8.26
today was one of my most favorite days this summer.
Sundays are usually Beza church days, but our sweet Kedy was getting baptised at the church in Korah this week & there was no way we were going to miss that.
the church in Korah was full of friends - women that work at mission ethiopia, precious little kids we see every day, most of the kids that live in the dorms (boys & girls), and both of my sponsor girls & their families.
it was a sweet time worshiping with them in their church.
although the entire service was in amharic, I still felt the presence of God.
I will never get the image out of my mind of a sweet woman in front of me who had obviously suffered from leprosy, wave her hands back and forth in the air to her God.
and Kedy....he was up in the front with all the other people who were to be baptised, and he was singing and dancing in worship to God,
I just smiled & thanked God for letting me witness such a scene.
the way these people pray to God, worship Him and call out to Him is beautiful -
I tried to pray and finally just asked God to speak to me.
and I felt like He told me that if He were still walking the earth - THIS is where He would be.
I just know it.
after a lengthy sermon in a language I couldn’t understand, it was finally time for baptism.
there was an excitement in the room as the women (dressed in robes) proceeded to the back of the church where the baptismal sat.
everyone gathered around, standing on the benches, smooshed in the back corner of the church ready to witness about 15 people get baptised.
I had my camera ready to go!
I wish I had my video camera - the scene was one of my favorite all summer.
it was TRULY a celebration. a welcoming into the family of God.
all the members of the church - young and old, were dancing and shouting and clapping along with the keyboard music in celebration.
I was so surprised to see my sweet new friend (and the Chambers sponsor girl!) Anish getting baptised. Her good friend (and a fellow VO team member) had just sent me a note telling me to talk to her about Jesus - she said something really beautiful too: that she couldn’t imagine praising Jesus in heaven for eternity without her.
tears filled my eyes when I saw she was getting baptised today!
and them Sammie - my Abenezers brother. when he came up out of that water he had the biggest smile on his face - it was like his whole body was lit up with Jesus.
and kedy - I watched and couldn’t stop thinking about how just LAST SUMMER he was wondering the streets of Korah with no one to call family, and now! He’s in school, he has a home, a spiritual family and he is baptised!
I was literally bawling crying and filled with so much joy when I watched that boy go into those baptismal waters.
I watched his friends watch on too - those who know Jesus, and those who don’t and I prayed that he would set an example to them all.
afterwards everyone was hugging and dancing and praising God.
it’s not anything that can be fully explained in words- but something that I’ll never forget.
after church we took 2 vans full of kids to lunch at Metro Pizza & then to entoto mountain for soccer.
I got to bring a few of my boys that I got to spend time with this summer: Jordan, Dawit and Teddy. all friends of Eyob. We rode with Don and his boy Daniel in their van all day so when we got to Entoto for soccer the boys in my van formed a team vs. the boys in the GIbsons van -- making, ‘team wynne” and “team kiki”.
it was so fun to watch them play! they are some dang good soccer players.
kiki and I cheered from the sidelines & even got a little competitive ourselves.
my team ended up winning :) but all the boys were so amazing!
the view from entoto is breathtaking - from a certain point on the road down, you can see the whole city.
so we stopped for photographs.
this is when I’m so grateful for the gift God gave me - I love getting to take photos for our friends. knowing that their book of pictures is their most prized possession.
you go to any ones home & they show you their picture book.
and it’s an honor when I get to see my pictures all over homes in korah.
it was a beautiful day.
today was one of my most favorite days this summer.
Sundays are usually Beza church days, but our sweet Kedy was getting baptised at the church in Korah this week & there was no way we were going to miss that.
the church in Korah was full of friends - women that work at mission ethiopia, precious little kids we see every day, most of the kids that live in the dorms (boys & girls), and both of my sponsor girls & their families.
it was a sweet time worshiping with them in their church.
although the entire service was in amharic, I still felt the presence of God.
I will never get the image out of my mind of a sweet woman in front of me who had obviously suffered from leprosy, wave her hands back and forth in the air to her God.
and Kedy....he was up in the front with all the other people who were to be baptised, and he was singing and dancing in worship to God,
I just smiled & thanked God for letting me witness such a scene.
the way these people pray to God, worship Him and call out to Him is beautiful -
I tried to pray and finally just asked God to speak to me.
and I felt like He told me that if He were still walking the earth - THIS is where He would be.
I just know it.
after a lengthy sermon in a language I couldn’t understand, it was finally time for baptism.
there was an excitement in the room as the women (dressed in robes) proceeded to the back of the church where the baptismal sat.
everyone gathered around, standing on the benches, smooshed in the back corner of the church ready to witness about 15 people get baptised.
I had my camera ready to go!
I wish I had my video camera - the scene was one of my favorite all summer.
it was TRULY a celebration. a welcoming into the family of God.
all the members of the church - young and old, were dancing and shouting and clapping along with the keyboard music in celebration.
I was so surprised to see my sweet new friend (and the Chambers sponsor girl!) Anish getting baptised. Her good friend (and a fellow VO team member) had just sent me a note telling me to talk to her about Jesus - she said something really beautiful too: that she couldn’t imagine praising Jesus in heaven for eternity without her.
tears filled my eyes when I saw she was getting baptised today!
and them Sammie - my Abenezers brother. when he came up out of that water he had the biggest smile on his face - it was like his whole body was lit up with Jesus.
and kedy - I watched and couldn’t stop thinking about how just LAST SUMMER he was wondering the streets of Korah with no one to call family, and now! He’s in school, he has a home, a spiritual family and he is baptised!
I was literally bawling crying and filled with so much joy when I watched that boy go into those baptismal waters.
I watched his friends watch on too - those who know Jesus, and those who don’t and I prayed that he would set an example to them all.
afterwards everyone was hugging and dancing and praising God.
it’s not anything that can be fully explained in words- but something that I’ll never forget.
after church we took 2 vans full of kids to lunch at Metro Pizza & then to entoto mountain for soccer.
I got to bring a few of my boys that I got to spend time with this summer: Jordan, Dawit and Teddy. all friends of Eyob. We rode with Don and his boy Daniel in their van all day so when we got to Entoto for soccer the boys in my van formed a team vs. the boys in the GIbsons van -- making, ‘team wynne” and “team kiki”.
Team Wynne
Team Kiki
kiki and I cheered from the sidelines & even got a little competitive ourselves.
my team ended up winning :) but all the boys were so amazing!
the view from entoto is breathtaking - from a certain point on the road down, you can see the whole city.
so we stopped for photographs.
this is when I’m so grateful for the gift God gave me - I love getting to take photos for our friends. knowing that their book of pictures is their most prized possession.
you go to any ones home & they show you their picture book.
and it’s an honor when I get to see my pictures all over homes in korah.
it was a beautiful day.
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