2nd Quarter Issue
Apr. - June  2004

    One more reason why
we need to continue sharing
Christ’s love and His message…

A recent letter we received from an Ethiopian explains it.

"Dear brother Melese and the other servants of God at EOM,

 

I don’t know how to express my gratitude for the impact you made in my life through your teachings of God’s word. Your practical and clear teaching of the Bible has helped me to lead a well balanced life. I drew wisdom from your teachings that has enabled me to help others as I teach believers in my underground church guiding them in the right direction. I feel God has created an extension of you here in the town where I live. … Your teachings have brought life and meaning to the scriptures. We are so blessed through the ministry of EOM. Thank you.

Biniam, E. Africa

 

May God help us all to continue to be a blessing to those who hunger and thirst for the word of God like Biniam.

 

“...nothing, nothing outweighs

the value of life transformed

from deceit, hate, pride

and greed to honesty,

loyalty and love.”

 

Ralph D. Winter

(From Missions Frontiers

Oct./Sept. 2003 Issue)

 
 

Specific Ministry Needs Column...

To the friends and partners who responded with their gifts to various needs listed in the past, thank you for your prayerful support and encouragement that has been shown through your gifts that supplied the needed equipment and tools to promote God’s work in a more effective way. Those of you who want to take part in meeting the needs listed below, you can send your special donation designated to the project of your choice.
 

Cassette Duplication Machine
                              
      Upgrade TELEX XGEN
      (Master and Copy unit each $3,073.47)
     (Our Current Cassette  duplicating machine will be refurbished and shipped to our Ethiopia office where it will be used constantly.)

One complete computer system - up to $1,300  This is to replace one of our computers that is not  compatible with all the other systems and cannot  be networked. We have already received a total of $1,130 from two friends of the ministry towards this purchase.  A $170 gift will enable us to meet this goal.

Funding needed for office furniture 
    (Estimated amount $1,955)

Shelf construction in the newly purchased building  library/conference room. (Estimated amount needed:  $2,750.)

Network printer/copier - we need to replace the one we now use sometime in 2004 to reduce maintenance cost   (Estimated cost: $17,500)

We wish to thank a friend of EOM who wishes to remain anonymous for this needed equipment to promote God's work.

 

 And One More Way of
Getting Involved to Share
 the Love of Christ...

 

On May 8, 2004, EOM had its first biannual Ethiopian dinner banquet of the year. We served over 230 guests and raised a little over $6,000.  As many of you know, the money we raise at these banquets will help us pay for the various outreach programs we have including the daily ½ hour radio broadcast that is currently being heard by Ethiopians in  over 23 countries. 

It is encouraging to hear a few of our partners who have been coming to these dinners for the past number of years say how they have been uplifted by the work of God among Ethiopians.  They say they are blessed by the opportunity to meet with friends and fellow believers, have authentic Ethiopian food and at the same time be a part of a strategic program that shares the love of Christ among Ethiopians.

The letters and e-mails we receive from listeners of our daily radio broadcast are  proof that such teachings on  radio is necessary.  Every effort you put into the partnership you have with Ethiopian Outreach Ministry is interpreted into the salvation of many who hear the truth of the gospel.  It strengthens the faith of Christians in oppressed countries.  Because of the encouraging word of God reaching Ethiopian refugees and those who live in isolated rural villages through the radio, tapes and printed material, a great number of believers continue to grow in their faith and defend that faith from false teachings that has become one of the major obstacles for the work of Christ’s church in Ethiopia.

The more we all get serious about our partnership in the kingdom work, the better the access to the truth for hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians.

It was great to see friends like Bob Melato (pictured left) and his wife Kathy, friends of EOM from Living Word Community Church.  In addition to their generous financial gift, their presence and uplifting words have been a great source of encouragement to all of us here at EOM. Bob and Kathy, like many of you, our friends, who came for the first time or been at many of the banquets, play a huge role in the building of God’s kingdom.

Susie Luddy of York hardly misses an opportunity to do whatever needs to be done so that God’s love can be shared with as many Ethiopians as possible.  From thoroughly cleaning cooking pans to actually assisting in the preparation of the Ethiopian dishes, Susie continues to say ‘yes’ to every opportunity to serve and make a difference. It was good to finally see her enjoy the delicious Ethiopian dishes .

