Overview - Goals - Nuts and Bolts of the Trip

Date of the Trip:   Sunday, May 5th thru Thursday, May 16th, 2019
Destinations:   Teaching Twice in Wolisso Region - Travel to Gambella - Dalekich Village
Goals for the Trip:

• Wolisso - Two Teaching Sessions
• Guruuraa - 70 Church Leaders - 14 Regional Churches
• Wolisso - 325 Church Leaders and Church Members - 1 Main Church
• Gambella
• Purchase Materials for Water Project and have them on site
• Get Trench Laid Out for Sudanese to dig
• Determine how many water stations will be available (2)
• Get Governmental and Community Approvals for Trench
• Set Goal to be finished by June 23rd Trip
• Get Wheelchair to Ruhamah in Menjare
• Take Technology for Jesus Movie to be shown
• Determined we need to have approval of authorities/community to show movie even in church.   We have the technology in place now ... will be put in use in future trips.
• Deliver Solar Bibles in Nuer to leaders.   Have 4 to take  
• Gave One to Pastor at Border Church
• One to Church by Refugee Camp
• Two to traveling Evangelists

Ministry Totals to Date

• Number of Trips to Ethiopia Since 2015 - 28
• Number of Trainings - 56
• Number of Churches Represented - 663
• Number of Pastors/Evangelists/Church Leaders in Trainings - 6293

Ruhamah and Her Wheelchair

Giving God a Wheelchair

While teaching in Menjare I met Ruhamah. Her name is taken from the book of Hosea when God instructs the Prophet Hosea to name his daughter Lo-Ruhamah which means “No Mercy or None Spared.” This referred to Gods coming judgement on His Children, Israel. He would have No Mercy and None would be spared from His Judgement.

Ruhamah was born 8 or 9 years ago with some sort of water in the brain condition that rendered her legs useless for life. Perhaps in other parts of the world her condition might have been remedied, but not in this Ethiopian rural village. Her parents asked God to spare her life knowing she would never walk and God did. They gave her the name Ruhamah - meaning in God’s Mercy, He spared.

In March, I met her sitting in a chair in the shade of the church where we were teaching in Menjare. Her smile was infectious and my heart was broken as I heard her story. I asked if she had a wheelchair and learned that it was well out of the families financial means. Either she rode in the basket of her fathers bicycle or she was carried everywhere.

On the way to the next teaching session, I vowed to see what we could do to help Ruhamah and her family. Wheelchairs in Ethiopia are incredibly expensive, even by Western standards. A used wheelchair would be $800.00.

Returning back home, I talked to friends about Ruhamah. God provided $1000.00 to meet Ruhamah’s need for a wheelchair.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of traveling back to Menjare and delivering the wheelchair God provided to Ruhamah and her family! You would not believe the joy, gratitude and excitement they felt! This wheelchair will be hers for life - it can grow and adjust with her.

With tears streaming down her face, her mom said this was a miracle sent from God! We also provided the equivalent of 3 months grocery money for the family.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you do for the least of My children, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40

Thank you for allowing me to be a conduit of God’s Blessings from you to Ethiopia!!!!

People Photos

I so enjoy taking people photos on these trips.   Here are a few!  Hope you enjoy!

Children in the Sudanese Gambela Village

One of the things I am constantly thinking about is how to leave something meaningful that will last past the moment with kids (adults too). Many things go into the equation: packing it to fly from Houston; the lasting of the gift (candy lasts just for a moment); the value of the gift (not just $ but is it of value to them).

So what is a staple is Super Balls. I usually pack 100-200 per trip and distribute them generously. This trip I also added Tennis and 6 soccer balls (deflated). And then I bought some additional balls here in Gambela when I ran out.

As you can see .... CRAZINESS ENSUES!!!!

Solar Powered Audio Bible in Nuer Language

While at the village outside of Gambela, I met with several Evangelists and Pastors from the 8 Sudanese Churches we are working with. We were able to provide 4 Solar Powered Audible Bibles in Nuer Language for them.

In this setting, the majority of the Sudanese people in the rural places outside of Gambela cannot read. So giving them a written copy of Scripture doesn’t help much. However for $50.00 each I was able to buy 4 for them to have groups of people to listen to the Bible.

We were able to send on to Megde on the Sudanese border (were we sent blankets last trip) and Tharpam (right by Sudanese Refugee Camp). And provide others to traveling Evangelists!

 

If you would like to help provide more of these for the June trip - message me or email me at drmarkredd@gmail.com

Thank you so much for making this possible!!

Training in Guruuraa and Wolisso

First Training:   Guruuraa 

Where is Guruuraa you ask? Our first training.

This small village is about 8 miles outside of Wolisso. The population of 7000 is 99.9% Muslim and has a congregation of about 30 but have invited 14 regional churches to join them for training. Area is predominantly agriculture - lots of people plowing right now - preparing for June rains.

People walked as far as 2 hours to attend the training. We had about 65-70 Pastors and Church leaders that attended. And of course many children - Super Balls were given!!!!

Inside the mud walled church, it was unbelievably stuffy and hot! With only one window and front door, there was little to no air circulation. I could FEEL flies as they flew by! You know it’s hot when the Ethiopians start to fan themselves! Grin

We had great studies in the Purpose of Gods Word, the calling of Jeremiah, the Gathering of Gods people when Ezra Preached and How to understand and communicate Gods Word! And that Is just the first day!

Many of these pastors had never had any kind of training of how to study or prepare a lesson. One pastor of 15 years was thrilled that he finally knew how to study Gods Word. Amazing. Who know what God will do with the men on fire for Him and His Word!

Day Two in Guruuraa:   It was recommended that we relocate the second day of our training to Wolisso from Guruuraa for security purposes. It seems word spread about the training and some in the village were not too pleased!

So the decision was made yesterday evening to stay in Wolisso for the second day of training.

Thank you Lord for your watch care of Wogene and I! Thank you for the wisdom you provided the local leadership and help us all to respond with dignity, grace, mercy and love!!!!

Second Training - Wolisso

We had a great second session in Wolisso Ethiopia with an estimated 300 people in attendance. Here are some photos from the training.

Water Project in Gambela - Sudanese Refugee

About a mile outside of Gambela, a group of about 10,000 Sudanese Refugees have built a village.  There is no electrical power, fresh water or sanitation for this village.   They walk about a mile for their fresh drinking water or use shallow water wells for muddy water to bath and wash.

In March of 2019 we worked with them to dig a shallow well of about 30-40 foot - but were not able to find a good source of water.   We made two more efforts to no avail.

After working with the Gambela Water Authorities, we found we could connect to a fresh water source about 3/4 to a mile way if we provided all the materials and labor.   The total cost to provide 2 Water Stations for 10,000 people was to be about $3000.00 - $3500.00.

People generously donated the monies through Mission Galveston and Dr. Mark Redd Ministries and we were able to purchase all the necessary materials.

The digging is taking place now and our goal is to have the project completed by July 2019.

Here are some photos of the village the provision of water is for.

Here is Wogene showing the materials we purchased for this project.