Bible Training Center Update

I wanted to post an update for those of you following the Bible Training Center in Mekelle, Ethiopia.

In September, we honored 22 students that graduated with Diplomas and another 40 students that earned Certificates. As of today we have 60 students enrolled at the campus in Mekelle. The students are at different levels – pursuing Certificates, Diplomas and Bachelor Degrees through the International School of Ministry. Additionally, our first satellite program is up and running with 50 students enrolled at the prison. How awesome is that?

The Bible Training Center

We rented the three of the available retail spaces on the first floor of the building to an IT school. The rent that they pay will help pay for utilities and other ongoing expenses.

However, there is always a need for additional funding.

When we purchased the facility, the Tigrinya Evangelical Churches Fellowship, the governing body for the school, committed to raising around $17,000 to pay realtor fees and government taxes which come due at the end of this year. I’ve always felt like this was a stretch goal considering that most Ethiopians live on the equivalent of a couple of hundred dollars per month. I didn’t want to doubt God’s ability to clear the path and help them make this happen; however, we’re getting down to crunch time with some of this money coming due fairly soon and I would prefer we not put them in a position of taking out a loan.

Besides paying off the realtor and the government taxes, we also would like to raise funds for a library books and furniture at the school.

We need funds to jumpstart some of the satellite/extension locations in neighboring cities. We’ve had several requests to start new locations but the lack of money and teachers has prohibited this from happening. One of the opportunities involves setting up schools at one of four Eritrean and Sudanese refugee camps in Northern Ethiopia. These camps are home to over 100,000 refugees.

I would like to help them by knocking out the remaining balance for the realtor and taxes and allowing them to focus on running the school, building the extension program and making disciples for Christ. I would like to call upon many of you that have or considered financially contributing to do so to help take away this burden. We have so much more by way of financial resources.

On another note, I’m also working on referring American Pastors/Instructors to Dr. John to line up opportunities to travel and teach at the school. If you have anyone that you would like to refer, please let me know.

I appreciate all of the support, prayer and contributions that have made this school come to life. It has been incredible to be part of God’s plan for building the kingdom in Northern Ethiopia.

Checks can be made to:

New Life Christian Fellowship
MEMO: Ethiopia Bible School

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

www.harvestinethiopia.com/donate

Heartbreak and Hope

We had an incredible time in Ethiopia. We spent the week hanging out with street kids, walking alongside prostitutes and meeting people that rely on trash at the city dump as a means of sustenance in Addis.

On Thursday we walked into an open prison courtyard in Mekelle with 2,500 inmates accompanied only by a pastor - no guards - and had a worship service in the brand new building that is the first extension of the Bible Training Center. It was mind blowing.

There are so many hurting people living in despair. But with every meeting it was impossible for us not to think, "What if this was our son, our wife or our daughter?"

Whether it was circumstances beyond their control or poor decisions they made that played a role in their current situation, everyone we encountered wanted the same things - to be noticed, to be loved, to have hope and to be redeemed.

That's why the end of our week is so awesome. No, not the fact that we're hopping on a 787 Dreamliner to return to a life we take for granted in America, but because the first group of students just graduated from the Bible Training Center in Mekelle, Ethiopia (The first of its kind in the history of Northern Ethiopia). I was humbled to give the keynote speech and challenged the students to put their education to use by serving, leading, discipling and multiplying.

What do students graduating from a Bible Training Center have to do with street kids, prostitutes, prisoners and all of the other hopeless sinners out there? Everything. They represent relationships, love, hope and redemption.

These students will start small groups, then churches and, if they do it right, they will have their followers pointed outward into the margins of society meeting people right where they are. They will teach their followers to love and care for people just like Jesus intended.

This, my friends, makes getting on the plane a lot easier. I know these new leaders have been trained to do this very thing. They may not fix the entire situation but they're going to do something.

Thank God for all of the hearts that were changed and checks that were written to fund the school in such an awesome facility and location. It's been said all along, God had a plan for this school. We were so fortunate to be apart of today's celebration.

Please join me in keeping these students and the other ministries we partnered with this week in your prayers and if you feel led by some of the stories and images that were shared, jump in and support them financially. 

Special thanks to our wives, families and friends for holding us up this week in prayer and letting us soak up this experience. We love you.  We're heading home!

www.aheartforkorah.com
www.mymministries.com
www.harvestinethiopia.com