This was followed
by years of careful and diligent work by the Reimers and Breezy
and (most recently) the translation team of Desalegne and Ajulu.
Now the Anuaks are among the few people groups in Ethiopia who
have (or are about to have) the whole Bible in their own language.
What a testament the day was to Breezy’s faithfulness, the
gospel’s life-giving power, and the Anuak community’s
faith amidst great adversity in recent years.
It gives one pause to consider: What have I invested myself in
for which others would give a celebration?
Contrasts of life
Driving south from Addis this time of year, one sees farmers
out in their fields plowing, as they have done for generations,
with a team of oxen pulling the steel-tipped wooden plough, furrow
by furrow, length by length. John noticed on several occasions
a man under a tree, kneeling and kissing the ground. Were they
happy to have a field to plow? Was it blessing on the land? Perhaps,
but we know it was the Muslim hour of prayer that called these
men to break from their plowing.
We also drove past acres of huge imported Quonset-hut-type greenhouses.
Flowers, roses, and strawberries are packed up and shipped off
to markets in Europe. From the looks of things, these operations
are providing many with jobs. How are they transforming the surrounding
communities?
Hope for the future
While in many communities of the world denominations vie with
one another for members and resources, we continue to celebrate
and hope in the dedication of the visionary implementers of the
Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa. EGST’s
owners include the Kale Heyiwot Church, the Ethiopian Evangelical
Church Mekane Yesus, and the Evangelical Churches Fellowship of
Ethiopia (an association of more than 50 evangelical churches
and mission agencies). Dr. Debela Birri has served as EGST’s
director since 2000 and is seeking to develop a high standard
of graduate-level education for the church in this part of the
world. This is done while largely relying on part-time staff from
sister institutions of the Evangelical Theological College and
the Mekane Yesus Seminary. Keeping tuition at levels that both
church-sponsored and private students can afford is a continuing
challenge. And as EGST hopes to soon embark on the building and
development of facilities suited to the Horn of Africa’s
only theological graduate school, there is much prayer needed
for finances, for the process and permissions, even as we continue
to pursue accreditation by ACTEA (the Accrediting Council for
Theological Education in Africa).
Missiology courses continue to draw interested students. A course
this semester, “Spirit and Mission,” which is looking
at the role of the Holy Spirit in the mission of the church and
in the life of those involved in mission, has brought over 20
of EGST’s students together. We can hardly fit in the room
in such a way that we can see each other (as opposed to looking
at the back of others’ heads). As the interest in missiology
and the desire to explore new ways of understanding the cultural
complexities and challenges for the gospel in Africa today grow,
we continue to pray that God will bring a qualified Ethiopian
to give input and leadership into the future of this important
field of study with EGST. A seed fund has been set up to help
provide a salary when that person is found. Please contact Dr.
Debela Birri or us at EGST (P.O Box 24934 Code 1000, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia or email: EGST@ethionet.et
if you have interest in contributing to this fund. (Also check
out EGST’s new Web site.
There is much to share. We will try to be more regular in our
communication. We do send a more frequent prayer email. If you
would be interested to receive that, we would love for you to
join our prayer support. Please let us know.
Blessings,
Anne and John Wheeler-Waddell
EGST, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
330 |
