"Mama" had the most welcoming smile and a contagious laugh! We were able to gift her with a new mattress. On May 26, 2015, in my first Arukah Global blog post I shared, "...Kingdom-minded, God-given vision, like gravity, draws people and resources toward itself. Its influence is undeniable."
Nobody could have prepared any of us on the team for what was to come...
NOTE: I share this rather lengthy blog in part as a "thank you" to the many people who partnered with us to help make this first Arukah Global venture a reality. Please take a few minutes to read it. We cannot thank you enough, but perhaps the details below will help you recognize the impact you had on each team member and some precious souls on the other side of the world.
The cloud begins to build...
Several weeks prior to our departure to Ethiopia, I shared with the team an image I felt God put in my mind: A massive thundercloud…ready to bust open with torrential rain.
This cloud represented the miraculous provision, the many partnerships and new relationships God had orchestrated in our preparation to serve in Nazret.
Arukah Global launched in May of 2015 - just 5 months prior to our 16 day serving trip to Nazret. I've led and co-led enough trips to know that even under the umbrella of a church that offers a network, support and hefty budget, 5 months is barely enough time to build a team and raise funds to go on a mission trip to Africa…let alone launch a new organization.
We were starting from scratch. No specific church covering. No budget. No funds. No partnerships. Just a vision we sensed was from God.
We had 5 people (including myself) who were committed to stepping out.
In His grace, God gave these dear friends just enough faith (or divine foolishness) to follow me into what they believed was a God-given vision. Needless to say, I had my moments of doubt and fear.
Here's a profile of the initial core team: 2 single moms…both on very tight budgets(one does marketing and the other has 2 jobs). One brother works retail and the other was unemployed the couple months prior to our trip. As for myself, I work full-time at a wonderful non-profit…so I AM a non-profit. None of this made any sense from a human perspective.
Well, not only did we build a wonderful and diverse 10 person team that represented 5 churches, but we saw God flex His power in mighty ways in partnering us with Global Passion Ministries as an umbrella organization. He also provided funding over what we had initially planned (he had more planned for us to do than we did).
Also, I will be forever grateful for those pastors of churches that believed enough in the vision to support us prayerfully and financially right out of the gate. We had over 170 different individuals and businesses contribute funds to our first endeavor in Nazret.
I pray I will never lose the wonder of what unfolded during our prep time.
He brought us partnerships that proved to be very fruitful(both in the states and Ethiopia) and opportunities to engage and serve that went way beyond our human capacity.
The cloud grows...
As we sought-out church partnerships in Ethiopia, we received an unexpected invitation from a Nazret-based pastor friend to partner in some outreach with their church community. God brought us into relationship with a school doing amazing work for the impoverished children of the city. He introduced us to Ellilta-Women at Risk…an amazing organization that rescues women from prostitution and rehabilitates them…while caring for their children as well.
I looked up the word torrential. Here is the what I found. "Rain, falling rapidly...in copious quantities."
Get the umbrellas ready...
All that said, I'd like to share some specifics of what God did as you gave and prayed for this, our first Arukah Global trip to Ethiopia.
What unfolded before and during our time in Nazret is first due to the grace and power of God, and also your partnering with us. Both the building up of the thundercloud and the downpour are nothing short of miraculous. So, please enjoy as we brag about what God did through you and His rag-tag team from Arukah Global.
The cloud continued to grow…
1. The thought of helping kids get into school(this year) was not actually in our fundraising budget. 6 weeks prior to leaving, we were made aware of the fact that there were 50 school-aged children of former prostitutes at Ellilta that were in need of funding for school.
Instead of applying it to the team funds, we decided to take the money that came in from our fundraising night at Campbell Brewing Company and apply it directly toward getting perhaps 10-12 kids sponsored for school.
And grow...
We ended up raising enough funds to pay for not 10-12 kids, but 30!!! I want to emphasize that this initiative WAS NOT in our initial funding goal or budget. In addition, less than one week prior to our departure, a donor - completely unsolicited - stepped up to cover cost of school for the remaining 20 children…50 kids total at $180 each! Yep…do the math! God moved…
I thought…and shared with the team, "If God has done all of this PRIOR to our departure, what incredible downpour does he have planned once we arrive?"
Well, once we landed in Ethiopia, the thundercloud busted open and the entire trip was an absolute downpour of blessing, ministry and relationships like I have yet to see in my 5 consecutive years serving in Nazret.
2. On one of our 4 days spent the Ellilta facility, a team member taught on the sensitive subject of STD care(including HIV), hygiene and post-abortion care. She shared with 40+ women…22 of which just came off the streets and were new in the program that week. God moved mightily through our sister as she taught.
