Outreach @ St. Matthew

Thursday

2012-01-26T10:30:00.001-08:00

January 26, 2012

We just returned from our marathon of meetings. Our first was with a school administrator in Addis to work on a feeding program for 220 of their students who go to the trash dump and rummage through the trash to find food for lunch. We hope to develop a program to provide a hot meal for the children for lunch so they do not have to leave the school grounds and look for food in the trash. We also visited the trash dump where hundreds of people dig through the trash to find meals for their families. There were all ages from young children to the elderly. We saw plastic houses that are litterly built by plastic material found in the trash dump and there were homes that people carved out of the heaps of trash. Its really hard to take it all in. This is the image I have in my head.......trash piled as high as 3 stories in places, smoldering smoke across at least ten acres which this place exists. The fires are created by the sun beating down on the trash and igniting gases and fumes. Through the smoke a sea of people are bent over collecting their goods for the day. Trash trucks dumping heaps upon heaps of trash and people gathering around excited to see what treasures may fall to the ground. The hardest thing for my mind to accept seeing are the children walking around where vultures, dogs, hyenas and human fight over the same food. Really.....no words

We also met with Windamoo a professor from the seminary who is helping us with pastor training program. The curriculum is almost finished and we will be able to start monthly training in the rural area in the Gurage Zone very soon. It's very exciting to see God move in this program. The need to provide training for the lay pastors is extremely necessary and urgent.

--------------------------

Some words from the team.

This is not an easy task for me to come to Ethiopia. Leaving my family for 12 to 14 days reading emails from my youngest daughter on how much she misses me and wants me to come home. Today at the orphanage I thought about what Makinzi wrote in her email. I can only imagine how these children feel. If I can bring a smile to the faces of these children in the orphanage just by sitting on the ground and playing holding their hands giving hope then this is all worth the trip. It is these orphans and these men and women who are hungry for the lord that have brought me on my own journey and hunger for the lord. Leigh Ann

This is my first time to come to Ethiopia and I must say that my life will be forever changed. Unless you see it first hand you can't even imagine the desperation. But yet in all the desperation they still find time to greet you with a smile, a hand shake and a glimmer of hope. There are so many things that we take for granted and could learn from Ethiopians. They really have a sense of community and love for one another. Life is simple but yet so profound. It's been an amazing journey for me and I'm so glad God has led me into a love for helping the poor. I hope I have blessed them as much as they have blessed me. They are true warriors for the Lord! And we need always remember that God calls us to take care of one another.....we are one world with one God!
Love to all
Brendy

Ethiopia

2012-01-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Addis Ababa this morning and hit the ground running. We had two meetings about an hour after we got off the plane...so needless to say everyone is exhausted. We have several more tomorrow one of those being with Hiwot from Elolem. We are all looking forward to a wonderful week and being open to about how God may use us. Praying for a great nights rest for the team.

Till tomorrow.....

Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it! I'm forever telling everyone how faithful you are. I'll never quit telling the story of your love-how you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it. Your love has always been our lives' foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world. (Psalm 89:1, 2 MSG)

Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it! I'm forever telling everyone how faithful you are. I'll never quit telling the story of your love-how you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it. Your love has always been our lives' foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world. God! Let the cosmos praise your wonderful ways, the choir of holy angels sing anthems to your faithful ways! Search high and low, scan skies and land, you'll find nothing and no one quite like God. (Psalm 89:1, 2, 5, 6 MSG)

The Library Is Complete!!

2011-12-20T19:51:00.000-08:00

Seeing the pics of the completed library is simply.......humbling. I cannot wait to see it first hand in January. Witnessing the desire of this village to make sure their children have an opportunity to learn and get an education is truly inspiring. Because of your big hearts St. Matthew community........Gunchire will never be the same. The impact you are making is boundless. God is so good, so amazing, so limitless, everything!!

He has told you, O man, what is good;

And what does the LORD require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 NASB)

Holiday Friends

2011-10-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

Looking for a place for you and your family to serve this holiday season and to make an impact in our community. Sign up to serve at the Holiday Friends program. Go to www.stmattcpc.org and sign up online.

Let's change the world together!

2011-10-11T16:17:00.001-07:00

10/11
What does it look like to change the world.........

At times it can be overwhelming when we watch the news, hear all the stories about orphans, hunger, hiv/aids, poverty, homelessness, devastion around the globe from natural distasters and even right here in Texas in our own communities people have lost their jobs, homes have destroyed by wildfires, and homelessness exists right outside our doors. So in this world where the problems seem too big and too many can you really make an impact.....can you really create change.....well decide for yourself as you read the two stories below.........

Because of the commitment of two families helping one orphan Ethiopian teenage girl who was over the age to be adopted now has her own apartment, is attending a vocational school and attends church regularly. She was destined for a life of prostition, drugs, begging, living on the streets and even death, but because and has the love and support of not one family, but two she has a renewed hope, a future and new understanding of the word unconditional love........

