The Time is Now

In my last blog entry I referred to an amazing man that I met when I was in Ethiopia in December of 2011.  In this entry I want to give you some more background on him as well as some more information on the plan to take the first step in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to Northern Ethiopia by raising funds for the temporary site for the Bible Training Center in Mekelle.

With any fundraising venture, some people may be a bit skeptical about where their donations are going.  I think it’s important for you to know more about how this process will work and who will be on the receiving end of the donations in Mekelle.  I heard from two men last week after I posted my last entry.  Both have served in the mission field with Dr. John and both independently referred to him as “the real deal.” 



"The Real Deal" Dr. John Balikowski

I’ll start off by telling you about this man that has dedicated his life to evangelism.  Dr. John has been in Ethiopia serving the Lord for 9 years.  The first 6 years he spent in Addis Ababa and moved to Mekelle 3 years ago.  Prior to his time in Ethiopia, he spent time ministering in 20 different countries.  The majority of that time – 17 years – was spent as a missionary in the Philippines.  In the Philippines, he started a medical evangelism ministry which is still functioning under the nationals.  He was also a Pastor.  He was involved in Bible school teaching and served as the coordinator for 99 fellow missionaries.  In 2013 Dr. John received the Humanitarian Award from his dental school alumni, State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Dental Medicine.

Dr. John first visited Mekelle 6 years ago in order to get permission from the Tigray Health Bureau for a visiting medical, dental and optical team from the United States.  At that time he was informed that there were no licensed dentists in the whole State of Tigray.  The population of Mekelle, Tigray’s capital city, was 150,000 at the time.   He started working with the Tigray Health Bureau and eventually started a dental school in Mekelle.  He was asked if he could train some Tigrinya nurses to do some dentistry. The government officials who recognized the need for dental services in Tigray were very appreciative of what he was doing and his efforts gained favor with the local government.  His dental work translated into a positive attitude toward the Evangelical community in Mekelle.  

When he arrived in Mekelle there were eight Evangelical churches with about 1,000 members.  Today there are 12 Evangelical Churches and about 3,000 members.  The Evangelical Christian population in Tigray is still only 0.1% of the total population.  When he moved to Mekelle three years ago the population had grown to 300,000, largely due to the Universities and Colleges, and the construction industry.  Today the estimated population is 700,000 people. 

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is the predominate church in northern Ethiopia (96% of the population).  However, now the Muslim population is growing rapidly (an estimated 4% of the population).  Five years ago there was one Mosque in Mekelle.  Today there are three.  In each of the larger towns, in Ethiopia, where  Dr. John has initiated dental campaigns; there is a new Mosque under construction.  Most of the towns, even towns with 50,000 to 100,000 people have NO Evangelical church.  There is a desperate need to train church planters and strengthen new Christians, thus the need for a Bible Training Center in Mekelle.  For that matter, there are no Evangelical Bible schools in the northern half of Ethiopia.   In the state of Tigray alone, there are over 5 Million people with no schools to teach and train leaders about Jesus Christ.

Pastor Bob Roberts and his wife Beverly

Dr. John recently introduced me to one of his friends, Pastor Bob Roberts.  Pastor Bob and Dr. John served in the Philippines together.  Pastor Bob is now the Senior Pastor at New Life Christian Fellowship in Grand Blanc, Michigan.  Bob has offered his church as the vehicle to get funds from the US to Dr. John in Mekelle.  Bob was very clear that none of the money donated to the Ethiopian Bible College will go to administrative fees.  It’s all going straight to Dr. John to get this important work underway in Ethiopia.

As Christians in the US, we have many denominations of which to choose to worship.  Our beliefs vary from one to the next and it’s very important for everyone reading to understand what will be taught at the Bible College.  The Bible Training Center will be open to all Evangelical Christians regardless of church affiliation.  The doctrine is as follows: Jesus Christ Crucified, Risen, Ascended, and Coming Again.  The Bible College will train on the belief in the Ordinances of Water Baptism and Holy Communion as well as anointing the sick with oil and praying for Divine Healing.  The main curriculum that will be used in the Bible school is from ISOM (International School of Ministry).  The materials will be in English and Amharic (Ethiopia’s National Language).  We will also welcome pastors and Bible school teachers to come and teach block courses.

On Wednesday of last week, my wife’s friend shared with me the cover of the latest edition of World Magazine.  The cover of the issue is entitled “The Battle for Africa” and it details the struggles in Uganda with the insurgence of Islam and illustrates the struggle on this continent between Muslims and Christians.  This is one of those articles that most people read and think “that’s on the other side of the world” or “what can I do about it?”  My friends, we can do something about it.  We can’t solve the entire crisis with one Bible School but we can do something for the Kingdom of God to begin to reverse this trend one soul at a time.  You have that opportunity in front of you right now.  I'm asking you to do something.

