Called to the Desert

Four years ago, representatives of a Southern California Presbyterian church sat in the barren dessert of eastern Ethiopia and listened to the pleas of the nomadic people who have lived there for untold generations. “Please come help us,” the leaders of this ancient people group implored. “We are forgotten.” For countless centuries, this isolated people group numbering 1.7 million has roamed Ethiopia’s harsh desert in search of water and feed for their cattle, sheep, goats, and camels. Limited vegetation on the arid land, coupled with poor veterinary service and outdated skills in livestock care, contribute to low productivity among the herds—and poverty among the Afar people. The inhospitable environment in the Afar region has discouraged visitors, deterred government assistance, and virtually cut off the people from outside influences. As a result, little socioeconomic development has occurred in Afar communities. The Afar people live in the poorest state in Ethiopia, a country where 45 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Only 7 percent of the Afar read and less than one-quarter have access to health care. The Afar lack access to clean water and suffer from low crop productivity, human and animal diseases, and environmental degradation. Without intervention, the people will continue to suffer from recurring famine and disease. New connections Meanwhile, an ocean and two continents away, members of San Diego’s Solana Beach Presbyterian were praying for God’s guidance as they searched to “adopt” an unreached people group. They searched the globe for more than a year. In May 1999, that quest took Solana Beach representatives to Ethiopia, where they soon joined visions with Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) to care for the Afar. This Ethiopian church had done relief work among the Afar, and had been praying for partners to establish sustained ministry among these nomads. Soon Solana Beach Presbyterian joined hearts not only with the Ethiopian church, but with the Afar people as well. “It is unmistakably clear that God has prepared the way into the hearts of the Afar people,” said Tom Theriault, who oversees this outreach for Solana Beach. World Vision joined the effort in 2000, creating the Afar development project. Today, serving as instruments of God’s love, Solana Beach and 10 other churches across the United States work together to equip the Afar people not only for the present, but also for generations to come. This new partnership among United States churches, EECMY, World Vision, and the Afar people is teaching the Afar improved agricultural skills, animal husbandry, and food preparation. Veterinary posts and livestock vaccination sites are being established. Safe drinking water and increased child immunizations are being provided to reduce sickness and death. Afar women have been trained as midwives to reduce maternal and child deaths associated with childbirth. A health clinic also has been built. One of the greatest dividends for those living in drought-prone Ethiopia is that World Vision is on site when disaster strikes. Currently in the stranglehold of another drought, many Afar now have access to emergency food and clean water from World Vision. Agricultural training also has prepared some Afar farmers to plant drought-resistant crops that grow even when rain is scarce. To support the work, the United States churches are providing funding and ongoing prayer. This trans-global commitment has given Solana Beach Presbyterian a united vision, involving a spectrum of ages within the congregation. When Solana Beach participates annually in World Vision’s Love Loaf program, donations are earmarked for the Afar. When Solana Beach’s youth join in World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine, the money they raise also helps the Afar. This summer, the church’s annual Vacation Bible School is expected to raise $5,000 to help fund the animal vaccination program. Priceless friendships While the work is rewarding, it has not been without challenges. “God told us at the beginning that it would not be easy,” Tom said. One of the four teams that traveled to Ethiopia to spend time with the Afar was involved in a serious vehicle accident. Other trips have been canceled because world events made traveling unsafe. Cross-cultural communication has been challenging at times. Yet the Church on both sides of the Atlantic are not deterred from the work they know God has set before them. “The friendships we are building have been priceless,” Tom said, “well worth the hassles of communication and coordination.” The U.S. churches supporting the Afar are seeking additional congregations to join them in this effort—and in the blessings. For Solana Beach, the transformation is not only for the Afar, but for their San Diego congregation as well. “I believe we will not experience the fullness of His presence until we go with Him, far beyond our comfortable rut and routines,” Tom said. “When we get out, over our heads, where we can’t touch bottom, then we experience His greatness and power as never before. And our team can attest to this.”