Freedom is Here

Freedom is Here

There are things that I have experienced these past couple years that has really made my awe factor go way up. Things that I never thought possible have happened in the past few years, and I know that it is my responsibility to share with all who will listen. There have been happenings that I will never forget and will be infused in my heart for eternity.

Through the past few years my heart, mind, and soul are being totally shaken, broken, renewed, convicted, enthralled, pleased, and most of all Amazed. I have to give this witness for the one that made it all happen, if it wasn’t for Him I would never have been able to embark on this journey that changed me for what I hope is a time without an end, and continues to refine me.

My life before this past couple years was a drag that I thought only death itself could break. As much as I tried to change my own destiny I failed miserably, through failed courier attempts, failed relationships, lost friendships, and quests for happiness that only led to sadness.

During this time I finally just gave up, and I knew that I could no longer live this life of discontent. So I finally came to my last resort which needs to be my first and only resort. I asked my Father in heaven, El-Shaddai, God Almighty, and Father of Abraham Isaac and Jacob to change me to make me whole, to make me new, to change my heart mind and soul.

I never could have imagined what was to come. My old self started to melt away my sadness turned to joy, my dissatisfaction turned to satisfaction. God changed my thinking in everything from turning what I thought the most boring job in the world to one of the most important times in my life getting to know my brothers, sister, and friends better than I could have ever imagined. We grew in faith together went through new things together that God was changing in our hearts.

I got to see that life really wasn’t the rat race that this world has made it out to be. Life is much simpler than that, Jesus said it simply in Matthew 22; Love God Love People and in Matthew 6; First seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

I shed the lies of this world and was clad with the armor of truth that is given through believing in the One God sent… Jesus the one that made us good in the sight of God. If it wasn’t for Jesus dying on that cross 2000 years ago I would have never been able to face up to God for the person I was, let alone the person I am. It’s a good time of year to talk about this. God knew that none of the sacrifices of old could cover what mankind had become. Mankind could not follow the Law of Moses we were just flat out untrustworthy and unworthy. So God loved us enough to send someone who was worthy to be in His presence of to come down to this world in humility and teach us, and finally get tortured and executed for us.

I’m not saying that I am all good and worthy myself, but I am saying that because of the Holy Sacrifice of Jesus I am made worthy, why? because I believe. (John 6:28-29)

Now I have to show you proof of my God, just as Elijah did. Now my proof isn’t fire coming down from the heavens melting stone licking up water and showing the pagans what’s up, but that is the same God so I actually can use that proof!

From God sending me half way around the world to really start refining me and melting away my old self.

From God showing me how selfish I was and that people are suffering because of my selfishness.

From God providing for my every need down to the exact penny.

From God allowing me to be part of founding a boys home, and help starting a sustainable business for this , and seeing Gods Kingdom come in this.

From God sending the right people to partner in this and sending them at exactly the right time, whether it be financially, in encouragement, or in prayer. Sending children, elderly, or even people like me to help.

From God breaking relationships, friendships, and selfishness that was rotting me to the core and was soon going to be the death of me.

I really don’t have enough time in the world and you don’t have the attention span for what God has done for me. From the very beat of my heart to the blossoming of a Rose it’s all His miracles.

We all need to give God more praise for what he has done, is doing, and will do. Don’t put him in the closet like he is something we just take out at Easter, Christmas, and funerals. He needs to be worshiped, thanked, and praised with all our hearts, minds, and souls.

I’m serious and to the point do this and your life will be transformed.

Today was a fight…

Today was a fight, but with the blood of Jesus I have been saved only by the belief that God has put in my heart with the faith he has gifted me.  It is truly amazing how the grace of God saved a sinner such as me to be saved by the blood of Christ.  It is unexplainable how Gods love for us all and with his love we can share in the Kingdom of Heaven even here on earth. 

I have to give thanks to God that he sent Jesus to be able to break the sinful nature of this world through just simply believing in his son Jesus.  It is true the world screams of God’s creation and the miracles of the work of the Holy Spirit that was brought by the Holy Sacrifice of Christ.

It’s evident what God is working here on earth, and his work is set separate from the ways of the world.  God’s kingdom is shining and is alive we must open our eyes.  The lies of the world try to hide the work of God, but for those that God has shown the truth we can see his miracles and Kingdom is alive!

I don’t want to sound as if I am bragging but I am in my God.  He works amazing things, and the only way for us to experience his Glory is if he is willing and he knows the truth if we will accept his grace or not.

With that said I do have a prayer request, I have been given the opportunity to work with an Ethiopian based organization that works particularly with the handicapped people needing wheelchairs and relief, they are also willing to consider branching into street ministry, which may work perfect for what Aki wants to do.  My role right now is open it could go from teaching, evangelizing, street work, international sponsorship coordinator, and/or something totally different.

I have known the organization for about two years now, they started around the same time I first met them.  Most of the past two years has been spent getting the right board members and direction God wants them to have along with the licensing required to be a None Government Organization or NGO.  They currently are serving four beneficiaries.  It may sound small, but I think God is building them this way to get a firm foundation set before growing any bigger.

