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.