Day 5: My First Sunday In Addis

I just got back from my first church service in Ethiopia. I went with a few girls to Beza International Church. The service was very much like a charismatic Christian church in the states. There are only a handful of white people in attendance and the rest are Ethiopian, but the service is in English. The praise and worship was amazing. Everyone worshipped with all their hearts and it was evident that the people around us have a very deep faith. It became obvious to me that there was nothing I could offer the people there that they don’t already have. Their faith is sufficient for them and their confidence and peace comes from the Lord. They had a guest speaker from the U.S. He is Ethiopian, but he attended Wake Forest and is now working on his doctorate at Harvard. He is part of a group that started a Christian ministry called “Forest Fire” at his university…something that is still active today. His message was, “Our house is bigger than we think it is.” For a country with so much poverty that message struck a nerve. He meant that our spiritual authority is given to us by God and those who are faithful will grow to have more and more authority. In faith, we all have a spiritual authority over our territory – at our home, at our work - and God will expand that territory if we continue down a path of prayer and love. I felt like that message released me from the worldly notion that I have the power to change Ethiopia. It is not my territory to change, but through my faith God will expand my territory and my reach and maybe, I will be able to touch the lives I encounter here.

It felt so good to be in a place that has such a love for Jesus. We were on a high and it made the noisy, messy journey back to our house enjoyable. Actually, I am thrilled that I am gaining confidence in getting around. Everything looks so similar (and yet foreign) that it is very intimidating to try to get a “taxi” anywhere on your own. But today, I recognized the routes and believe I can do it on my own soon. It is always an adventure and inevitably we encounter something new. For instance, this morning our taxi was rear-ended in the middle of a rainy, four lane nightmare. Miraculously we still made it to church on time.

Yesterday was also enjoyable. We had coffee at our friend Abraham’s house. He lives in the outskirts of Addis so we had to contract a taxi for our group which still only cost $5 for the entire bus! Being in the highlands, the altitude has made it difficult to adjust, but once we get out of the city the air is fresh and light. The green mountainous landscape is a huge contrast to the dirty, grunginess of the city. Abraham is our age. He speaks very good English and lives in between homes of his brothers. He gave us a demonstration of Ethiopian dance moves. He also speaks openly about his faith in Jesus and does the sound system at another church in Addis. Ethiopia’s history goes back to biblical Christianity and the birth of the Church and Ethiopians take pride in that heritage and their faith. It seems like religion is divided into three main groups here: Orthodox, Protestant, and Muslim.

A view from outside Addis.

Afterwards, we got to have dinner out on the town. We actually ate at a place overlooking town called Top View. It is a very nice restaurant. All 10 of us had appetizers, a main course, and dessert for less than $100!

Group photo at Top View restaurant.

This week my goal is to take a taxi on my own – and get to my destination! I also plan to visit more programs and make a decision on what I’ll be doing for the next four months.