 

Friends, we encourage you to get involved like Susie and many others whose names are not mentioned here to partner with us in raising enough fund that will enable us to continue sharing the love of Christ and His message of salvation.  If you need one more reason, think of Biniam whose partial letter mentioned in the column to the left shows how he is inspired to lead a well balanced Christian life and in turn help many others to grow in the grace of God.  How about multiplying Biniam’s case thousands of times? To that end, let us join together to see the number of  saved lives grow and our own lives changed because we are actively engaged in the Kingdom agenda!

 

Special Thanks

To all of the friends and partners who helped with the banquet food preparation that took hours of your precious time. We also thank those who helped in serving and with the cleanup of the banquet hall at the end.

IT DELIGHTS GOD TO BLESS US
BECAUSE HE IS A GRACIOUS GOD
By Sossena Maybury


A couple days before Mother’s Day a good friend of ours here at the ministry stopped by the office with a big box wrapped in gift wrapping paper. I had no idea what it was or who it was for. Seeing my puzzled look she told me to unwrap the box and see. The unwrapped box contained a brand new HP computer. I thought maybe she bought it for the ministry specifically for my desk. She then handed me a card with my name on it. The card was a Mother’s Day card. When it finally sunk in that the gift was for me personally, I was speechless. She and my colleague Misiker who was her accomplice had a good laugh watching me try to make sense of this gift that I didn’t ask for, pray for or expect. Actually, I was planning to buy a better computer than the one I have but put it off because it was not a priority at the moment.

The whole day I was numb because for the first time in my life I was aware that I had nothing to do with receiving this gift. I can’t get part of the credit for this gift because it was not an answer to MY prayer or a result of MY effort. What I mean is that most of the things in life that we have are ours because we either asked, prayed, hoped, begged, dreamed or worked for them. This gift doesn’t fit in any of these categories. And because of that I was able to give God a pure praise and thanks for his gracious gift.

So many times we feel that we deserve something or are being blessed because of our good standing with God or because of something we have done. The lesson I am learning is that many times God chooses to bless us just because He is a gracious God and it delights him to do so. What an awesome God we serve! I am reminded of the scripture that says, “While we were still sinners and powerless, Jesus died for us” (Rom 5:6, 8). Every time I think of this special gift, I enter this wonderful place of knowing that I am loved in spite of me.

I was also able to teach my son, Isak (who was as shocked and as surprised as I was) what it means to obey God and to live an unselfish life which this dear friend so beautifully exhibits in her life. She is heavenly minded and earthly good. What a powerful combination for furthering the kingdom of God. She is an inspiration and encouragement to us here at EOM. I thank God for this dear friend whose generosity, obedience and unselfish act allowed me to see and learn how gracious God is. He loves each one of us because He chose to.
 


PRAISE AND PRAYER

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

 
Praise:

  For the good turn out of the May 8 fundraising banquet and for the partners and friends who gave their time and resources.
 
  For continued prayer and financial support we receive from friends and partners. Pray for God’s blessings upon these committed servants whom the Lord knows by name.

  For the thousands of Ethiopians who are continually impacted by the teachings of God’s word over the daily radio broadcast and through the tape ministry.
 
  For the individuals who crossed the line of faith and committed their lives to Jesus as a result of the various evangelistic materials we produced and distributed.


 Please Pray...

  For Dr. Melese who plans to take two evangelistic trips this summer, (July 21-August 16: Lebanon and Beirut; August 25 - September 29: Yemen and Ethiopia). Pray that the harvest of souls be plentiful, and for many believers to be encouraged by the preaching of the word of God.

    Continue praying for the gospel to be preached among Ethiopians who have never heard about Jesus Christ. Our radio broadcast has been a very effective tool in this regard. Pray that many in the remote part of Ethiopia get access to short-wave radios.

    For Christians who are being persecuted in Eritrea (former province of Ethiopia in the north). We are receiving more communiqué from believers in Eritrea and their relatives that situations are getting worse. Many are living in fear that they may be next to be thrown in jail for practicing their Christian faith with their fellow believers. Pray that Christians in Eritrea grow stronger in their adversities.
   For Misiker, Meaza and their two children, Grum and Mahlet who will be in Ethiopia for the whole month of June. Pray for safe travels, safety and good times with their families.
 
  For the faith of the believers in Djibouti to be solid and unwavering in this time of difficulty due to new government policies.
 
  For the Ethiopian churches in Ethiopia and around the world to preach the pure word of God and fight the false teachings that are on the rise.  Pray for wise and bold teachers with true calling to arise upholding the TRUTH OF THE SCRIPTURE.

Thank you for praying.