Surrounded and Held ...

As this new year has started and things are beginning to get busy, I'm still in shock as I travel to work, crossing streets and through communities here. There is massive construction underway all over the city. So many memories come to mind of years before here; ways I would walk, places I would have coffee and places where I would meet students. Change is everywhere. For me, it brings a mix of emotions; sadness to see former places gone and so many places looking gutted. I also feel deeply humbled to have had so many memories down so many roads here. I feel so much gratitude to have called Ethiopia my home. Many have left for various reasons over the years. Some have moved, some have passed into eternity. Through years and years and seasons here, how am I still here?  The only thing I can say is that I have no doubt that God has surrounded me and held me.  He never let me go.  It's so undeserved all the things I've gotten to do and the people I've had the privilege to walk through life with here. I'm so grateful!

God says He surrounds us. He hems us in. He goes before us and behind us. Even when we don't see Him or feel Him, He is there. He knows when we sit and when we rise. He knows every hair on our head. He sees the tears we cry when no one else sees. He witnesses every smile and hears every laugh. He sees every frustration and mistake. And He stays. He remains. He surrounds me.  He offers to surround us all. I'm so grateful and amazed!

God also holds us. I have no doubt God held me and is still holding me through my years here. His powerful right hand gave me courage to stand on platforms. He pushed me through traffic and shielded me through sickness, loss, solitude, even war. We are held by God! When storms rage, when friends leave, when disease attacks, when violence and war rips apart everything, when Satan whispers lies, God shields us. He lifts us up, stands us up, He rescues, redeems, pushes back darkness, demolishes strongholds and breaks chains! We don't have to fear what we are looking at.  God is ALWAYS bigger!  

Often we surround ourselves with wrong things, thinking those things will give us security or confidence or rest. We hold onto things and even allow ourselves be held by people or things that are not God and not from Him. Satan will lie to us and tell us that what surrounds us is what we need. He says what surrounds us is bigger than God.  He says what is holding us will overwhelm and overtake us. Satan is a liar!!!!

Who or what is surrounding you? Who or what is holding you? Make sure it is God!  Jesus paid for our place to be in God's hands.  We can stand in and with God because of Jesus! 

May we stay encouraged, confident, peaceful, and joyful as we know God and share Him with the world!  May we follow our Good Shepherd and trust He knows the way and will get us there!

Updates, Praises and Prayers

It's been a busy return to Ethiopia in early January. 

- I was able to celebrate my Dad's birthday on January 23rd from here. We're so thankful for the amazing Jim Garrett, 77 years young and the most humble and amazing Dad for us Garretts! Please high five him for his life and example any time you see him! We love him so much. Noah and Anna helped me celebrate my Dad here, also my EvaSUE teammates toasted him with snickers bars :-)

  

-We had training at EvaSUE with some international partners this month. One week was in our EvaSUE office and it focused us on how to keep our team healthy.  Then we had a Healthy Leader Retreat in the nearby lake town. This encouraged us to rest and we learned how to prevent burn-out. Praise God for the great training our partners gave!

Please pray...

-for EvaSUE- all our regions have regional events and area summits in February-March, ten regions! Please pray for staff traveling, for the plenary sessions and seminars, for the student leaders attending, for the funding needed- that God will anoint these gatherings for His glory and bring everything together according to His plan. This week, the East region has their summit! May students be challenged to "Follow the King"!

-for a Business for Kingdom impact competition EvaSUE is facilitating this month. We are so excited to have this opportunity to bless EvaSUE graduates with the chance to start kingdom businesses.  

-for my work permit and residence ID process- it will start this month and the expiration date is in late March. We pray the whole process will be smooth.  It needs prayer, it's never easy!

-for Ethiopia, there is an election in May that needs prayer. Also some regions are still experiencing unrest. Please pray for peace and for the Body of Christ to unify, pray, and lift up Jesus under very hard economic and political conditions.

If you'd like to join my support team or make a one-time donation for any of the regional events, you can do so through the link below. 

https://www.globaloutreach.org/giving/missionary-details/holly-garrett

If you'd like more information on funding needs in any region, let me know as well.

Thank you so much for your prayers and partnership!

Let's make a huge impact for Jesus in 2025 ... in honor and for the glory of the One who surrounds and holds us on life's journey! He is with us!  

A Light has Dawned ...

