The Grandma from Gamo

The Ethiopian Village of Gamo

She lived in Ethiopia in the small village of Gamo.  Raised on a healthy diet of fear and superstition she understood the world as a dangerous and terrifying place.  Small mistakes were unforgivable and could lead to death.  She couldn’t even depend on the protection of a man: all five of the men she had been married were snatched away by illness, war or abandonment. 

One day a missionary came to tell her village to share about Christ, no one wanted to hear the message, but her heart was touched and transformed by God.  As time passed, the Chief of the village accepted Christ as well. 

Pastor Ermias Meduria Mekuria, his wife Muiu Meseret and their 3 sons Nathnael, Estifanos and Abeselom

Ermias sat at his grandmother’s feet as she told the stories of Abram, Isaac, Jacob, the Old Testament prophets and Jesus.  As he grew into a young man, God began to lead in his life and he answered the call to preach the gospel of Christ.  Because of his grandma, he now serves as the Field Strategy Coordinator for the Church of the Nazarene in the Horn of Africa.     

In 1992, Nazarene Missionaries moved to the Horn of Africa intending on ministering to marginalized refugees.  The mission was God lead, but the task seemed insurmountable, the field had a total of 150 million people, speaking 700 different languages and 70% were Muslim.  After 6 years of ministry, prayer, labor there were 4 small house churches to show for their efforts, but in the shadows and behind closed doors new converts were planting the seeds of faith in the lives of others.  God made those seeds grow.  Ten years later there were 100 Churches and today, there are 37 Nazarene districts with over 2,000 churches and more than 122,000 worship attendees.

Mission Immersion Team praying for the Mekuria family

But, the work is not done.  The challenge is great.  As a church we must pray; pray for the pastors, for in the last ten years, twenty have been martyred for their faith. Pray for the believers, that God will cast out all fears and give them a courageous passion to serve. And pray for those who are ministering in three creative access areas in the Horn of Africa that God would use them to plant seeds in the lives of people that no one else may ever be able to reach. 

The work is great, but God is greater and we give him all the praise for how He is working around the world in Nazarene Missions!

  

Beauty and Blessings

As I walked across ANU's (Africa Nazarene University) Campus this morning I was overwhelmed by the beauty.  Out my window lie acres of reserve land.  My friend Liz and I are waiting in anticipation for a zebra to cross our paths.  Up and down the path from our housing to the cafeteria thousands of varieties of flowers and trees took my breath away.  I can't think of a better way to start a Sabbath day.  There was nothing to do, but praise God!  And little did I know that he had so much more in store.

Pastor Dany Gomis sat a small round table alone eating his breakfast of fresh sliced bacon, sausage and eggs infused with peppers and onions. With a short introduction he invited me to sit. The minutes passed into hours as we discussed our backgrounds, families and purposes for being in Nairobi. Dany serves on the board of trusties for ANU and is the Pastor of the Baobab Church of the Nazarene in Senegal, Dakar, West Africa. God is blessing his ministry in many ways despite his biggest roadblock: 90% of the country of Dakar are Muslims.

As a young man Dany began to search for God. That is when Dany "met the Lord" and became a Christian. As he explained his journey I was reminded of how amazingly blessed I am to have been taught from a young age about the one true God and His love for us. Dany said, "I have a great relationship with my family and I have to realize that it takes time (for my family to come to Christ)." Ten years after Dany was saved, his mother, too, came to know the Lord.

In the end I asked how we could pray for him, he said:

• Pray for the Recording studio that we are getting ready launch. This will be another great way to reach the Muslim community. 
• Because there is a huge threat with asking people to come to church, we instead have houses of prayer set up around the country. Pray that these groups will continue to grow and God will work through them.

Thank you all for your prayers love and support. I know that God will do great things through the nations as we connect and work as a body of Christ to Expand God's Kingdom!

Mission Immersion

Right now Rachel is on her way to Nairobi, Kenya for Mission Immersion on the campus of Africa Nazarene University.  What is Mission Immersion? See the description below from the Nazarene website.

This gathering is for high school students who have a definite call to serve as a missionary someday in a culture other than their own.

We will have incredible times of prayer, teaching and learning during the 12 day event. Plenary sessions and workshops will offer biblical wisdom and personal narratives of how God leads his servants. Times of worship with ANU students will be rich in the presence of the Holy Spirit. God will lead as we experience hands-on times of ministry and service to the community around ANU and Nairobi.

While in Kenya, Rachel will help lead the project, helping young people explore what it means to be a missionary and how God is leading them now.  Keep tuned here for updates from Rachel; like the Mission Immersion Facebook page for updates on the project in general; and pray that God will move in amazing ways, shaping the participants and changing those to whom they minister.