A family at a local shelter was moving out to their new apartment, but the problem was that they had no beds, no food, not even cooking utensils. A small group of people rallied around this single mom and her children and furnished her apartment with beds, a kitchen table, towels, sofa, toys for the kids, and a pantry full of food. This small act of kindness changed this family's life. They offerered them love, compassion, hope and a fresh start on life.

You can change the world.....just open your eyes and your heart to those around you and be willing to offer a kind word of encouragement to someone in need, serve meals to the homeless, take can goods to the local food bank, go on a mission trip....there are many things you can do just take the time to invest in others......you can make a difference one person ar a time!

"Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
John 21:17

2011-10-04T06:17:00.001-07:00

10/04

Well we have been back in Texas for a few days now and....well it's so good to be home, but I sure miss Ethiopia. There's just something about that place that just changes a person. I'm very excited about our future and the work we hope to do there. The girls hostel in Gunchire will change the lives of so many teenage girls and give them an opportunity to get an education, to dream and to hope, otherwise they will have to get married at age 15 and work the farms. Their future looks very bleak unless we can help them build this hostel. The leaders of Gunchire never cease to amaze me......their main concern for their village......is for the children.

Holiday Friends and the Night Shelter Thanksgiving dinner events are just around the corner and we need multitudes of servants to help make these events successful. This is a perfect opportunity for you and your family to serve together and to meet some new faces. Please contact the church office for more information. You can make a difference all you have to do is say yes!

2011-09-27T22:46:00.001-07:00

9/28
Beautiful morning, the rain is gone, sun is shining, birds are singing and I can actually see the mountains around me.....simply glorious! We had a the most wonderful day yesterday. Our morning started with an early meeting with Ethiopia Reads.....they are donating 5,000 books for the library. We were able to spend the rest of the day with our good friend Genet. She took us to experience some traditional practices, did a little shopping, had a SUPERIOR macchiato and a mouthwatering pastry (you can't even get close to this perfection in the US) we ended our evening at a wonderful little restaurant tucked away in the middle of no where. The food was terrific! Everyone in the city was celebrating Meskel. It's an Ethiopia orthodox Holy day. They build bomb fires all over town along the streets and they sing, dance and commemorating the discovery of the True Cross by Queen Helena. Very interesting to say the least. They were celebrating outside our restaurant so we had to go watch....they included us by bringing us traditional bread, popcorn and coffee. It was a great experience and a we were able to learn more about the culture here.

This is our last day here....we will leave for the airport in about 10 hours. We have gleened so much from the trip....I cannot even put into words at the moment what God has opended my eyes to see and how much wider He has opened my heart....once again I will say the phrase I so often speak when we leave here......I will never be the same! As we begin our packing and unpacking routine to leave we do so with heavy hearts as we say c ya later to good friends who are much more like family and we pray that we do get to return here again very soon! I thank God for this opportunity!

John 15:1-17
Love each other.......

2011-09-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

9/26
Great Monday in Addis! Met with our friends from Gunchire to see the desks, bookcases and chairs being constructed for the library. It's so beautiful.....I can't wait to see it all in the library! Had a meeting at the seminary with a professor who is helping us with the pastor training. Wow...this guy is amazing. We are blessed to have him on our team. Had a few other small meeting and now we can rest our brains for a bit. We have had such a productive trip but as our time winds down Leigh ann and I find ourselves spiritually, mentally and physically exhuasted. I love it here, but ready to be home. Miss my family and friends.

2011-09-24T05:17:00.000-07:00

9/21
On our way to wolkiti.

Sitings......mother and daughter collecting water in a Jerry can from a puddle on the side of the road.

We are in the hotel at wolkiti..There's a bar to the left of us and the bus station right in front of us.......hmmm that's all that I will say bout that. Let's just say I'm ready to move on the next place. We did have a great day meeting with the pastors of wolkiti and the rural pastors. The impact we can have here is astounding. Im very excited about the rural pastor training program and the seminars.

9/22
Great day in Gunchire! The library is looking so amazing, should be finished by November. The village is so excited about having a library where the children can learn and study. It's so amazing to see what God is doing through the people os St Matthew and how it's changing lives across the ocean....simply humbling! We also met with other officials to discuss future projects. Their focus is on the youth of their community and wanting to make sure every child has an opportunity to get an education. I love the village of Gunchire it feels very much like home. The officials wish to thank St Matthew from the bottom of their hearts and want everyone to know that we are always welcome there and that we are really helping better their village.
After spending the day in Gunchire we drove to Agena to meet with the pastors who will be part of the pastor training program. I love hearing the hearts of the pastors. They have such passion and love for the Lord.

