ON OUR WATCH ...

With much of the rest of the world, my eyes this past week have been on the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Though work has felt busy here, each night I have found myself going home to look at the news or have checked it on my phone.  To see the loss of life and devastation has been overwhelming and heart-breaking.  And I've been in deep prayer for the people there and those affected- so many experiencing grief, loss, fear, and so much.

It's also had me thinking about the role of the "Church" at this time.  This is happening "on our watch." 

What we supposed to be doing as the people of God at this time in history, when so many globally are under "occupation," when evil and sin and darkness have gotten into minds and hearts and families and communities? Tunnels have been built in our lives, under us possibly, without awareness. And there is terror from the outside and the inside.  What are we called to do and be as the "Church?" Where are we?

For me, God has been reminding me of some of the key roles we have as His people.

One responsibility we all have and can't forget is we are to be:

MESSENGERS of the GOSPEL (the Good News)

We are to be sharing about the Good News of Jesus Christ. We are to be showing people and introducing people to the Savior.  There is Good News still in increasing darkness. Heaven's champion came to give us victory over sin and death and to give us peace with God and eternal life with Him! This is good news for all! 

Are we sharing this, speaking this, living this? Across cultures? In pain and loss, in sorrow and persecution, is this still the identity we wear and the work we are most doing?  Or have we gotten distracted? 

Go into all the world and preach the good news... Mark 16:15

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord...

Romans 6:23

Preach the Good News, be ready at all times...  2 Timothy 4:2

You shall be my witnesses ... Acts 1:8

We are ambassadors of Christ ... 2 Corinthians 5:20

We are also told to...

KEEP WATCH / GUARD

We are to be like "watchman" on the walls. We are to give warning to people of danger and to help people know what to do, where to go, what dangers are there.  We have the ability to hear from God and make His ways known! 

Are we even aware of the danger around us? Things trying to make us live under "occupation?" Are we aware of sin, Satan, evil...trying to get into our minds, hearts, families, churches, nations? Are we giving warning? Are we guarding what God has entrusted to us? Do we even see danger approaching? Or have we gotten off the walls? Have we become distracted by things don't matter? Are we fighting against the wrong things? 

I have made you, Son of Man, as a watchman of Israel, you shall give them warning from me ...    Ezekiel 33:7

On your walls, oh Jerusalem, I have set watchmen...all the day and all the night, they shall not be silent...

Isaiah 62:6

I will take my stand at my post and station myself on the tower and will look to see what He will say  ...

Habakkuk 2:1

Instead of speaking what God tells us to and giving news to people of what God says, are we, as the people of God, doing this responsibility? Are we visible so people can hear and see us? Are we listening to Him? Are we saying the wrong things? Are we silent? Do we have our headphones on? Oblivious to danger? Unaware of what God wants us to say to the people around us? Have we abandoned our posts?  Are the walls unguarded?

God tells us we will have to give an account.  

We may be watching, but could feel indifference. We may feel sadness, but think it's not my responsibility to do anything. What can I do? We may say ... "it's not my issue."

The reality is though- 2 million people under persecution with the possibility of losing their lives and standing before God without knowledge of Jesus Christ, IS OUR ISSUE.  People matter to God.  His heart is for people.  The least, the lost. The refugee. Those hurting and injured are in God's heart.  What we can do? How can we respond?   

In crisis, people can react in rage. They can react in defense. They can become blinded by grief. They can be misled.  We, as the Church, can guide, can shepherd.

They need to know where to go and who to listen to. 

On the wall, as watchmen, I believe we are to speak and give guidance.

We are also called to:

GIVE LIGHT

The church has the light and truth of Jesus Christ.  We know the way to God. We know how to have peace, joy, hope that's not dependent on circumstances!  Jesus can light up the dark and release those in bondage!

The Church is NOT to take its light and go into a closed bunker.  We are NOT to stay inside and enjoy the light when darkness is all around and advancing.  We are to go OUT and push back darkness and share the light!

those living in the darkness have seen a great light... Matthew 4:16

I am the light of the world, whoever followers me will not walk in darkness ... John 8:12

You are the light of the world. Let your light shine... Matthew 5: 14-16

The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church ... Matthew 16:18

Are we doing that as the Church? Can people see light?