My role could be from working back in the US, part time in Ethiopia, or full time.  It would be a volunteer position, so I would also need to find work if I stayed here longer in Addis. 

The organizations name is Emmaus some of you may remember visiting there, and like me thought that it had finished, but it is still going by God’s grace.

So if I can get a huge prayer behind this over the next few weeks that would be amazing, I would like to meet with the board and see the work that is being done, but in the end I want God to show me the way and by your prayers and mine I will be wherever God wants me.

Also if any of you have any pointers or information I would love to hear it. I know some of you have dealt a little with Emmaus and would like to know what you think too.

 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

God is Good

God is Awesome!

Things up to today have been going very crazy, but today God’s Grace reined!

Aki and I by God’s Grace were able to go out into the local community and start a project that we have been hoping for a long time now.  It will be one year this March since God started our journey together!

The first part of the day we decided to start getting profiles of families in need around the guest home.  We were welcomed with open arms!  We started getting to know more of the needs of the community and getting to know our neighbors in a new wonderful way!

We interviewed 5 families and 4 single people so far!  I hope to have all there profiles up on a website or something soon.  We are hoping to start a project to enable us to give relief and sustainability through a sponsorship program.  I hope to set up profiles of families and people that you and I can join in if God so prompts us.  So the profiles will give you a chance to look into the families lives and then you can possibly join in their lives as brothers and sisters in Christ.

After lunch we decided to pull Jeranya out of school for the afternoon so he could join Aki in a Bible study.

I guess I better give a background of Jeranya, because his story is truly amazing to say the least.  God is so alive in him and the path of Jesus shines around him!  He is 15ish years old and is from a village close to the Sudan border.  He lost his family a couple years back in a terribly tragic evil way.  But God’s Awesome Grace and protection brought him out of this tragedy.  He spent a total of 2 years on the streets all over Ethiopia.  He had mental problems from this event in his life, but about 3 months ago God brought him off the street healed him mentally and made him new! (2 Cor. 5:19)

Aki and one of his Kentuckian friends named Nathan found him in the mud of a river running through Addis.  They felt God’s prompting to bring him out clean him and make him a long term guest at Amazing Grace Guest Home.  He truly shines and praises Jesus; in fact as we speak he is jumping up and down singing praise songs!  I’m not joking he really is and this is not a rare thing its constant!  His smile now is one you could only imagine.

When we walk down the streets people are amazed to see him.  He was very famous around a city of 4 million.  When he tells people his story he is truly witnessing to people about the miracles God can work out of terrible circumstances.  He has made people cry, and praise God because of his story!

So with that said we took him out of one of his first days of school ever, but God had a big plan for our day!

We got finished buying him a belt so he didn’t have to where his pants rolled up high water style anymore.  Then an amazing thing happened, a man stopped Aki and told him something this isn’t unusual since Aki knows everybody then when we walked away I looked back at this man and I saw him talking to a young boy and I had a presence of the Lord feeling in my heart.

I asked Aki what the man said, and Aki told me, “The man said there is a boy that is homeless and needs some help.” So God prompted us to talk to the boy.  We started talking to him and found out he is from the same Region as Jeranya.  Aki can’t speak the language, so by God’s grace again we had Jeranya with us to translate!!

The boy’s name is Mesganew and he has been living on the streets for seven months.  His mother passed away and when his father remarried his new step mother kicked him out of their home to make room for her and her children.

It’s really a sad story that even the father was ok with this.  I have only known Mesganew for a day now, but I feel God brought all of us together for an amazing reason.  So we now have 2 long term guests at Amazing Grace!  He and Jeranya are already like brothers! It’s Amazing!

As if this was not an awesome enough day God amazed us again. We have been praying for God to show us a local organization that we can partner with so we don’t have to go through a nasty process of licensing to work ministry.

God led us back to the area I first landed foot in when I came to Addis almost 2 years ago.

They are an Evangelical Church that is four years old.  They are almost all my age there, and their Church first started out in a ‘gym’.  Ten guys that were lifting cement on the ends of pipes always spoke about Jesus and his Kingdom.  Then there group started to grow, and many of the leaders in the area and good friends of mine came to Christ here.  It is so amazing Gods timing that I had never heard of this Church, but almost all of my friends in the area from children to adults go through here.

We just went with the idea to check this Church out, but God set something in our hearts while we were there.  They now have hundreds in there Church and there vision is one I absolutely love!  First to give them the bread of Christ!  They also want to make a compound that the government gifted them if they come up with a good plan. It is about 3 acres in area that makes sustainability for the poor area, including shops and agriculture that they can sell the goods.  They also want to move their Church and ministry to this compound so they won’t have to pay rent anymore and be able to sink deeper roots into their community.

The community gets a lot of its sustenance from the local trash dump, but soon the dump will be closing for the cities new revamp.  This may sound good that the smoke filled mountains of trash in the middle of the city will stop, but in a way it could be bad for these people.  The get their income from recycling the goods in the dump, and some of them eat and live here too.  So when the dump goes they are left with less than nothing.  I plan to go here Lord willing and see it for myself, I had been informed that there were only a few people left in the dump, but I heard today that there are at least 400 people in it.  So I hope to see it with my own eyes to prove it for myself.

