1st Quarter Issue
January - March 2001

We wish
all our friends
and partners
a Merry
Christmas and 
a happy new
year.  May the
year 2001
be the year you
get closer
to Jesus and
grow in grace.

 
The Greatest Gift We Can Present to Jesus...
As we approach the Christmas season we think of gifts we wish to receive.  However, many of us do not take time to think through the kind of gift we would like to give to our Lord.  Two thousand years ago the three wise men from the East came to Bethlehem and gave to the newborn child "gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (Matt. 2:11) as their expressions of love and reverence.  The whole idea of Christmas is grounded in "giving." God gave to all humanity the greatest gift that was ever given, His only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (John 3:16).  Jesus also gave His own life as a gift to all of us.  We know there is no greater gift than giving one's own life.  The Apostle Paul confirms this in his letter to the Corinthians.  "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (2 Cor. 8:9).

In the New Testament there were two extraordinary women who impressed Jesus by their remarkable gifts.  One of them is Mary of Bethany.  "While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard.  She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head" (Mark 14:3).  When the disciples saw this act of generosity, they were very disappointed with Mary and rebuked her by saying, "What a waste of money!" But Jesus quickly came to her defense and said, "She did beautiful things to me.  I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her" (Mark 14:8-9).

   The other woman who impressed Jesus by giving was a poor widow who gave two copper coins.  Jesus watched while the rich gave big money and a poor widow put two very small copper coins into the temple treasury.  Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on" (Luke 21:3-4).  These two women who impressed Jesus with their gifts received one of the highest compliments that any human being could receive from Christ.  He appreciated not only the gifts, but the attitude and motives of the givers.

At this Christmas season, like the three wise men and as an expression of our deepest love, we want to give the greatest possible gift to our Lord and Savior.  What can we give Him?  We feel gold, frankincense, and myrrh are not enough.  Even if they are, we may have none.  What else can we give him then?  We can give ourselves to Him in a complete surrender.  This is what He likes the most.  When we give ourselves to Him, we are saying, "Lord, I give up my own purpose and plan.  From here on all my desires, hopes and ambitions are not mine but yours.  Whatever it is I will accept your will for my life.  I totally give myself, my life, my all in all to you, so that you can own me now and forever." Let us not forget that consecrated or surrendered life always demands absolute obedience.  Though there is a price to pay, there is also happiness in our obedience.   Continued...

 
 
EOM at Paradise Mennonite Church Missions Conference...
thiopian Outreach Ministry was one of the ministries that had the opportunity to share its work with the saints at Paradise Mennonite Church, Paradise, Pennsylvania.  EOM was first introduced to Paradise Mennonite Church through Mr. Eugene Witmer, the church's Missions Committee Chairman.  Mr. Witmer's conviction to partner with EOM grew deeper after his interaction with Misiker at one of EOM's biannual fundraising banquets.  With the support of fellow servants from the missions committee of his church, EOM's outreach programs were introduced to Paradise Mennonite Church at the church's 1999 Missions Conference.  This year, EOM had the honor of taking part in the annual missions conference.  We praise God for the visionary leaders of Paradise Mennonite Church who are committed to global evangelization as well as equipping indigenous ministries, enabling them to effectively  reach out with the gospel.

In the three-day conference, believers at Paradise Mennonite Church had the opportunity to hear from Misiker about the things that have been done so far through various programs of EOM.  Misiker mentioned in his presentation that there is a tremendous need for sound Biblical teaching and training of local church leaders.

On Saturday, November 11, the congregation of the church , many for the first time, experienced authentic Ethiopian meals.  There was a great time of fellowship.  Rev. Wogu delivered the message for Sunday morning worship time.

The staff at EOM wants to express their gratitude to Pastor Fred Martin, Pastor Del Sauder, Mr. Eugene Witmer and members of the Missions Committee, Youth Group, Women's ministry team and every one who  ministered to us in various ways.  May the Lord bless you individually and collectively as a family of God at paradise.

 
Projects You Can Be Involved In

Brother Wogu's newest book entitled "GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - IDENTIFICATION AND PROPER APPLICATION" is in high demand, especially in Ethiopia.  Your support is crucial in making this book available to the thousands of Ethiopians waiting for it.  "GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT..." attempts to answer the questions of the many Ethiopian believers who have been confused by teachings based on experience rather than Scripture.  Since we announced the publication of this book, many have responded with great excitement, because it will help the church to refocus on the basics of Christianity by rooting believers in the Word of God.
We encourage you to get involved in this worthwhile project individually or through your church missions committees, Sunday School classes, or growth groups.  Give a lasting gift this Christmas to your Ethiopian brothers and sisters.  Let us come together and make a difference.  Share with your friends and churches about this project.  For more information on this project. please contact us by regular mail, phone, fax or e-mail.

