Survivor Ethiopia

First off, please let me express how thankful I am that you all prayed for me and supported me through the intensity of my latest trip to Ethiopia. I know that you got a little bit of information in regards to my trip and the threats of bombs, the riots and some of you even got my panicked text messages begging for prayer. Yes, I was freaking out!

Here is what happened.

This was a spontaneous opportunity to visit my last dream destination with my church on an evangelistic crusade. Everything unfolded in a miraculous way within four weeks and I was told that I could even visit the Compassion Canada kid which we sponsor along the way – bonus!

I’m still a British citizen and my passport had recently expired, yet even though the Embassy stated one week before I was to leave that I should not expect it until October 21st (my trip was October 9th), it somehow showed up the following morning (mixed feelings – keep reading)! My Permanent Residence Card also just expired and although it was to take 88 days, it arrived the day before I left (less than a week from when I was able to send in the forms). Despite this sense that I had that something dangerous was going to happen on this trip, I knew I was meant to go. What I should’ve done was pray, I stressed over it instead and traveled with this hidden fear this was not only going to be my last dream destination... but my LAST trip altogether. I’ve never felt scared to travel and I’ve gone all over the world on many trips. But yes, I was weeping pretty hard at the airport as I said my goodbyes – I was really scared I wouldn’t make it back home and I didn’t know why I felt so scared.

First few days were fine in Addis Ababa and yes, the Ethiopian Director of Compassion drove me to meet my sponsor child and his family home. Then, as the seven of us traveled 2 hours to a little village called Woliso, we got a call stating that the Orthodox (yes, the Christian Orthodox), were promising bloodshed and had threatened to bomb us if we pursued this “Jesus Festival” (the word “crusade” wasn’t used there for reason). We continued to venture on. (I secretly worried at the back of the bus and sent what I thought would be my last text message to Kingsley my fiancé.)

Woliso had tried three other times to host a Christian event like this but got shut down each time because the threats got too intense. Our team wanted to make history and even though we were all ready to die, we felt the stress of missing out on more of life. It was a pretty tight knit team and everyone did very well... ok ok... I cried once pretty hard... I wasn’t scared to die, I was scared to miss out on my upcoming marriage and a future I have long prayed and hoped for. The girl in me kicked in and I knew that if a few of you got a text message about me needing prayer – you would indeed gather a team and pray up a storm! That prayer was crucial and the night you got my first message, I was an emotional wreck when I got into my room that night. The thought of not making it home alive and to be surrounded by this spirit of evil intention was a real sense of sadness.

On the day you probably got the intensity of my text messages, was the morning we our team finally began our first day of the festival. As the worship team kicked off and began to draw a crowd of 50,000 people, the Orthodox priest ordered all the local highschools and the technical school to close down, come to the stadium, find us and stone us. He called over the village speakers stating that we were there to cause bloodshed, had killed a priest and were burning down their churches! The next thing our team knew, was that over 10,000 locals were climbing over the stone walls into the stadium and yelling “Destroy! Destroy!”

It didn’t take long until they began to shake the metal stage attempting to tear it down. They began to throw stones at the worship team and invaded Woliso stadium with whips, stick and stones that were bigger than your fist! (It seemed convient that a huge pile of these white square stones were situated just inside the entry way - the entry that was also on the neighboring wall to the Orthodox church! Yes, they were our very close neighbors!). The local military quickly took action and began to fire rubber bullets into the crowds but the attackers still moved in forward and the military was forced to use real ammunition. Nobody was killed thankfully and only 5 people when to the hospital with serious injuries. One man was shot in the face.

Now on our end, our evangelistic team were still at the compound and had just received word that the worship team had started and we were to make our way over to join them. I stepped out of my hotel room first and could hear machine guns go off in the distance. Some team members thought the noises were fireworks... until they could see our hotel staff screaming and crying because their kids were involved in those school groups. The atmosphere changed immediately as you can well imagine.