This past week, our power was OFF, more than it was ON in my area.  Many of my neighbors sat in darkness waiting for electricity to be turned back on. Darkness is scary. It makes you feel insecure. It makes things unclear. It can make you depressed. You can miss danger around you.  

Are people around you without light? Are you sharing yours?  

We also sit with "darkness" around us and even attacking us as people of God. We even live under a kind of "occupation" ... as we continue on earth until home with God. Sin is here, death is here, Satan has some rule... Yet, those in the Church... have Jesus. We know the end. We have been given hope, light, peace, joy.  People can also have this and need Jesus now! This truth and light and life needs shared! 

We are to be rescuing the perishing. Binding up the wounds of people.  Jesus didn't isolate Himself from the sinner, the lame, the demon-possessed, the terrorist. He didn't stay in easy areas or build walls around His life and ministry. He went right into the darkness and touched the brokenness and led people out. He allowed Himself to be broken for the brokenness of us all. He showed us what we are to do and how we are to be in the world. Are we following His example?

it's not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick ... Mark 2:17

I have come to seek and save the lost ... Luke 19:10

We, as the church, also need to:

PRAY 

We need to pray without ceasing. To keep connected to God and His Spirit. To pray for our families, our neighbors, our churches, our nations. We are in a spiritual war! God's Spirit is with us. We need Him to give us protection. Wisdom. Courage. We are on the winning side. And we know how it ends.  But we are told to pray! And to keep praying! We have to pray for each other. Even pray for our enemies. For they too ... need light.

Pray without ceasing ... 1Thessalonians 5:7

Pray for each other... James 5:16

What will be said of us when we stand before God one day? What happened "on our watch?"

May we ...

BE MESSENGERS OF THE GOOD NEWS

WATCH AND GUARD

GIVE LIGHT

PRAY

Thank for your prayers for us here. As we've been meeting the past month or so in strategic planning, there seems to be MUCH spiritual warfare going on.   May God keep us and help us to lead well the thousands of students trying to follow Jesus and serve Him well and lift Him up on college and university campuses around the country. 

Please pray for all the work.

I'm also still trying to raise ministry funds to help with the work here. The cost of living here has skyrocketed.  If you'd like to give a one time donation or join my monthly support team, you can through this link:

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

Thank you for your continued prayers and support! They mean so much!

Despite all the hard things going on in the world, we still have things to be thankful for. 

Next week is a big birthday week for our family in the US. 

Please help me wish my Mom a very happy birthday next Friday October 27. I'm so thankful my beautiful Mom and the care and love she gives to us all.    I'm also so thankful for Noel, my sister, her life is such a blessing to us all. Her long obedience to God and all she has done for Him and still does for Him has had huge impact.  Please wish her a happy birthday to her as well next weekend!

Thank you for being on the journey with me!  Let me know how I can pray for you as well!

We are in it together!

Blessings from here!

A NEED FOR RESILIENCE ... Thoughts for the Ethiopian New Year

A New Year begins today in Ethiopia. 

Family and friends will gather to celebrate.  What will the new year bring?

I love that I get a chance to pause and reflect on another year here. A year ending and a new one beginning can give you space for reflection. It's also a time when you can set new goals and plans to do better and be better with life.  Where am I at? Where have I been? Where am I going? Is all aligned with God?

I'm so thankful God saw us through the past year here. It was a time of turmoil and trial, transition and change, loss and gain, sorrow and joy.

I'm still amazed and humbled that God continues to use my life here.  There's no place I'd rather be than where I feel called to be by God, and Ethiopia for me continues to be where that place is.  I'm so grateful!

The past months were busy with work here. I praise God for very successful final summer (rainy season) events with EvaSUE.  The teams I get to work with have inspired me and I'm humbled by their commitment to advance the Kingdom of God by serving students.

My Teammates on EvaSUE's Student Ministry Team...Rekik, Mesi, Fre, Elias, and Fasil

My Teammates on EvaSUE's Staff Care Team... Tsion, Elshu, and Ebenezer

Our EvaSUE Staff

Our National Leadership Summit was a big success at the end of August and early September. I was amazed at the 900 plus students who traveled from all over the country to be together for a week of equipping for the coming school year. Together, we heard challenging teaching on how to be "Faithful Servants of the Kingdom" at this time in history.  Through the book of Jeremiah, we were challenged to stay CONSECRATED to God, to RETURN to Him in humility, and to continue to WAIT for Him as we hope in Him and share Him.  May we be found faithful!

