Since I’m sharing this blog via my Facebook account
for the first time, I’m going to give a quick rundown on the past 3 years of my
life (all of this is detailed in previous blog entries). Here’s the Readers Digest version:
God called me to go on a mission trip to Ethiopia in
December of 2011. During that trip I met
a then 10 year old boy that is now my son and our fourth child Sofani. I also met a dentist, Dr. John Balikowski
that has dedicated his life to mission work.
Dr. John lives in Sofani’s hometown of Mekelle, Ethiopia, and is working
to get the news of Jesus Christ to the people of this country. In this area, religion is dominated by the Ethiopian
Orthodox church (96%). There is also a
growing Muslim movement (4%) and a small contingent of an evangelical Christians
(<1%). Mekelle is a rapidly growing
city with a population of 700,000.
Ethiopia is one of the only remaining non-Muslim countries in northern
Africa; however, this continues to shift more towards Islam. Dr. John has the cooperation and
support of local evangelical leaders that desperately want a place to teach and
train new pastors – something nonexistent in that part of the country today.
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| Ethiopian Orthodox - Muslim - Protestant (Geography of Religion in Ethiopia) |
Here are some updates since the last blog entry.
Dr. John has begun renting a temporary site for the
Bible Training Center where the evangelical leaders can begin their work. We have 90 students that are anxious to begin
their studies. We do, however, need
tables (24) and chairs (90). Considering
that Home Depot and Lowe’s don’t have distribution in this part of the world,
we’re looking at about $4,200 ($20 per chair and $100 per table). This is the most immediate financial need
that we have.
After speaking about this calling at church 2 weeks
ago I had a friend, Dwayne Lott, offer to help me build a website. This is an area of the project that I needed
some help and Dwayne stepped up without hesitation. I purchased a domain name and we’re currently
constructing a site that I’ll reveal in the next entry. We’re developing content, playing around with
the layout, adding graphics, plug-ins, etc. to allow the site to tell the story
and call people to act. We should have this
ready to launch very soon.
The next phase of fundraising – money for a
permanent site and facility – will require presentations and speaking
engagements. I’m excited about getting
people stirred up to realize that we can do something to introduce Christianity
in a rapidly growing part of the world yet to know the truth of the son of God,
Jesus Christ. I’ve seen the need first
hand; however, now it’s just a matter of getting the message into a power point
and a website.
People often ask me, “What can I do to help?” I try
to always give them something to do. If
you’re wondering the same thing here are a few options:
1) Help.
Pray for this project.
2) Research.
Read about the religious history of Ethiopia, the Muslim plan to take Africa –
anything that you find of interest on topics such as this and send it my way.
3) Share. I could use the help of my friends to
introduce me to new contacts that would provide me opportunities to share this
project at churches, conferences, etc.
Social media makes this so easy to do.
4) Follow. Sign up to follow my blog and stay tuned for
the new website!
5) Donate. I’m not asking any of you to scratch out huge
checks. At this point we need money for tables, chairs and rent. (We have $1400 raised through 3/8/14)
New Life Christian Fellowship
MEMO: Ethiopia Bible School
Mailing Address:
New Life Christian Fellowship
2237 E Reid Rd
Grand Blanc, MI 49439
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.”
Working together for the harvest in
Ethiopia,
JB
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