March 1, 2008
                  
Dear Friends,

Greetings once again from Addis Ababa.

The “Western church” has begun the season of Lent but the “Eastern (and Ethiopian) church” does not begin their 50-day fast for Lent for another couple of weeks. The beginning of Lent will signal the end of one of the “wedding seasons” in Ethiopia. Weddings, Orthodox and evangelical, tend not to be held during fasting periods of the Orthodox Church. On a practical level, this will mean that on Saturdays and Sundays roads around the city will not be blocked by cavalcades of wedding vehicles moving slowly behind a truck with a video camera mounted on it recording the day’s events. For us on the Mekane Yesus Seminary compound, it signals a respite from the outdoor receptions with the requisite loudspeakers and wedding music every Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

EGST’s development director, Worku, visits the construction site with our retired director, Dr. Debela.

The Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology (EGST) is truly in their season of building, finally. Last month we broke ground after fencing off the front half of our compound with a corrugated iron fence. So far, the construction is going down—deep holes in the ground for the foundation of what will be a five-story, road-front building. When that is built, EGST will move into it for offices and classrooms until the buildings of phases two and three are built on the back of the property. When that happens, EGST will rent out the road-side building. The income from that building could cover the salaries of three or four Ethiopian staff members. Continue for pray for staff and students as we seek to learn in a challenging learning environment. Next week we are having our “Spirit and Mission” class at our house at the seminary. We need a garden for a spiritual exercise the students will be doing. Two years ago, EGST’s garden was perfect, but it is now very small and noisy due to the construction.

EGST is also moving ahead with its faculty development plan. It is hoped that within a decade, 70 percent of EGST faculty will be qualified Ethiopians. We have one three-year scholarship secured, a second sponsorship in the works, and are working to find funding for several others who have been identified as future EGST faculty.

On the faculty front, we would ask your prayers for EGST’s immediate needs. First, we will be meeting with two Ethiopians, currently based in the United States, who have an interest in teaching in EGST’s missiology program. One of them will continue to reside in the United States, but wants to come two or three times each year to teach. The other person is determining family needs and other issues, but we pray God will open the way for him to come and join EGST full-time. He has just completed a Ph.D. at Fuller’s School of Intercultural Studies, and his church here has given the go-ahead for him to join EGST’s faculty. Both of these men will be traveling to Ethiopia in the next couple of weeks, and we are prayerfully looking forward to meeting with them in March.

Next semester, which runs from August to December 2008, EGST will be without a number of expatriate faculty. Some will have finished their time in Ethiopia and others will be in the United States for their furlough or interpretation assignment (including us). We are looking for people in New Testament and systematics to help cover the courses. Do you know of anyone who would like to come teach a masters-of-divinity-level course in Ethiopia for a semester (or a month)? Room and board provided.

To follow EGST’s growth and development, visit the EGST Web site. If you would like to make a contribution to and be a part of the Horn of Africa’s only graduate-level theological institution, you may send gifts to Extra Commitment Opportunity number E051846, “Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology” through PC(USA)’s usual remittance avenues. Or click the "give" button below our signature.

We continue to be grateful for your prayers, support, and interest in our ministry and the ministry of EGST, serving church and society in the Horn of Africa.

We will be in the United States for interpretation assignment from September through November 2008. Our tentative plans for September and October are to be on the East Coast (including Pennsylvania and Ohio) to visit churches that have been partnering with us and with Ethiopia. During part of November we hope to be in California. In early December, we’ll be in Houston, and then we will be looking for opportunities in other parts of the country. Our church connections are spread out, but we love the chance to share what God is doing in this part of the world! We are beginning to lay out a rough schedule and sending letters to churches. If your church is interested in having us come speak, preach, or teach a class, please contact us at Anne Wheeler-Waddell and John Wheeler-Waddell.

Blessings,

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 12