The final day of prayer was deeply impactful as we reflected on all we had learned.

The EvaSUE work teams I led were fantastic!

The Creative Art Team made amazing displays that helped communicate the main themes.  

The Sport Team led mass sport in the mornings to try to give the idea to the student leaders that their interest in sport could be used as a platform for reaching people for Jesus.  At 6:30am, in rain and sun, students came!  

Yohana and I continued to try to collect "stories" and testimonies throughout the week.  There are so many stories to tell from all regions of God's faithfulness through adversity.  

Praise God for all!

 

The EvaSUE Staff Retreat that followed was 2 1/2 days of rest and reflection for the 105 EvaSUE staff members. We enjoyed time at the lakes, worship, and also had devotions, games, a field day, and times of sharing.  We also enjoyed together an early New Year celebration.  I'm so thankful for this team-family and I'm so excited for the work God has for us ahead in the Ethiopian New Year!

In thinking about the new year ahead this past week, the word God keeps bringing to my heart and mind is the word "resilience." 

A guest who came for our National Leadership Summit mentioned this as an already admirable characteristic of our students.  He said despite all they have been through and even the dangers they faced to travel here, they are still standing, seeking God. They are resilient!

I've been thinking about that word for myself and for our students and for us as followers of Jesus and for the Church overall. 

Would people say I'm resilient? That the church is resilient?  What does that even mean?

I like the many definitions and descriptions given for RESILIENCE:

-the capacity to withstand

-the ability to recover quickly from difficulties

-the process and outcome of successfully adapting to challenging life circumstances

-the ability to absorb shock; return to form; maintain strength; not give up

Nelson Mandela had a quote that also reflected this word...

I think most of us would say we've been knocked down by something this past year- season.

Politicians have disappointed.  Global disasters have struck. Churches have fractured.

 

Sickness, loss, betrayal, war, fighting, fatigue ... so many things have hit us and can continue to hit us and cause us to stumble.  Satan is lurking around wanting to keep us down.   If we've been knocked down, have we gotten back up? Or are we still dazed by the hit?  Being held down by the loss, the sorrow, the shame?

Thankfully, it seems the ability to get back up is actually in our DNA as people of God. For we see this in Jesus Himself and in the many people of God throughout Scripture.  They endured, overcame, and didn't give up, and finished what God called them to do and be, despite the hits they took. 

Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again... Proverbs 24:16

Can the same be said of us today as we continue on as people of God? Will this also be our legacy and story?

And there are calls to us throughout the Bible to keep standing, to press on, and to endure, so it must be possible...

The one who stands firm to the end will be saved ... Matthew 24:13

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed ... 2 Corinthians 4:8

Stand firm, let nothing move you ... 1 Corinthians 15:58

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial ... James 1:12

So how can we get resilience?  Learn resilience? How can we absorb shock; return to form; maintain and even gain strength; not lose hope?

God keeps bringing me back to a few key things.

For resilience to come, one big needed thing is FOCUS.

In life, God wants us to focus on Him.  He has all we need! He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is our guide, our leader.  If we focus on Him, He will help us.  He will give us perspective and hope to keep running...

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, keeping our eyes on Jesus... Hebrews 12:1-3

I keep my eyes on the Lord, with Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken ... Psalm 16:8

When we get hit by something, we often lose our focus. We look at what hit us. The storm, the sickness, the debt. We stare at that thing until it stresses us out and overwhelms us.  

Yet God reminds us again and again that He is bigger and we need to keep our eyes on Him.

Do not fear, for I am with you. I will strengthen you and help you... Isaiah 41:10

I will keep in perfect peace, he whose mind is stayed on Me ... Isaiah 26:3-4

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.... They will be like a tree planted by the water... It does not fear when heat comes and its leaves are always green, it will have no fear in drought and will always bear fruit ... Jeremiah 17:7-8

Sometimes when we get hit, we focus on the actual wound.  The hurt. We stay victims and stay stuck. We become bitter and lose hope.  God wants us to bring the hurt, the wound, to Him, Lay it there and leave it with Him. He can heal it!