We still haven’t shared our vision of working together in outreach with the Church, but through your prayers and ours we feel this is our chance!

Oh and by the way the Churches name is Mesganew which I believe means praise, and as a little God wink the boy’s name we started working with today is Mesganew!! 🙂 Wink Wink

Just now I got to go through the nice process of Jeranya and Mesganew brushing their teeth and getting there room all set up.  It went very smooth other than Jeranya almost swallowing his toothbrush again with some dry heaving after. Mesganew brushed like a pro!

I feel like a big brother!  I was always the youngest, but now that’s not the case my family just added two more little bros!

So please pray for our future work here in Addis, and if you feel called in any way to help please let me know and we can see how we can work together!

Oh and as props to my prayer team back home nice work!  I felt it this last 2 days!  So when I’m not feeling it I know you are slacking, along with me! HAHA

May God’s Kingdom Come!!

 

Ethiopian Christmas

Today is Ethiopian Christmas and again I am always amazed with the love and compassion that I see around me.  I read something this morning that I saw is very much alive around me with the believers in Christ around me Galatians  5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

I think God has sent me here to learn from his people to follow Christ and the more persecution and oppressions that His people face all around the world the closer they follow Christ.  This to me is proof of his power he goes to those in need and want of him.  So it’s a great blessing to be going through good or bad things. For the good we can be in thanksgiving for his blessings grace and glory that he has given us, and when the bad comes the followers of Christ have faith hope and love, and the greatest of these is love and they faith is strengthened in Christ.

Even when beaten, starved, and murdered Gods people thrive because they know that there home is not in this world but this world is purely just the path to glory and his home that he has created for his followers of Christ.

I have experienced God in a whole new way so far this last week.  Just when I can’t see any way for any good to come out of a situation he has shown me that I need to have faith in him through every situation.  He has come through in miraculous ways!  I get terribly freaked out when I experience these situations, but now I am slowly learning that there is nothing big enough for God not to conquer!  I know the new things that are challenging me are nothing as crazy as what Gods people have gone through in the past, but I know I’m a slow learner and am thankful that he doesn’t fill my plate to much, but challenges none the less.

I guess it’s a perfect form of our daily bread that Jesus talks about.  In proverbs 30:8-9 it says “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say ‘Who is the Lord?’ So in this way I see it in anything we face that it won’t be too big for my little faith but not too small to not make it grow.

I have made many new friends and have been able to reconnect with many old ones as well!  I am happy that they have turned into bigger friendships and many new experiences with God power of his Holy Spirit has happened, which is a great encouragement for my little faith to grow.

God told me in order to experience his power of the Holy Spirit I needed to first believe, give thanks, and enjoy his millions of miracles and powerful little things that go on all around us.  I wrote this awhile back and think it will fit well here now that he is starting to show me things that many would call crazy, and maybe I will tell you someday, but not yet.

12/4/11 this next part was written.

I have been going through the struggle of Loving God with all my heart mind and soul.  Jesus says this is the first and Greatest commandment of them all.

One thing that hinders this commandment of course is all the negative thing all around the world starvation, lusts, greed, and a flat out unloving world.

Then I had to remind myself that this is not at all what God wanted for us. If we look back to when God started creation in its perfectness in all that he created Oceans, Mountains, Valleys, vegetation, animals, and yes even us.  Then mankind messed it all up from murder, greed, pollution, starvation, and etc.

So I first needed to start with hey Joe look outside, at least for those of us that live in a natural place. It is said that those who deny there is a God don’t look around them.  Some things that stick into my mind are things that I remember as a child when my mind was uncorrupted by what this world has told me and I was able to see explore all the miracles around me.

I remember one of the nights after school when I was playing in our creek that ran behind our house, this time of year it was awesome the creek was dry and totally snowed in so I could makes tunnels and fox holes galore in the snow, and I remember it was getting dark and I was tired of digging my newest gopher hole and just laying there all warm in my new home in the snow. It started snowing I remember seeing the snow build up on me while I just lay there.  And inch by inch it layered on me a perfect layer and seeing the wild shapes of the flakes, now I am no scientist, but easy to say that these little miracles didn’t happen by chance.  I remember the weirdest feeling of the more freezing snow that piled on me the warmer I got.  It was a time that I will never forget when Gods creation just flat out warmed me to the bone on that cold snowy night.

On another expedition I was tromping through the jungle of bushes on the side of our house when I spotted it!  An orange and black caterpillar!  I remember watching it so close that he must have been thinking what is this crazy kid looking at!  I just remember how this little tiny plant…I mean huge Amazon Jungle that I was playing in was his world.  One created for him and for me.

