Paid in Full

I’m thrilled to report that the building is PAID in FULL.  It has been an incredible 18 month journey.  We have over 90 students enrolled, a permanent location with no debt, and tenants on the first floor to cover ongoing operational costs for the school.  We raised a quarter of a million dollars during that time.  If you were one of the people that contributed financially, administratively or prayerfully I would like to thank you again.  God has a plan for this school.

As I reflect on the past year or so, it’s worth pointing out how improbable this project has been and how God connects people for the purposes of building His kingdom.  There are tons of examples but I think it’s worth sharing a few of them again…

• Dr. John and I met in Mekelle in December of 2011.  We spent one day together and hadn’t corresponded for 2 years when God put the burden on both of our hearts that “the time is now” for a Bible School in Northern Ethiopia.
• All of our fundraising has been processed New Life Christian Fellowship in Michigan.  Dr. John served as a missionary with Pastor Bob from New Life in the Philippines for many years prior to going to Ethiopia.  I have yet to meet Pastor Bob or anyone from the church that I’ve worked with on this project face to face.
• Along this journey I met Pastor Gabe Benesai.  He grew up in Tigray.  He had been faithfully praying for a Bible School in Mekelle for the past 20 years. 
• As I type this, there is a group of 12 women from all over Ethiopia at the Bible School for a 12 day visit (this is their second trip) to pray for the school.  That’s all they’re doing for 12 days.

Improbable?  Yes.  Impossible? Not a chance.  All things are possible through God.  This project illustrates that very clearly.

So, what’s next?

We’re planning a celebration in September at the school. I will have the privilege of being present as we honor the first group of students that started at our temporary location last year.  They will be getting certificates for completing their first 3 trimesters.  We will also be hosting a conference for the 50 evangelical pastors in the state of Tigray that same week (FYI - Tigray has over 5 Million people and only 50 evangelical churches).

If you look at our website www.harvestinethiopia.com you will notice that there is still some money to be raised before we have fully reached our goal.  This amount (~$17K) is not due until early next year.  It is due to the government for taxes on the purchase as well as realtor fees.  The Tigrinya Evangelical Churches Fellowship, our governing body in Mekelle, has committed to raising funds to cover this.  If you have an interest in helping them cover this amount, please feel free to make a contribution.  They would appreciate any help you can give them.  Check out the website for more details.

A Divine Appointment

A few months ago I received a phone call from a man that heard about the Bible School we opened last year in Ethiopia. His name is Pastor Gabe Bainesai and it was one of those phone calls I'll never forget. He learned about the project from a friend in Seattle and made it his mission to track me down ASAP. Needless to say, he had Staci on the phone within 24 hours. My call was hours later. I don't know that I've ever talked (well, mostly listened!) to someone as excited as Pastor Gabe.

My friend Pastor Gabe Bainesai

Why was he so pumped? He grew up in the very state that the school is now located - Tigray. Years ago he moved to the U.S. and is now a Pastor in Spokane, Washington. He told me that he had been praying that an evangelical Bible School would be opened in Northern Ethiopia for the past 20 years. He knows first hand how unlikely it was for this type of school to open in a city with a protestant population less than 1%. He also knows what an opportunity this is for the people of Northern Ethiopia to come into a relationship with Jesus Christ. In the Pastor's words "this is a miracle from God."

Since that first phone call Pastor Gabe has stayed in touch with me. He reaches out about once a month. His phone calls are always well timed and filled with prayer, encouragement and blessings. He has enlisted a network of people that are praying for the school. When I hear from him it's like I'm hearing straight from God. That's the only way I can describe it.

Our company recently acquired another group of stores out west and today I am flying out to make some store visits and meet some of our new employees. Guess where I'm flying? You guessed it - Spokane. As soon as my trip was booked I contacted my new friend and arranged a meeting with him.

I am traveling with my pal Torin who does video/motion graphics work for our company. He agreed to grab a camera and shoot an interview with the Pastor this evening when we arrive. The Pastor is so fired up about the school and the possibilities for the future outreach into Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, the Middle East and beyond - it's a powerful testimony.

I suppose the reason that I'm sharing this is because it's a great example of the power of prayer. Imagine being so faithful and passionate about something that you were willing to pray for it for two decades - it's incredible. Now, the Pastor has enlisted all of his friends to pray for the school now that it's up and running.

The permanent location of the school was purchased with money but the people that got involved and wrote the checks had their hearts changed. I firmly believe it was the prayers of people like my new friend in Spokane that has contributed greatly to changing hearts and moving people so the school could open. Today I get to thank him in person. 

Here's the video from our meeting.