting the “least of these” in the communities throughout Ethiopia over the years.
We ask that you would join us in a prayer of thanksgiving for the growth of LIA-Ethiopia over these last 10 years.
For we have seen economic empowerment in low to no income families.
We have seen street children rise up against the odds creating a sustainable life for themselves off of the streets.
We have seen water and sanitation initiatives improve the quality of life for many households.
We have seen the orphans and widows within the community cared for and loved.
We have seen the church rise up and refuse to stand for the injustices of poverty that plague Ethiopia.
Through God’s mighty direction, we are praying for continued growth and development in the churches and communities we serve in Ethiopia. We ask that you would join us as we continue to pray for the LIA staff, church partners, volunteers, and the people in the communities in Jimma, Addis Ababa, Merkato, Nazaret, and Debre Birhan Ethiopia.
God is moving in Ethiopia and we are so grateful to share just a glimpse of His work with you!
FACT: 5 million die every year from water related diseases
“Today’s water crisis is not an issue of scarcity, but of access. More people in the world own a cell phone than have access to a toilet. And as cities and slums grow at increasing rates, the situation worsens. Everyday, lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills thousands, leaving others with reduced quality of life” (Water.org).
In Ethiopia it is estimated that only 42% of the population has access to a safe water supply and only 11% of the population has access to proper sanitation facilities.
Wandering the busy streets of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia and home to over 3.4 million people, the lack of water and sanitation facilities becomes clearer the closer you look. Peering out the window of our van while driving through Addis, the need of such commodity almost becomes masked by the comings and goings of the people.
Colorful roadside stores, roaming livestock, traffic ridden streets, and trucks filled with youthful dancing men, blasting music to promote their party of choice for the upcoming election, all served as a chaotic yet captivating portrayal of life and community in its most organic yet beautiful form. This first glance however seems to hide the deeper issues that plague this energetic environment. It isn’t until I wandered down the alleys and side streets, and visited the clusters of households that I began to understand what a community lacking a basic necessity of water and sanitation facilities actually looks like.
A startling number of children roam the streets of Nazaret, Ethiopia, unattended.
Upon closer inspection these children are more than unattended, they are members of a street life community whose dwelling place is that of pitched tents that line the walls of city buildings. This sub-culture is currently estimated at approximately 6,000 children. In order to get by, many children join with others that have experienced the same crushed dreams. These children are thrown into a daily cycle that can be characterized by physical and sexual harassment, exploitation, drugs, and overwhelming feelings of hopelessness.
These children come into the city because their families leave rural communities to make a better life for themselves at the promise of a booming job market. Upon entering the city many find that their glorified image of urban life holds a grim reality.
Today, we ask you to join us in praying for the orphans and vulnerable children in Nazaret and our initiatives specifically targeting children in this community, which will soon commence.
Please pray that through our street children rehabilitation and preventative care the local church will be able to care for and empower children that have been separated from their family and cast aside by society. Pray also for the receptive hearts of the children who participate in our street children rehabilitation program, that they would be reminded of their worth in their transformational journey toward a God who thinks so highly of them.
FACT: It is estimated that over 85 million people live in the vast country of Ethiopia. Regarding age structure in this country, only about 3% of the population is over the age of 65. In the US, about 13% fall into the 65 and older category.
This leaves about 46% of the population ranging between the ages of 0-14, and 51% between 14-64, with a median age of 17 years old in Ethiopia. In the US the median age of the population is 35 years old.
The high rate of HIV/AIDs and the spread of other infectious diseases, in combination with minimal health services, is a major cause to the youthful demographic in Ethiopia.
The day focused on bringing the Gilbert community together to expose the diversity and rich culture that is present in this small city. The day included events such as a parade of children dressed up in the attire of their native countries, a bazaar of exotic goods, specialty international foods, as well as a stage in which people performed various dances inspired from cultures around the world.
Located in the “Explore-a-Nation” tent, LIA was represented, specifically highlighting Ethiopia. The children that stopped by were able to color a map of Ethiopia. They were also able to make bracelets using the colors from the Ethiopian flag, to serve as a reminder to share their new Ethiopian knowledge with others.
Kids that stopped by the booth were informed with basic facts about Ethiopia such as, there are 85 million people that live in this vast country, in which occupies an area about the size of California and Texas combined. They were also exposed to the harsh reality of children that end up living on the streets in communities like Merkato, Ethiopia. Some of the circumstances leading to this reality are poverty, poor employment opportunities, and the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS.
The response from this event was inspirational. Seeing both children and adults seeking out information and ways to get involved with the work of LIA was more than we could have hoped for on this day of celebration.
If you are interested in learning more about the street children in Ethiopia check out our movie trailer for “This Is My Home”, our first documentary that highlights the needs in the Merkato community, but also sheds light into the transformation made possible by the work of LIA in partnership with the local churches of this area.
When you go to an Easter service, there are many things you may expect to see. Colorful flowers decorating the church, children dressed in cute outfits, pastel colors of pink, purple and yellow and, the most important, evidence of joy in people’s faces as they remember a Risen Savior and King on this day.
This past Easter weekend I had the privilege of witnessing all these things and more at Crestwood Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. For not only did they celebrate Jesus, but they celebrated His work in the world in a powerful way.
In Crestwood’s Easter services, their mission trip team of seventeen Skyped in from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where they are currently serving with Life in Abundance. They were able to check in with their church family, give an update on their activities thus far, and even teach the church a little Amharic.
The most powerful moment for me was when they had LIA-E program manager Debele, pray for the church. What a blessing it was to witness, as it truly served as a prime example of communities joining together for the purpose of serving and glorifying our Lord. Check out the video below to hear some of Debele’s prayer for Crestwood Baptist:
Tears filled my eyes as I witnessed partnership at its best. The senders and the goers, the whole team, celebrating stories, joy, prayer, and the journey on a beautiful Easter Sunday.
Please keep this team in prayer as they continue their medical work and ministry through the local LIA partner churches in Addis Ababa this week.
For more information on how your church can partner with LIA, email us at info@liaint.org.
Crestwood Baptist Church in Louisville, KY is set to send a medical team into Ethiopia on April 2nd.
During their 10-day trip, this team of will be hosting a free medical clinic in five different LIA partner communities within Addis Ababa. The team, along with LIA staff and local churches, will also provide micro-business training and ministries for men, women and children.
This team is extremely grateful for the support and generosity of their church community. They have donated over 1000 pounds of medicine, clothes, and teaching materials. Sunday school classes from Crestwood Baptist have also donated hundreds of dollars for prescription medicines. These supplies, carried by the team on their journey, will be disseminated through the existing local church/LIA partnerships into the communities of Ethiopia where LIA serves.
The team, excited and thankful for the strong support of their church and commitment to the trip, has made plans to Skype call from Addis Ababa to Crestwood Baptist during their Easter Sunday Service.
We are looking forward to seeing what God will do through this team in partnership with our churches in Ethiopia and how this Louisville church will continue to be involved in empowering communities in Africa.
For information on how your church can get involved in empowering communities in Africa please send and email to info@liaint.org.
Also, we encourage you to please pray for other LIA teams also launching in April:
map of Ethiopia. They were also able to make bracelets using the colors from the Ethiopian flag, to serve as a reminder to share their new Ethiopian knowledge with others.