Knowing we were a group that represented Christ, 12-13 of the ladies asked about knowing Jesus.
We were blessed to cover the cost of a home-cooked lunch for everyone that day. Food prep-time and eating time was wonderful!
Back in the states and while in Nazret, we purchased items that would be put into "pampering" gift bags the Arukah ladies would give out to the 42 ladies in the Ellilta program. Many smiles and hearts touched that day!
3. The following day, our team served 50-60 children of the ladies in the program by doing crafts and playing with the kids at the facility. This was a rare treat for them…and both our team and the kids were blessed beyond measure. We also purchased supplies to make lunch for everyone there that day.
4. As we partnered with a local Ethiopian church, we funded the repair of 4 different homes, each in a small compound which is traditional in Ethiopia. During this time, we worked side by side with laborers in 2 of the locations and interacted with the locals.
One location, the repair was done on 2 latrines used by 30-40 people daily. The squatting space over the 25 foot deep latrines had become broken up, open and dangerous…especially to the elderly and small children.
At another location, while the repair work was happening, one of our team members(a retired nurse) was able to administer some simple medical help to the mother of 2 and wife of the household who had untreated stage 4 breast cancer. This is a bit graphic: her nipple was completely gone and the tumor was wide-open, but surprisingly not infected. Despite her situation, she had a joy, hope and smile that was contagious. (Had we been further down the road as an organization, we'd have considered paying for treatment, but that was not yet an option for us).
Across the alley from this home, we had conversation with 2 neighbor ladies. As we and our pastor friend interacted with them, they opened up and shared that they were both prostitutes trying to provide for their families. Our pastor friend and other Ethiopian teammate had some long conversation with them. We let them know that God loves them exactly where they are at. The pastor invited them to church...
Additionally, at another home repair location, we fell in love with the community matriarch who we called "mama". She was about 80 years old and her claim to fame was that over her lifetime in the community, she held just about every baby born there. She was a joy and had a great sense of humor with a wonderful laugh to go with it!
As her home was being repaired, we noticed her mattress (I actually never recognized it as a mattress). It was a shredded, moldy clump of dusty material. A few of us left the work project and returned with a new mattress, sheets and a pillow for mama. What an honor. Working in these community compounds opens doors for relationship, encouragement, potential financial and medical intervention and prayer.
5. Our luggage was stuffed with blankets that would be distributed by the local church to 60 elderly people as part of their holistic outreach to the community.
6. We supplied a local, privately funded school with teaching aids for pre-K and Kindergarden aged students. This included abacuses, number and alphabet flashcards, learning building blocks, etc.
This school focuses on providing "free" top-notch education for over 500 impoverished children.
7. As we toured the school and saw the addition they had built (since I saw them last year), we noticed the new 8 stall latrine waiting to be completed with walls and a roof. It turned out they ran out of funds and were trusting God for completing the project. The challenge was that they had 500 kids and really needed the "shintabet" (toilette) to be available,
Word got out, God moved...and while we were in-country, a donor stepped up and provided the $1500 needed to complete the project!
8. We are also in process of coordinating funds with our Nazret-based micro-financing/ministry partner, Temarn Merarat Volunteers Association. The organization is run by a dear Ethiopian brother who is becoming the face of Arukah Global in Nazret, These initial funds will support an 18 year old girl in getting into a local college. in 2014, she had to give up going to school in order to help support her single mother and 3 younger siblings. It is a small start to what we hope will be greater endeavors.
9. Next steps are being looked into to help purchase livestock for some families as means of food and income.
10. Some of our team members who sponsor children through Compassion International got to visit their kids at home. Those visits provided some basic food supplies and the often under-noticed ministry of "presence", Sometimes the greatest gift we can give is to be present with somebody in need. It feed the souls of both parties.
During a home visit to her sponsored child, a single mother on our Arukah team connected deeply with the single mom of the child. Lots of laughter and tears ensued during the visit and the child's mother made the decision to trust her life to Jesus.
11. In the US, we were introduced to a wonderful ministry called the Tabitha Project. They are a group of retired women who produce hand-made clothing for impoverished children around the world. They made roughly 50 dresses and pants we brought with us and donated to Ellilta.
Other bits: We purchased additional building material for the home repair projects, soccer and kickballs for the Ellilta kids and arranged a "play and craft day" for 11 impoverished children and their parents.
