COUNTRY CHURCHES LOVING JESUS
- talon18
- Dec 21, 2025
- 3 min read
By Joy Casey in Ethiopia
Unbelievably rough roads today. I’m talking gullies and pot holes big enough to swallow cars. The roads in the countryside are traversed by donkey carts and motorcycles, not vehicles. Yet, our trusty 4WD and experienced driver maneuvered over and around all of the hazards. It was hard travel, but so worth it!
We visited two churches today, both remote and without electricity, running water or any amenities we might take for granted. The people here generally stay put. Their world is as far as they can walk or a donkey can take them.
The first was a hut church I visited in July. It was crammed full of people. Obvious growth has taken place between then and now – currently, there are 60 families who call this their home church. Property has been donated and formally registered to Watch and Pray, the license we work under in Ethiopia. It is time to build! A church in Arizona gave enough money to build a church so we are good to go! Starting next month eucalyptus poles for the frame and tin for the roof will be purchased. Stones and cement for the foundation and floor is next, and then the structure will be mudded inside and out. The people are so looking forward to having elbow room to worship and grow!
The second church is a fairly recent build. It started out as a hut church but quickly outgrew the structure. The people eagerly embraced us, expressing gratitude over and over for their church.
Children in these churches always capture my heart; isn’t the singing by this Sunday School group the best?
Both churches have a Children’s Club in addition to Sunday school. This fun community outreach is a weekly event that Christian children invite their neighbors to come and be a part of.
I had sweet times with the women of the churches. They were eager to share with me and gracious in every way. I certainly got my quota of hugs today! Many times in my writings I share the appalling statistics of illiteracy in Ethiopia. In these rural Muslim villages it is rare to find women who read. In the larger group I was with today, only 4 (and they were young)
out of the 30-or-so women could read … confirming once again the acute need for audio Bibles. One granny I gave an audio Bible to the last time I was here proudly showed me her hand-held Bible --well used and dusty!
To counteract illiteracy, we have literacy programs for children in the villages where there are no schools and where we have established churches. The children are learning phonics and putting words together and some are beginner readers and doing simple math.
Leaving the hut church, a man took me by the hand and led me to the hut next to the church. Sitting in the shade was an elderly woman obviously quite ill. She lives by herself and has no husband or children to take care of her; I wasn’t quite sure if she was blind or not. She has been feeling very sick for several months but has no one to take her to the health center. Translated, that means there is no one who has money to cover the cost of her care at the health center. Neighbors bring her food to eat because she is too weak to cook for herself. This woman was put in our path and we have the means to help. NewLife will cover her expenses and the missionary who established the church will make sure she gets medical attention.
Coming out of the billowing dust of a very long, strenuous drive, all of us were relieved to be “home,” to wash up, and have dinner together. I love the camaraderie of sharing about our day over platters of chikena tibs and kitfo served with injera and dabo (bread), rounding off with cups of buna (coffee) or chai (tea). In my opinion, it doesn’t get much better than this!
Xummi ihe (Goodbye!)
Comments