Ethiopian Orthodox Church

I often read a blog that updates the current happenings in Ethiopia pretty accurately. And every once in a while they will post a blog pertaining to Ethiopian culture or history and I learn something. So I decided to share this one with you.

Did you know that the Ark of the Covenant was located in the church in Ethiopia at one time? Me neither. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church can trace it's lineage back to the Queen of Sheba. She married King Solomon, of Israel, whom we all know from the Bible, and together, they had Menelik, a son. Menelik, as an adult carried the Ark of the Covenant to and from Jerusalem and the ethiopian church.

Did you know that Ethiopia was mentioned in the Bible, more than once? In Psalms Chapter 68 Verse 31, it states, "Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God." Other versions say, " Cush will submit herself to God." In the Bible and at different times in the ancient world, a large region covering northern Sudan, modern day southern Egypt, and parts of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia were known as "Cush". The Hebrew Bible refers to "Cush" on a number of occasions, though various English translations translate this as "Nubian", "Ethiopia", "Sudan", and "Cushite" (Unseth 1999). (source: wikipdia)You remember Zaporiah, Moses' wife, the daughter of Jethro, the Priest of Midian; She and her family were described as being Kushites in Numbers 12:1.

Did you also know these facts? I just learned them.
Ethiopia was among the first nations to have Christian converts.
The church in Ethiopia was officially established in 340 AD.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church followed the leadership of the Egyptian, Coptic Church, until the 20th century when the Emperor Halie Selassie pushed her to greater independence. But then in 1974, Marxist revolutionaries overthrew the bishop and began greatly persecuting Christians in Ethiopia. When that communist government fell in 1991, there was a great division in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Many Ethiopians around the world, still argue over which form of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is better.

Coptic Orthodox Ethiopian Church in Gondar, Ethiopia.


Ethiopian Church in Jerusalem

This Ethiopian icon shows St. George, the Crucifixion, and the Virgin Mary.

Ethiopian Priest, circa 2005

The Church of St. George is a monolithic church in Lalibela. Lalibela is a town in northern Ethiopia. Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's holiest cities, second only to Aksum, and is a center of pilgrimage for much of the country.

The Chapel of the Tablet at the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion allegedly houses the original Ark of the Covenant.

(pictures source: wikipedia)

Saddening Statistics on Ethiopia

1 IN 4 - Only one in every four people in Ethiopia have access to clean water while just 13 percent have access to basic sanitation.

WATER AND WALKING - Collecting water is a back-breaking chore. Many women walk up to 3 hours, carrying 40-pound jerry cans filled with polluted water that is likely to make them sick.

WATER AND EDUCATION - Many girls never get an opportunity to go to school because the responsibility of collecting water takes precedence.

FACT - There are more people in Ethiopia without clean water than any other country in Africa. 75% of the country lacks access to clean, safe drinking water.

WAY DON'T THEY BOIL THE WATER? - Ethiopia has lost much of it's native landscape, and cutting down trees is illegal in many parts of the north. Firewood is a precious and expensive commodity that's mostly used for cooking.

LOW RAINFALL AND FAMINE - The country's persistently low rainfall is a major factor in the extreme poverty that exists in rural areas as well as periodic famines that affect millions of people.


I got this information from charity : water. It is a great organization that is seeking to get clean water to as many Ethiopians as they possibly can. This month they are working on 333 wells for the founder, Scott Harrison's 33rd birthday. It is a great cause and you can donate just $33 to be a part of it.

water

I just got an email from scott@charityis.org who is in Ethiopia digging a well today, on his 33rd birthday. He has an amazing charity called charity : water. He raises funds to build wells in African villages so that they people can have clean drinking water and water to bathe, clean and cook with. It's amazing how much that can change lives. The people struggle and die everyday simply because they do not have clean water and water is such a necessity to sustain human life. So Scott is providing access to that rare comondity for as many people as he can. Here's what the email said...

