Missions: Ethiopia Part 2: Healing Hands of Joy and Stormrider: Akeza

After 2 days in Addis we departed for Mekelle, which is less then an hour flight. It is a smaller city then Addis Ababa. I would compare it to Philadelphia being Addis and Pittsburgh being Mekelle. Mekelle was less crowded and had more of a slower pace then Addis. It is also a college town with the Mekelle Theological College and Mekelle Institute of Technology surrounding the area. 

Coffee Ceremony

After settling down at the hotel, we headed to the center. When we arrived at HHOJ the women gave us a wonderful warm greeting! They had beautiful smiles on their faces,cheering, waving incense and tossing popcorn and rose petals in the air.  All eleven ladies greeted us with kisses and we took pictures before entering in the center. The women performed a traditional coffee ceremony as we all sat in a huge circle introducing ourselves. The women were very open and inviting. All of them explained their situation, what lead them to HHOJ and what they were hoping to gain/accomplished through the program. We, in turn, told them what brought us to Ethiopia and why we wanted to come to the center. After the introductions, we had lunch with the ladies and received a tour of the grounds, kitchen, classroom and living quarters from Allison. 

Preparing lunch

One of the customs in Ethiopia is feet washing. This normally occurs when a visitor comes to your home and you wash their feet as a sign of hospitality. Well our team wanted to do that for the ladies and in addition treat them to manis and pedis. The women at first had reservations because they felt that it was wrong for us, the visitors, to wash their feet. But during their Bible study class they were ministered to about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples in John 13:1-17. They learned that Jesus wanted to show His followers what it meant to serve and give themselves to others. Jesus told Peter, who refused the washing of his feet, that he has no part of Him if he refuses. Being able to serve and being served is a blessing and our Father is pleased and glorified when we do that for each other. This made the women more comfortable and ready to receive their feet washing. It was a pleasure and joy to see that the women were enjoying the feet washing and spa treatment. One of the lady's daughter joined in and I was able to paint her nails for her. Each woman received her own nail spa kit with lotion, nail polish and file. What a blessing it was to leave the center that day knowing that the ladies felt special and loved.

Feet washing

Showing off her nails

The second day at the center was one of the best days for me because it was our one on one time with the ladies. I had the privilege of having my time with Azeka. She is 40, divorced twice and has 4 children. During her first pregnancy, Akeza had prolonged labor with her son and developed fistula because of it. She was able to receive surgery and has since been cured. 10 years after the surgery she remarried and had 3 more children. I questioned Akeza why would she remarry and have more children after the traumatic experience with her first marriage and pregnancy? Akeza explained to me earlier in our conversation that she divorced her first husband because he was cheating on her with other women in the village. She responded to me so plainly and with confidence, "Because I had the desire to have more children." Her response gripped my heart in the most intense way. Most of these women are married off at a very early age, as early as 8 years old, abused and outcast by their communities because they have fistula. You would think there would be bitterness, unforgiveness, wrath and fear that would overcome them.

Akeza

Akeza, as a woman, wanted to fulfill that desire of being a wife and a mother. Unfortunately, her second husband was abusive and the marriage dissolved but she preservered. She has a strength and a willingness to succeed in life. She told me her strength comes from God. She knows that fistula does not define her life and that being at the center has strengthen her faith. She has developed relationships with the other women; they have sown into each other lives and have been able to encourage one another through this experience.

Towards the end of our conversation I told Akeza that she reminded me of the young girl (Jarius' daughter) Jesus brought back to life in Mark 5:35-43. Everyone that was at Jarius' home thought that this was the end. Before Jesus and his disciples arrived a servant from Jarius' house told him not to bother Jesus because his daughter was dead. But Jesus knowing what was going to happen went to the house and told everyone there that the girl was sleeping. The mourners at the house laughed at Him. Jesus had everyone removed from the room besides the girl's parents and 3 of His disciples. Jesus proceeded to take the young girl's hand and said to her "Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise (verse 41)." The little girl got up and Jesus told them to get her something to eat. Jesus who is sovereign knows the beginning and the end of your life. Others might feel like they have the right to speak over your life because of the circumstances that you are in but God has the final say.

Akeza was in agreement and added that God is in control. She is so thankful that He has brought her out of the darkest places in her life and have lead her to a place of peace and trusting in him. Akeza blessed me tremendously with her beautiful spirit, laugh, openness and strength. She told me that she would be praying for me to get married and that I would have lots of children! What I found to be very interesting was that our interpreter and  I had similar stories. All three of us had a connection even though we come from different backgrounds, cultures and upbringings. I truly understood in that moment that allowing yourself to be open can really minister not only to others but to yourself.

