Fellowship in Soddo, Ethiopia

On the Sunday evening of our trip to Soddo, Ethiopia...we gathered with the other believers for a time of worship and fellowship. 

That night I was very thankful for technology. There were about 16 of us gathered together and one of the gals loaded up her Ipod and started playing some worship music we could sing together. Salty tears welled in my eyes and puddled in my lap before the 1st song was over. Corporate worship is such a treasure. Worshiping with our fellow brothers and sisters who were on the mission field. The majority of these people were serving at the Soddo Christian Hospital, either on a short-term basis (a few months) or a longer term basis (few years). 

The majority of this group was nurses, surgeons, and others in the medical related fields. Being part businessman, I am quickly calculating the income that this group of people could have been making had their time been solely in the States. Collectively these people could be making several millions of dollars each year. Yet, they had taken up the call to GO, to be workers in the field. 

After we spent some time singing together the group there had been watching David Platt's dvd series on Galatians. This was wonderful for several reasons.

1. It was great to hear that the Church at Brook Hills was generous enough to send them their video's and series as a source of encouragement and edification to these servants of the Lord serving in Soddo.

2. One of the other couples who were in Addis the same time we were for the adoption court hearing was from the Church at Brook Hills. I know they will be overjoyed to hear about this connection.

3. David Platt's sermon was on the end of chapter 3 of Galatians and the beginning of chapter 4, which is completely about God adopting His children.

It was extremely timely and God used this as a great source of encouragement for us. We then prayed and had a filling time of worship in fellowship, song and the Word proclaimed. 

Most of these people we only had a few hours with, but it was such a pleasure to see their joy in the Lord, their thankfulness to be a part of God's work in Soddo, and hearts desiring to love the Lord and those the Lord sovereignly put into their care each and every day.