"A few hours ago, water came shooting out of the ground from 184 feet deep at the Abenea school in northern Ethiopia. More than 2,000 people looked on and cheered, knowing their kids would soon have clean water to drink.
Please take 2 minutes and watch the drilling video."

It seems like it costs us so little to make a HUGE impact on someone else's life.

Get involved. Make a difference.

Plumpy Nut

I read a blog of a young mother in Iowa. She has 6 children. Her youngest 2, boy and a girl twins, "The Wonder Twins" were born in Sierra Leone and recently joined the Landers Clan here in America. Their story is inspiring.

Recently, she wrote a blog that was truely inspiring to me.

And today I share it with you and today I challenge you the same way she challenged me.

After reading her recent blogpost, I read this and this, two links that she noted in her blogpost.

If you would like more information and would like to help donate, go to her blog, leave a comment and she will surely send you her address so that you can send her a check! Every single penny counts.

And I am inspired. Will you be?

Decide for yourself.

Plumpynut is a remarkably simple concoction: it is basically made of peanut butter, powdered milk, powdered sugar, and enriched with vitamins and minerals. It tastes like a peanut butter paste. It is very sweet, and because of that kids cannot get enough of it.

Sahia Ibrahim has already lost four children to malnutrition. Now her six-month-old twins, Hassana and Husseina, are malnourished and she’s worried they might die too. So she’s been coming to the hospital for Plumpynut. Hassana, at six months old, weighs only seven pounds. While that's what a newborn should weigh, the little girl has put on a pound in just a week thanks to Plumpynut.

That's what happened to Mansour Miko and Maroufee Mazoo. Less than a year old, they had stopped eating and became listless and weak -- so weak that when their mothers brought them to get Plumpynut, the nurse put them in a van and sent them straight to the hospital. Three days later however, they were smacking their lips on Plumpynut, almost ready to go home.

Have you seen kids who were on the brink of death brought back by Plumpynut?" Anderson Cooper asks. "Oh, yeah, for sure. Again and again and again and again," says Dr. Susan Shepherd, a pediatrician from Butte, Mont., runs Doctors Without Borders in Niger.

Current Events :: Ethiopia Marketplace Explosion

Video Parlor Blast in Ethiopia - BBC

There has been a large explosion in the Ethiopian capital's crowded Merkato business district where people gather socially after work.

The BBC's Elizabeth Blunt in Addis Ababa says the blast happened in a video parlour where customers were watching a film.

A local radio station says four people died and 24 people were wounded. The police have not released any figures.

Sporadic attacks in Addis Ababa are usually blamed on Eritrean-back rebels.

Our correspondent says the explosion happened at around 1700 local time (1400 GMT).

Lots of ambulances have rushed to the scene - between the main Friday Mosque and bus station - and the whole area has been cordoned off by police, she says.

Merkato is full of teashops and places where young men and boys play table football.

(HT: BBC)

UPDATE:

4 People Killed in Explosion in Ethiopian Capitol

AP) ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — An explosion in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday killed four people and injured 24 others, a federal police spokesman said. .

The explosion is believed to have occurred in a house inside Addis Ababa's bustling Merkato market at around 4 p.m. (1300GMT), said spokesman Demsash Hailu.

He said police sealed off the area and were investigating, but the cause of the explosion was not yet known.

There have been several unexplained explosions in Addis Ababa over the past year that have killed several people.

(HT: AP)

Awareness Is Key :: Ethiopian War Crimes? American Non-Involvement? I Disagree.

U.S. accused of ignoring Ethiopia war crimes
Satellite images purportedly show destroyed villages near Somalia

Above is a satellite image taken Sept. 26, 2005, of the village of Labigah, Ethiopia. Below is an image taken Feb. 28, 2008, that an analysis by the American Association for the Advancement of Science says shows 40 structures removed or damaged. The analysis says the gray-white areas are possible evidence of burning.

