Project Oromia - A Blog from Ethiopia

November Training: On The Ground in Ethiopia

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 23:53:40 GMT

For those just tuning in, we have a team led by Pastor Ray Noah in Ethiopia right now for the November 2010 training conference with the missionary pastors of Project Oromia.

Team Photo (left to right): Doug Boone, Nick Boone, Tim Kaetzel, Pastor Linda Noah, Randy Carl, Pastor Ray Noah, Bob Vinje, Alayu Kebede, Pastor Bryan McLees, Melissa Tamplin, Dalen Harrison, Anthony Kaetzel

After about 30 hours of travel, the team arrived at their hotel in Addis Abba, Ethiopia around midnight on Wednesday morning Ethiopian time. Thursday, the team left for the village of Gojo where the training will be held. On Friday, the training sessions with the 350+ missionaries will start. The sessions will help equip the missionaries with discipleship, evangelism, and biblical training tools, as well as leadership skills.

Please pray with us that the ministry of our team will be effective in equipping the Ethiopian missionaries to reach a nation for Christ!

VIDEO: A short summary of the trip

Wed, 05 May 2010 02:56:42 GMT

For those who may have missed the video summary of our recent trip, here it is again.

God of Ethiopia, God of Portland | Days 7-9

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:45:12 GMT

The past couple of days have been nothing short of miraculous! On Sunday, our team split up and preached at 4 different churches around the town of Gojo. Several team members saw people physically healed during the services!

On Monday, we were able to take part in one of the most meaningful events of the whole trip: the commissioning of the church planters. Our team had the privilege of blessing and praying over each one of the 300 missionaries present. It was a wonderful gift to be able to encourage and send out the missionaries, some of whom may even give their lives for the sake of the gospel.

Tuesday was equally miraculous. In the morning, our team was invited to be prayed over by some of the members of the church who had the gift of prophecy. It was incredible to have these men speak into us the words and heart of the Lord.

There were many other things that went on in the past few days, but these were just a few examples of how the Lord worked in His power and His might. And the God who is working mightily in Ethiopia is the same God who can work mightily in Portland, Oregon!

Stories of the Incredible | Day 6

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:12:49 GMT

Today was marked by the incredible testimonies of the missionaries we are training. Part of our job while in Ethiopia is to interview all 300 missionaries who are present at the training. The interviews verify basic data about the individuals as well as answer a couple of questions that reflect a more personal testimony.

The team is doing an incredible job working with interpreters and gathering the information. But the testimonies of the Lord's goodness and power are unbelievable! We were all blown away hearing from these incredible men and women. I'm really excited for us to share these stories with you when we return!

Also, I have to let you know that the teaching team is doing a phenomenal job! They are truly helping prepare and train the missionaries for the task of church planting. I am so proud of them.

We aren't sure if we will be able to access the internet for the next few days, but please continue to pray for us as we continue to serve the church and extend the Kingdom of God in Ethiopia.

VIDEO : Travel Days - Day 1 & 2

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:49:19 GMT

Here's a brief look at our journey to Ethiopia and a cost-per-fry breakdown by Pastor Caleb Bryant.

Training Begins | Day 5

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:09:31 GMT

Beautiful is the only way to describe today. We left our hotel in Ambo (yesterday, we headed to Ambo to get closer to the training location) and headed to Gojjo to start the training with the missionary church planters. It was about an hour drive up into the hill country to about 9,500' elevation. The country-side was absolutely breathtaking! We even got to see a herd of baboons!

When we got to Gojjo, the people in the streets were so warm and welcoming to us fa-rin-gee (phonetically, that's what they call us white people). They waved and smiled and some of the children ran along side our vehicles. When I saw these people, I understood a little more about why God wants the country of Ethiopia to know him—the people are so amazing.

The most beautiful part of the day was what we were able to experience as the first training session began. Worship started the session with about 300 missionaries in attendance. I couldn't understand a word they were singing, but I was able to hear and see their incredible love for the Lord. There was nothing to do but weep and praise the Lord for such an incredible group of people who desperately want to see the Lord's will done in their country.

All I can say is that the Lord has blessed us, Portland Christian Center, to be able to partner with such amazing brothers and sisters. While we don't deserve to be a part of this great work...and yet the Lord has found us worthy and has chosen to use us and now we are the ones who are making this possible for these missionaries. Praise the Lord!

A Few Days of Quiet?

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:59:11 GMT

For those of you tracking, wondering and praying for our ministry team to Ethiopia, they have now moved into a more remote area with limited internet access. Please continue to pray for them as we may have difficulty receiving updates and/or any communications (also pray for their families here at home...as this part of the trip is toughest on them!).

The team experienced severe rainstorms today which caused heavy traffic delays in getting out of the capital city, Addis Ababa. Unfortunately, this forced the team to reschedule their intended food distribution until Sunday. Today they begin the leadership training in Gojjo for the 300 Pastors. Pastor Ray says the team is "gold" and ready to DO IT! Pray God anoints our ministry team and each and every one of the Missionary Pastors. This is an amazing power encounter!

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. -- Matthew 16:18

The Ethiopia Ministry Team: Back row: Pastor Caleb Bryant, Jonette Bryant, Bob Vinje, Harrison Mitchell, Pastor Ray Noah, James Polits, Randy Carl. Front Row (kneeling): Anthony Kaetzel, Scott Mitchell

Anthony Kaetzel doing some of his best photography work

Marketplace. Capital city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photograph by Anthony Kaetzel

Seeing & Feeling Vision | Day 3

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:23:52 GMT

God really used today to give each member of the team a sense of what he wants to do in Ethiopia during this trip. We started the morning with a team meeting where we shared what we wanted to see God do through us during our brief stay. During this time we started to see the vision God had been planting in us.

After our meeting, we took a trip to the big open market area in Addis Ababa. More than seeing anything cool at the market, which it definitely was, we got to take in the people. The people are so amazing here! They are beautiful and when they smile at you, your heart melts.

Seeing the people and walking among them helped cement in us God's heart for the Ethiopian nation. He loves them so much and desperately wants them to know that!

After the market and a super late lunch, we headed back to the hotel and interviewed the owner about Bibles our church and the Gideons were able to help provide. You'll get to hear more about that story later!

We ended the day by finishing preparations for the rest of the week (or at least trying). I gotta say, we are still a little off from the long travel days yesterday. I think Jonette said it well:

"Randy, you need to sleep! Your eyeballs are making me sad."

Tomorrow, we are doing a food distribution program. Until the next update, keep us in your prayers!

Ethiopia, Here We Come! | Day 1-2

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 23:16:22 GMT

Travel Days | Day 1-2

Yay, we made it to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Our day trip started about noon on Monday as we boarded the airplane to head to Amsterdam. After about 19 hours of flying, 3 hours of layover, and a 10 hour timezone change, we made it to Ethiopia about 9:00 PM Ethiopian time on Tuesday.

Here are a few photos of what the trip was like:

There's not a ton more to share about our traveling except that we made it all together with no problems. However, the team is really excited to get to the ministry that the Lord has brought us to Ethiopia to do.

Thank you for your constant prayer for the team! God's going to do some awesome things!