God is truly amazing and has been doing some great and mighty things in the villages of Ethiopia! In one of the homes we were in the middle of sharing the Evangecube when a man walked in and sat down and was intently listening to us as we finished sharing the gospel. When it came time to choose if they wanted Jesus Christ to be Lord of their lives, this man did not accept, but many others in the home did. After we had prayed the prayer of Salvation and given them some tools they could use to continue their walk with the Lord, we said our goodbyes and left the home.
Marela had asked if we could stop for a lunch break and our guide and translator picked out a spot that was in the center of a field that was surrounded by tall grass. The man who had walked in at the end of the Evangecube, along with a couple other people had followed us from the home, and into the field. The group was a few feet away from us and they were having what looked like a very intense conversation. Marela and I decided that it was not a good time for us to eat lunch and instead decided to go over and join them. As we joined them, the conversation continued in their native language of Aromo. We just smiled at them as they continued talking, but then I saw that in the tall grass surrounding the field there were people standing there looking at us from a distance.
Eventually, a few people at a time got the courage to come to where we were sitting in the middle of the field and a crowd formed. The man from the previous house was the main one speaking and occasionally other people would call out and our translator would respond. Our translator then turned to us and said, “They have some questions for you. They want to know, what happens to a baby when he/she dies. Do they go to heaven or are they sent to the fire? And when Adam took a bite of the forbidden apple, did that put a generational curse on man?” Marela and I looked at each other for a moment, these were two important and heavy questions. I began to answer the questions and looked to Marela to ask her if she agreed with the answers and she proceeded to add her thoughts as well. I then looked at the translator and said, “that is our answer.” He then turned to the crowd and translated what we had said, and a few minutes later he turned to us and said, “I will now pray for them!”
Those who had been sitting, stood to their feet joining those who had already been standing. They all held their hands in front of them facing upwards with heads bent and eyes closed, saying the occasional “Amen” as our translator prayed for them. Although I could not understand what our translator was praying, it was the most powerful prayer I had ever heard! After the prayer was finished, we moved on to the next home and some of the crowd from the field followed us. Including the man from the first home, who had asked the two questions.
When we got to the next home we started our Priceless cube and continued on to the Evangecube and this man was intently listening to every word. When it came time to make a decision to follow Christ, he was the first to say, “YES, I choose Jesus Christ, I choose eternal life!” It was the most amazing thing to see! If Marela had not asked for a lunch break at the time she did, his questions would not have been heard or answered. He would not have continued to follow us nor would he have been able to make that decision to follow Christ!
God was so apparent in that whole situation, He had gone before us and perfectly orchestrated every single detail! We serve a mighty mighty God, who is constantly at work in the lives of each and every one of His children at all times! I am so grateful and honored that I was able to be a small part in His bigger plan!
ethiopia missions 