A letter from Stephen and Brenda Stelle in Ethiopia
January 2014
Dear Friends in Christ:
As always we want to thank you for your interest in God’s mission to Ethiopia, and your partnership with us as Presbyterian mission co-workers as we work with the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus.
There are times when we travel the streets of Addis Ababa in our neighborhood, and it’s easy for us to believe we are simply walking through a large U.S. city. But then a herd of goats crosses the street or the stench of garbage hits our noses, or a beggar asks for a handout or a steer nearly runs us over on the sidewalk and we realize that we really are living in Africa.
Already much has happened in our first two weeks since arriving in the country.
We are slowly adjusting to a different lifestyle here and have settled into our apartment, which is very close to our language school. A week ago we began the study of the Oromo language, the language spoken in Dembi Dollo. Because we are the only two students in our course (the other forty students are learning Amharic—the national language, which is spoken here in Addis), we are moving at a rapid pace learning about 50 to 75 new words each day. We are blessed to have devotions during each day of language school and so often God used those messages to uplift and encourage us as we face our new challenges from living in Africa.
This past weekend was very exciting. On Saturday evening we watched the Ethiopian Orthodox church celebrate “Timkett” or the Baptism of Jesus. The police closed the main street in our neighborhood as about 10,000 Orthodox Christians gathered to watch their priests lead a representation of the Ark of the Covenant through our community and then down to the river. There was singing, dancing and flag waving; many people camped out all night by the river.
On Sunday morning hundreds of people were baptized in the river. Also on Sunday Steve preached at the International Lutheran Church.
But most important, on Sunday afternoon we met and ate lunch with our partners from Dembi Dollo. Kes Chali and Amanuel traveled to Addis to meet with us and welcome us to their country. They shared how excited they are to have us come to serve in Dembi Dollo this fall. Amanuel is the principal at the Bethel Evangelical Secondary School (BESS), where Brenda will teach English. Kes Chali is the president of the Synod and oversees BESS, the Gidada Bible School (where Steve will train pastors) and the 340 churches in his synod. They spoke about their upcoming celebration of the 95th anniversary of the first Presbyterian missionary arriving in Dembi Dollo. Numerous American supporters of BESS along with some former teachers will be special guests during the month of February. This is the start of a five-year commemoration of Presbyterian mission work in Dembi Dollo. They also expressed the importance of Brenda teaching English at BESS as this continues their historical connection and partnership with Presbyterian World Mission. Plus having an American teacher elevates the level of English learned by the students at BESS and gives them better preparation for their university studies. We had a pleasant time meeting our new “bosses,” who were very warm and gracious toward both of us. They invited us to visit Dembi Dollo at Easter, during our break from language school. We look forward to seeing the community and schools where we will serve for the next three years.
We invite you to join us in God’s mission in Dembi Dollo through your prayers for us as we learn the Oromo language over the next five months. We welcome your correspondence through emails and letters so we can share more about God’s mission here in Ethiopia. And we ask for your financial support, which allows us to serve your church and teach here in Africa. Thank you again for your partnership with us as we serve the Lord in Ethiopia.
In Christ’s service,
Steve & Brenda Stelle
Box 1111, Addis Ababa
brendastelle813@yahoo.com (or use the link below)
stevestelle826@gmail.com (or use the link below)
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 133
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