Ministry of Administration

Addis Abeba, Ethiopia - Amsale has been serving with IOI since the very beginning. For all those years she has struggled with health issues, but she has also had a growing ministry of administration.
Nine years ago Amsale worked as an editor in the publishing department of the Baptist Mission of Ethiopia. Both she and Negash Gemeda (IOI’s National Coordinator for Ethiopia) worked with Patrick, who was Media Center Manager for the mission.
When the mission began to dissolve, due to a change of strategy, and a new businesslike structure was being formed Amsale and most of her colleges were laid off. At the same time IOI was being formed in the USA, and the need for a trustworthy Ethiopian administrator became evident.
When IOI was in the formative stages some opposition was expressed concerning dependency, and poor management of money. Some concluded that sending “American” money to African ministers was a mistake, and simply could not be done in a good way. While the concerns were real and important, our scriptural mandate to care for our poor brothers and sisters took precedent.
The organization of IOI was created with a simple goal of supporting poor ministers in Ethiopia and a simple means of distributing the support. The funds are collected in the US, wired to Amsale in Ethiopia and paid directly to the missionaries, who sign for the receipt of the funds. It all sounds simple enough, but it was a novel idea in Ethiopia where burocracy was the order of the day in in both the national and international organizations that most ministers were familiar with. After eight years we still receive comments from many of the ministers that applaud, “I have received my support on time, every time!”
Amsale fulfills a vital role for IOI as she distributes the funds and keeps meticulous records. Furthermore she performs this same administrative ministry for no less than two other Christian organizations in Ethiopia. She also helps to lead Bible studies for ladies.
Amsale is married to her husband Mitiku, and they have four children. A grow daughter and son, and twin preteen sons. They live and minister in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia’s capital city. They are members of Mulu Wongel Church. v