February 2025; God’s Love in Different Places

by Evan W,

It’s officically day 3 in Ethiopia! I’ve had an amazing time so far, and am enjoying the blessings of going out and sharing the Gospel, meeting new people, and experiencing a culture so different than that that I’m used to. I’ve seen God’s hand in every single moment of my time here; but yesterday I saw God work in ways I had never before seen or imagined! 

Yesterday was a field day, meaning one of the days where we go out in teams and spread the Gospel to families in villages. A team usually consists of: two Americans who share the good news, a translator who translates the message, and a guide/disciple maker, who leads the rest of the team to the houses where the Gospel message is to be shared, often coming back later to commune with the families that accept Christ.

After establishing my team of Jesse (my teammate), Isaac (our translator), and Sambol, I believe (our guide, whose name I think I spelt wrong), we set off and quickly came across a home in which a woman was crying.. When asked why she was crying, Isaac explained that she had been having issues in a very rocky relationship with her husband, who was also in the room. The owner of the house, a person of peace, had invited his struggling neighbors to hear the good news of the Gospel, hoping it would change their lives and mend their relationship. While me and Jesse introduced ourselves, the husband and wife did not even acknowledge each other at all. Sensing the tension between them, Isaac told me, “Present the Gospel briefly, as they are mad at each other.” 

Summarizing the Gospel message as much as I could without leaving any crucial information out, I watched as their faces changed and their glares softened; the wife stopped crying and the husband began smiling. Shortly after, they both accepted Christ and gave each other a reluctant hug. As I left the home, I saw them walk away smiling and laughing, and it was actually just so cool to see God mend their relationship in real time! 

Upon entering the second house, I was greeted with the kindest woman offering me sugarcane, mango, limes, and the purest hospitality for my team of random people the family had never met before. After sharing the Gospel, where two in the house came to Christ, the daughter of the household ran over a mile to bring us snacks and a bag we had left at our house; I knew God’s hand was over them purely because of their overwhelming care and hospitality.

Later, probably only a half hour later, we finished early, and had only preached at two houses; typically we do five, and I was really disappointed, wondering why the other families weren’t home waiting to hear the Gospel, and why God had allowed that. As I was wondering this, serting my backpack down at the church we were resting at, I saw a bunch of kids staring and giggling at me. As I raised my hand to say hi, they immediately ran straight to me and gave me probably the biggest hug ever. 

I knew right away how God wanted me to spend the rest of my previously useless four extra hours; loving the kids and having fun with them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much joy and love in one place. Their hugs showed me that they were simply happy for my presence; I hadn’t even greeted them yet, and yet they were ready and waiting to love and welcome me. We spent the next four hours laughing, playing games, singing, hugging one another, and just enjoying each other’s company. 

Thinking back on my time with everyone I had met, I realized something extremely beautiful. The pure love, joy, and kindness of those we encountered really reminded me of what God has waiting for us in Heaven; if there can be this much joy, love, peace, and laughter on a broken and sinful earth, I can’t wait for what God has in store for us once we leave it.