Pastor Letter from Enatenesh's Project

Hello there, it's been quite awhile since I posted some pastor letters. I was doing a good job posting them as soon as I was assigned a correspondent child, if their project has a pastor letter. Over these last few months, I've fallen a little bit behind. Today, I will start to catch up. Today I will share the letter from the pastor of the church that my girl Enatenesh, in Ethiopia, attends. 

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Dear Sponsor,

Let the grace and peace of God is with you. I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

My name is Dereje Gutama, chairperson for the congregation of the local church called Akaki Basaqa Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus at Akaki. 

In a challenging environment Compassion partnered with our local church to minister to your sponsored . In some of the cases the children were orphans and were living on the streets. I am grateful for your concern for . May God continue to bless you!

The church is located in the outskirt of Addis Ababa, the capital city of the country of Ethiopia. "Mekane Yesus" means "where Jesus dwells." Akaki where our church and its Akaki Beseka MYC Center is located is in an industrial suburban town where more than 75 percent of the dwellers are factory workers. 85 percent of the people are on subsistence living. Religion wise this part of the city was more occupied with paganism belief and witchcraft. Because of that evangelical believers used to be persecuted. Crimes such as sexual abuse and theft are common in this community. The global economic crisis has also affected the food prices and the result is higher food prices. 

(These photos show a community located around the Akaki River)

Through your support our local church could address the health care needs, food shortage, spiritual and educational needs of the children through Sunday school classes. Children get spiritual instruction and are encouraged to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We are seeing the fruits of our labor in this area. Even the guardians have an opportunity to hear the gospel and to become believers and church members. The children have choir club and have become ministers in the church.

Physical illness and sudden eye problems are being treated through the project activities. Children are fully supported in their school. I want to praise God for what He is doing through you to reach the needy children in our communities.

A reading center that is also established for use by the children is also widening their knowledge frontiers. Some women are getting vocational skill training, including hairdressing and food preparation and have started to get involved in income generating micro-businesses.

Sponsored children have good communication with their sponsors through letters. For example I have seen a sponsor's letter written to a child with a heart problem. The sponsor wrote that the family is praying for her three times a day and put her photograph on their wall. That is encouraging and hearing God's prayers has helped the child. When sponsors' letters are received children are encouraged and feel happy. So I encourage such communication to continue.

Finally I want to say thank you to you and others who have concern for humanity to support the needy let the Lord be praised, too.

Please continue to pray for . And pray for the adults of the center and the church and we will also pray for you. Let God bless you.

Sincerely,Dereje Gutema
Chairperson

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