NAIROBI, Kenya - The United States and other Western governments are ignoring clear evidence of war crimes by Ethiopia, a key U.S. ally that launched a military crackdown on rebels last year, a human rights group said Thursday. Separately, a U.S.-based science group said satellite images confirm reports that villages have been destroyed in the country's Ogaden region.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said America's relationship with Ethiopia means an alliance with a country repeatedly accused of violating human and political rights. In recent years, Ethiopia has become a U.S. partner in the fight against al-Qaida, which has been trying to sink roots in the Horn of Africa.

This makes me so sad. Based on this last statement, it looks like to me that the US government cares more about its own war on terrorism than it cares for people (how is that possible, you say? I have no clue.). The Ethiopian people have enough to deal with on their own, more than they can handle alone really. We need to make sure that they are cared for and I don't think that America is doing enough with the abundance of resources that we have avaliable to us.  I don't know what I can do to change this.  I want to make a difference, besides awareness, I don't know what to do.  I am just me.

Their Ruby Red Slippers

The Final Word: For former orphans, there’s no place like home

By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY

Her name is Alemteshay, Amharic for “light of the world.” She’s 3, although her exact birth date isn’t known, because both her parents are dead. Casualties of AIDS.
I met her this month poolside at the Hilton hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Alemteshay is HIV-positive and deaf, and she has survived tuberculosis. But nothing seems to slow her down. She was fearless, jumping into the pool as if she knew how to swim. She does not. If nothing else, she’s a testament to the human spirit.
She was waiting to head home with her American mom. Back in Colorado were her new father and five siblings, two of them Ethiopians who had made a similar journey.
Like them, Alemteshay had been in an orphanage. She made the transition from her spartan surroundings to the Hilton pool, however, with little problem. Her new pink sneakers — the kind that flicker and blink when she danced — also helped to make the trip easier. To her, they were as magical as Dorothy’s ruby slippers.
When I arrived in Addis Ababa to volunteer with an organization that helps orphans, Alemteshay had been at the hotel more than two weeks, delayed by bureaucratic problems with her visa. Not that she didn’t make the best of a bad situation. She became the Ethiopian version of Eloise at The Plaza.
By the time she finally left, she knew everyone from the bellmen to the front-desk clerk to the waitresses at breakfast. A charmer with a killer smile. And she was not alone.
Every night, another wave of Ethiopian children would come through the hotel’s lobby, carried by their new parents. I couldn’t help but wonder what they were thinking. The kids, not the parents. I knew what the parents were thinking. You could see the joy on their faces.
Angelina Jolie had a similar look when she picked up her Ethiopian daughter, Zahara. Madonna has the same glow whenever photographed with her Malawian son, David, whose adoption was finalized Wednesday.
But news that some countries are making adoption by foreigners more difficult — Guatemala and Vietnam are two — made me wonder whether Ethiopia, which has about 5 million orphans, eventually will clamp down, too. Corruption and baby-selling are concerns in all adoption circles.
At first, even I asked myself whether these children should be taken from their native land, but almost every Ethiopian I spoke with was philosophical about the situation, especially considering the alternative. I had to agree.
An 8-year-old Ethiopian girl sat across the aisle from me on the flight home. Her parents also had died from AIDS complications, but like Alemteshay, she carries on with boundless enthusiasm and the help of yet another wide smile. She was heading to a new home in San Francisco with a lesbian couple. Over the 15-hour flight to the USA, she took turns falling asleep against each.
I couldn’t help but wonder what she, too, was thinking, but somehow I suspect she and Alemteshay will be just fine.
They seem to travel with their own ruby slippers.

Happy Birthday Markos!!!!

Our little boy is 4 today! I pray that he has a wonderful day, and knows that he is loved and that we are thinking about him. I pray that he gets 3 meals today and he has fun and laughs alot. I pray that he gets a giant bear hug, bigger than he has ever recieved and he knows without a doubt that he is loved, unconditionally.

You can sponsor a child too...it will change their lives forever, and yours too.

Click here to begin your journey.
Check out these guy's journey.

