Why Missions?

Why We Need Young People in Missions
by Tanya Lyons
@risecampaign.com
I was shocked and delighted when I discovered missions wasn’t about me trying to make the world better on my own, but was about joining God in his mission of restoration and change. 

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Plan to join us on a mission trip! 
Visit our Missions webpage for more information!

An Incredible Church – A Stellar Team

Two years ago a church in Washington adopted a church in Ethiopia, and through a partnership with Adoption Ministry has infused the outreach in this area. Recently, a team from Lake City Church traveled to Ethiopia to meet the church leadership, the evangelists, the kindergarten children, and some of the 50 families who have been helped through Adoption Ministry 1:27.
 

Reaching the Unreached
The town that Lake City Church has adopted is a good-sized place with 35,000 residents, and most people have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the population has been taught that the symbol of Christianity is evil and to be avoided at all costs. But through the financial strengthening that Lake City has given to seven dedicated evangelists, 111 people are now following Christ and there has been a new church plant in a nearby village that has never seen a church before. Converts face intense resistance from their community and local government, but the numbers are growing and the support from the Ethiopian Meseret Kristos church is strong.
 
Bringing Hope
Fifty families have been adopted by members of Lake City Church through Adoption Ministry 1:27. The overwhelming majority of these families are single mothers who have lost their husbands through death or abandonment or are grandmothers raising their grandchildren. All are extremely poor, have little to no education, and are utterly destitute.
 

Through the ministrations of the case manager and the pastoral staff of the church, these families are getting on their feet. They receive monthly food staples, their children are enrolled in school, and the widows are starting to look to their futures with optimism. Once a family is stabilized and if the mother/grandmother is healthy, the next step will be to lift them out of dependence through the establishment of a viable business. But the best news is that seven single moms have put their faith in Jesus Christ and are now being discipled and strengthened through the church community!
 
 

Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and … Jesus
Classrooms have been built, teachers hired, a playground installed, and 60 eager kindergarteners have the chance for an incredible start to their education. In Ethiopia, the average kindergarten class has 50 students, but the Mana Gammachuu kindergarten (Mana Gammachuu means joyful place) has three classes of 20 children each. They are learning Amharic (their native language is Orominya), English, and numbers along with Bible stories and Christian character traits such as kindness and honesty. The children are individually sponsored by people attending Lake City Church.
 
 

Faith encouraged on two continents
It is amazing and extremely rewarding to witness the partnership that has blossomed between the Meseret Kristos Church in Ethiopia and Lake City Church in Washington. On both sides of the world congregations have been encouraged and blessed. Pastor Jim Kennington of Lake City Church had the privilege of preaching in his congregations’ sister church, team members got to meet the family (or families) they support, murals were painted on classroom walls in the kindergarten, children were tickled and hugged, evangelists were inspired.
 
The team and pastoral staff of Lake City Church came away with a deeper understanding of the hardships the Christians of this area face and renewed steadfastness to remain faithful in prayer for the spiritual battles that are raging. The vibrancy of the faith of the Ethiopian Christians and their determination to persevere no matter what the cost significantly impacted the thirteen people who visited their church’s ministry area. There is no doubt that they will bring renewed energy back to their home church and they most definitely left a deposit in their sister church in Ethiopia!

Tree of Love

by Brian Anderson
Lake City Community Church


Sweeping silhouettes of Acacia trees against the Ethiopian sky this morning gave inspiration for the ‘Tree of Love’ mural in the kindergarten. With leadership from Judy Van Houte, the tree bloomed with the colorful hand prints of every child, teacher and many friends of the YWAM Mana Gammachuu kindergarten.
 
Unity continued through the day as we worked together to finish painting the inside of the school and the playground equipment. A fence, mandated by the government, was put up in the two days and mostly painted as well.
 
