Bonhoeffer Retreat - October 14

It is time once again for the annual Bonhoeffer Retreat! We will be having the retreat on Saturday, October 14 at a location still to be determined (within an hour of Jackson and depending on who signs up). We meet for breakfast at Christ Community Church at 7:00am. We will try to be on the road by 8:00. The study should start at about 9:00am, we will have lunch together at the cabin and the study will end at about 3 or 4pm. (For those interested in staying later we will have a time of fellowship and prayer that could last into the evening).
This year we will be studying Christ the Center, so if you do not have a book let me know and I will order one for you.
We usually carpool to the retreat so transportation should not be an issue. We do need to know who is planning to go and who plans to take their car/van.
Please RSVP ASAP (NO LATER THAN FRIDAY PLEASE), and also let me know if you need a book (about $10). Also, feel free to invite male friends (this is a men's retreat) that you think would benefit from our time together in this theological study.

Sanctuary Village

Praise God! We finally have the "green light" and resources to begin Sanctuary Village. The idea is that we would provide a place that resembles a monastery where the countryside ministers (or future ministers) could come to learn scripture, learn to grow their own food, practice acts of mercy, practice hospitality and develop their prayer life.

It will, LORD willing, be located in the countryside about an hour (by bus) outside of the capital. Ethiopia's population is still about 80%+ rural and communication is slow.

The hope is that this form of "seminary" will provide holistic and practical training in conjunction with theological development in a familiar and culturally sensitive setting.

The Sanctuary ministry in Addis is in the process of being closed. While the home in Addis served us well as a guest house it failed to become the training center that we had hoped for.

A campus is being planned that should include a main house for the director (or Shamagelle "Elder"), a chapel, a vegetable garden and cottages for students (or Wondem "brother"). We hope to have the first cottage in place by January 2007.

Ababa has Surgery

Ethiopian missionary Ababa was injured a couple of years ago when he was attacked while ministering in the countryside. His jaw was broken and he suffered other minor injuries. Until now surgery had not been an option because of limited resources and as it was considered too risky. Today we received news that Ababa has had surgery performed by American doctors at a Kallie Hawot Church Hospital in the south of Ethiopia. His prognosis is good and he expects a two month recovery period.

Lanes Arrive Safely in Ethiopia

JB and Megan Lane have arrived safely in Ethiopia for their three month long assignment. In addition to their regular duties they plan to visit Operation Rescue of Ethiopia (a sister ministry that works with over 200 orphans in Mekele, Ethiopia), perform some administrative tasks in preparation for the annual Bible conference and they hope to be involved with the founding of the Sanctuary ministry (a community for discipleship) in the countryside. They are joined by Megan sister Christina.

They came hurting. They left healed!

Kalkidan was all smiles as she strapped in for her flight home!








Gashawoy and Kalkidan safely arrived back in Addis Ababa at 6:30 p.m. on September 3rd. They were greeted by Kalkidan's teary-eyed mother, Emmebate, and many of their friends. Gashawoy's friend Tatek sent us an email to let us know they made it home and that there was a celebration upon their return.

The whole group spent the night at a friend's home in Addis Ababa and sang hymns of praise and thanksgiving. Tatek included the lyrics of one of the praise choruses: (Amharic) Becemayu sifra bekibir yalhew, egzabhere lenae liyu nehithat. (English) God who is in heaven, you are special to me.

After singing, they read Psalm 113:5-8. "Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people." (NIV)

So, it is with both sadness and joy in our hearts that we make this final entry in our journal regarding the miracle of Kalkidan. Gashawoy and Kalkidan touched our hearts in a way that will never leave us, so the sadness is not one of gloom or despair, but an emptiness that occurs when a loved one goes away.

The overwhelming joy is in knowing that God has performed a miracle and we were able to be a small part of it. It took many people many hours of hard work, both in the US and Ethiopia, to arrange for passports, visas, transportation, housing, medical care, the website, fundraising, and so many other things that it is difficult to remember them all. Yet none of this would have been possible without God, the sustainer of life itself. For those of us who were closest to this whole project, we can state with certainty that we would have failed without the intervention of our Lord and His response to our prayers. Throughout this endeavor we have received letters and emails from people all over the country that have prayed for Kalkidan, and those intercessory prayers were answered in a mighty way.

It is somewhat ironic that we even use the term "miracle". We sometimes look at things through the prism of our own abilities and we stand dumbstruck when something we pray for actually happens. We worry and toil over the little details and wonder what we can do to make things happen, and we forget that the sovereign God is in control of his creation. All it really takes is faith that the One who spoke the universe into existence can heal a sick little girl. So we praise God for his abundant mercies and his everlasting love.

What about Gashawoy's faith. He could have given up. He could have believed the doctors and the naysayers from his own country that told him to prepare for his daughter's death. He could have seen the obstacles to going to America as insurmountable and given up. He could have cursed God for the tragedy of losing his only child. But none of those things happened. By faith, Gashawoy left his family and traveled thousands of miles to bring his daughter, Kalkidan, to the USA. He had to come alone, because his wife could not accompany him on the trip. He faced and overcame a language barrier and a significant cultural barrier, because he believed God would answer his prayers regarding Kalkidan - and he was right! So, is it really over? No, it's just the beginning.

Now that the surgery was successful and Gashawoy and Kalkidan are home again, let us not forget to remember this family in prayer. Time and distance have a way of pushing today into the forgotten past and the things that seem important now can be buried in our daily routine. We believe that God is not through with Gashawoy and Kalkidan and we sense His purpose will have a far reaching impact on the people of Ethiopia. What better testimony of the power of God than a living, breathing "miracle" child. Our responsibility is to continue to pray that God will lead and direct Gashawoy, his family, and his friends as they continue to faithfully serve Him.

With much gratitude and appreciation we want to thank everyone who contributed their time, prayers, and financial support to save the life of Kalkidan Gashawoy Asfaw, and we close out this chapter with the words of the Apostle Paul, "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14 - NIV).

Grace Wilson