Tebarek! Ethiopia

Great way to minister in Ethiopia

2008-05-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

With more than 60 percent of Ethiopia's population under age 25, SIM's Sports Friends may be one of the most powerful and effective tools available to spread the gospel. Read more about it here

what to do and not to do, language, and last minute reminders

2008-01-31T08:27:00.000-08:00

1. Do not agree to any tour guide service ( a scam)
2. Do not give out things (candy, money) in public. You may start a riot ☺. I did.
3. Avoid eating while walking down the street or in a taxi (considered rude)
4. Do not talk about sex. Ethiopia is very morally strict and it is very offensive
5. Do not take a picture of person without permission. Many people are muslim and believe that by taking their picture you are stealing their soul. Others may want money afterwards so you may want to come prepared.

1. Do shake people’s hands and hug them at least twice on different sides
2. Do bring a bag of unroasted coffee to someone’s house. A good gift of friendship and hospitality
3. Do speak simple English and explain any slang you may use
4. Do accept what people offer you (especially food or coffee)
5. Do attempt to speak Amharic the national language of Ethiopia. A good way to build relationship

Here are some simple Amharic phrases. You can practice with people on the plane ☺
"How are you?"= Dehna nesh(F) Dehna neh (M) Dehna nachew (P)
"What is your name?"= Simesh manew (F) Simeh manew (M)
"Where is the bathroom?"= Shint bet yet no?
"What time is it?"= Sint seat no?
"God bless you!"= Igzabiher ibarkesh (F) Igzabiher ibarkeh (M) Igzabiher ibarkacho (P)

Other things to remember:
Time is different in Ethiopia. It is based on 12 hours from dawn to dusk and 12 more from dusk to dawn. 6 in the morning is 12 for an Ethiopian. 7 is 1 and so on. Just make sure if you make an appointment or ask a person what time it is you distinguish between western time and Ethiopian time.

Also remember not to drink or ingest any water. This means no brushing teeth with faucet water. I use bottled water which we will purchase upon arrival.

Photos

2008-01-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

Please ask people on the street whether you can take their photos.

This is good for two reasons:

1. They may want money for it afterwards and you can get into a bit of a situation if you have none.

2. They may be muslim. Some of them believe that a picture takes their soul

The one finger come here

2008-01-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

Do not use one finger to call somebody near. It is a sign of disrespect. Be very careful as you may offend and invite their anger.

No one is going cuckoo!

2008-01-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

While you are at church if you hear a loud shrill that sounds like "le-le-le-le-le-le-le-le" do not be alarmed. It is a cultural expression of joy, blessing, and victory. No one is getting into some weird freaky cultic stuff.

One thing to note is that most churches are culturally pentecostal. They may have lutheran, presbyterian, or baptist ties but here every church has a pentecostal feel to it. So alot of our ethiopian vineyard brothers and sisters will be a bit more exuberant and expressive in praising God.

Ethiopia Time Pt 2

2008-01-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

We have a saying here in the States that something is Vineyard time. Where I grew up we had black people time. There is a such thing as Ethiopia time. The concept is that things do not always begin precisely as scheduled but depend on when the people get there. This being said on our trip things will not always start or end exactly like clockwork. Sometimes they start an hour later than planned. This calls for us to be patient when things don't happen as promptly as we (us Westerners) think they should and also to plan for this accordingly.

Ethiopia Time Pt 1

2008-01-22T11:37:00.001-08:00

Ok one thing that is important to remember is that Ethiopia has a different time and calendar. The calendar is based on the old Alexandrian and Coptic calendar and has 13 months. Here is more info on that Ethiopian calendar

Now for more practical purposes let's talk about time. Ethiopian time starts from dawn to dusk instead of midnight and noon. So our 6 in the morning is 12. 7 is 1. 8 is 2 and so on and so forth all the way up until 6 in the evening which would be 12 in the evening. Then it starts again with 1 until dawn the next day (6 our time) which is 12.

All that to say be careful when you ask what time something is or agree to an appointment. It may be in the morning or evening depending on whether the person is using american time or ethiopian time. The best thing to do is clarify whether something is 6 american time or 6 ethiopian time.

A verse from scripture

2008-01-18T18:04:00.000-08:00

As I've been thinking about and praying for our upcoming trip, a single verse from Proverbs has stood out to my attention. Proverbs 13:23 - "A poor man's field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away." This feels like a theme in Ethiopia's story. Always the possibility of the blessing of God's abundance, with injustice sweeping it away. May the justice of God's Kingdom come, bringing with it the Lord's provision.

Questions from Jim Pool

2008-01-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've got three questions (make it 4), I've been thinking about. The first three are cultural, the fourth practical:

1. For those Americans who've been to Ethiopia, what were the top three taboos that you ran into the hard way? I mean, things that we take for granted, or things that Ethiopians take for granted, that we should know about.

2. What is a common way to bless people in Ethiopian culture? Like if you visit someone's home. Is gift-giving a big thing?

3. What is the propriety around humor and telling stories? In America, it seems to me that people are usually not very forthcoming about money, but seem to talk pretty openly about sex and/or sexuality. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but that's my perspective. I guess, in trying to be funny, I would hate to be offensive.

4. Practical: with the money we've been encouraged to bring, what is the best format? Cash? Check? Credit? Will we have access to ATM's? That kind of thing.

Ramon's Thoughts On Packing, Communication and Malaria Meds

2008-01-17T07:14:00.000-08:00

1. As far as packing goes I would suggest jeans and khakis for pants as well as t shirts/polos. For church situations I would do a button up shirt. Normal shoes or tennis shoes are just fine. Also bring some shorts for running or working out if you want to do that. For ladies I suggest jeans, khakis. For church situations I suggest skirts. Nothing tight or revealing - we do want to be sensitve to the culture. Also be sure to pack a 220v converter for electronics. Radio Shack has them.

2. We will have two ways to communicate through email and that is at the guesthouse computer which costs a small amount (10 cents I believe) and also at the Imperial Hotel which less than 5 minutes away on foot. There is no wireless connection there so I would only bring my laptop if I had some major work to be done.

3. The best malaria medicine to go with is malarone. It has the least side effects. This is the one me and Yvette have been taking on the last 4 trips here.

things i learned in ethiopia part 1

2008-01-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

1. If I see a kid on the street and I want to give him candy then i better make sure I have enough for his friends and family. I actually gave some candy to a kid and he told all of the neighborhood and when the smoke cleared the kids were fighting each other and the mom popped the kid in the mouth! Ouch.

2. Two hugs mean you are good friends. Three means you are really good friends. More than 3 you are the best of friends or blood relatives that haven't seen each other in a long time. Meaning: Don't be afraid to touch to show that you like someone

3. While we are on touching one thing I learned as well is that men hold hands. It is perfectly ok and says nothing about their sexual orientation.

To be continued....

Great Culture Video

2008-01-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

Check out this YouTube video to learn more about Ethiopian culture.

Welcome!

2008-01-10T03:58:00.000-08:00

This blog begins as a forum for learning. A group of Vineyard churches from around the US are exploring a partnership to serve in mission to the people of Ethiopia. Like our Lord, we want to come in humility, to learn and serve, so that, hopefully, by God's grace (and some hard work), God's kingdom may come.

So ... if you've got questions, let's ask them, and we'll try to connect to people who've got answers.