The lovely day ended with a delicious meal of goat meat and bread, served to nearly 100 people of the local church. Pastor Jim encouraged us to continue the friendships begun by remembering to pray for one another. We clapped and danced to spontaneous music of praise to God around a celebratory bonfire. Gifts were then given to the leadership, and lots of hugs from the children made it hard to leave these precious new friends.
 
This wonderful mission team from Lake City Community Church in Lakewood, WA will be serving with Missions Director Mark Wolbert in several areas in Ethiopia.  Their church has ‘adopted’ the Mana Gammachuu kindergarten and all of the AM 1:27 families in this area. Join us in praying for effective ministry and big impact through the Holy Spirit.

Making Their Way Out of Poverty

by Joy Casey in Ethiopia
written on Jan 24, 2015

Through Adoption Ministry 1:27, forty families so far have received help to start income-generating activities (IGA’s) – their own small business – and get on the road to supporting themselves with dignity.  This week Joy had the pleasure of visiting three women who are successfully operating their own businesses.  We are so proud of them and so grateful to their sponsors for giving them this opportunity!

Injera and more injera!
 


What a sweetheart! Seada’s tiny house is no bigger than a big bathroom here and contains two wooden chairs, a bed and room for three people - herself and her children. The workspace where she cooks injera (Ethiopia’s cultural bread) is in a shed on a rocky incline to her house.  I found her there, expertly baking on the new injera baker she was able to purchase with a loan given to her from Adoption Ministry 1:27. She also has an old injera baker that needs repair, and once that is fixed she will use both ovens and be able to double her output.
 


Through tears Seada expressed her profound appreciation for the help she has received from Adoption Ministry 1:27, both with monthly support that allows her family to eat and her children to go to school, and for the loan she recently received to start an injera business. She is the only Christian in her whole family; the rest are M*sl*m believers. She said her daughter was sick almost to the point of death and a Christian prayed for her and ­­­­­­­­Selam was miraculously healed. That led her to learn more about Jesus and it wasn’t long before she was a Christ-follower. Her husband left and Seada and her children are still dealing with his loss. She says she aches for him because he is in such a dark place and her children miss their daddy. But through it all, the Lord Jesus has been there for her, and the expression of His care came through the ministry of AM 1:27.



Now Seada can eat every day and prepare good lunches for her children when they go to school and she feels hopeful for their future because she has work to do that will eventually provide for their needs without outside support.


A little bit of help goes a long way!
 

With a little bit of help, Birtukan has expanded her fledgling business to almost double! She sells about anything anyone would want. With the new refrigerator purchased with a small business loan, she sells milk and cold drinks. Her tiny stove bakes the delicious dough she makes every morning into tasty, fresh rolls.  And is it hot tea you want? She has that, too, along with dry goods, charcoal, and any and all things necessary to roast and make coffee. Bags overflowing with lentil powder for an Ethiopian dish called shiro are displayed on her counter along with barley and oat flour and several freshly ground spices.
 
Birtukan and her daughter live in her shop. They used to sleep on the floor behind the counter, but Adoption Ministry’s Mission’s Director, Mark, found her so and generously bought her a bed. She led me under the counter and through a tiny slot behind a tarp and proudly showed me where the bed rested between the tarp and the outside wall where she and Yabsira can now sleep comfortably.



Birtukan is a hard, hard worker with a ready smile and the ability to make people feel welcome. She will flourish as a shopkeeper, although she is challenged with ever-increasing rent. Her goal is to pay back the loan in two years and she expresses confidence that she will bring her business to a place of prosperity and independence.


The epitome of industriousness!


Yemsrach is a delightful, energetic woman who has endured much heartache and struggle since her husband left her. She said she was hopeless… hopeless for work and hopeless for her future. When Adoption Ministry 1:27 came alongside her with monthly support, she knew God heard her crying by sending His people to help her.
 