I just got an Idea about him.  You may or may not recall the faith of Abraham first he was promised that he would have a son from his wife and that he would be the start of all Israel and when God called him to sacrifice that son that he had the faith that God would raise him from the dead that God would not go back on his promise.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Now this is totally made up in my mind but I like the comparison.  One day this caterpillar is just munching away on some leaf then this nasty bird comes along and says hey worm you better watch out because someday I may be hungry when I see you, but the Caterpillar replied  God said he is going to turn me into the most beautiful flying specimen on earth. The bird said back to him HA! You are so naïve worm tomorrow I will eat you, then one day all this cocoon captures him, but he is still in there knowing that what God told him is true. Then one day BOOM! Butterfly! The caterpillar then flew up to the nasty birds nest and said hey do you remember me?  Then the bird feel on his knees and had to worship to Lord and admire the beautiful butterflies faith. When looking at all the stages of his life from worm to dried up turd then to a Butterfly. WOW! I think this is how God can work in  all of our lives if we just have the faith, hope and love in him.

Another time was when I was a bit older in EMT training we were going through the fun old anatomy I really enjoyed this because no matter how much science try to explain it they still can’t explain it!  Our bodies are truly miraculous!  Mine may look like less of a miracle than others but don’t judge me!  They can’t explain what fires everything. They may try to fool you into it, but it comes down to they have not a clue.  They can explain the order that things happen, but not how they start and keep going.

Big Bang?? A friend of mine mentioned this that why wouldn’t there have been a Big Bang when God created the earth this made me laugh then thinking about it Big is understated there is not a word in our dictionary to explain it.

What is dirt? Well worm poop, dog poop, cow poop, people poop you get the hang of it.   Ok take a potato put it in the ground for a few months every couple days throw some water on it and BOOM! 20 new potatoes!  Explain you can’t yes we need mineral, blah blah blah I get that but how the does a potato make 20 potatoes out of crap? Wow! This truly amazes me how God works he makes miracles out of dirt!

How does a red wood grow so big that you can drive through it and still live!??!

God is AWESOME!  So we need to look around us no one is without Gods AWESOMNESS around them, all we need to do is look up or at your hand or whatever and wherever.

People love other people by their art, music, writings, productions, you name it.

We always forget the music that God makes like birds whistling, thunder roaring, rivers rushing, waves crashing, ice crackling, snow layering, elk bugling, rain plopping, leaves rustling, you get it.

His artwork  is what artists try to copy on a 2d scale when we can hike over Gods are and smell its pleasant fragrances and hear his music play.

 

So this I believe fits into this writing very well when starting or even thinking about walking with Christ God is Good.

 

Day 80

It’s been almost exactly one month since I have written anything for the blog.  I have tried to write different things, but I usually get them written and just don’t feel right about publishing them.  I think I find that a lot of the writing that I do is simply for me.  It helps me see a little clearer what is happening around me when I put it on “paper”.  This one possible won’t even get published.

I know a big reason too is that a lot of things that have been happening around me is the personal lives of the people around me, and that’s never something I feel okay with talking about to other people, and if I do I get convicted of talking about it.  Even taking pictures is a hard thing for me to do because it almost seems to strictly show the material possessions of the people rather than what truly matters…the heart.

So when I see pictures of American pop culture here in Addis I see beautiful women, and popular sports stars.  I constantly hear people saying how wonderful the US is and that there dream is to live there.  Yes the US does have many comforts that not many others can enjoy.  I also so it as a false hope in this world, and in men.  Even when we get all the comforts of this life it will never truly fill that void that we have in all of our hearts if we don’t let God fill that void.

Matthew 12:43-45 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

I look at this and it scares me, when it seems like I have overcome an evil in my life, and if I’m not careful and let God fill that space in my life evil will take over way worse than before.  It’s easy to not worry about that temptation of problem anymore when it is not in your life, but I need to remember that even when the evil leaves I need to be ready to let God fill that spot when the evil comes back in full force.

I have faced way different obstacles while being here these past couple months, and I’m starting to think about how it will be when I get back to the US and start facing the same problems that I had before I left.  So in saying this I can see a ‘clean room’…(with some dirty rooms around it) in me and I need to remember that God needs to fill that so I don’t turn into a crazier person than I already am.  Some temptations here have been the same, but others are ones I have never faced, which is at least nice in the ways of not getting sick of the same trials I always face, but at the same time a trial is a trial.

James 1:2-3 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when-ever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Now I often fall in the face of trials, but it seems that if I do fall the learning effects after it are way better than any other thing.  God has to pick me up, and with Jesus as my savior for my transgressions it makes Gods grace all the more real and important in my life.

So really I should be pretty happy that I get to face a trial in what seems to be every second of every day, whether it be patience, greed, temptation, or who knows what. I just need to let God in so I don’t fall.

As another update for what has been going on for the last month.  The team from Montana has been here for almost two weeks now, and it has been a very big blessing to be able to be a part of such a good group.  The staff at the guest home is doing such a wonderful job, especially for most of them being their first time in this type of work, or position. 

Last night we all went out to a Butcher house and had some tibs, which is basically like pieces of steak.  Some of us also had some raw ones, which miraculously after almost 24 hours no one has gotten to sick…yet.

I have got to join the team a lot of the time when they have been working at the School on helping haul some rock to help the workers build the wall.  It’s always such a blessing to be a part of the workers that have been there for so long working on this project, some of them have been working there since before I came the first time last May.  I love to see the happiness on all their faces while they are working their butts off. 

I also love to get to be a part of the team while they meet for their discussions about the events happening and studying Gods word together.