I can mend broken hearts and bind up all wounds ... Psalm 147:3

I will give you a new heart so you can know me ... Ezekiel 36: 26-27

I am making all things new ... Revelations 21:5

Cast all your burdens on the Lord and He will sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved ... Psalm 55:22

You might say...well, I'm not righteous, so this doesn't apply to me.  So I will be moved.  

Well, just remember... none of us are righteous. All sin separates us from God. If you are in Jesus Christ, you stand in His righteousness, not yours. These verses and promises do apply to you! Don't let Satan steal what Jesus died to give you!

For our sake, God made Him to be sin who had no sin, that we might have the righteousness of God ... 

2 Corinthians 5:21

God has been challenging me on this FOCUS idea.... ALL of me needs fixed on Him. My mind, my heart, my body- strength, all of it. All needs fixed on Him, stayed on Him.  It's about consecration.  As people of God, which is what we just studied in Jeremiah through EvaSUE, all of our lives need set apart for God. Our thoughts. Our hearts. What we do and where we go... that's actual and virtual, needs to be for God.  Where is your focus?  Where is mine? Where are you looking? Resilience comes from fixing our gaze .... all of our lives.. on God.  As we look at Him and be with Him ... He then is able to supernaturally fill us with the courage and resilience to keep running ahead. As we move, He restores us, renews us, heals us.  He fills us with His strength and hope, all we need to make it!

One thing needed for resilience is focus.

To keep that focus we need awareness.

God has been reminding me about the need for awareness as I and we run forward. Satan is there. Sin is there. Situations around us are there. God can help us "run a good race" and "fight a good fight." Our punches can be aimed the right way.  Our spiritual warfare can be fought well. Sometimes we fight with wrong weapons. We aim at wrong targets. And we fight what might not even be the issue or real problem.  

Sometimes too, we can disconnect from what's around us.  We don't want to see the pain - in ourselves or in others. So we disconnect. We walk unaware. We choose to be blind. We build walls. We don't deal with the fear or pain or loss. We may spend time on our computers or our phones. We may hide in our work or even in church activity. These are coping mechanisms. We allow ourselves to stay isolated, staying hit and hidden. This is dangerous! God says to get up. To be resilient. To keep going! To be with Him and to be with people. In community, we are stronger. With Him and with others, He helps us deal with with what needs dealt with and as we continue to run on... He heals us and even helps to invite others to run too ...

I don't fight aimlessly ... 1 Corinthians 9: 26-27

Don't give up the meeting together, do it all the more as you see the day approaching... Hebrews 10:25

Confess your sins one to another so you may be healed... James 5:16

Proclaim His name ... make known among the nations what He has done .... Psalm 105:1

I need to stay aware.  We need to stay aware as the people of God.  

Be alert, your enemy, Satan is roaming around looking for someone to devour; be firm in your faith and resist him ...  1 Peter 5:8-9

Be on your guard, stand firm in your faith; be courageous; be strong ... 1 Corinthians 16:13

Be careful how you live, making the most of every opportunity ... Ephesians 5:15-16

Please pray for this new year here in Ethiopia.  The church and people here definitely have been hit again and again. 

But we have the ability to get back up and be resilient and run on.  We have a Savior to share. His joy, His peace and hope to have confidence in!  He is our Strength, our Song, our Deliverer! Our Leader!  

If you're down, let God help you get back up. Fix your eyes on Him. As you do, His strength will fill you. Resilience will come.

Happy New Year Ethiopia- 2016! May God help us run on with courage!

Praises and Prayers

Please pray for today and this week as many rest, reflect and enjoy time with family-friends. May God be remembered and celebrated as we reflect and are thankful for a new year...

Anna... her first Ethiopian New Year

Please keep my family in the USA in prayer. They are greatly loved. Dad, Mom, and new little Lucy; Mike and Noel.

Lucy... She is loved and is too cute

I'm still trying to raise money for the whole year, also for funds to reimburse my account from the summer events. If you feel led to give, you can through my Global Outreach account:

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

It's back to work next week for EvaSUE. Please pray for us as we make the annual plan and run forward.  May God lead us and give us resilience!

Thank you so much for being with me on life's journey!  I'm blessed by each of you!

Blessed Fall Season to You All!

Through All Of It ...

It is shocking to me that it is already late August.