I greatly enjoyed my time talking to Akeza and my team members also felt the same way about their one on one time. It was truly an honor and a privilege to get to know my friend Akeza. I will never forget her and our conversation. She has motivated me to continue to preservere no matter what obstacles come into my life. God is in control and has the final word.

From left to right: Senait (who is apart of the HHOJ staff), me, Akeza, one of the ladies in the program and our interpreter Flash

Next week will be the third and final post about my trip!

To learn more about the trip please visit the team's blog at  http://www.tscnyc.org/i61teams/category/africa/ethiopia-africa/  and to learn more about Healing Hands of Joy please visit http://www.healinghandsofjoy.com

The 8 Prayer Watches: The 2nd Watch

This week, I am going to discuss the second hour of prayer.

2nd Watch 9pm-12MN The Second Watch of the Night (The Midnight Watch):

• During this time you are to pray for divine favor and provision or supply. Favor from men and respect from men. In Exodus 3:21 God tells Moses that he will give the Israelites favor in the sight of the Egyptians. (this will later help the Israelites build the tabernacle) In Ch.11 it shows that the Israelites received this before midnight because the angel of death had not yet passed through Egypt. Another example is in Acts 23:23 God made provisions and had the chief captain see favor in Paul.


• Give thanks to the Lord at this time for his favor and provisions. Psalms 119:62 “At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments."
  
• Pray for supplication and grace. This is the time for the outpouring of the Spirit of Prayer, Grace and Supplication. On the night Jesus was betrayed he prayed for God’s grace at 9:00pm. And at each hour from 10-11pm, he went to his disciples to wake them up and pray. By midnight he told them to get up because the hour had come for him to be betrayed.
  
• Pray for strength against all temptations and trails.
  
• Pray for prevention of being scattered. When Judas betrayed Jesus and brought the soldiers to capture him, all of his disciples scattered and left him to be taken. Pray that the Lord keeps unity in your families, churches, workplaces, schools and communities in time of trails.
  
• Pray for protection. This is the time that God is dealing with our enemies, who are trying to keep us from entering into the perfect plan he has for our lives. Exodus 12:29 tells us that the Lord smote Egypt’s first born which lead the Israelites to leave their bondage and head into the promise land.
  
  Please remember all for these prayer points during this hour of prayer. It will strengthen you and allow the Lord to continue to do a mighty work in your life. Also for more on the second watch, please visit the National Prayer Watch website.

A Stormrider's Testimony: My Favorite Four Letter ‘F’ Word Meets Love

Forword: The following testimony is from a Stormriders reader. We believe that you will be truly blessed by these words, we know we were!

My Favorite Four Letter ‘F’ Word Meets Love.

I used to be this person that bought into that whole idea that many people are taught today: be independent, capable, fierce. Something in me wants to go back and poke this person’s eyeballs out.

You see, about two years ago, I met Jesus Christ. And no I don’t mean that I learned about Him, but that after 23 years of knowing about Him, going to church, including 6 years of being angry at God, I met Him. He became a real everyday part of my life, and an year later, I got baptized. Then almost immediately, the company I worked for announced it was shutting down and I lost my job in ten days, my following job turned out to be a nightmare I had to quit. Soon I had to leave the city, live in a half constructed house, with no transportation, no tv, no internet, or even a computer. I was my very own contemporary Robinson Crusoe. But while the situation was not pleasant, I only saw them as challenges to conquer like I had before. How wrong were my thoughts. I was totally wrong to think of it that way and most importantly, it turned out to be a revealing blessing in disguise.

When I was a little girl, there was a moment when I was molested by an uncle. I should have said something, told someone, but instead, I actively chose to stay silent and resolve the problem on my own. I did not want to burden anyone else and most importantly and eerily, as scared as I was, my little mind didn’t think she needed the help.

When I got older, there were other incidents that indicated a severe isolation and unhealthy idea of self-sufficiency. During college, instead of accepting a ride to the hospital, I insisted on driving myself to the ER, despite the fact that I did not even know where the hospital was. I eventually found my way there by asking a stranger on the street for directions, as if nothing was wrong. My love life wasn’t so much a love life but a shambles of sanitized laughter and entertainment. I dated men who amused me, but secretly I was choosing the ones that could never fall in love with me. I had a bad habit of never letting him pay or resenting roses on Valentine’s day. I ran the second I felt his emotions were in the picture. Many of my closest friends were people who wanted someone to listen, but people I had known from the beginning did not know how to give back. But I actively and willingly made these choices. I did not want the burden of ties. I was happiest alone.