One More

Ethiopia is about twice the size of Texas.. This country has approximately 4.3 million children orphaned due to poverty, right now, they are waiting. In 2006, 732 Ethiopian orphans were brought to America to families who want to love them and take them into their homes.

Can you find room to love just one more?

Buy Coffee...Feed an Orphan

It's as simple as that...we drink coffee, it tastes good; as a result an orphan is fed for an entire month.

Simple. Beautiful. Profound.

Go here and get some right now!

a letter from Ethiopia

Our little Ethiopian baby girl wrote us a letter. It was absolutely heart wrentching. Here's what she wrote (and take into consideration that the translation from her language to English is a bit sketchy)...

Dale and Lindsay Best,
How're you? I'm alright. with my family Praise God. We celebrated our millenium warmly last September. I'm work hard at school in this millenium I hope my country will pull through poverty this time too. I like dolls like you do Could you send me one? Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God. Goodbye.

A ray of Hope

I randomly came across a little seed of hope.

Ethiopia's President Girma Wolde-Giorgis is a good man. The Ethiopian presidency is largely a symbolic office with little power, but the man holding that symbolic office is a good man. I found not an ounce of corruption nor anything negative about Girma Wolde-Giorgis. Actually the oppisite is conveyed in his wikipedia article.

Girma is a married fater of five. He grew up in Addis Ababa where he attended the Ethiopian Orthodox Church school and later an Itialian schhol in town, after the Itialian invasion of his country. He worked as an air traffic controlmen, undoubtably one of the most stressful jobs! He speaks 6 languages, obviously a very educated man. He has been in the military, the air force, served as director of Trade, Industry, and Planning, was a member of Parliment, and later to become speaker of parliment. He has served as director of Ethiopia's Peace Programme which was set up in 1977 to handle the Eritean problem peacefully. He was a member of the House of Peoples' Representatives of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE).

In addition to his political and career achievements, this man has been awarded for his various humanitarian contributions and initiatives. I like to hear that in anyone, especially in a political African leader. It is encouraging. The UNAIDS' Medal was given to him in October of 2004. That is a beautiful thing. He was President of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society- Eritrea Branch (Asmara) as well as Board President of the Cheshire Home (It is an extended care hospital with 296 beds providing infirmary care for the severely disabled patients who need long-term treatment / care and infirmary patients from the Central Infirmary Waiting List...Cheshire Home encourages patients to actively participate in community, recreational and religious activities run with the assistance of volunteers. Some residents are working in sheltered workshops.) and Managing Director of The Leprosy Control Organization. He served as Board Member of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society and Head of its International Logistics Department. He launched an environmental protection association called Lem Ethiopia in 1991 to date serving as Vice President of the Board of the Association.

meet the newwest members of our family

Here is our oldest baby girl...meet, Hewan Gebreselassie. She lives in Ethiopia with

both parents and 2 siblings. She loves to play with dolls and to jump rope. She is a beautiful child of God who loves to go to church and learn about how Jesus loves her. We've written a few letters back and forth, and I just love to hear about all of the things she is learning in school and in Sunday School. It is such a blessing to be able to bless her with the simple necessities that we sometimes take for granted.

And after investing in her life for almost a year, we decided to grow our family by 2 more little Ethiopian babies...

Meet our two newest members of our family...

Eyasu Markos Churko is 3 years old and also lives with both parents; he has 4 siblings to play with at home. He loves to play soccer. I am stoked about getting to watch him grow and develop into a man of God.

Bilen Tewodros is 6 years old, she will begin school soon, now that she has sponsors who love her. She, like so many babies in that part of the world, odes not live with both parents. She stays with her grandmother, also her mother who works when she can find work. Bilen loves to play hide-and-seek. I can just imagine her playing hide-and-seek with her grandmother and the other kids that live near her. I am excited to bring her into our family too.

Our hearts are open to these babies. We are making them a part of our lives, we are praying for them, keeping their pictures in our wallets, on our fridge, so that we can see them everyday to remember them, to pray for them and to continue to be blessed because they are a part of our lives.

Won't you join us?