As war continues in other parts of Ethiopia, who would have dreamed that Hope In View’s supporters would have a major part in bringing peace to a troubled region in western Ethiopia? We’ve told how our colleague brought pastors together from all eight tribes who had been at war with one another. By the end of their time together, they were forgiving, weeping, and hugging one another. Shortly afterwards, two of them traveled deep into the forest to find rebel forces and persuade several hundred of them to lay down their weapons. Over the next three weeks they helped thousands who had fled into the forest to return and rebuild their homes, trusting that their next-door neighbors would not attack them.
Our colleague returned to the area in early June to oversee the distribution of 40,000 kg of grain to one tribe, which had been overlooked in previous distributions of aid. (Our donors provided a matching grant that purchased about 10% of that grain; Ethiopians raised the rest in response to our offer.) While he was there, church leaders pleaded with him to return and teach them how to disciple people. Those who had brought them into Christianity had not taught them much about how to follow Jesus. Government officials also asked him to come back and teach teams of peacemakers from all religions.
That was something with which he had no experience. But upon his return to Addis Ababa, his guest co-leader who had helped teach an earlier peace-making conference, introduced him to an expert with a long track record of peace-building in secular contexts. This expert agreed to come with him. At the end of July, our colleague met with twenty church leaders from this western region. Essentially all of the churches had scattered because of the fighting. “We were in complete darkness and hopelessness,” they told him.
He showed them how Jesus had used a small group to train his disciples to change the world. He then taught them the Discovery Bible Study method. Only 7 or 8 of them were literate, but the rest quickly memorized what they were taught. Within a couple of months they had started over 100 Discovery Bible Studies in their own areas as their churches reassembled, and planned to expand into outlying areas in the coming weeks. “Only Jesus can bring peace!” they told him.
Then in early August, our colleague and peace expert met with 31 people chosen by the government, 6 of them women, representing every county, every ethnic group, and every religion in the region. The expert led them through exercises in which they had to cooperate with one another. “You don’t choose your parents or birthplace or tribe,” he taught them. Our colleague saw how he helped them imagine themselves in one another’s place.
Within two weeks, the trainees had reproduced his training in two counties. Within another two weeks they had done so in all seven counties and the central town in the area. Our colleague will return there soon to monitor progress and encourage these leaders.
In October, your gifts will send our colleague to Rwanda for formal training in the method of peacebuilding that his co-leader had used in their initial conference in May. There is plenty of room for more peacemaking work in this western region, let alone in other parts of Ethiopia. Pray with us that this peacemaking movement can become a model for the rest of Ethiopia, which desperately needs God’s peace.
Would you like to make a difference with Hope In View? Visit hopeinview.org/take-action to see the different ways you can change lives in Ethiopian communities.