Day 6- Worship in Ethiopia

Two sisters wearing their Sunday best.

This morning we all loaded up into the vans and headed to Dr. Frew's church. It is located in Addis near his house. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was immediately blown away by the enthusiasm of these people for God. The worship music was not only fast-paced and passionate, but the people yelled and cheered and clapped like nothing else I've seen. Well, let me take that back, I've seen people that enthusiastic at a rock concert, but never at church.

The Preacher.

The Preacher was just as excited and animated about what he was preaching. Dr. Frew translated the highlights of the sermon by write them on notebook paper and passing them around. (If you are interested in seeing the notes, let me know and I will e-mail them to you.) It was very uplifting and encouraging to see someone so on fire for the Lord in another country, 7000 miles from home.

A lazy Sunday afternoon at Dan Butera's house.

After the service, we went to Dan Butera's house for homemade pizza and fellowship. Dan grew up at Living Word and after a few mission's trips to Ethiopia, met a school teacher named Ruth, and soon after moved to Ethiopia and married her. You can read more about his story and his work at his blog here. I enjoyed talking to Dan throughout this week. I learned a lot about the culture from him and enjoyed hearing about the events that led up to his decision to move to Ethiopia and become a full time missionary with very little financial support.