There are so many stories that I wish I could tell, but maybe they will all get told by those who they have happened to, since it’s not my story to tell, but I have witnessed a lot of pain, happiness, heartache, and growth while I have been here and it’s been a blessing to learn from it all.

I only have a little over nine days left here, which seems so crazy with how fast it has gone.  I miss all of my family and friends a lot, and I know I will miss all the friends I have made here, but I think God is calling me back to the states for now, not sure at all how long I will be there or even if I will ever leave again, only God knows, but I think I can truly say that a big part of my heart will be leaving me in Ethiopia, but I hope that my heart has grown enough to make up for it.  It was weird because it wasn’t so bad leaving the US because I was sure I would be coming back, but with not knowing if I will be coming back here it kind of takes a toll on my heart, but God knows, and we will see what the next year brings. 

There are so many stories that I have been following while I have been here and with not being able to see them play out while I’m gone is kind of a bummer, but I guess if I do come back I will Lord willing see a lot of changes.

So maybe I will write again before I leave only God knows, but I hope all is going well with you all where ever in the world you all are, and God bless.

What? no Bunnies, Peeps, and Dyed eggs!

To tell the truth my patience have started to run thin. I see this as yet another weakness that I need God to help me in, and I can use prayer for this.

Romans 15:1 “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.”

Now don’t think I pulled this verse to make it sound like I’m strong and Ethiopians are weak. Because that’s not true at all, more often than not I’m the weak one, and after all they are some of the best long distance runners in the world.

So to make a very long story of about 53 days or maybe 23 years, “bearing failings” in Romans 15:1 is not one of my strong points, or possibly not a point at all.

I just like people to not bother me, and figure there problems out for themselves, not a very good way to be.

Everything needs to go deeper. I need to know more about the person to make things more personal and find out a better alternative to only financial relief.

When we are told to give to those who ask, and when I do and feel terrible about it, I think God has a bigger plan, and I think he is telling me this. I don’t think its just to give money, but maybe some love as well. After all loving your neighbor as yourself is one of the Greatest Commandments that Jesus talked about.

So please pray that I may find the strength and opportunity to do more, and truly love my neighbor as myself.

Easter

Yesterday brought me back home…to my years spent in a butcher shop. There were thousands of sheep, goats, and beef lining the streets. All being led home to some family that had been fasting from meat, eggs, milk, and anything protein for weeks now. Restaurants were packed with people ordering Kitfo (raw meat), chicken, and beer. The curbs where stacked with animal pelts, dogs gnawing on animal bones, what I site to see and smell.

I have a little game with myself its called Name that Animal. I can smell what kind of animal the families are “preparing” behind the walls…A keen nose of a butcher. My dad, brothers, and even my uncle Ed can relate I’m sure. Yes a little weird I know, but that’s the way it has to be to get a big mac on your plate. Just some weird guys like me working to feed the world.

I was invited by so many random people to join there parties. I was so full by the end of the day I thought I was going to pop. I was literally force fed, which is one of the cultural customs I would rather do without, at least when a drunk butcher puts a wasabi covered chunk of animal down your throat, along with his unwashed finger. At least I’m able to laugh about it now especially that I am miraculously still not puking my guts out.

I was invited to a neighbors, by some of the kids, after I got back home from a long day of eating to join in on a second round of Doro wat (which is my favorite). So I was able to pack some more in.

The best part is though a lot seem to remember what Easter is about. I saw hundreds of men, women, and children wearing head bands to represent Christ’s Crown of Thorns. Music blasted through the streets about the death and resurrection of Christ, and I even got a text that I quote “Ethio Telecom wishes all Christians a happy Ethiopian Easter. Jean Michel Latute, CEO” AWESOME!

I have to say this is my first Easter without seeing a bunny, dyed egg, and peeps, but a good one none the less!

God Bless

　

　

　

　

　

Day 47

Everyday it seems I get a lesson about how powerless I really am.

It goes from me struggling to learn this crazy language for example I still don‘t know if I‘m saying egg or Penis. I wish I didn‘t like eggs so much, and with some of the looks I get I’m pretty sure I’m not saying egg.

The plans I make disintegrate into the patchy brown African sky. God likes to show me how out of control I really am. It is totally under his Mercy and Grace of God that I‘m slowly seeing clarity. I’m blessed that he hasn’t hardened my heart like he did to Pharaoh, and I hope he never does.

When I first read about Pharaoh in Exodus I was kind of like What!? That’s not fair that God hardened his heart, but now I’m slowly at the speed of smell learning that its God he can do whatever he wants. I have to remember that everything good that happens around, to, or through me is from God. No man does good by himself, but God does good through him.

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Romans 9:15

I think God likes to get my attention often. Whenever anything crosses my mind that is not for his Glory my heart, mind, and soul goes all catawampus. My thoughts stop making sense, I don’t know what I’m doing, but through his mercy he has always shown me the truth in his word. Just sometimes it may take a little longer for the clarity to come.

I can’t really put a story to these feelings I have. Its just life in general. The only times I feel at peace is when the Holy Spirit that God gave through Jesus gives me true comfort and peace.