Recently, Yemsrach received a loan to start a small business and today I had the incredible experience of seeing this lovely woman in action. In the short time she has been working she has established a clientele for injera, serves coffee to office workers from 12–1:30, and has a busy store where she sells lentils, all kinds of vegetables, and small bags of charcoal. With her loan she was able to purchase a refrigerator and can also sell cold drinks and milk.
 

Yemsrach was radiant and her enthusiasm for life contagious. Within two years she will have the loan paid and will have built a thriving business that can sustain herself and her 4-year-old son, Yerosan . Yerosan is attending a nearby private kindergarten free of charge due the kindness of the owner who sees how hard Yemsrach is working to make a good life for herself. I saw Yerosan’s school papers and was impressed by this little guy’s fine motor coordination! He is learning English A-B-C’s as well as Amharic letters and numbers. Yemsrach still needs time for her heart to be mended at the betrayal of her husband, but she is active in her church with a strong faith and God will not only meet her physical needs but her emotional ones as well.
 

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There is a way out of the hopelessness of poverty for many in our sponsorship program.  If you would like to help a single woman in Ethiopia receive business training and a loan to start her own small business, please visit our AM:127 Business Starts webpage to find out how!

Two Joyful Places

by Joy Casey in Ethiopia
written Jan 19, 2015
 
Under our license of Mana Gammachuu in Ethiopia we have established orphan care for abandoned or special needs babies and a kindergarten for 60 students in a predominately M*sl*m area where Adoption Ministry 1:27 supports 50 vulnerable families. Today I had fun with the kindergarten children and then got my “baby fix” at the orphanage where I had time to sit on the floor with the cutie-pies and play with them.
 
Mana Gammachuu Kindergarten
 

There are two classes of kindergartens… one for the very youngest and one for the older children.  Another class of 20 children will be added next month. Usually kindergartens in Ethiopia have 50 children in one class, so our relatively small classes with 20 each is quite a treat!
 

This is the first time for any of the children to attend school, and I was impressed that for only having instruction for three months they had learned the alphabet and could write most of their letters.
 

For English, they were learning the body parts and a child would take turns leading the class in their sing-song recitation of all the parts of the body.
 

A mission team from Lake City Church in Tacoma will be at the school next week, putting a fresh coat of paint on the inside and outside of the school. One lady is coming prepared to paint murals on the walls of the classrooms… that surely will brighten up the rooms! But what will really excite the students is some playground equipment that will be delivered soon.
 
Mana Gammachuu Orphanage
 

Who can resist a baby? I certainly cannot, and found myself once again thoroughly enamored with sturdy little ones toddling around so inquisitive about everything. There are four babies around six months old whose fat little cheeks, arms and legs are a testament to the good nutrition they receive, and their bright eyes and ready smiles a result of the loving attention from their nanny-mommies. They were all in various stages of learning to crawl and I was fascinated watching them trying to coordinate arms and legs to get the forward motion they wanted.
 

Permanent homes are our aim for all seven babies. Four of them will be adopted by Christian Ethiopian couples within the next couple of months, and we will continue to raise awareness in the church community through adoption seminars and find forever families for all of them.

“I could never have imagined such a blessing”

by Joy Casey in Ethiopia
January 19, 2015

Joy recently had the great privilege of hearing some of the many families in Shashemene who are sponsored through Adoption Ministry 1:27 express gratitude to their sponsors. 
 
While we were waiting for the ceremony to start, the gathering was like a large family. People were greeting each other with a kiss and quietly visiting, arms linked together many times. Even the young children were saying hello to each other in the customary Ethiopian way and were animated with beautiful smiles but were not rowdy or impatient. During the time of eating and drinking, the children, every one of them, took what was offered and contentedly sat by their mothers and enjoyed the time. I saw a couple of little ones wrap up their chunk of bread in a cloth and save it for later, but none of them refused the offering or left any of the food behind.
 
The people who stood to give their thanks did so spontaneously and with humility and grave dignity. I am certain that I cannot completely appreciate the difference between days of no food and full cupboards because I have never been without, but these dear people have known what a lifestyle of hunger feels like. They so badly want me and those that support them to know that they don’t take food for granted and are extremely grateful for it. I left envying the overall serenity and contentment of the families we have the privilege to know in Shashemene.
 
