My name is Muga Bezabeh. With the help of God, I serve in the Omo Valley area.
We are now in the Turmi Bible School compound. I founded this Bible school, and serve as a mission mobilizer. I also lead a mission movement in the Omo Valley area. Currently, I am the Country Director of the organization called Better Life for Pastoralists, and I pastor a local church.
Today I would like to talk about the importance of partnership and transformation.
God put a vision in our hearts to do a mission ten years ago when this Bible school was founded, but we didn’t have a strategy on how to do it. But then God connected us through people from SIM who introduced us to Horn of Africa Mission and City Team. They came and taught us about mission strategy. After that training, we started planning to evangelize the Omo Valley area.
We deployed 16 missionaries into unreached people groups and saw a lot of fruit as a result of this training. Horn of Africa Mission has coached and supported these missionaries since then. And as the work expanded, we have trained about 200 volunteer church planters, and mission organizations like Horn of Africa Mission have faithfully supported them.
As the work grew in each area, it was divided into different clusters, so we hired coordinators to lead and coach each cluster. At that time, we started partnering with New Covenant Mission, who began supporting our coordinators. We started with four coordinators and it has now grown to seven, there are also twenty others whom we are supporting to start a business so that they can serve God through their business.
In the meantime, our biggest job was providing training for church planters. At that time, we brought more than fifty people from rural churches to train. Their churches cannot cover their transportation and lodging fees because they come from small, rural areas. Yet it was also a challenge for us to provide funding for these church planters, until God gave us another partner mission organization, called UP Global Network.
After that, we started thinking about how we could create self-sustaining strategies. One of the strategies was beginning a micro-loan program to help missionaries start their own businesses.
We also have another program called the Peaceful Generations School. We brought fifty orphan kids from the sixteen tribes of South Omo and we are raising them in the Key Afer center.
The primary owner of the work is God, and then we highly value the partnership we have with UP Global, Journey Bible Church, Horn of Africa Mission, New Covenant Mission, and other local churches. When we work together we are very productive. This partnership is very healthy and good.
Later, New Covenant Mission, Horn of Africa Mission, and Up Global Network, and now Better Life for Pastoralists came up with the idea to create an alliance. This alliance helps us avoid any duplication of our work. I believe partnerships are important for the work of the Church in the Kingdom of God.
With all the partnerships, ministries, and activities we do, we believe the one thing that needs to happen is a transformation. The Gospel has the power to change, and when it changes, it changes holistically. When individuals are changed with the Gospel, it leads to social transformation.
For example, we have a missionary named Wondu who is living among the Arbore people group. In the past, we supported him with 2000 birr per month, an equivalent to 50 US dollars. But he wanted to be a part of our microloan program. He borrowed an amount of money from us. He started bringing cereal crops like corn from other areas to sell here. He also has a mill that helps the locals to buy and grind the grains in the same place. He also started a small poultry, goat, and sheep fattening and reselling business. Now he has hired others in his business, and monthly he is making 6000 birr, equivalent to 150 US dollars for the Peaceful Generation Kids Project. His business is also helping him to relate with the local people. This is a great success story.
Just as we supported Wondu, we used to support two missionaries in the Weyto area. We gave them 1000 birr per month, which is around 25 US dollars. They also decided to be a part of the microloan program. They started an onion farm. From their first year’s profit, they supported our projects. They each gave 12,000 birr, which is around 300 US dollars. They are also supporting their local church to do mission work. After seeing this fruit, many others are now asking to join the microloan program. We have a strong screening mechanism and are lending to those who can be role models who will bring change in the community. All those who are engaging in this program are becoming examples to the others and we are seeing a transformation coming among the people.
We also have a big vision to send missionaries outside of the country. God willing, we are planning to hold a launching event the beginning of next July. The churches in this area have begun to think they could be sending churches. We are envisioning sending workers to Somali, Gumuze, and Silte people groups in the next three years. This is also a great change.
Finally, I would like to thank Horn of Africa Mission, Up Global Network, Better Life for Pastoralists, Journey Bible Church, EVASUE, New Covenant Mission, and other individuals who are involved in the work that God has been doing in this area. Thank you!