Next thing I know our group is all in one room on the floor praying like we never prayed before and hoping for the safe return of our partnering evangelist, worship team and interpreters. Eventually, they arrived and joined us... they were pretty shaken up. The worship team fled to another hideaway and were all safe. Nobody had to tell us twice to lay low for a it. We laid low that whole day until finally we decided to take a stand and go walking in the streets and encourage the Christian locals to also take a stand with us. The only thing I took with me was my camera and phone, if I had adult diapers with me... well I may have sported them too!

Greg Hutchinson called me while we were out on the street walking JUST as some demon possessed woman ran up to me and grabbed a strong handful of my hair and ripped it out! She then proceeded to eat it as she stared back at us. I quickly got back onto the bus to finish my savored phone call as I had barely any signals and could nto make a single phone call out on my phone. My heart was pumping pretty good though - I've heard since then that people involved in witchcraft feel led to consume something of their enemy... well... enough said... I was grossed out. Humour went a long way on this trip however, we all needed it and most definately didn't lack in this area. Our associate pastor kept commenting from that point forward how “tasty” my hair looked! We figured the women had a thing for Pantene. (I should do a mock up commercial or Pantene hair products!) I went home right after and babied my bloody bald spot and nursed a throbbing headache.

Later that night we went to the church compound to encourage and pray for the local Christians who were just waiting for the next move. Next thing we know we had people all over the place manifesting demons and others being healed - it was a lot to take in.

As I walked by one woman, she grabbed my arm and asked me to pray for her grandbaby. As I did, the mother immediatly threw the baby up in the air and began to screech out and convulse all over the ground! I was shocked! Before you know it, I slung away my camera (which I had been hiding behind) and was pinning demon possessed people down and began to cast the evil spirits out of them – amazing to experience yet exhausting!

At dusk we watched as federal military tanks drove through the streets and warned families to keep their children at home because they expected bloodshed at the next day’s crusade.

That night I lay in bed, fully clothed with my contact lens` in and shoes by my bed just in case we were invaded... and whenever I got a signal on my phone, would text an update. I will say that for those of you who texted me your encouragement, it made me cry – I truly felt your support and I will never forget that and believe it or not, I slept pretty solid! (It was the first night I wasn't concerned about all the fleas and cochroaches in my bed!)

The next morning we all got up, had our traditional Macchiato and with the federal military as our escort, made our way through the crowds of people. We couldn`t tell who was with us or against us until you would either notice a small gesture of `thumbs up` or notice a stone in hand.

Amazingly enough, we walked right into the stadium with a crowd of over 30,000 people already waiting and it was amazing to sense God`s peace fill us. I was in awe and all of a sudden filled with the faith that I would make it home alive! Federal military lined the entire stadium; they covered the walls, hung in trees, hid in the tall grass and walked through the crowds. I even had a few take a moment to pose for a photo.

In the end, over 11,000 people were saved and we saw miracle after miracle take place – eyes and ears were opened, people who couldn`t stand up were all of a sudden jumping around on stage, mute people were learning to use their tongues and talk – it was no less than amazing and definitely a growth spurt in my faith!!!

So THANK YOU for your prayers. I don’t say that with any amount of insincerity at all – trust me – we all needed each and every prayer because without it, we would not have been able to have the victory that we did! God was truly with us and for those people in Woliso! Once our team landed into Canada, we were all high-fiving eachother, "Whew! We MADE IT HOME ALIVE!" we laughed!

Oh and one other fun tidbit... that Orthodox priest.... he got put away in jail for concealing a gun while he attended the government meetings where our Christian leaders were fighting for their rights to freedom. He is facing a term of 5 years in prison! When our group found out we all looked at eachother, “Prison ministry anyone?” we joked. Hmmmm... not right now. We’re all pretty happy to be home safe and with our loved ones. The emotions all surfaced in me the first morning I woke up in my own bed and felt safe. Man is it good to be home!

So it's amazing at how, as hard as the Orthodox (who really should have joined our efforts), tried to stop what God was doing in Ethiopia, God had bigger plans. Not only did the village of Woliso experience God's goodness, the world got to hear about it as the news broadcast internationally. When our team were leaving the Addis Ababa Airport, fellow passengers recognized us from TV and congratulated us! God is good!

It is indeed a trip I will never forget. Will I do it again? Sure! BUT… AFTER I GET MARRIED!!! Let’s not get silly now!