Through all the busyness of the summer season, through all of it ... God has been there!  

I've been listening to this song the past week or so:  "Through All of It" by Colton Dixon...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91KliTa1ksY

I'm so thankful that through the best and worst of times, on the mountaintops and in the valleys, in the extraordinary and ordinary, God remains with us. We are able to walk with Him and know Him.  

The "summer season" here in Ethiopia was very busy. And it's not done yet. We are about ready to shift into the new school year, but have one major event to go.  

But, I wanted to share some highlights from the past months here. God again has been with us "through all of it."

At EvaSUE, we've had three big national events so far and one big mission team launched and returned to Addis.  God has helped us!

Our first event came in June. Our National Staff Meeting was held in Bishoftu. Our over 100 EvaSUE staff gathered for one week of debriefing and training, fellowship and prayer.  

Most of the year, our staff team is spread out in the regions.  So it was great to see everyone and to reflect on the past school year.  Our reports from all regions in just a few months alone had over 1000 responses to the good news of Jesus and almost 20,000 people who had heard the gospel around the country. What God has been able to do through this staff and through the students they represent is amazing and I think God is preparing us together to do even more!  May God give us courage, unity, wisdom, and impact.  

We also introduced the main book of the Bible we will be studying this coming year, the book of Jeremiah. And we talked about the major points we will make at our national and regional events.  Our overall theme is: Faithful Servants of the Kingdom.  We will study the book of Jeremiah and how he called the people of God to faithfulness.  Are we being faithful to God? Or unfaithful? What does that look like at this time in history?  Our main teaching points are and will be that God calls us to 

1. stay consecrated 

2. to return to God (repent) 

3. to wait /hope in Him.  (And this waiting is an active waiting. While we wait for Him, we work for Him. We lift Him up and the hope that He gives.)

This theme and major points have been prayed over for months and we feel is what God wants us to say to students now.  May God give us all courage to represent Him well and to stay faithful to Him! 

Our next event was the National Manuscript Bible Study in June.  Students gathered for one week and learned how to study the Bible together.  If we look at the history of the church, the church flourished when the Bible was understood and taught.  Without people having God's Word in their own language and without knowledge on how to study it on their own, growth doesn't happen like it needs to. 

I'm grateful for the huge emphasis EvaSUE puts on studying God's Word. 

Our next event was the National Mission Summit in July. Over 500 student mission mobilizer leaders gathered for our one week of training.  This week was so impactful as we talked talked about the book of Jeremiah and our call to faithfulness and what that means for us to reach people for Jesus Christ.  We heard mission statistics and students took different seminars.  I had several teams I was part of for the week and several responsibilities.  Our art and creative team, the sport team, the testimony (story) collection team all did outstanding work!  I enjoyed giving a three day seminar on Culture and Mission.  It was exhausting but fantastic week.  I believe God will water these seeds in the year ahead!

Mass Sport

Creative Art Displays

some of my amazing creative team

We also had a mission trip team with EvaSUE travel for three weeks into the southern part of Ethiopia after our National Mission Summit. They had an amazing trip.  We thank God for their safety and all they were able to do!

We have one more major event happening in one week and it's our biggest national event for EvaSUE - our National Leadership Summit, Aug 28-Sept 2.  Please pray for us as we host between 800-1000 student leaders for a week of training and equipping.  May God move through the week and light us up for the new school year ahead!

Here in Ethiopia, the season will shift in the coming weeks. It will move from rain to sun. Most schools will start back in late September and early October, some of the international schools have already kicked off a new school year. A new year for Ethiopia, 2016, will start in mid September.  

Through all of it, may we hold onto God and trust Him and represent Him well! He goes with us!

Thank you so much for your partnership and prayers for the work here! God has done so much!

Though times globally have not been easy and here in Ethiopia there continues to be instability and high inflation, through all of it, God remains God and He goes with us!

May we trust Him, stay faithful to Him and serve Him well! 

"This is the covenant I will make with them, I will put my law within them, I will write it on their hearts; they will be my people I will be their God." - Jeremiah 31:33

May God bless you as the summer ends and a new school year and fall season begins!

If you'd like to give to work here, you can so through this link:

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

Thank you again and blessings from here!

Through all of it, all of life, God stays with us! May we stay with Him and honor Him in all!