A verse that kept coming to my mind as 2024 finished and the new year began was:

The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. (Matthew 4:16)

Darkness is common in Ethiopia. Light goes out often. It seems all of us make a collective sigh when that happens. And when light returns, you hear people clap. Darkness in general often brings unease. It can make you afraid and insecure. There's a deeper haunting darkness that the world has and it's the effects of sin. This has devastating impact.

Yet that's not how our story ends or how God left it to end up.  Jesus came and brought light! He brought life, hope, peace and joy to all of us who lived in the land of the shadow of death. Again that shadow is still here. Wars rage. Sin rages. Darkness advances. Sicknesses attack. BUT light has dawned, a Savior came, the King arrived to forever get rid of the darkness! Thank you Jesus!

One great sermon I listened to over Christmas said when Jesus came, the One who would crush what was crushing you, was born! 

sermon link:  https://youtu.be/MppoSF3sWbI?si=xMaii7lNmvg9tJah

Jesus' life and light can fill us from within giving us perspective, strength, perseverance, hope, joy and peace even when fires rage, the ground shakes, and things seem to be going from bad to worse. He can give us resilience- the ability to not give up!  

We have a Savior who loves us. a King and Good Shepherd who can lead us and stand by us. And the end has already been written! He has already won and so have we! We have eternity with Him - without pain or sickness or death or sorrow. And now, we have His hand in ours and His light to lead us and His light to share with those who are still in darkness. We need to share about Jesus, the King, this Savior, Heaven's Champion, the one has already crushed the darkness!

May we share the light!!!!  

That is my prayer for 2025. 

May people see the light of Jesus in me, in us, and have the chance to respond! 

Praises and Prayer Requests from the End of 2024 and for the New Year 2025

-Praise God for the new staff who were trained and launched by EvaSUE in the last few months of 2024. Please pray God keeps these new staff safe and encouraged and impacting for Him.

-Praise God also for the northern part of Ethiopia and some of our Addis team who visited there to encourage students, may God bring healing to this area. Also pray for our new staff person there, for wisdom and courage and impact!

-Praise God for area leadership summits and Bible study trainings that have happened in different parts of the country and also for deepening connections made with local churches. We praise God for the chance to serve students all over the country and for the Body of Christ being strengthened!

Northwest Area Leadership Summit

-Praise God for the great consultation week we had with our regional coordinators.  We heard reports from the regions and had prayer and planning together with these key leaders.  I'm so thankful for this humble team to serve with! 

-Praise God that I was able to travel home for Christmas and New Years with my family. The few weeks in Ohio went fast. It was such a blessed time with my family!  I also praise God for the safe return to Ethiopia a few days ago.

-Praise God I was able to serve twice in children's ministry at Noel and Mike's local church. What a blessing the children were to be with as they learned about Ethiopia and prayed for me.  I'm so thankful for global family, the young and old and everyone in between, who make us the family of God together. 

-Please pray for the next one week of intensive meetings and training we have with the EvaSUE staff, that this will unify us and ignite us for the year ahead.  

-Please pray for our regions preparing regional leadership summits that begin in early February and will continue into March-April. That God will provide the funding and resources for these summits and God will pour out a blessing and anointing on the student leaders who gather.

-Please pray for a Spring Semester Course I've been asked to teach beginning in February at ETC (the Evangelical Theological College). I'm excited to teach a course here again for church leaders! May God bless the time!

-Please pray for a Business for Kingdom Impact competition that will be happening this quarter in partnership with Christian Life Center in Dayton, my home church. Pray that some new kingdom businesses will be launched here through this initiative. 

-Please keep my work permit and residence ID renewal process in prayer. It's not until March, but we have to begin praying now, it's never an easy thing to pass through.

-Please keep Ethiopia in prayer, for the economy, the government, for peace. It's also an election year (in May).  We need prayer!

-Thank you so much for those who gave extra support that helped me get home for Christmas and for those who helped with my return here! Also, thank you so much for all of you who give and continue to!  I'm honored to partner with you here for Our King!!!

If you'd like to give extra for the events coming up or if you'd like to join my monthly support team (if you're not part of that already), you can do so through this link:  

https://www.globaloutreach.org/giving/missionary-details/holly-garrett

Thank you so much!

May 2025 be the best year yet for God!!!

Many Blessings to You and Your Family in the New Year!

With Gratitude from Ethiopia,

Holly