Sisay:

“First, thanks to God and may God bless you. In my former time, I didn’t even look human. Now, my daughter and I have changed so much! I cannot express how thankful I am for our progress.”



 
Aragash:

“Please give all my blessings to my sponsor. I am standing here today because of their support. Without it, I know I would be dead.”



 
 
Helen:

She was very teary expressing herself. “ I am thankful so much to God for the support. We are now removed from poverty. May God bless your home with blessings like mine.”



 
Mesele: 

“First, I thank God. He is the one who brought you to me. Now I have food, clothes for my children and ourselves. We are very happy! I like the worker visiting our home and seeing what we need and doing his best to provide for us. God bless you!”



Mekrya:

“Before I got this support I had many starving days. But now I eat and it is because of AM 1:27 that I survived. There is no shortage in my home now. I ask God to bless my supporters and this organization. I ask they be given many blessings.”



Genet:
“I thank God for this opportunity to appreciate and thank my supporters and what God provided for us through you. I could never have imagined such a blessing as I have got! Being poor my whole life, I never got to eat injera made with teff, but since you have helped me, I can have good injera and my home is full of blessings. Thank you very, very much and may God bless you!”



Bekelech:

”I am so happy because now I can send my children to school and we have plenty to eat.”



 

Multwa:

“I give thanks to God, even with children and grandchildren to care for.  Formerly we did not have enough food. But now we have food and even school and always enough oil! May God bless you with a long life.”



 
Asrate: 

“I am a very sick woman and previously I was starving. I am still sick, but now I am getting food and all I need. May God bless you and may He provide everything for you.”
 
 

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You too can help to rewrite the life story of an at-risk family in Ethiopia!  Please visit out ‘Adopt A Family’ webpage and select a family to bless.

A Day of Celebration

by Joy Casey in Ethiopia
written on January 19, 2015

It is a holiday today in Ethiopia celebrating the Orthodox Timket. Timket is very ceremonial and festive with deep roots in the Ethiopian culture. Because schools and government offices are closed and there is church around the clock, the streets are packed with joyful people, most women wearing white coffee dresses with colorful trim and even the men are shrouded in gauzy white. I couldn’t help but absorb the happy atmosphere as we slowly meandered through the throngs of people on our way to the Mana Gammachuu orphanage. We passed several groups of young men with linked arms confidently singing something that put smiles on their faces and music was blasting from loud speakers all along the main streets that were crisscrossed with colorful streamers. How could I possibly not smile on a day like this?
 
Stepping through the doors of Mana Gammachuu orphanage brought a whole different atmosphere to my senses. Here was a haven of peace and rest where everything was geared to the rhythm of seven babies. I only had about 20 minutes with the little ones and will spend much more time later… but it was a joy to see them all healthy and content and to greet the staff who have been with us since the beginning.

But the big program of the day was meeting with the fifty families supported through Adoption Ministry 1:27 in Shashemene. The case manager had planned a celebration on this day of Timkat to mark the second year of our program that supports the poorest in their community.
 

I was asked to light the candle to begin the commemorative ceremony and then Ephriam, our Project Manager for the southern region, was asked to cut the large round of dabo (bread).
 

The smell of incense intermingled with the fresh roasted coffee aroma as baskets of popcorn and bread were passed around followed by cups of rich, Ethiopian coffee and glasses of water for the many children.
 

 


When I go to gatherings like this, I am made to feel so welcomed and appreciated, but I am acutely aware that I am only the face of the many sponsors who faithfully support a family and pray for them.
 

These people have no way to personally thank their benefactors, so they liberally thank me and bless me. It is humbling and I want to pass those blessings on to the real heroes… the American families who many times give sacrificially and have radically changed individual lives through their benevolence.