Upon arrival in the capital of Addis Ababa, we spent a day and night at the Child Development Research and Training Center. The CDRTC is run by an incredible staff and is led by Shiferaw Michael - the former Minister of Justice in Ethiopia. He and his staff are considered to be the leading child advocates in the country and train people from all over Africa on how to best serve and raise-up children caught in the vicious cycle of poverty.
Additionally, we had a gathering with leaders of 7 different churches and denominations in Nazret in order share hearts and vision for this wonderful city. This was a very transparent time of getting to know one another and to build trust via relationship. We plan to meet again in 2016 to continue conversation about how, together, we can impact Nazret for good and for God.
What you read above was written to show what happens when a group of people step into the deep waters of a God-sized vision. It shows clearly that Someone greater than our efforts is at work.
There are so many more stories…please ask the team members you know if they could share from their perspective. I know their hearts and lives were transformed by the experiences and the people in Nazret.
We are overwhelmed by having the privilege of being a part of such a wonderful and impactful time in Nazret. We love these people and they have captured our hearts with their smiles, sense of community and joy. I know each team member not only had their hearts moved to serve our friends in Ethiopia, but now have greater compassion for those who are hurting and in need here in our own communities.
Looking forward:
In the first half of 2016, I will likely return for a solo visit in order to follow-up with our work, solidify some relationships and refine our focus for the next team trip…which will likely be in August(2016).
My hope in sharing this is three-fold:
1. I want to recognize that it was God doing the inspiring and heaving lifting in providing partners and funds as each team member stepped out in faith.
2. I hope somebody is inspired by what they read here. If you have a vision…a dream in your heart…something that rips at your gut and keeps you awake at night…some change you need to see happen…share the vision with some trusted friends and take some steps toward it.
3. In my 25 years of being a "Christ-follower", I've never seen Him move in such obvious power. Just the other day, I realized that perhaps God had been waiting for me to step into a vision so big it would be clear that it is him who was making it come together. Hey, I'm a slow learner…but man, is it still awesome!!!
Enjoying the downpour,
~Mark and the Arukah Global Team
If you are interested in learning more, supporting Arukah Global's vision or want to discuss our 2016 trip, please email me at [email protected]
If you are interested in learning more about, joining or supporting us in 2016, please email [email protected].
Next team trip: Will depart sometime in mid-October, 2016. (dates subject to change)
Trip duration: 12-16 days
We will have an interest meeting and make applications available sometime in the first half of March 2016 and will determine the 10-12 person team by the first part of April 2016. Specific dates to come later.
Nobody could have prepared any of us on the team for what was to come...
NOTE: I share this rather lengthy blog in part as a "thank you" to the many people who partnered with us to help make this first Arukah Global venture a reality. Please take a few minutes to read it. We cannot thank you enough, but perhaps the details below will help you recognize the impact you had on each team member and some precious souls on the other side of the world.
The cloud begins to build...
Several weeks prior to our departure to Ethiopia, I shared with the team an image I felt God put in my mind: A massive thundercloud…ready to bust open with torrential rain.
This cloud represented the miraculous provision, the many partnerships and new relationships God had orchestrated in our preparation to serve in Nazret.
Arukah Global launched in May of 2015 - just 5 months prior to our 16 day serving trip to Nazret. I've led and co-led enough trips to know that even under the umbrella of a church that offers a network, support and hefty budget, 5 months is barely enough time to build a team and raise funds to go on a mission trip to Africa…let alone launch a new organization.
We were starting from scratch. No specific church covering. No budget. No funds. No partnerships. Just a vision we sensed was from God.
We had 5 people (including myself) who were committed to stepping out.
In His grace, God gave these dear friends just enough faith (or divine foolishness) to follow me into what they believed was a God-given vision. Needless to say, I had my moments of doubt and fear.
Here's a profile of the initial core team: 2 single moms…both on very tight budgets(one does marketing and the other has 2 jobs). One brother works retail and the other was unemployed the couple months prior to our trip. As for myself, I work full-time at a wonderful non-profit…so I AM a non-profit. None of this made any sense from a human perspective.
Well, not only did we build a wonderful and diverse 10 person team that represented 5 churches, but we saw God flex His power in mighty ways in partnering us with Global Passion Ministries as an umbrella organization. He also provided funding over what we had initially planned (he had more planned for us to do than we did).
Also, I will be forever grateful for those pastors of churches that believed enough in the vision to support us prayerfully and financially right out of the gate. We had over 170 different individuals and businesses contribute funds to our first endeavor in Nazret.
I pray I will never lose the wonder of what unfolded during our prep time.
He brought us partnerships that proved to be very fruitful(both in the states and Ethiopia) and opportunities to engage and serve that went way beyond our human capacity.