I was reading another verse in Romans 11:32 that says, “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”

This sums the world up, he basically lets go of us so we screw up because we don’t follow him, then he picks us up again and reminds us how Awesome and Powerful he is, that is if we repent and believe we have redemption through his Son. Most of the time I’m sour when he drops on my head, but it usually takes the drops to get my attention back on him. He could get my attention way more, for how often I don’t want him to have his glory for himself.

I truly feel bound, but I find peace that through sending his Son to this earth, that I may be freed from the shackles of this world, through God’s mercy and God’s mercy alone.

“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in the life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17

I love the feeling new things being shown to me through the Word of God, and happy to say he is endless so he has the power and mercy to always show me new things if its his will, and to basically always get a new Wow factor from him.

Now for the update. I have been able to be apart of the interviews for the staff at Amazing Grace. I love how a lot of the focus has been on helping those in dire need of a job. So with Gods mercy the right staff will be hired for all God’s Glory. So please join in and pray that the incoming staff may show Gods glory.

I also got to hear three guys stories, that live on the streets. Two of them are a year older than me. I see that they want change in there life, and they have been seeking new and lost opportunities, and with Gods mercy they will be able to use a new change in there life for Gods kingdom.

Two of these three men really seem to be changing and changing fast. I see them light up when they talk about with the Lords help getting back with there families, and working in the orchards in southern Ethiopia. One of them says he has been in the street for nine years now, but he seems to have this feeling to go home, and fix what was lost.

Others seem to have no hope at all, there dreams are little if any at all. This life for them on the street is not good. Idleness is probably one of the worst things for a person. Its not good for the heart of anyone to not be doing anything.

So Lord willing they will find peace through Jesus, and blessings from his Father in Heaven.

Please join in prayer for the people in the streets, not just in Ethiopia, but around the world. That they may seek and find opportunity for a sustainable relief, and most of all the redemption that Gods Son has to offer.

Its so interesting to look into a lot of there eyes they all seem so deep and sincere. With stories that I can only imagine. For some of the older people they have lived through some of the worst famine, and murder this world has ever seen. Others have been handicapped from living a comfortable life like me.

The most amazing part is many have found a wonderful peace from this world. Thank you Jesus for your suffering, and thanks be to his Father for the love and mercy I don’t deserve.

　

　

Questions

Often I get the feeling of what I am doing, and why I am doing what I am doing. Not just in Ethiopia, but also in Montana.

I was able to have a day to myself today, since Aki was busy getting some wood cut for the bunk beds. It was actually really nice. First I went to buy some paint for the outside of Amazing Grace. I don’t know why but I have always liked painting, whether it be my families dog Jessie when I was 6ish or AG Guest House today.

Even though it was nice to get some more work done, and I was able to get the new coffee maker working (with homemade filters) odd I couldn’t find a filter in Ethiopia? So even with a fix from my drug of choice I still got this feeling that I was talking about earlier, “what am I doing!”

I was taking pictures of the guest house when I was taking the picture of the front gate, now that school was out all the kids were in the streets. I instantly found myself surrounded by kids. This always seems to boost my spirits. They are all so happy and love to show off there ‘football’ soccer skills, along with walk the hoop?, well that’s what I will call it.

I guess when I start thinking like this, and it seems like everything I do is just meaningless. I’m sure that we all feel this way sometimes, and I have fought this feeling with just flat out ignoring it such as, playing video games for days, watching who knows how much TV, reading meaningless books, working an outrageous amount of hours, sleeping, thinking about stupid stuff, and well you get the point.

So today I got reminded of what it is that truly makes me happy. I like it when its just easy, simple, and joyful. Now not in the ways I just talked about, but easy like God makes things happen to cheer me up. Simple because even I can do what he has in store for me. Joyful is just when you have fun, and aren’t bombarded by this messed up world.

I was asked again why I am here by a little guy, and this question has been asked by a lot not just in Ethiopia, but in the US too. Now I think I can truly say that I’m just here to teach people who want to learn about what Jesus taught.

I have been wrestling with this for awhile as to how I am going to do this without being able to explain anything about it, since I can’t speak much more than kelzkallza Coka or Cold Coke please. I have found its pretty easy, first I just try to live like Jesus taught (notice I said try) and just give them a Bible written in Amharic if I have one. Pretty easy, I don’t think it should go anything beyond this, maybe reading the Bible to them if they want, but nothing else. SIMPLE!

I have found that a lot has been skewed as to what the Bible says and what this culture has been taught by man. I see a lot with ritual stuff like worshiping Angles, Mary, and the Church building more than God himself. I have seen praying being sent to things other than God. The thing is I see this everywhere I go, not just in Ethiopia. Man teaches you other things than what is truly in the Bible.

I was asked the other night by a Muslim friend why people like me think Jesus is God. I was also asked this about eight months ago by another Muslim friend. I know this is a touchy subject with a lot of people around the world. Its been a real struggle for me too. Its questions I don’t like to ask myself, let alone someone else ask me.

My best answer would have been, don’t believe what I or anyone else says, just look to the word!

