Tag Archives: Christian mission in Ethiopia

“This amazing incident makes me cry”

Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Indigenous ministries, Stories and reports
Key leaders Negash & Bekelech Gemeda of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Key leaders Negash & Bekelech Gemeda of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The following true story is from the last quarterly report from Negash Gemeda, the team leader in Addis Ababa who overseas Mission ONE’s cross-cultural partnerships in Ethiopia.

A Muslim man, probably around 55 years, came to the clinic for help. As he was about to leave the compound where we give the medical help, the Lord spoke to me to talk to this man. The place was packed by people and almost all were Islamic by faith. You can feel the atmosphere not very easy to talk to an old Islam, especially about faith.

Finally I called Kay, who is the team coordinator, just to be with us and pray as I talk to the gentleman. It took me a while to really get in to the main talk, and as I start telling him about the new life in Jesus, I see his eyes getting bigger and his face start smiling.

After sharing with him the true faith life in Jesus, the man asked me what to do, and I told him to receive Jesus the Christ as his Lord and Savior. Within no time, in tears he prayed with me the Sinner’s Prayer and gave his life to the Lord.

Finally he went into his pocket and took out his Muslim hat, for which he has great attachments all his life, and handed me to burn it there on the spot.

This amazing incident makes me cry. Not only me, Kay and other ministers who were with us praying. Anyway I told the man we don’t want to burn his hat there in the church and we told him he can do anything he wants when he gets to his house.

The reason I said this was because we are there to do medical help, and the people around us will see and big problem will take place and we don’t want the local church to suffer unnecessarily. Also God did not speak to us to burn his hat, but instead to burn his heart with his word. Anyway God used the medical people and the rest of the local to proclaim his message to the lost in an amazing way.

Praise the Lord for the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ! We at Mission ONE are extremely grateful for our partnership with our dear brother Negash—and the teams he oversees in Ethiopia—as they evangelize and plant churches among many lost peoples.