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This church is a field of contrasts.

We drive through the gate, and onto the grounds.  The few cars parked here are squeezed tightly together.  Motorcycles are stacked like sardines in a long column stretching down one side.  As with all of Awassa, it seems, there is no such thing as a parking lot.  Whatever vehicles have served to deliver the worshipers here, must now simply take their place alongside of them.  

The service has already begun, and the courtyard is empty, save for a handful of children who dot the open yard, or cluster in groups to one side.  The few adults who oversee them are friendly to us, but still mindful of their charge.  I wonder whether these have no classroom, or if the teachers have merely come early to the conclusion that theological education would better take place outdoors today.

As we ascend the wide marble steps, the church doors stand flung open.  Light and music spill out.  Immediately my attention is drawn the length of the bright room, down the center aisle and to the royal blue cross at the far end. The service is packed full, but well ordered.  The main sanctuary doesn’t look to have an empty seat, nor the broad foyer that is lined three-deep with rows of chairs.  

As we enter, a toddler darts in front of us.  His little legs cannot keep up with the fury of his pace, though, and he crashes at our feet.  A mortified young mother, beautifully-dressed and deeply earnest, rushes to collect him, and shyly express her condolences.  Meanwhile, the wide-eyed child can only stare at us in wonder.  

This place is both regal, and human.

We are led to the balcony.  Here we take our place near the front railing, in what seems to be “the youth section”.  We are surrounded by teenagers and pre-teens, and it is a wonderful sight.  The row in front of us has several respectable young men, all taller than me, keeping watch over a smaller boy.  For good or bad, there is no frivolity in their demeanor.  The young woman across the aisle also sits attentively.  At several points, though, her eyelids are heavy, and I wonder if we will lose her.  And yet, just when I’ve judged her as disinterested, she will nod her head, and say, “amen”. 

Pastor Tesfaye sits next to me.  I am grateful for this.  At several points during the sermon, he relays to me some of the message while it is happening. 

Many truths are shared.  In fact, the preacher is passionate, refers to Scripture on a few occasions, and is gospel-oriented.  This church is part of the denomination of which Pastor Tesfaye is a part, but this particular preacher is not a part of our training. 

His approach is probably even better than most of the evangelical church here; and therein lies the issue. There is much heat, but little light.

After church, we ask Pastor Tesfaye for his insights.  He was clearly blessed to worship.  He was encouraged to gather among God’s people.  He was even moved by one or two stories during the message.  But in the end, he is also sadly disappointed.  His opinion is that the people were not nourished, and that we never really got to hear God speak.  Instead, even when the preacher did quote Scripture, “he kept using passages to tell us what he wanted to say.” 

This example is a great discouragement to Tesfaye, and he knows that God has so much more for His hungry people.

This is a stark example of why we’ve been asked to come.  

You can see it in the face of our dear brother.  He loves God’s people, but He is grieved for them.

The Word of God is living and active.  It raises the dead, makes the fool wise, and sanctifies God’s people.  The word of man, doesn’t.

My favorite part of teaching with TLI is watching the students interact with the Bible, and wrestle together over what they are seeing.  

After they worked together in groups, one student shared about what he had been learning. 

“I never really saw that salvation is all a work of God’s grace.  I guess I’ve still always thought that we sort of earn it in some way.  But now I know that before God all of us are equal, and it is completely by the work of the gospel that we are His children.  This makes me want to share the gospel even more.”

We have a few less students at this training, than at the last one I attended (probably 50, rather than 60).  That may seem sad, but actually some of that decrease is really a good thing.  

One of our former students, who also served us as a translator, is not here because she is now serving in missions in Jordan.

Another - a young man who was hoping to do ministry in China - is now doing his degree in India and working on language, in preparation to go to China.  

And I should also mention Demeke, who is here this week .. but that’s not because he hasn’t been running ahead in God’s calling.  He’s back for a short stay, but currently serving as a church planter in Zambia.

The Lord is calling leaders from Ethiopia to serve Him around the world.

His gracious work continues here in this land, and extends well beyond. 

He is at work in every nation, among every people, drawing men to Himself and calling out a transformed people for the glory of His great name.

Thank you for praying, and for helping to make this work happen.

Pastor Frank Malizzo is in Awassa, Ethiopia for a 10 day mission trip with Training Leaders International. Keep checking back for updates on his trip and to see how God is using Pastor Malizzo to minister to local pastors in Ethiopia.

There is dust everywhere.

It billows up from the tires and feet and hooves of all that move on the road.  It hangs in clouds after the heavy trucks pass, and falls like fine mist on the bushes that line the way.  I taste it in my mouth.  I feel it in my eyes.  The dust passes freely into our small bus, as it drives along with windows open, and packed with weary travelers that bounce around like rag dolls.

My entrance to Awassa is different this time.  This is my first trip since the new ‘airport’ has been finished.  We de-plane on the open pavement, and find no other aircraft in sight.  A man in a bright vest, waving from the end of the blacktop, beckons to us, and motions for us to make our way up a dirt path, and between the only two squat buildings on site.  We never go inside.  We never see another passenger.  All of the security points and ticket counters and identity checks are but a faint memory at this point. It seems that we make up the entirety of the traffic here this afternoon.