The cloud grows...
As we sought-out church partnerships in Ethiopia, we received an unexpected invitation from a Nazret-based pastor friend to partner in some outreach with their church community. God brought us into relationship with a school doing amazing work for the impoverished children of the city. He introduced us to Ellilta-Women at Risk…an amazing organization that rescues women from prostitution and rehabilitates them…while caring for their children as well.
I looked up the word torrential. Here is the what I found. "Rain, falling rapidly...in copious quantities."
Get the umbrellas ready...
All that said, I'd like to share some specifics of what God did as you gave and prayed for this, our first Arukah Global trip to Ethiopia.
What unfolded before and during our time in Nazret is first due to the grace and power of God, and also your partnering with us. Both the building up of the thundercloud and the downpour are nothing short of miraculous. So, please enjoy as we brag about what God did through you and His rag-tag team from Arukah Global.
The cloud continued to grow…
1. The thought of helping kids get into school(this year) was not actually in our fundraising budget. 6 weeks prior to leaving, we were made aware of the fact that there were 50 school-aged children of former prostitutes at Ellilta that were in need of funding for school.
Instead of applying it to the team funds, we decided to take the money that came in from our fundraising night at Campbell Brewing Company and apply it directly toward getting perhaps 10-12 kids sponsored for school.
And grow...
We ended up raising enough funds to pay for not 10-12 kids, but 30!!! I want to emphasize that this initiative WAS NOT in our initial funding goal or budget. In addition, less than one week prior to our departure, a donor - completely unsolicited - stepped up to cover cost of school for the remaining 20 children…50 kids total at $180 each! Yep…do the math! God moved…
I thought…and shared with the team, "If God has done all of this PRIOR to our departure, what incredible downpour does he have planned once we arrive?"
Well, once we landed in Ethiopia, the thundercloud busted open and the entire trip was an absolute downpour of blessing, ministry and relationships like I have yet to see in my 5 consecutive years serving in Nazret.
2. On one of our 4 days spent the Ellilta facility, a team member taught on the sensitive subject of STD care(including HIV), hygiene and post-abortion care. She shared with 40+ women…22 of which just came off the streets and were new in the program that week. God moved mightily through our sister as she taught.
Knowing we were a group that represented Christ, 12-13 of the ladies asked about knowing Jesus.
We were blessed to cover the cost of a home-cooked lunch for everyone that day. Food prep-time and eating time was wonderful!
Back in the states and while in Nazret, we purchased items that would be put into "pampering" gift bags the Arukah ladies would give out to the 42 ladies in the Ellilta program. Many smiles and hearts touched that day!
3. The following day, our team served 50-60 children of the ladies in the program by doing crafts and playing with the kids at the facility. This was a rare treat for them…and both our team and the kids were blessed beyond measure. We also purchased supplies to make lunch for everyone there that day.
4. As we partnered with a local Ethiopian church, we funded the repair of 4 different homes, each in a small compound which is traditional in Ethiopia. During this time, we worked side by side with laborers in 2 of the locations and interacted with the locals.
One location, the repair was done on 2 latrines used by 30-40 people daily. The squatting space over the 25 foot deep latrines had become broken up, open and dangerous…especially to the elderly and small children.
At another location, while the repair work was happening, one of our team members(a retired nurse) was able to administer some simple medical help to the mother of 2 and wife of the household who had untreated stage 4 breast cancer. This is a bit graphic: her nipple was completely gone and the tumor was wide-open, but surprisingly not infected. Despite her situation, she had a joy, hope and smile that was contagious. (Had we been further down the road as an organization, we'd have considered paying for treatment, but that was not yet an option for us).
Across the alley from this home, we had conversation with 2 neighbor ladies. As we and our pastor friend interacted with them, they opened up and shared that they were both prostitutes trying to provide for their families. Our pastor friend and other Ethiopian teammate had some long conversation with them. We let them know that God loves them exactly where they are at. The pastor invited them to church...
Additionally, at another home repair location, we fell in love with the community matriarch who we called "mama". She was about 80 years old and her claim to fame was that over her lifetime in the community, she held just about every baby born there. She was a joy and had a great sense of humor with a wonderful laugh to go with it!
As her home was being repaired, we noticed her mattress (I actually never recognized it as a mattress). It was a shredded, moldy clump of dusty material. A few of us left the work project and returned with a new mattress, sheets and a pillow for mama. What an honor. Working in these community compounds opens doors for relationship, encouragement, potential financial and medical intervention and prayer.
