Advent Season is Harvest Season

If you walked into our home, you would know. We are celebrating advent.

A small Christmas tree is decorated. A string of lights light up half the room. Paper snowflakes flutter in the verandah. Stockings are hung. An advent calendar is on the wall. Manger scenes rest on tops of shelves and tables. Christmas music is being sung, piano pieces practiced and a drama in the works. Luke chapter two discussed and memorized each morning, another candle lit each Sunday. We are celebrating advent. 

Meanwhile, Gumuz are busy in their fields. Villages are nearly empty during the day. In the evening, a day of harvest is celebrated and the sound of flutes and drums is heard throughout the villages. The keya grain drink is served in gourds. It is a festive season. No one is hungry during this month.  

But our hope is that Christmas too will be celebrated. As new Christmas songs are taught, this will in some form be a way of celebrating advent. A time to remember when and how Jesus was born. A time to learn for the first time or be reminded again the reason for this holiday: Emmanuel, God with us. 

An incredible idea to people who live in fear of spirits and even God. The Gumuz have just finished celebrating Key Misa, a cultural holiday that has many aspects to it. A time where the blood of a cow or sheep is poured out on the ground. Keya, a grain drink is also poured out. A meat offering may be given. The hope is that god will not cause harm to their children, that god will bless their crops for next year, that they might receive blessing instead of a curse. 

So imagine learning that the true God actually cares for them. Emmanuel, God with us. God, willing to live with man? God who showed us how to love and how to forgive through his son Jesus! God, who willingly sent His son to us so that we might be saved. May this advent season touch the hearts of Gumuz. May it also touch our hearts again. May we love more deeply. May we forgive more freely. May we be in awe of what a great gift it was to have Jesus walk among us. 

Gumuz Led Weekend

It's been two years. Two years of building relationships with Gumuz church leadership and staff. Two years of serving the community in physical ways. Two years for Gumuz to know and trust us and understand that we didn't come to lead the church but discipleGumuz into biblical leadership.

Gumuz in leadership. This has not come easily. This has come because through great hardship, past missionaries persevered and then passed on the baton. This has come because of the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

This month, Gumuz men were called to attend the first weekend of (hopefully) many weekends that will train more Gumuz to lead fellowships in their villages. These weekends are meant to disciple these men in the Word, in character and in servant leadership. These monthly training times are meant to teach Gumuz how to use their culture of song to bring the gospel. (These training times will also include training women.)

And as the weekend came to a close, Rolf knew that the leadership team got it. They looked around and said, “We, Gumuz, are leading this. We can train our own people!” 

Volleyball was played. Gumuz Scriptural songs were used to teach the stories, to teach the Word and they were powerful. The drum beat was heard into the wee hours of the night as these Gumuz men continued to worship the Lord around the fire.

Sessions were shared between Rolf and the leadership team and they taught in unity. The hours of sharing testimonies, discussing how to tie Scripture teaching and song together, praying together, encouraging each other and dividing the responsibilities had paid off. Gumuz teaching. Gumuz discipling others.

This was just the beginning. The goal: to disciple men into leadership within villages that have responded to the gospel. Train more Gumuz to go to more villages. To train women to bring the gospel back to their home villages. Teach through word and in song so that God's word might be understood by many and pierce their hearts (stomachs). 

Teach love so that leaders bring love to the village. To their homes. To their spouses and their children. Love that comes from God. God Almighty willing to send His son to love and to die so that we might be saved. Forgiven. Free.

Pray with us. The Gumuz actively practice animism. Spiritual warfare is guaranteed. Our hope is that these men and women discipled into leadership will be clothed with the armor of God. That they might be protected from the evil one. That they might grow in their knowledge of God. That there might be godly leaders in many Gumuz villages and that they might take the gospel beyond their own people.

Our baby turned THREE

You Are Three.

You, our fifth and last child, entered the world with much drama and much beauty. The joy you bring our family is immeasurable. You are full of giggles. Our sunshine and our stormy cloud. We always know how you are feeling and your words are rarely few. 

You are persistent. Though I may sigh as you repeat the same request for the 10th time, I believe this trait will serve you well. You will persevere. You won't give up even when things look impossible. 

You are loved. Everyone loves you because you are easy to love. You live among many cultures and you seem to know that being friendly or being openly honest opens people's hearts. You are not intimidated by language and are loved for your willingness to speak.

You are the youngest but that doesn't stop you from fully participating in everything. Your siblings think you are fun and crazy. They say you are, “Silly and cute.” “Sweet and mischievous.” “Dramatic.” 

You can often be heard saying, “I mean it!” “Joel, stop it!” “ROAR!” “Tickle me.” “Can I have that?” 

We celebrated your birthday in the city of Bahir Dar surrounded by new friends in new places. You embraced it all. The birthday pancakes, the games, a birthday cake covered in butterfly sprinkles, candles, singing and cheering. Sweet waitresses inviting all the children to sing to you again. 

Your eyes were wide open and you took it all in. This was your day and you knew it and you loved it. Amazed. Thrilled. Sunshine...all day. 

Sonia. You are loved. Deeply. You fill our family with laughter and joy.

You are three. A little older and a little wiser. 

Sonia. Wisdom. May you live wisely, speak wisely and love wisely. 

And remember that true wisdom comes freely from your Father in heaven.