Saturday, June 21
Hello everyone,
The internet is not so reliable here but I wanted to send you some kind of an update so you would know how things are going. The Lord is working in a powerful way, and my heart is both blessed and broken daily. I attatched an email I sent to my family with a few stories from our trip so far. We ask for your prayers daily. And we know that God has done and will continue to do far greater than we could imagine.
Grace and peace,
Theresa
Hey mom, dad, and Chris,
Well it looks as though email may be a bit easier for the next week or so since it is now just the four of us. Matt’s team left Thursday so now it is just Tammi, Sarah, Leah and I for the next week. I can’t believe we only have a week of teaching left; I’m kind of not ready for that part to be over. I really love our kids.
I don’t know if you’ve been getting the updates the Walkers have been sending out or not, and I can’t possibly tell you all that has been going on so I’m just going to include some of the bigger things. First of all last week I was able to pray with a woman to accept Christ. It was so awesome. The Lord is already doing amazing things in her life. She is a widow and has three daughters that she is raising on her own. We are working on getting her connected to a local church and Tammi has made the decision to sponsor her children’s school.
On a much more sad note, the next day when we arrived at the church we teach at in the mornings, we found out that a man we had met on Sunday was in a car accidednt and died. Some of us went to the families’ houses to meet them and tell them how sorry we were. I could never have prepared myself for what we saw. People from all over the village over 100 were there mourning. They were wailing and dancing and some even sitting in silence. I could not help but be heart broken both because of the overwhelming love and sorrow. It was a beautiful picture of what our Savior must have experienced when he learned of Lazarus’ death and the sorrow he must experience over our sins. The man who died left behind a wife, a mother and three children. Please be praying for the family.
It is amazing how many stories from the Bible come to life here in Ethiopia. The Spirit of the Lord is all over this country and people are hungry for Him like I have never seen. How I wish that the people of America had this same kind of hunger. It is strange adjusting to this after being in China and having that China mindset of not being as open with your faith. This place really does remind me of China in many ways though. I am so happy that the Lord has allowed me to be a part of what he is doing here in Ethiopia. I pray that I don’t take this for granted ever.
Please continue praying for us that we will be open and obedient to the voice of the Lord. That he will prepare hearts and that we will make the most of every opportunity. Pray that our words will always be his and not our own. Pray that we come home changed.
I love you and I pray that things are great at home,
Theresa
July 4
Hello everyone!
So the hotel in Addis where we are staying has internet and it is fast! YAY!! So we will be here until Monday, and I will be able to update you this weekend on what is going on with us while here. Happy 4th of July by the way. The last few days have been good. We left Shashamene and traveled into a new town. We were going to travel into a village where many people worship idols and spirits and have witch doctors. There is a small pocket of believers there, and we were going to go meet with them to encourage them and help evangelize. We drove to the area but we could not find it. When we finally figured out where it was the bus did not have enough gas to get there and back into town so instead we went straight back to town. The time was not wasted though. We used the time to do a sort of prayer walk from the bus. We prayed for the people of the area that God would free them from this spiritual darkness and that the believers there would be strengthened and encouraged. When we got back into town we walked the streets for a while and did some prayer walking. We tried to share with one man who was a Muslim but he did not want to hear what we had to say. We know that even though he rejected it, he heard some of the truth and we know that God can do much with little. And who knows how that may take root in this man’s life.
This next story is a little more about me than anyone else, but I believe that I should share it with you so here it goes. When we were on the bus traveling to the village one of the pastors from the area came to me and we began talking. After talking for a while he told me that the day before he had a vision concerning me and that God had a message he wanted him to give to me. He said that the verse God wanted him to share with me was Genesis 15. He went on to describe the verse and how this verse would apply to my life. In this passage Abraham brings a sacrifice before God and some birds come and try to take it but he fights them off. He then falls into a deep sleep and he is surrounded by darkness. After a time the light returns and the darkness is gone from him. The man said that at a time in my life it would be like this. He said there would be a time of darkness and the “birds” would come and try and decieve and steal but not to give into them because the darkness would be followed by light. And the light would overcome the darkness. He also spoke a word about what God revealed to him about my future in regards to marriage and children. I’m not sure why God had this man share this message with me. I believe and accept that it was from God and since hearing it my joy and my zeal have been renewed.