Read more about this at: World Magazine Article

On Monday of this week, Dr. John met with the Tigray Evangelical Association of Churches.  The leadership was very helpful and cooperative.  They currently have an option to purchase a piece of property that could easily become a multi-use complex.  The site is on the main highway in Mekelle near the University.  What a perfect spot!  Dr. John visited the location on Tuesday with the leadership and prayed for the Lord to help them with the site.  We will need $100,000 initially to buy the land which already has a foundation for a building.  

On Tuesday, Dr. John visited sites for a temporary school and is working to find someplace suitable with the $5000 that we're going to raise to get things started.  

The Evangelical Association is conducting a survey regarding the anticipated number of students for the program.  More on this in future blog updates.

The last couple of weeks have been some of the most exciting weeks in my life.  God has clearly spoken to me and given me sign after sign that I am supposed to be involved in getting this project underway.  

God has a plan for all of Ethiopia to be reached with the Gospel and the time is now.  We need to train workers for the Vineyard.  The field is white unto harvest.  The Harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.  Our time is now.

I’m going to ask for four things.

1) Donate.  Get out your checkbook or  go to the New Life Christian Fellowship website and give something.  We need $5000 to secure the temporary site in Mekelle for the Bible Training Center and get things underway.  We need $100,000 to purchase the land for the site.  Let's start with these two short-term goals in mind.  You can make checks payable to:

New Life Christian Fellowship
MEMO: Ethiopia Bible School
Mailing Address:
New Life Christian Fellowship
2237 E Reid Rd
Grand Blanc, MI 49439

or go to:

New Life Christian Christian Fellowship and click the "Donate" tab at the bottom right of the page.  When we get to the "Review Your Donation" page, click on "List Designations" and type in "Ethiopia Bible School."

2) Help.  Pray about this.  I need people to help me develop the infrastructure for a campaign to raise $500,000 for a permanent site for the Bible College.  I need people to help me with research, coordinating Pastors from the US to visit and train, web developers, prayer warriors, administrative assistants, teaching materials, marketing, etc.  Please consider this and let me know as I’m anxious to coordinate these efforts and get this project underway.  We will get organized and begin our work in front of us.  Who knows… maybe one college is just the beginning.

3) Share.  My last blog entry had 600 views in 6 hours.  Clearly people are interested in helping.  Share this on social media.  Send it to people that you know that would be willing to help be a part of this.

4) Follow.  Follow the blog by signing up for email updates with new posts.  I’m so excited to be able to report back on all of the progress in the days to come. I plan on updating everyone on the progress of donations as well as how the organizational plans come together.

Working together for the harvest of Ethiopia,

JB

Letter from one of Dr. John's Students

Back to Mekelle

Wow.  It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a blog entry.  The blog served as a great way for me to explain how in December ’11 God worked to get me to Ethiopia, have a chance meeting with my now son, Sofani, and ultimately make him part of our family. That experience was life changing for all parties involved.  Trust me.

Today, Sofani is doing well in the 6^th grade at Selma Middle School and has added so much life to our family.  His smile is still as infectious as it was on the day I met him (just ask the girls at the middle school).  People still marvel at how in the world he wound up with us. Sometimes I do, too.

As for the rest of us, we have all adjusted to the new family unit and all of the changes that occur when you drop another child into your house that has been used to living on his own, doesn’t speak the same language and had to have wondered to himself how he wound up with all of these crazy white people.  Over the past year and a half I changed jobs, we all changed our priorities and everyone is better off as a result.  We have found our new “normal” which is a daily adventure.

But that’s not why I’m writing…

Upon return from my first trip to Ethiopia I was saddled with a couple of burdens on my heart – one of them was named Sofani and one was something that I’ve only shared with several people until now.

I’ll try to frame this story so that it makes some sense.

In December of ’11 I was in Mekelle, Ethiopia to deliver Amharic bibles to students at the Ethiopian Orthodox School as well as members of evangelical groups that we met with while we were in town. 

Ethiopia is primarily made up of Christian Orthodox believers.  The practice of this religion is steeped in history and, oddly enough, most of the students that we encountered at the Orthodox school didn’t even have bibles.  We had to receive permission from church leaders to pass these out.  Needless to say bibles are not laying around on bookshelves in homes in Ethiopia.  They are cherished. 

The evangelical movement is active in Ethiopia, also.  Evangelical’s approach to Christianity is more like what I’ve grown up practicing in the US.  It’s about the relationship with Jesus and all of the grace and mercy that go along with it.  Evangelicals aren’t the most popular people with the Orthodox and they’re far outnumbered.   They have to gather and worship in secret.  At one of the services I attended near the university in Mekelle the “greeter” at the church was holding an AK-47 assault rifle.  The irony is that it was the best worship service I’ve ever attended.

