October 07 Update

Dear Supporters,

Tigist (patience in English) has been in the project since the beginning. She was a commercial sex worker to make ends meet and got HIV. Since then she has become a believer and has led many other beneficiaries to spiritual and emotional comfort as well as taken many to church.

I visited her in Black Lion Hospital in April because she had surgery for a mass on her uterus. She had a large smile and was upbeat even though she has no family that she’s knows of. Her support group was fundamental in caring for her. I’m sorry to say that the surgery didn’t help much, and she was told she had cancer (sarcoma). I visited her in her house (the equivalent of a corner of a room). She was very emaciated, vomiting all her food, and has a lot of discharge. For these reasons she is very depressed and scared of dying. She went to be with the Lord last night, and I went to her funeral today.

September 28th was the national Meskel celebration. Meskel means cross in Amharic, so the Orthodox church believes that the actual cross of Jesus was found on that day. Here is a website to explain it a bit. www.addisblog.typepad.com.

The team from Boston has just arrived and will be here for two weeks. The spiritual impact of teams is usually very deep. They will be helping with our support groups, doing many home visits, and running a few medical clinics.

It is a relief to say that rainy season is over. The sun is out everyday, and the temperatures are much warmer. It does wonders psychologically.

It’s amazing that a year has gone by so fast. I will leave Ethiopia on November 7th, stay in England for ten days, and then arrive back in Memphis on the 18th.

Thanks for keeping in touch. I love to hear from you.

Prayer Requests

1. Pray for the staff and me as I transition out of Ethiopia and make a speaking schedule with churches.

2. For safe flights in November.

3. Prayer for a real peace about what to do in the spring.


Jim Plunk
Missionary to Ethiopia