Words from the Ethiopia 2024 Mission Team
Below are short testimonies from members of the Ethiopia 2024 Mission team about their experience on mission this summer.
Jamie
“During this year’s mission, God was teaching me a lot about His Kingdom. Down country in Masha, I thought a lot about what creation and life could have looked like before sin. In Korah, in spite of the mountain of trash where people are forced to live, there are those who still have faith. The overwhelming feeling that things are not as they should be broke my heart, but also sharpened my awareness of God’s presence in even the harshest of places. It made my hope for the Kingdom of God, where there is no more suffering, blaze like a fire in my heart, brighter than ever now. Now, I can see places everywhere where life is not as it should be. But instead of despairing, I only hope more and more for God’s Kingdom to come.”
Caleb
“It was an incredible blessing to return to Ethiopia this year. Many times throughout the trip, we saw evidence that the church is growing and thriving, even in the darkest of places. Everywhere we went, we were welcomed with open arms by people who, despite countless challenges, live with a joy and a love that we should all strive to imitate. Everyone, from the children we taught in VBS to the elders of the church we stayed at, loved, served, and blessed us well beyond what we could have expected. Even though we went on this trip to serve and bless others (and we had many opportunities to do so), I left Ethiopia feeling like I was really the one who had been blessed.”
Kaylee
”This year’s mission trip evoked some of the most powerful emotions I’ve ever felt. Greeting the CMF team members and families we met last year brought a huge smile to my face, singing songs and dancing with the church in Masha again flooded my heart with joy, and hearing the testimonies of the families living inside of a manmade landfill made my heart break in ways I’ve never experienced before. The best part about Ethiopia is that there’s no escaping the hard and complex emotions that accompany living in a country with so much economic disparity, but you never experience them alone. Humanity is everywhere there—whether it’s people walking together hand-in-hand down the street, someone inviting a total stranger to drink coffee with them, or people taking 10 minutes just to greet one another, there’s no shortage of companionship there. People are fortunate to feel powerful things in their lives, but we are meant to share our lives with others, to have those experiences with people all around us. That’s what this trip was for me: sharing life with my teammates and the people we worked alongside. I’ll be forever grateful for this month I spent with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Micah
“Being able to spend purpose driven time with other believers while also serving others is extremely fulfilling. This trip was that on steroids. A year ago I would not have thought that I would be spending a month in Ethiopia with a group of people I'd only known for a few months, but I did it, and I'm so glad I did. Experiencing another culture so different from our own is interesting in and of itself, but we took a deep dive. Seeing that there are people who believe the same things you do and do church in the same way halfway around the world was more ground breaking for me than it really should have been. The week down country showed me a legit church community that’s different, but also the same as what I know and love. I know that this trip and the community we built on it will be life defining for me, and I can't wait to see where it goes.”
CJ
“Being on mission was an eye opening experience. There are so many things we take for granted, such as clean water, toilets, and medical care, but there was so much more that I wasn't prepared for. One of those things was having people care about you. It hit me hard when we visited a lady's house and she cried because for over a year, no one had checked on her or asked her how she was doing. Our simple visit was so much more meaningful than I could have imagined. The same went for many of the kids we worked with. They were so happy that we were simply present, loving them. And from this, we were able to share that Jesus is the reason we came, the reason we show love.”
Austin
“The mission trip was a humbling experience for me. I was amazed by the level of hospitality and kindness we received from the people of Ethiopia. They offered to feed us and serve us coffee almost everywhere we went. This was especially true of the church in Masha. Even though they have far less luxuries than we have in America, they did not hesitate to share everything with us. It made me realize how attached I am to my belongings and that I should be more willing to share.”
Elia
“This trip was very thought-provoking and utterly life-changing. There are so many small things we take for granted here in America that Ethiopians just simply don't have consistent access to. The trip opened my eyes to a whole new perspective. I'll never forget worshiping with our brothers and sisters in Masha, or doing the home visits in the Korah trash communities. We heard so many stories of tragedy and heartbreak that it would be irresponsible to stay quiet and keep them to ourselves. There's much work still left to do; I hope to go back some day, with The Wesley or even on my own if the opportunity arises.”
Tayt
“The trip was refreshing for me. After a school year of stressful coursework, it was nice to be together with the people I'd been connecting with over the year, participating with ministries on work that had a physical presence and would continue when we left. A great joy was that, because we were often working directly with people, we immediately saw the results of our efforts on the faces of those we served. Another great joy for me was seeing that the work we had completed last year was being used, and had not, in fact, blown away in the wind. I loved seeing the friends we made last year and loved being with and serving Ethiopians.”
Adam
“This trip was simultaneously extremely fun and extremely heartbreaking. It was fun because of a lot of things: the goofs, the boys’ room shenanigans, the car rides, the work we did, etc., etc. And for that, I am really glad! On mission, we laugh harder and smile more than at any other point in the year. But it was heartbreaking because of the people and the sights we saw. At one point, we saw a man on the road crying because his legs were gangrenous. I saw a lame woman drop her cane so she could help a blind woman carry her months’ food. And to top it off, a community we were helping lived right by a trash mountain that, only a few years ago, had killed more than 1000 people in a trash slide. This trip caused a lot of us to rethink how we use water, how we interact with the poor and the lowly, and also how we grow to love one another as we live life together.”
Thank you again to everyone who helped make this mission trip possible! God bless you and all of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world.