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March 17, 2002
Dear Friends,
Where I sit working at my desk several hours every day, I look
out of that bedroom window onto a big, perfectly rounded hill
named Abba Saba. When the first Presbyterian missionary arrived
in this area in 1919, this hill was the site where a well-known
witch doctor practiced his skills. I often ponder on the goodness
of God in planting at its foot this school from which young people
filled with earthly knowledge and heavenly wisdom go out into
the world every year. On the hillsides, some farming and cattle
grazing are done, but the special resource is a yearly, wonderful
crop of tall grass which people cut and use for thatching the
roofs of their houses. This past week, however, brought a new
and unimagined purpose for the hill. The sound of rifle shots
interrupted the usual hum of classroom interactions as our martial
residents practiced their maneuvers. One ponders "why"
privately. One is again thankful for God’s all knowing Spirit
who in wisdom brings to pass what will be. But pray that the ever
smoldering political anguish be lifted.
In the 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, on
page 33, mission co-workers Michael and Rachel Weller wrote about
the steady growth of the Bethel Mekane Yesus congregation(s) here
in Dembi Dollo. Just a month ago, on a Communion Sunday, 73 new
communicant members were brought into the church. Some, as is
always the case, are from Orthodox, Catholic, and Muslim backgrounds.
Some are "backsliders" of the Presbyterian/Lutheran
traditions, but most of these large numbers who enter several
times each year are young people. And within our local synod,
there is no youth ministry as such. There are choirs which actively
carry out their own programs of prayer, praise and practice, but
pray for the leaders of the church at large whose focus is directed
toward too many critical issues. One of these is the alarming
rate of the spread of AIDS, with the latest figures reporting
that 10 percent of the population is infected with HIV. There
is no regular testing program for it at our local hospital, and
people suspected/known to have AIDS are not told. A group of women
employees of the Synod organized six months ago is still "discussing"
ways to add to the money we have so far contributed for the care
of AIDS orphans here in Dembi Dollo rather than using the fund
to care for the children.
In my October newsletter, I mentioned that The Bethel Evangelical
Secondary School (BESS) had moved effectively into the proposed
new curriculum, even though we had been kept waiting for the decision
as to our place in the present scheme of things up until the last
minute. I didn’t mention that since there was no replacement
for a long line of excellent English teachers for senior secondary,
I was given this responsibility. Now, six months later, I can
tell you with a heart full of joy that my 53 twelfth graders and
57 eleventh graders are happy and working hard to meet the high
standards expected of them. And as it happens, the field of home
economics is being revamped toward the end of my teaching tenure
at BESS and divided into eight departments or courses in the vocational
stream where diplomas will be given. Whether we are able to move
into this advanced program depends on additional personnel and
equipment that require funds not presently on-hand. The go-ahead
for the wood- and metal-work shops to move ahead has been given.
Keep these concerns also in your prayers.
Meanwhile, our school director continues his relentless efforts
at income-generating projects. Just when the school’s 50,000
coffee trees start really producing those bright red berries,
Ethiopia’s place in the world coffee market slumps. Just
now, the must successful of several farm commodities carried off
to the Dembi Dollo market in the Toyota pickup every Wednesday
and Saturday is sugar cane. The upcoming project is "producing
honey." On no! Oh yes! Beehives are now being made and thatched
with grass to be set up on this school compound. What effort goes
into trying to make something work in a land where almost nothing
does! But Director Asefa never gives up. He just keeps on trying.
I’m planning on a six-month furlough from July 2002 to January
2003 for the purpose of itineration. Please be in contact with
me if there is any possibility of a visit from me. I’d love
to share my experiences with you.
Cordially,
Jo Ann Griffith
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