The large volume of Bible study notes, booklets and tracts at EOM demands reliable, efficient and durable machines like a folder. Currently we have the NEED for a paper folding machine.  A few partners gave a total of $1000 towards the purchase of this machine.  This is one third of the amount needed to acquire the machine we selected.  When you consider this project in your year-end giving, remember the difference you can make in the process of producing life changing gospel messages that are circulated world-wide.		   As our work grows in all aspects, the need for computers that can handle our expansion is something we cannot avoid.  Right now, we need to replace one of our computers and upgrade the other.  If you have an extra computer with minimum specifications listed below that you can give away, or if you can contribute towards the purchase of a new one, we would greatly appreciate it.  The estimated cost  of a new computer with the specifications we need is $1350.

Specifications:
Minimum requirements:

  • Pentium or AMD 500 MHz Processor
  • 64 MB RAM
  • 10 GB Hard drive space
  • 24X CD-ROM Drive
  • 56K V90 modem
  • 15" or more color monitor
  • Windows 98 operating system

Other Needs...
Zip Drive and Zip Disks - $260
Laser Printer - $699
Two office desks - $149 each
Studio Microphone - $225
Studio Sound Mixer - $299
Professional Cassette Recorder - $449
19" TV/Monitor and a VCR for EOM's Video 
      Production Ministry - $275
Weighing scale for mails - $90
When you send your gifts to one or more of the projects listed in this section above, please designate your gifts accordingly on the "Memo" or "Used for" line of your check or money order.  We will make sure your gift is used specifically to the project you have selected.  Make your check or money order payable to EOM.  Thank you.

 
 
 
Dear brother Melese,

Greetings to you and the laborers of the kingdom of God at EOM.  We trust every thing continues to go well with you all.  We are all fine and doing well in the Lord.

I am happy to inform you that all the materials you recently sent us, Mestawet (Mirror of Life) Bible studies, Mizan part 1 and 2 five copy each and six audio tapes have reached us safely.  We want you to know that these resources will be used by many believers here in our city.  Distribution of these materials already started among fellow Christians.

We praise God for the ministry of EOM among Ethiopians specially in places where such sound Biblical teaching resources are in short supply.  We also thank God for opening a wide door before you to minister to Ethiopians.  May God bless you and keep you in His loving arms.

With Love and Respect,

Amlaku, Jordan  

From the Editor of News & Views
We encourage you to write to us and share with us what the Lord has been doing in your life.  Your testimonies enable the readers and us to glorify God.

"And they overcame him (the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." 

Rev 12:11 (KJV)
 

THE GREATEST GIFT (Continued)
Hannah Whitall Smith in her book the "Christian's secret of a happy life" writes, "Perfect obedience would be perfect happiness if only we had perfect confidence in the power we are obeying." 

   When we give ourselves to Him, we are also saying, "Here I am Lord at your disposal, use me!  I will go where you want me to go, I will say what you want me to say, and I will do what you want me to do." The central point in a completely surrendered life is serving God.  To serve God is not an option but a command (Gal. 5:13).  After telling her young son about the Golden rule, a mother once said,  "Always remember that we are all here to serve others." The young boy thought for a moment and asked his mother, "Well, if that is so, what are others here for?" That is a 

   good question.  Service is not only for a few, but for everybody.  The question is how can we serve Him the best? There are many ways that we can serve God.  We can serve God by giving Him our time, our talents, our money, and by telling others about Christ.  However, let us not underestimate the power and influence of living a Godly life.  Some of us may not have the courage to witness loudly for Christ, but if we can live in such a way that our neighbors could see Jesus in us, we are indirectly witnessing for Christ.  If we want to serve God wholeheartedly, we need to give ourselves to Him in complete surrender.  We can serve God the most by living a consecrated Christian life.

As we approach the end of the year 2000 and look forward to the year 2001, we may all remind ourselves that the precious gift that our Savior 

   desires the most is nothing less than
our lives.  The year 2000 has been an interesting and exciting year for Ethiopian Outreach Ministry.  We have seen God working in so many
astonishing ways.  Many lives have been touched and inspired by God's Spirit through the ministry.  We are now looking forward to the year 2001 foreseeing the marvelous and exciting things that God will do in the lives of many.  At this special time of the year, we would like to give ourselves to Him in complete surrender so that He can use us to bring more people to His Kingdom than in previous years.  We thank you for your encouragement and support.  May the celebration of Christ's birth and the new year bring special joy, strength and vision to your hearts.