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October 28, 2001
Dear Friends,
Greetings of love through Christ to each one of you. I trust
that all is well with you as it is with us through God’s
sustaining care.
Early in the morning of September 12, our school cashier knocked
on my door and said, "Jo Ann, I came to bring you very bad
news. I am so sorry. A terrible problem came to America. Some
airplanes destroyed your biggest buildings. I’m very sorry."
The next day, the Bethel Synod’s coordinator in the central
office in Addis Ababa called by phone to say, "Jo Ann, I
wanted to tell you that I sent an e-mail to the Louisville church
office to express your concern for the people of America."
And on Saturday, the Muslim owner of the biggest little shop in
this town said that he was sorry for the terrible thing that had
happened to take so many people’s lives and that made him
very sad. At church Sunday morning, the Old Testament reading
was from Isaiah 26 where I read v. 4, "Trust in the Lord
for ever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock," and I
remembered Manhattan and the Twin Towers built down so many feet
into that rock and up so many stories on that rock. Then Paul’s
words to the Corinthians came to mind, "we look not to the
things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the
things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen
are eternal." So it seems to me that the invisible has become
more real and that is a valuable lesson. I still want you to know
that the depth of the horror and sadness of that event has touched
me to the extent that I can say, "My life too will never
be the same."
Life at the Bethel Evangelical Secondary School moves ahead in
the usual steady, smooth way in spite of major changes taking
place in the educational system. To comply with the requirement
for a new middle school, a beautiful new complex of buildings
was built by an outside donor. The next, bigger hurdle seemed
to be to occupy them, hire new teachers and begin the new program.
God does move mountains. On September 12, the seventh and eighth
graders of BESS enrolled in the new middle school on the new Birhani
Yesus Elementary School compound. The two rooms they vacated here
were filled with additional sections of 9th and 11th grades. Actually,
we’re still waiting on our eleventh-graders to return due
to the slow process of grading their last May’s matric exam
and making the necessary decisions concerning placement of these
thousands. Meanwhile, the former library is being wired for the
new computer lab. Ten new computers are ready to go. Tenth grade
home economic girls are helping to make curtains against the sun’s
glare. Physics teacher Fite is all set to teach, so another obstacle
has been lifted out of the way.
But what of the invisible, since there’s no lasting hope
in computers and drafting boards? The fruit of the Spirit identifies
our tree. It is evidenced in the life of this community. Dorm
girls and boys leading the Friday night praise program and Bible
studies with inner beauty shining through serene faces and outstretched
arms. Deep joy. Seventy-five boarders studying night after night
alone in the dining room from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. with candles
glowing but without a sound. Some self-control! Director Asefa
calling the school’s agricultural workers to his office,
then the three of us dorm-related ones, then the maintenance man,
then staff members etc. to discuss problems, iron out personal
differences, try to improve the quality of the performance. What
patience is needed and supplied!
Last night I stood in the dark, candle-lit school kitchen with
the five dorm girls whose turn it was to peel and chop onions
for this morning’s special Sunday breakfast. The Muslim twins
were a part of this group and doing most of the talking. "Teacher,
did you hear about the poison sent in envelopes by the post? Our
father said…" At the end of a long conversation, we
agreed that we must pray earnestly for leaders all over the world
as they make crucial decisions and for all people to be guided
by God’s spirit of righteousness and truth. We are praying
and working too at the grassroots level for justice as we focus
on character building of Ethiopia’s future leaders. Members
of this community are treated justly, whereas in the society at
large there seems to be practically no justice. Will they make
a difference in this country beset with such deeply entrenched
problems at every level of society? We pray so.
Cordially,
Jo Ann Griffith
The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 34
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