After one of our meetings with the Evangelicals we discussed the insurgence of Muslims into the horn of Africa.  On our travels throughout the country, we saw many mosques popping up throughout the country and heard time after time how the Muslims go into communities where hope can be hard to find and invest in these communities.  They have a strategy on moving into Africa – namely through one of the only remaining Christian nations in Northern Africa – Ethiopia. 

Sofani’s hometown of Mekelle, Ethiopia, is at the heart of the fight in the northern part of the country with the highest concentration of Orthodox.  People in Mekelle are on the front lines of this battle – the insurgence of Islam and the oppressed Evangelical movement.

Take into consideration that by 2050 half of the youth of the world will live on the continent of Africa and think about what the world will be like in the decades to come.  Will this population growth be rooted in Islam or Christianity?

While I was in Ethiopia I met a man that was a retired dentist from the US named Dr. John Balikowski.  Dr. John and I hit it off right away.  He left his retired life of comfort in the states for missionary work in Mekelle.  He was teaching nurses and other healthcare workers simple dentistry since at the time Ethiopia had 80 dentists for 80 million people.  Dr. John is also at the heart of the evangelical movement.  He helped get an evangelical school up and running in Addis Ababa and wants to do the same in Mekelle in the region of Tigray.

Upon returning to the states I kept in contact with Dr. John for a couple of months.  With good intentions I offered to help mobilize stateside to fundraise and build a bible college.  Honestly, we became so wrapped up in getting Sofani to the US and getting him acclimated to our family that the bible college idea was placed on the back burner.  My correspondence with Dr. John tapered off and eventually stopped; however, the bible college crossed my mind often.

A few weeks ago I started a bible study at our church.  It’s a program designed to keep you in the bible daily and teach leadership along the way.  I signed up.  One of the functions of the study is to journal in various colors of ink – black with my thoughts, blue with scripture and red when you hear from God.  I thought to myself… “This is kind of weird.  I wonder when I’ll use the red pen.”  God removed the cap of my red pen days later.

My first red pen entry:

1/19/14 - “Research the bible college in Mekelle.  Develop a strategy to raise $500K.  Change the world.”

Crazy, huh?  Considering that $500K was more than enough to build the college based on my conversations with Dr. John two years ago I was not surprised with this number.

Next red pen entry:

1/24/14 – “Listen for my call and obey.  Have ears to hear and eyes to see.  Order the book I showed you earlier this week.”

I was listening to a Christian radio station earlier in the week – not something I do that often – and heard a guy talking about a book that he had written on Islam’s war with Christianity.  I ordered it. 

So Thursday I’m at my bible study.  Todd Austin, one of the fellows that I traveled to Ethiopia with in ’11 walked up to me afterwards and was discussing the results of my “strengths test” that I had completed the week prior (my top 5 strengths were Strategy, Communication, Woo, Achievement, Significance).  He said to me, “God is going to start talking to you on the fly and using you to do something big for the kingdom.”  I started laughing – almost crying – with joy because I knew exactly what he was referring to.  God has been revealing the gifts/strengths He has given me and was clearly sending me signs that it was go-time.

On Friday the book “The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent” arrived.  Staci and I went to dinner that night and I told her that I need to begin researching, developing a strategy and mobilizing to help Dr. John build the bible college.  Not surprisingly, she was completely on board.  Staci and I are nearly always on the same page and this was no exception.  She has had a strong urge to return to Ethiopia and has had several signs from God over the past few weeks that there would be a return trip – just not 100% sure as to when and why.

That brings me to today.  I woke up this morning and reached over to go through my normal routine – put on my glasses, buzz through emails, Twitter, etc.  I had one email that caught my eye, though.  It was from someone that I haven’t heard from in almost 2 years.  Here it is:

“Dear Jason,

It has been a long time since you were here with us in Mekelle.  Hope all is well with you.

We are in the process of finally starting the Bible training center here in Mekelle.  We never heard back anything positive about putting up the building, so we are renting one for now so we can get started.  We are short a few thousand dollars for startup expenses and I would ask the Lord if you or your friends could help us.  Funds can be sent a couple of different ways, one would be through the church in Michigan that was willing to help channel funds for us, and also through World Dental Relief.

Please pray for us as we try to get started.  I already have a curriculum and will work with ISOM (International School of Ministry).

Your partner for the Harvest in Ethiopia,

Dr. John”

I think it’s pretty clear that I’m supposed to have a role in building a bible college in Mekelle, Ethiopia.  I’m asking for some of you to help me in this endeavor.  I am confident that we can raise the funds to get the temporary school up and running as well as another $500K with the proper strategy.  I would like to mobilize and begin getting organized in the next couple of weeks.  Please contact me at jasonbuck1@aol.com if you’re interested in being a part of this or if you have an interest in donating to the cause.  Please follow my blog for more updates in the days to come and watch God move.