Today we traveled from that town to Addis and tomorrow and Sunday we will lead a Sunday school teaching workshop for the leaders of some of the churches in the area. I am excited and I know God is going to do amazing things. We have also been told that on Sunday morning we will be attending a church that is made up of missionaries from the area. I am excited that we will be able to worship with others who are here to help people know about Christ. I am also excited to attend a service where I will understand what is being said. I love the Ethiopian churches but I am hungry to hear the word preached in my own language again.
I will try and write updates this weekend as we lead this workshop. Know that God is working in Ethiopia and in our lives. We are encouraged and strengthened daily in him. Please pray that God would give us wisdom as we teach these church leaders. Also pray that God would strenghten us physically. The enemy is constantly attacking our bodies, but we will not let these attacks distract from the work he has called us to. We cherish your prayers for us. We are praying for all of you at home as well. That God our Father would be blessing you and stregthening you as well. Thank you again for your prayers.
That all may hear and know His love and truth,
Theresa
July 6
Hello everyone, Thank you all for the continued prayers. This will be my last update until Thursday. The Sunday school training went well this weekend. We had about 50 leaders from area churches attend and they were great. We led three sessions in which we modeled how we would teach a Sunday school lesson. In the last session we had them brainstorm ideas for Sunday school lessons and demonstrate how they would teach. They did very well and even left us with some new ideas. They are already asking when we can come back and do more training. It was fun for us because we got to teach for two more days :) This morning we attended a church here in Addis that was started for missionaries in the area. The church members represent 40 different countries. It was good because it was in a way a taste of home. It was encouraging to hear a message spoken in English, but I must admit I missed the Ethiopian church service. After attending Ethiopian churches for a month the way we do church almost does not seem as good. Lets just say that the Ethiopians know how to worship in a way that seems so pure and untouched by the world. At any rate, the message and the church service this morning was encouraging and a blessing. Tomorrow we leave Addis and travel to Nazaret for two days and then we travel to Asela. In both locations we will be doing evangelism and prayer walking. Pray that the Lord gives us the words to speak and the physical strength we need to accomplish His goals. To say that we are physically tired would be an understatement, but we would not have it any other way. May God recieve glory and honor for all we do. Thursday we will travel back to Addis and prepare to travel home. I will try and send another update then. Pray that we finish strong. I love you all. much love,
Theresa
July 10
Hello everyone, As I write this email my heart is heavy knowing it will be the last one I send while being in this beautiful country. These last five weeks have felt like a lifetime but they have also flown by. I am blessed daily that God would allow someone as unworthy as I am to see and be a part of the great work He is doing here among the people of Ethiopia. Your prayers have made this trip what it is and I praise God for each one of you! This week has been an amazing week in which God has done so many wonderful things. We traveled from Addis to Nazaret and while there we did some street Evangelism. We were short on translators, but as always God provided people to help share His message of hope. The people there were very open to the message, many heard and several chose to believe. After being there for two days we traveled to Asela where we met with the believers of a local house church to encourage them. Later we did more street evangelism but the mood in this town was very different. There is a large Muslim presence in this area and you can feel the oppression in the air. The people in this town look like they are hopeless, they do not smile as much and they just seem to be going through the motions of life. God is good though and many still heard His message of love. This morning we went to a cafe and several of the people we talked to on the street came to ask questions and hear more. I was able to share with another man who came to see what was going on and he chose to accept Christ. Altogether we had five people pray to recieve Christ this morning. Even in the face of darkness and oppression God is at work and we praise Him for it. We know that even though we will not be here God will continue His work here, and I cannot wait to see what the future of ths city will be. This afternoon we traveled back to Addis and tomorrow we will start the two day journey home. Please pray that God would go with us as we begin the journey home. Pray that He give us safety as we travel. Also pray that we would adjust to being back in the culture of America, especially those of us who have been here for 5 weeks. Please pray that as we say goodbye to those we love here that we would take joy and peace in knowing that in the Lord there is never really a goodbye. I cannot wait to see you all and tell you the stories. See you soon and love you! In Christ,
Theresa