And it was a high. When you’re alone, you have true independence, the kind that goes beyond the financial into the emotional. It’s easy in this situation to feel that every event in your life is your own creation. After all, you have no one to credit but yourself. There is a certain confidence that grows with you and a fierce conviction in who you are and what you can do. If I wanted something, I felt like I could have it. If I wanted to be someone, I felt like I could be her. My motto was “the only thing standing in the way is yourself.” I needed no one, I was beholden to no one, and I owed no one anything. I was free. In a sick masochistic way, I reveled in it.

But the empowerment, strength, and freedom of independence, comes with a sick cost to oneself. If I had spoken out about molestation I could’ve curtailed unnecessary pain to myself, or if I had accepted a ride to the hospital, that moment could’ve been a fond memory of someone’s affection for me. If I had learned to be a little more dependent, it could’ve been an earlier walk with Christ. A lot of things could've been easier, had I sought a little less isolation and independence.

Even after I accepted Jesus into my life, my Savior and God, I continued to seek independence. Even our relationship I thought of as a give and take I ahd to work for and resolve in my own capacity, instead of letting it just be. After I lost my job, I would wake up every morning and spend hours at my desk, reading the Bible and taking notes. I would look up devotionals on the internet and pray another hr before going to sleep. I even feared taking other jobs in the case they would not please the Lord. When the pressure mounted and I felt doors on all sides were closing, I found myself literally choosing to skip meals rather than admit need or accept help. I was still having difficulty accepting the blessings in my life. But one day, during prayer, I heard God speak these words into my ear, “Let me love you, child.”

I understood then, something He had been trying to tell me, it’s not about deserving His love through hard work or earning it, but just accepting it. He is a wonderful and great creator, who created you just for that purpose, to be loved. Because His love is FREE! God had already been loving me abundantly even to the point where He had taken away all my instruments for self-sufficiency and was forcing me into an austerity to teach me the most freeing lesson of all, to let in the love Jesus was sending me. IT was me who was rejecting His love by rejecting the love in my life.

It’s a funny feeling, that first time that you let someone pay for your dinner. Or to have someone offer you a place to stay and you accept. Or crying your eyes out in someone's embrace. It was unfamiliar, bizarre, and all very nice. It’s actually warm and cozy; a complete relief, like I was finally home. His love had already placed the people and things I needed for my joy. Even the trivial things I found myself blessed in, I ended up eating so much I gained all the weight i'd lost and more, I went to all the parties I wanted to, I still had delightful outfits coming out of my closet. I should've been unable to do any of these things! But here I am, fat, happy, spoiled, and loved. All I had to do was open up my heart.

I'm not perfect at this yet. Sometimes I'm even tempted to go back to the way I was and enjoy the thrill of running my own show, campaigning for myself. And still in other moments, I still feel I don't deserve without earning. especially a Savior. But no ego-trip or insecurity is worth losing what I now know. You can work hard and be strong, and someone will always always applaud you. But now, I can be weak and still be strong, because I'm letting someone else catch me. Someone so good He'll even force you to let Him catch you. His name is Jesus.

True strength is the courage to open your heart. True empowerment is the love of others in you. True freedom is a true love, one that takes you as you are and loves you. Even the secular saying goes, a true love sets you free. God's love is truly a true and good love.

So just let go, let down your walls, lose control, and BE FREE.

"What a man desires is unfailing love." Proverbs 19:22a

No Worries!

In this time of economic crisis and rampant fear, God has given us many promises in His Word. God promises to take care of us through all things. So there is no need to worry or fear what is going on around you. You have a Mighty God! Your strength, your guide, your joy! He will always be there for you. There have been several suicides due to the economic downturn and many people who have placed their faith in money and belongings (mammon) and not God, find themselves lost, because what they once believed in, is now gone. You know something that they don't. You know the saving grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. Please pray for people you know and don't know that may be lost in this time of turmoil. Share with them these promises, and tell them the good news of Jesus Christ! Remember, there is no need to worry, He is mighty to save!

Philippians 4: 6-7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4: 8-9

8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed

Matthew 6:25 - 34

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Lord, I pray that You will bind the spirit of worrying in Your people. Let us remember that You are our portion, our ever present help! You are everything to us. You are our God and we are Your people. You provide all our needs and for that we are grateful to You and give you all the praise and all the glory! Lord we ask that You please use us to share Your grace with others. Let us remember to keep Your Words close to our hearts and share it with others in due season. Amen.