UPDATE FROM EDDIE EVANS
Greetings dear friends!
I hope you’re all doing well in Gods grace! Today is the Ethiopian New Year, 2014 (I drafted this during a flight on Saturday). Happy New Years to all of my Ethiopian friends and family! This email is a little longer than usual but it is full of exciting and important updates.
First, we want to thank those of you who partnered with us in assisting Eman to start a delivery business and to attend Bible College. He will be starting his post graduate diploma program at EGST (Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology) in the next couple of weeks. EGST is the leading institution in Ethiopia for Biblical Studies. This is a privilege for Eman and he is excited and thankful for the opportunity! Eman is serving faithfully in the church in several areas. He leads a Saturday afternoon youth program, leads our weekly prayer program and is teaching salvation and discipleship classes. Please pray for Eman as he begins his delivery business and his school and as he continues his faithful service. I have attached a photo of Eman and his motor bike.
Secondly, I had an inspiring and productive meeting this week with Sofi and Ephrem, two of our young student leaders. One of our partners graciously sponsored both of them to attend medical school in Addis. Sofi recently graduated and Ephrem is beginning his residency. They have both excelled in their studies as well as in their leadership. Sofi served as his class representative and he and Ephrem are now helping their university launch a continuing medical outreach initiative to the underserved of the local community. It’s so exciting to see them passionately using the opportunities that have been given them to serve others.
Our meeting this week was with their assistant dean to discuss the idea of Sofi and Ephrem launching an on campus student leadership development initiative. They both shared how much the leadership principles that they have learned through our churches leadership development initiatives have impacted their lives and how they are now passionate about passing on these principles to their fellow university students and beyond. Wow, this is huge! It’s so good to see them running with what they have learned and received!
Please pray for Sofi as he is now searching for a job, which is extremely difficult in Addis. Also pray for both Sofi and Ephrem as they launch this leadership initiative as well as for the community outreach initiative that they are involved with. Attached is a photo of the three of us.
Thirdly, our empowerment initiative in the local youth detention center is off to a great start under Abi and Kirubel’s leadership. Please continue to pray that the lives of these youth will be transformed by Gods love and grace and the personal leadership skills that they are learning. Attached is a photo of Abi, Kirubel and a group from YWAM (a missions organization that we partner with locally) as they finished up a recreational session with the youth.
Lastly, the church is going through some positive transitions and is progressing well. It’s been in my heart for quite a while to hand the church over to our younger leaders. Over the past nine months I have been handing over more and more responsibilities to our team and I have been transitioning into more of a coaching/mentoring role. I have now delegated most of the activities of the church. They are doing an amazing work and the church is moving forward with great enthusiasm and effectiveness. It’s so good to see this, praise God! Please continue to pray for our team as they continue to lead the church forward in this season.
With that, I am now stepping more into roles that have been close to my heart for a long time. I will be devoting more of my time to coaching/mentoring and supporting younger pastors, supporting partner churches in Ethiopia and beyond, personal leadership development, teaching and outreach. I will also be continuing to devote more of my time to our partner school in Wonji Shoa.
With that said, I’m now on a flight to Cape Town, South Africa. For the next four to six weeks I will be working along side a young pastor who is leading a church through a major transition. I will be focusing on mentoring and training younger leaders and assisting with outreach initiatives. During this trip I am also planning to be in Botswana for a couple of weeks to facilitate a young leaders training and to work with church planters in local villages.
I am really excited about what God is doing and about what lies ahead in this coming season. Please pray for me, our school and church in Ethiopia, and the leaders and churches that I will be serving over these next couple of months. 1 Corinthians 16:9 is really speaking to me in this season of my life. “because a great door for effective work has opened to me.”
Thanks for standing with us these many years and I ask that you would continue to stand with us as we enter this new and exciting season.
Thanks and may the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all!
Eddie
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