After collecting our bags and boarding the bus, we begin our crawl along the dusty trail that leads around the lake, and back toward the city.  There is a humble beauty in the landscape here, and in the people. 

Thatched, round huts dot the roadside.  Women in full dress seem out of place, against simple block houses with empty doors.  Barefoot or sandal-clad children run nearby.  Surely their lives are not easy, yet they seem always to be playing.

Eventually, the dust begins to mingle with the familiar smells of diesel and ash, and I would know without even looking that we are now nearing the city.  

Tonight we will rest lying down, and that will be a welcome respite. Tomorrow we will worship with our Ethiopian brothers and sisters. The week’s work lies ahead of us, but for now, we must rest, and then sing. I am tired.

Just a few short months ago while serving on a 31 person team in Poland, I saw God provide in big ways! God showed me that when I remained faithful to Him, no matter how hard the situation seemed, or how many doors were shut, He would always be faithful to open other doors to make a way for the gospel to be shared!   

During our third week in Poland, my U.S. team and our Polish friends split into three groups so we could reach people in different areas. Our focus was evangelizing through performing dances, and skits, a Vacation Bible School (VBS), and prayer.  We were blessed with opportunities to share the gospel in city squares, churches, at a school and a senior home!

During one VBS, God reminded us of the importance of staying faithful to Him even when the situation seemed disappointing. One day it was raining so hard that we had to go inside. Definitely not according to our plan! Luckily, there was a museum close by that we could use.

The problem was not only weather, but attendance. With the exception of the little brother of one of my team-mates, there were no children. We were disappointed and discouraged by the turnout, or lack thereof. But, by God’s grace, one of our Polish friends encouraged us to carry on, trust in God, and to serve Him with a cherished heart. So we went on with our plan, not sure what would come of it, but trusting that God would use it for His glory.

We played games, sang songs, taught a couple lessons, and just plain had fun!

We thought that was the end of the story but soon realized that God had other plans!

What we didn't find out until after we finished that afternoon was that the woman in charge of the museum would offer to call a few places to see if they wanted us to come. Those phone calls opened the door for invitations to both a senior home and a school!

If we hadn't persevered through the disappointment of a low turnout for our VBS on that rainy and discouraging day, we would not have had the opportunity to be invited to those places! God opened the doors for us as we remained faithful to Him. If we had not trusted God, we may have missed those opportunities completely.

Later, during the fourth week of our trip, the Polish kids returned to their homes and the U.S. team and I headed north to Mikolajki. While there we were blessed to minister to kids and teens at a Catholic camp for four days. One particular lesson we shared was about the Colors. We taught them that black represents Sin, red represents Jesus' blood, white is for His blood making us pure and clean, green is for our growth in Him, and yellow is for Heaven. It’s likely a lesson every Sunday school teacher knows and has taught numerous times but this time, the lesson would be as powerful for the teachers as it was the students.

As we finished teaching the students what the colors meant and began passing out the colored beads to make bracelets, we realized that there was only a handful of the green beads. We weren’t sure if there would be enough for every student but decided to hand out all we had and see how God would provide. At the end, after passing out the materials, we noticed that there were still plenty of beads left...we thought, "Wait. Weren't there only a handful to begin with?” Yet now, after passing out beads to all the kids and making our own bracelets there were still a LOT left! More than a handful for sure! It was a small but precious miracle from God. This moment reminded me of the Bible story where "Jesus feeds the five thousand."  Each color we taught and each lesson we shared was important and God did not want to leave a single one out! Just as God yearns for us to grow in Him and loves deep relationships, He provides for all of our needs. What a reminder that day was of His provision for us.

Throughout this trip I was continually reminded about God’s grace, provision and faithfulness. While teaching others about God’s love, I became the student in lessons that I will never forget.

Click here to learn about all of MCC's missions programs!

Years ago, when MCC was supporting the Nij family in Guatemala, I had the opportunity to visit the Morning Glory Christian Academy in San Raymundo, Guatemala. While I was there, they took me to Antigua, which was once the Spanish colonial capital of Central America.  The city has beautiful cathedrals and palaces and is located between three large volcanic peaks.  

I had the added benefit of visiting around the time of Easter. During this time they have a huge celebration involving processions that move through town commemorating Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His march up Calvary, and His resurrection. Prior to each of the processions, community members decorate the streets with ornate murals made of sand, colored sawdust, grains, flowers, and leaves.

These amazing creations take hours to prepare and then the procession tramples the murals underfoot and destroy them.

One questions why they would spend so much time just to have the mural destroyed—the artists view this as a simple act of sacrifice and worship.

What simple act of sacrifice might you make on this Easter: invite a friend or family to worship; a word of encouragement; serving one in need; visit a shut in; pray for the lost; bring a heart to worship that is truly centered on our Lord?

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. ~ Romans 12:1