I'm trying so hard to figure out what this means - "I am broken by the hundreds of children I see and filled with hope of the difference that could be made by those children coming to know Jesus - the only true hope that Ethiopia has."
It was written by a father whose daughter was a roommate of my little Blueberry. She was a little bubble of light and clearly the little love-bug to the nannies in Blueberrys' room. Her smile was huge and her giggle was always at the ready. Now she is back in her country of origin, with her mother and father and siblings. Her family has relocated to Addis to work with the Vineyard Church (is it a church? a movement?). I'm confused.
I get what it means to be a Christian. I am a Christian. But I don't understand this statement. I want to know what that means. It seems so.....full of white man's burden.....so secure in a kind of knowing that already exists in a place where Christian Orthodox pracite and Muslim practice is deep and long and honored.
Still, I am envious of the journey to Ethiopia. Perhaps the little love bugs journey will broaden her world of family, as her own first family could now be known to her. But I still wish I knew what he meant.
I should ask him. I just think I need to ask him.
ETA: so I went to their blog and I asked him what he means by this...I hope he answers.
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I hope you will post the answer, because I for one am skeptical that Jesus is going to snap his fingers and solve global poverty any time soon.
And how does this man know by looking at these hundreds of children that they don't already know Jesus in one way or another?
I'll be really curious to know what it means if you find out.
"those children coming to know Jesus - the only true hope that Ethiopia has."
My first thought was that it meant they had given up hope on Ethiopia for the living and that knowing Jesus and getting to the heavenly afterlife was the only route.
Man, I hope I'm wrong.
I've heard parents bring home older children from Ethiopia who are more devout than they are.
Do let us know - I trust your perspective on this.
Well you know I'm just dying to know who this family is. It's not a family from our travel group, is it? I think I remember that Blueberry was the only one in our group from his room, right?
Kate, this is the post that gets you out of lurkdom? Oh, that's so so funny!!!!
Here is their blog - http://www.theshannonfamily.com/
Nope,they weren't in our travel group - they were "roomies" in that their daughter was in Blueberry's room.
I should add, it's not that I'm critical, I'm confused and really wanting to know what he means? I trust he is a good man, I trust he is a in Ethiopia to do good and serve the people, I trust that he'll be able to speak what he means. But, I remain .... just confused by my interpretation of his words as an imposition. Wow,hard to express. But I really want to learn/know/explore this thought.
I lost their blog. Yes, little H is amazingly beautiful! Can you send me a link to their blog sometime? Take care - and maybe we'll see each other in ET someday:)
T
I have a real problem with statements like that because it implies that his interpretation of Christianity is superior and that the long standing traditions of faith in Ethiopia are meaningless. If devotion to God solved all of man's problems Ethiopia would be in better shape than most nations. I spent a month in that beautiful country and love it very much.
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