I like what Jesus said in John 14:9-14 “Jesus answered: Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father living in me who is doing the work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

It seems to sum it all up right there! Jesus answers the question himself.

Now don’t think that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are simple to explain. Its way beyond anything we can ever describe or figure out! If it is something that mere man can explain, then what would be so great about it? Even the smartest man in the world by himself only can figure out, well nothing really, any understanding is given by God.  All good comes from above.

Also to make my point about praying to Angles, Mary and such. Why would we? Jesus taught us how to pray in Matt 6. I don’t see anything about them just simply “Our Father in heaven” Now maybe they could tell God for us, but we don’t need that we can just pray to him.

God bless!

Amazing Grace

Where to start? Its been awhile since I have written anything for the blog. Well I wrote one, but evidentially I wasn’t supposed to send it because the internet wouldn’t work for anything. It was a good one I thought, but I will put it in the unpublished folder or the trashcan.

I have been very busy with mowing the lawn (with big scissors), cleaning, and trying to track down coffee makers, coolers, and pots&pans that aren’t made out of tin foil!haha

I just found all these things once I moved to Amazing Grace right down the street at a supermarket. Yes a real supermarket, out of place but thanks to God anyway!

Now I will talk about the best things.

There is a reason we decided to name the guest house Amazing Grace. At first I wasn’t sure why it just sounded good.

Now I look back it’s a perfect fit! First we find a house that seems to be a perfect. That is just a gift from God. It was priced at a 1/3 of what it should be at, and we found it like not even a week after God brought up the idea to us. This is even fast by US standards. Remember there is no Craigslist here, and no flyers in the Sunday paper. We randomly found some house brokers roaming the streets and knew this was the place before we even stepped into the compound to see it.

We have been able to get almost all of the big stuff bought and brought.

A weird story we were looking for some bamboo chairs for the living room. We looked at so many stores and they were at least twice as much as our budget would allow. We were about to leave the market when a truck drove past us with chairs in the back and Aki and I got this feeling like these chairs are IT! I don’t think I will ever get over these feelings!

So we flagged him down and he told us a price. It was an outrageously high price, but we still had the feeling in our hearts like we need to go with this. So we did some hard dealing I can’t stand dealing with people, but have found that you have to here. We got him down to a mostly outrageous price about the same as the other shops.

I was confused as to why God gave us this feeling when it was a terrible business decision. So I was just sitting in the truck with the dealer and Aki, going to Amazing Grace. They were talking Amharic so all that I understood was a few numbers and useless words. Then Aki turns to me with a big smile and says the dealer loves the vision we have with the Guest Home funding the Street ministry, and wants to bring us some of his clients as guests. This was so cool!

So I guess God knows more than us, and a bad business decision with God Amazing Grace turned into a possible great one!

Now I hope I don’t say oh cool God must have gave me that feeling when I saw that new Ferrari. The feeling is way different. The Holy Spirit is SO cool!

It just seems that in everything that we do God has to come through. Without this first team from Bozeman coming, there would have been no way we could have afforded to keep this thing going, but God had a plan.

It even started way before this. When God gave me the feeling that I needed to come back even before I left last time. I had no idea what in the world he wanted me to do for 3 months in Ethiopia, but now I think it is starting to make a little sense. Now I don’t think its just to start this, but so many other little things that I can’t even list! Putting this on paper makes me even more grateful to God, not grateful enough but its still Amazing!

Even a greater Grace is that he loved us so much that since none of us were able to be righteous enough to get to Heaven he sent his Son to this earth. Jesus his perfect creation, how he wanted all of us to be. He sent him to live as one of us, in a world ruled by evil. He sent him to be a teacher, and the REAL role model that we need. He even sent him to be the perfect and final sacrifice for us. For all who are chosen by God to follow what Jesus taught, and this saves those that believe and follow.

Now I have heard some people say oh I can do what I want because Jesus died for me. I have even told myself this often, but I have to think about what he went through and what he died teaching. If I just try to take the Kingdom without wanting to bring the Kingdom on earth, then I am WAY out of line!

It seems that I always want to do things for myself. Without Gods Amazing Grace there is no way I will ever get to Heaven, but with his Amazing Grace in Jesus we all have a chance now!!

I wanted to put scripture to this, but the whole Bible talks about this! Just pray, believe, and read!

God Bless,

Joe

　

Five Senses, Day 30

I am writing this now with the sounds of Addis Ababa Stadium echoing trough the city. They are playing Egypt for a spot in the African World Cup, for this next year I believe. The sounds have gotten quieter so they must be losing. Sad I wanted to go today, but the timing just didn’t work. Which is fine, okay its loud again maybe a score? Maybe…or possibly a Bob Marley song came on?

The sounds here are so different than back home. I often hear air raid sirens for school getting out, Muslim call to prayer echoing through the streets along with the Orthodox, hundreds of different sounding horns, vehicles with no mufflers, dogs barking, cats screeching, motors clanking, grinders working, welders welding, the sound of donkeys hooves trotting down the highway, and millions of people in general just making their way to their next ‘program’ oh and dogs barking again, but only at night.

Since I did sounds should I do smells? No skip that, but its better now than in the Rainy Season.