9/23
We just spent our last night in this hotel. We are all very thankful...we have all been functioning on about 2 hours of sleep these last couple of days. We will be traveling to Indibir and Arekit to meet with the rural pastors.

On the way back from our meeting. The experience was much like the rest......awesome. The need for training for rural pastors is almost overwhelming. I wish we had more time to spend with our friends here in the Gurage Zone.

On our journeys in this area the scenery has been out of this world. On our drive to Arekit we drove 2 hours up the mountain reaching 10,000 feet the views of the valleys bellow were just breathtaking! I'm not sure I have seen this much beauty in one place. Over the past several days we have driven over 1,000 miles mostly on bumpy dirt roads, we met with pastors in six villages, visited Gunchire and met with the officials.....it's been a great productive week. It's time to head back to Addis and get ready for all of our meeting next week.

.....side note...we are driving back to addis and on the side of the road...this is what I saw....a young boy probably not older than 7 was trying to get his bull which is about 10x bigger than him to follow him. He was pulling and pulling him so hard and leaning back so far that his back was almost on the ground and the bull just looked at him and seemed to be saying yeah right. How many times are we the boy and other times we are the bull!

2011-09-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

9/20
We decided to stay in Awassa another night and make it a six hour drive tomorrow. The road we were going to take is impassable due to the heavy rains in this part of the country so we are having to take another route which is why we get to stay another night in this beautiful town of Awassa. We have seen magnificent colored birds and lizards out by the outdoor patio eating area and we could also see the hippos playing in the water. I have to admit it's been a great day it's not often on these trips that we get to actually stop long enough and to soak in Gods wonderful creation that he has made for us to enjoy. It's now about 5 in the afternoon and a big thunderstorm just rolled in over the lake. I'm sitting in my hotel room with the windows open watching it poor down with the view of spectacular mountains in the backdrop. The sound of rolling thunder continues to echo across the sky. There's just something about the African rain. This moment will remain with me forever.

Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live
Psalms 146

God is so good!

2011-09-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

09/19/11
But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. it's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don't take yourself to seriously-take God seriously.
Micah 6:8....The Message

We are in the beautiful town of Awassa.We spent the meeting with the pastors and the women who attended the training from this past January....what an awesome meeting! They would like to express their gratitude to St. Matthew for the continued support and prayer. Here are a few comments they had about the training: It was relevant, they are using the material that they learned and are teaching others, the women have a new sense of empowerment....these are just to name a few. God is definitely moving and doing amazing things here! Here are few of their challenges they mentioned that we can be praying with them: Tribalism, influence of globalization, the younger generation and the older generation working together.

We leave tomorrow for a our 5 day trek out into the Gurage Zone so I may not post again until late Saturday.

Till next time.....

Peace and love to you all.

ETHIOPIA TRIP

2011-09-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

Ethiopia 9/18/11

Ethiopia here we are again. Two worlds, two cultures one mission, one purpose,one God....to love our Lord and make Him known.

Our team this trip consist of Leigh Ann, Joe and myself. We started our journey yesterday at the Embasy in Addis at a Town Hall meeting. Wow...great meeting! We attained some valuable information on topics such as security, disease and USAID spoke about the drought and about how Ethiopia has responded. Although parts of Ethiopia along the Somolia border have been affected by the drought they have responded remarkably by setting up refuge camps for the Somolians. Even though they have suffered from the drought they are still able to help thousands of people who are starving.......amazing.

We spent this afternoon at Elolum an orphanage we have adopted. They just moved to a new facility and it is awesome. The children looked great and they sang beautful songs to us about Jesus. They have a daycare program which supports women who work to support their families. Daycare is provided free of charge, otherwise the women would have to stay home to take care of their children which would mean they would not be able to work and feed their families. The women worked as beggars but thru the work of this program they have learned a better way and now they all have jobs as skilled workers, selling items at market, etc. God is doing so amazing things through olelum. Please continue to pray for Olelum and for their director Hiwot.

We are on our way to Awassa as a type this. It's a long 5 hour journey, but it's the end of the rainy season so the landscape is spectacular. The most beautiful colors of green I have ever witnessed. From the brightest to the deepest of green, flowers in full bloom, bountiful crops everywhere I can see...it's just marvelous. The contrast of beauty and suffering is.....honestly.....I just have no words.

Tomorrow we will be meeting with the pastors and women who attended the training conference last January that Rick, Claudia, Leigh Ann and myself along with the support of LET hosted. Our goal is to obtain some honest feedback that will help us with future training.

Please continue to pray for us....when we leave Awassa in two we begin a grueling 5 day trek thru the countryside to meet with the rural pastors that will be attending future trainings. We will be on unpaved roads and unknown hotels, so pray for safe travels and that we get some rest along the way, but most importantly that we see what God has sent us to see and that we travel with humble hearts and with Christs love shining thru us.