5. Our luggage was stuffed with blankets that would be distributed by the local church to 60 elderly people as part of their holistic outreach to the community.
6. We supplied a local, privately funded school with teaching aids for pre-K and Kindergarden aged students. This included abacuses, number and alphabet flashcards, learning building blocks, etc.
This school focuses on providing "free" top-notch education for over 500 impoverished children.
7. As we toured the school and saw the addition they had built (since I saw them last year), we noticed the new 8 stall latrine waiting to be completed with walls and a roof. It turned out they ran out of funds and were trusting God for completing the project. The challenge was that they had 500 kids and really needed the "shintabet" (toilette) to be available,
Word got out, God moved...and while we were in-country, a donor stepped up and provided the $1500 needed to complete the project!
8. We are also in process of coordinating funds with our Nazret-based micro-financing/ministry partner, Temarn Merarat Volunteers Association. The organization is run by a dear Ethiopian brother who is becoming the face of Arukah Global in Nazret, These initial funds will support an 18 year old girl in getting into a local college. in 2014, she had to give up going to school in order to help support her single mother and 3 younger siblings. It is a small start to what we hope will be greater endeavors.
9. Next steps are being looked into to help purchase livestock for some families as means of food and income.
10. Some of our team members who sponsor children through Compassion International got to visit their kids at home. Those visits provided some basic food supplies and the often under-noticed ministry of "presence", Sometimes the greatest gift we can give is to be present with somebody in need. It feed the souls of both parties.
During a home visit to her sponsored child, a single mother on our Arukah team connected deeply with the single mom of the child. Lots of laughter and tears ensued during the visit and the child's mother made the decision to trust her life to Jesus.
11. In the US, we were introduced to a wonderful ministry called the Tabitha Project. They are a group of retired women who produce hand-made clothing for impoverished children around the world. They made roughly 50 dresses and pants we brought with us and donated to Ellilta.
Other bits: We purchased additional building material for the home repair projects, soccer and kickballs for the Ellilta kids and arranged a "play and craft day" for 11 impoverished children and their parents.
Upon arrival in the capital of Addis Ababa, we spent a day and night at the Child Development Research and Training Center. The CDRTC is run by an incredible staff and is led by Shiferaw Michael - the former Minister of Justice in Ethiopia. He and his staff are considered to be the leading child advocates in the country and train people from all over Africa on how to best serve and raise-up children caught in the vicious cycle of poverty.
Additionally, we had a gathering with leaders of 7 different churches and denominations in Nazret in order share hearts and vision for this wonderful city. This was a very transparent time of getting to know one another and to build trust via relationship. We plan to meet again in 2016 to continue conversation about how, together, we can impact Nazret for good and for God.
What you read above was written to show what happens when a group of people step into the deep waters of a God-sized vision. It shows clearly that Someone greater than our efforts is at work.
There are so many more stories…please ask the team members you know if they could share from their perspective. I know their hearts and lives were transformed by the experiences and the people in Nazret.
We are overwhelmed by having the privilege of being a part of such a wonderful and impactful time in Nazret. We love these people and they have captured our hearts with their smiles, sense of community and joy. I know each team member not only had their hearts moved to serve our friends in Ethiopia, but now have greater compassion for those who are hurting and in need here in our own communities.
Looking forward:
In the first half of 2016, I will likely return for a solo visit in order to follow-up with our work, solidify some relationships and refine our focus for the next team trip…which will likely be in August(2016).
My hope in sharing this is three-fold:
1. I want to recognize that it was God doing the inspiring and heaving lifting in providing partners and funds as each team member stepped out in faith.
2. I hope somebody is inspired by what they read here. If you have a vision…a dream in your heart…something that rips at your gut and keeps you awake at night…some change you need to see happen…share the vision with some trusted friends and take some steps toward it.
3. In my 25 years of being a "Christ-follower", I've never seen Him move in such obvious power. Just the other day, I realized that perhaps God had been waiting for me to step into a vision so big it would be clear that it is him who was making it come together. Hey, I'm a slow learner…but man, is it still awesome!!!
Enjoying the downpour,
~Mark and the Arukah Global Team
If you are interested in learning more, supporting Arukah Global's vision or want to discuss our 2016 trip, please email me at [email protected]
If you are interested in learning more about, joining or supporting us in 2016, please email [email protected].
Next team trip: Will depart sometime in mid-October, 2016. (dates subject to change)
Trip duration: 12-16 days
We will have an interest meeting and make applications available sometime in the first half of March 2016 and will determine the 10-12 person team by the first part of April 2016. Specific dates to come later.
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