I would like to take you through one of my days.

I usually wake up around seven, or at least that is when my alarm goes off. I try to scrounge up some kind of breakfast at the house which may consist of extra dry white bread, but its Shoa Bakery bread so it more like dry Hawaiian bread, which is a big step up from the usual, and peanut butter. Of course then I layer the sunscreen on, Which I’m finally getting some color, but it doesn’t matter how dark I get I will still glow in the streets of Africa. Then I usually hear a knock, knock, knock which slowly get louder and louder at the front gate. This is usually Elias Solomon knocking. I don’t answer usually because I know he won’t just wander off he will keep trying, and as a lot of you know the morning is usually my time to think. Elias says its our time to hang out! Well he doesn’t say this, but he would if he wasn’t ‘tinish tinish’ or knows little English.

So when either one of the compounds residents give in or I myself decide its time to open the gate. Elias and myself go walking through the streets. Today he was wearing a Undertaker shirt and a foam mask that reminded me of Nacho Libre. This was weird to see first thing in the morning, but makes me chuckle now none the less.

Then Elias usually talks me into getting some Coors, which is breakfast…No I’m not that white trash that has beer for breakfast. Today we had injera with eggs and some sort of pepper that is in everything! It good, but you know the rest of this story if you have been fallowing the blog with hot food situation.

I then wait for Aki, which always depends on his son Abraham, as to how long I have to wait. This always makes me laugh with how his mornings and the night before events have gone. With a wild child, a new born, and a naïve American to take care of his patience must be bottomless, truly a gift from God.

Then of course the Taxi, oh the dreaded taxi! Its nice to not have to walk, but its like pulling teeth trying to get on in the morning, and usually my knees are so jammed into those seats made for Ethiopians that don’t usually pass 5 foot 5 in. My favorite seat is of course the front passenger seat, not the middle seat, because my knees have hit the radio…oops.

After this I have no idea what will happen.

Today a guy about my age come hightailing up to me. I’m a little skittish to say the least and when someone who is not a kid under 40Lbs runs up to me my track skills usually start coming back to me, but I didn’t run.

He started talking some pretty decent English, but I could see he wanted something. So once I beat it out of him he said something about a surgery that he needs, or possibly he meant medicine, since the ‘surgery’ would only cost 100ETB or like $6.

　

So first I asked him what his condition is. He said it was gastric problems, which wouldn’t surprise me one bit with this cuisine that made my stomach start talking to me!! So then I told him okay I will go to the Hospital with you. So we started walking and I saw some friends of mine, and quick stopped to say hi, and sat for a bit with the guy who needed surgery. Now I don’t know why this happened, but all of a sudden I like turned to the guy and basically started preaching to him. Now this is not like me. I don’t like it when people do this, but I don’t think I had control of it. I simply gave him a quick little lesson of how fallowing Jesus is way more important than any money, surgery, or gastric problems. Even with his broken English and my terribly broken Amharic he seemed to understand, and even approve.

So tomorrow I will hopefully be able to track one of my friends down around Addis that can interpret because we have a date set to meet tomorrow, and go to the hospital. Now I want to just go to the Hospital and see his condition. I’m not saying that he is lying about the whole thing, but I’m more careful now, and figure I can make more of an impact then just throwing 100ETB at him. Now I know its only $6 just give him the money and go, but what I have been seeing is why do they have to ask for $6? What is the true problem with this situation? A relationship should come with the $.

So if we meet tomorrow depends on Gods plan, but we will soon see.

Now I have been trying to put some scripture together.

Matt. 5:42 Jesus says, “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

Matt. 10:16-17 Jesus says, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.”

Now reading the scripture around and between is very key, but I don’t have the time to write the whole Bible like we should read, but these verses are what have came to me lately.

So I ‘want to want to give’ to this man, but I want to be careful. There are times when I know I should just simply give, and there are times when I like to be a little more shrewd, but not to the extent of me not giving, and being innocent as a dove. So I think that simply creating a relationship with him may do something better than just throwing money around thinking its going to solve everything.

So I don’t think this will lessen my giving, but maybe make it easier when I ‘see’ the problem and ‘know’ the person. A lot of the time it bothers me when someone comes up to me and just asks for money then takes it and turns away. So I think in trying this new technique it will help that feeling. Because after all, “God loves a cheerful giver”2 Cor. 9:7b, and I find myself in the opposite of cheerful giver, but more like fine whatever, since Jesus told me to.

Lord willing this will help me with my cheerfulness. Then I won’t just feel like some weirdo walking through the streets in Ethiopia looking like I just won the lottery because I’m throwing around cash, but instead I may be able to do some more than just a little relief. I know that through this new deal I will probably be taught even more life lessons.

I don’t know why it seems that every post gets longer and I’m thankful for you who suffer through till the end of each. Like my #1 fan my Mom!

The parts I like writing most though are the scriptures that I copy, because they are so true and I know that through them I cannot be wrong. Like in so much of my life.

So I urge you not to learn from what I write or written, but to look to the Bible for the truth in all things! I’m sure I will be flat out wrong about some things, but I know this the Bible is true.

May God be with you all