| Online Magazine |
January 2004 |
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At the root of the problem...! |
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email: ministry@covenantnet.com |
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Addis
Ababa ... Ethiopia!
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Ethiopia
has a reputation for poverty ...
Steeped
in deep rooted traditions, both cultural and religious, Ethiopia is a
prime example of how tradition can govern or limit the potential of a
people and a country.... and ecologists predicted famines as regular as on a ten year cycle ... At the same time ... as the name of its capital suggests ... Addis Ababa - meaning New Flower ... Ethiopia has the potential of providing for its people, life, a good life, a new life. Yet this is not happening, and on the surface it does not seems that it is even possible!  Why not? What can be limiting that potential or hindering that provision? Tradition ... Although tradition can be a powerful force, it can at the same time be the single most limiting factor to a society or a country. A factor that is more often than not overlooked, therefore not identified and also not addressed. Blessed
is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. ... Psalm 1:1-3
And ... Inspite of governmental efforts as well as endeavors by private enterprise to uplift the standard of living of the people of Ethiopia ... ... basic economical principles are still not functioning properly and indeed are not succeeding, largely due to inbred culture and traditions. Traditions such as ...
This is the way our fathers did it ... ... and this is the way we are doing it! This is the way our fathers believed ... ... and this is the way we believe! Having traveled through part of the country and ministered in various places with different cultural and traditional backgrounds ... this fundamentally basic tradition certainly seems to be at root of the problem ...  'Living directly off the land ...
That means that what grows naturally is picked and eaten... off of what naturally grows' ... but very little if anything is put back ... ... and very little is sown ... therefore very little can be harvested ...
A very practical example is one of their traditional dishes, Kochoo, made from the root of the banana tree. Considering that to use the root of the banana tree means that the tree has to be uprooted and therefore it no longer produces fruit. Now, although the use of the root rather than the fruit may not be with the specific intention to destroy the tree, but the result of this tradition does exactly that. This practice basically strips the land of its resources and therefore its ability to provide for the people! And then ... what happens when there is a lean year with less than normal rainfall? ... FAMINE !  ... God tells us to be fruitful ... God tells us to sow, to plant and to give ... ... so that we will reap and receive whatever we may need. While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest.
... Gen. 8:22 A basic principle of life ... ... but unless we apply that principle to our lives, we are NOT going to benefit from it ... ... no matter how much we ask or even pray. If you want to reap ...
... you are going to have to plant or sow! Plant the seed ... don't eat it!
Eat the fruit...not the root!
... what about the time when the clouds blow past and the heavens don't open and bring forth rain? ... what about the times when the air is hot and the ground is dry and scourged?  It all depends on, in whom you put your trust! Isaac was in a similar situation ... there was a famine in Canaan and Isaac thought of going to Egypt to escape it. Yet God said to him ... "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall
tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you;
... Gen. 26:2-3 Trust Me God said, and let me provide for you. Isaac did and God kept His Word ... Then Isaac sowed in that land,
and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. ... Gen. 26:12
What about the traditions of Ethiopia? Do they not have a tradition of contact with God? ... Was Moses' wife not an Ethiopian? ... Was there not constant contact between Israel and Ethiopia? ... Was not a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of Ethiopia one of the first "foreigners" to be born again and baptized? Yes, what about those traditions? *******
Don't let a tradition of simply doing what your parents or
grandparents did ...... without testing it against God's Word and Will ... become a limitation in your life ... Rather ... ... let a tradition of hearing God and trusting God ... ... for your life ... become the strength and prosperity in your life!
Jan D vander Merwe Covenant Ministries
On
the 11th of February, I will be traveling to North Eastern Uganda, for introductory and
outreach meetings ... with
Pastor Dawson and
Pastor Peter Wekesa, to meet with
Church Groups, ... in the
Kapchorwa
region ...
as well as some towns in the North Western Kenya. Report in next magazine ... |
After a very short first night in Addis Ababa, having only arrived in Addis Ababa after Midnight, and being scheduled to leave by road for Jimma by 7 am the next morning, the first day in Ethiopia dawned rather suddenly...  Leaving a rather
sleepy Addis behind, we started on what would be an 11 hour drive,
which
should only have taken 7 hours, to Jimma ... (did I say drive? It was
more like a bumper car/rodeo ... in fact the shirt I wore that day, even after soaking it for hours and washing it twice, is still dirty on the back!)  Our progress was abruptly stopped, believe it or not, by a
flat tyre ... not a puncture, nor a burst tyre, but an oversized tube
was to stop us 3 times before we could buy the correct size one.A long but interesting trip through a country that did not look at all what I had expected it to look like. Not just dry and barren as I imagined, but ranging from arid to lush and semi tropical, although largely uncultivated.     We finally arrived in Jimma after sunset... After another short night and quick breakfast, we were on our way to the all day Pastors seminar arranged through the Evangelical Churches Union of Jimma by Kess (priest) Mulugeta of the Lutheran Church.   I had a blessed time ministering to the 40 pastors, although I soon realised that there was much tradition and incorrect teaching that had to be dealt with before much progress could be made. So the first two sessions were dedicated to laying a good foundation on which to build the rest of the meetings. It was rewarding to see the change and to hear some re-commit their lives and ministries to the Lord, and to know that the seed had fallen on good soil.  On Sunday morning we were back in Addis Ababa where I ministered at the Faith Baptist Church on a very timely and appropriate subject ... "Receiving from God, faith in action"   Monday and Tuesday were reserved for ministry at the Levi Pastoral Training Centre in Addis Ababa. Ministering to the 20 eager students/pastors at the Levi Training Centre was most rewarding.  Of course, having by this time had more insight into the spiritual makeup and traditions in Ethiopia, did help a lot, as did the examples that God gave me to help make the spiritual principles more practically understandable ...   At the end of a truly successful and enriching trip, with much accomplished and a sure foundation laid for development and set future plans... it was time to say 'good-bye' to Pastor Lueslegede and Pastor Melaku and his family ... 
We thank you, our partners, once again ...
... Covenant - the heart of ... ... Covenant Ministries & our Covenant Partners. ... Being there for others ... & ... Being strong where they are weak! * * * * * * * Grafik
Atelier Hanna Koller
Hanna
Koller ... Since the very beginning... Hanna has been supporting the ministry, in word and deed ... and has been responsible for all our graphics as well as the latest design of the CovenantNET Web Site It looks absolutely great ... THANK YOU Hanna! It is online ... go check it out for yourself!
Covenant
Ministries
Bank ... Credit Suisse, 8007, Zurich Switzerland ... Account nr... 0835-57557-61 (Bank PC konto Nr. 80-500-4) Bank Clearing nr. 4835 |
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