There’s a story in Ethiopia that the first king, King
Milinik, once visited Australia. When he returned, he discovered a eucalyptus
seed caught in his hair. He then planted it outside his palace on Entoto
Mountain on the edge of Addis Ababa. At the time, there were no eucalyptus
trees in all of Ethiopia. But today, eucalyptus trees are the most common tree
in Addis Ababa and can be found in every corner of Ethiopia.
It’s a pretty cool picture of the gospel and the principle
of multiplication. And we hope this is the story of the church. The majority
denomination in Ethiopia is called Ethiopian Orthodox, and to be Ethiopian is
to be Orthodox. Unfortunately, the religion is severely performance-oriented
and the people seem to be devoted to behaviors and traditions more than Christ
and his gospel. But the church is rising here; tomorrow is Ethiopia’s Easter
celebration, and all the Protestant churches will come together for a single
worship service – 50,000 believers united in Christ! The Spirit is at work
here, and we pray the gospel continues to multiply like the eucalyptus tree.
We’re all fairly tired, but healthy. It took two days to
arrive in Ethiopia, ending with a 13-hour flight. But we have ideal living
conditions, provided by a ministry we’ve partnered with here. Pray for us, that
we would be energetic, full of joy and humility, and united as a team. And pray
for the Ethiopians, that their hearts would be soft and open to the truth of
Scripture. And pray that as we teach, we would become less, Christ would become
greater, and the Spirit would speak for and through us to the glory of God the
Father.
Today’s Author: Sam Meeks
