Pilgrimage of Plunk

Funny youtube video

2009-02-16T09:50:00.003-07:00

From the author of "Young Restless Reformed"

2009-02-04T14:09:00.003-07:00

Here is another Interesting essay based on the previous post. Sorry I haven't been blogging much.

Young, Restless, Reformed

2008-08-15T15:57:00.003-06:00

Follow the link for an article written 2 years ago that I somehow missed. It speaks of the resurgence of reformed theology and it's practical ramifications culturally as well as introduces people to a lot of names and resources. Very interesting.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/september/42.32.html

Hello

2008-06-21T10:58:00.002-06:00

Sorry it's been so long. A few things have happened this spring. I got engaged in Jaunary, didn't go back to school, and married in May. Wow. I will try to post more often, put up pictures, and edit my current book list on the right. For now, post comments if you like.

Plunk November 07 Update (last one)

2007-11-28T14:27:00.001-07:00

Dear Supporters,

It is weird that a year is near its end and that I am home. It is good to be back and see people, but I also miss those in Ethiopia.

I have learned a lot about others and myself through working in such a different environment. It is difficult to know how to steward this experience, and I trust it will take a life time. I feel the next step for me in my journey is seminary. So, I will be going back to school in January. I have appreciated this experience, and am excited to finish my education and see what God has for me long term.

The Lord has enabled me through your support to spiritually counsel many, lead many men through the book of Mark, and hopefully plant spiritual seeds. With spiritual ministry, it is difficult to measure impact. Trust has to be given that even though some seeds were seen to grow, others will soon come to fruition eventually. This has been a big struggle for me while ministering in a medical project, but I trust the Lord to call those he predestined.

My co-worker, Alemu, reminded us of that at my last staff meeting. He said the fruits of my labor won't be seen now, but we have faith in the power of the word that some of these people will be in heaven.

Thank you so much for all your encouragement and support throughout the last year. Please feel free to email or call me to catch up.

Prayer Request
1. For transition both culturally and practically with moving to St. Louis.
2. Details like a job for next spring and health insurance while taking classes.
3. Thanksgiving for eventless travel home.
4. For the continued efforts of the project, and for spiritual seeds to come to fruition.

October 07 Update

2007-11-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

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

TIA

2007-09-07T01:12:00.000-06:00

TIA, originally a quote from the movie "Blood Diamond", and recently incorporated into missionary jargon here in Addis. It means "This Is Africa", and is usually used in frustrating situations where things don't seem to work or when things are just crazy different than what you're used to.

For example, a month ago I was walking to lunch and saw a dead rooster in a drain, 20 inch elephantitis on a begger, and many people begging who had no eyes. None of these things are unusual here, but they all happened within ten minutes. It's also fun when you try to have a broken english conversation with someone to ask one question and it takes a half hour. Not to mention the massive pollution which makes blowing your nose an hourly requirement. There's always people on the streets. It's freezing in June-September. There's mud and standing water everywhere.

These are the things that make living in Addis "a little better than camping."

It's interesting to take the TIA concept to a different African country, Egypt. Egypt has a 20% tourism boost in GDP that Ethiopia doesn't have, and it shows. I only saw about 4 beggers the entire ten day trip. You usually see triple that if you take a 5 minute walk anywhere in Addis. We took a public bus from Luxor to Hurgada. The bus looked just like those in the states, and we had asphalt road the entire way through the desert. In Addis, there is not asphalt anywhere without pot holes if you're even lucky enough to have paved roads, and public transportation is never a safe option. I'll admit, the Egyptian bus broke down in the desert, but TIA!

All of the taxis in Cairo looked much nicer than all the ones in Addis, all the stores sold nicer things, and all the buildings looked newer. Even in Cairo, which has 5 times the population of Addis, the pollution was not nearly as bad. The Egyptions even "down country" did not stare and point at white people and yell forenj (foreigner in amharic). I think that's because they are used to seeing many foreigners due to the tourism. They can even tell Americans from Chinese!

Also, you can go to university in Egypt and major in tourism! You learn how to handle foreigners and even learn a few foreign languages. This seems silly, but gives lots of good paying jobs to the middle class and even opens doors for jobs abroad with the language skills. It was a bit weird to be walking in a museum and see one Egyptian speaking Spanish to one group, and then another speaking Chinese to another group.

All of this is to say that living in Africa is interesting, and gets even more interesting after traveling to other African countries to compare and contrast. I still love my friends and co-workers here in Addis as well as the food. However, I see more now what need there is in Ethiopia and how different it is even from other countries close to here. Ciao from Addis.

Patriarch and U.S. Ambassador Discuss Modern Versus Traditional Methods in Treating HIV/AIDS

2007-09-07T00:43:00.001-06:00

This is taken from the US Embassy website in Addis.

Patriarch and U.S. Ambassador Discuss Modern Versus Traditional Methods in Treating HIV/AIDS

May 23, 2007
No. 30/07

His Holiness Abune Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC), and U.S. Ambassador Don Yamamoto spoke to gathered worshippers and members of the media at Entoto Mariam Church in the heights of Addis Ababa today, about the compatibility of Holy Water and Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Members of the media at the event met with representatives of an association of Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) receiving the dual treatment at Entoto Mariam and at St. Petros Hospital, and discussed with them their views on receiving both treatment methods simultaneously.
Since 2004, the United States government has been working through a variety of local and international organizations to fight HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease – a five-year, $15 billion, multifaceted approach to combating HIV/AIDS around the world through programs to prevent HIV infection, and provide comprehensive care and treatment to those affected and infected by the HIV/AIDS virus.
Several PEPFAR partner organizations have been instrumental in furthering the acceptance of ART combined with Holy Water Treatment in and around Addis Ababa. These are the Johns Hopkins University-Tsehai Project, International Orthodox Christian Charities, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, and the Addis Ababa HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO). These organizations have worked to educate Orthodox clergy on the compatibility of ART with traditional cures such as the application of Holy Water to treat HIV/AIDS. In addition, many individuals, including a number of Holy Water recipients, clergy and the Association of People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) at Entoto have been instrumental in promoting complementary usage of Holy water and ART.
The leadership of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, including the Patriarch, the Holy Synod and the Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission (DICAC), have given their full and unwavering support to the concurrent use of ART and Holy Water. Many educational materials on the subject have been produced and distributed through the church. With this important endorsement, PEPFAR’s faith-based initiative can support a comprehensive approach to HIV care and treatment, including the provision of free ART services to the community at Entoto summit. JHU-Tsehai has opened a chronic care clinic two kilometers from the Holy Water site, and has begun providing anti-retroviral care and treatment services to a growing population of Holy Water recipients, enabling HIV positive individuals who come there to get well enough to return home and continue treatment at one of over 100 PEPFAR-supported ART clinics throughout the country. ?

Plunk August 07 Update

2007-08-14T03:27:00.000-06:00

Dear Supporters,

Kids in the office.

Last week I taught through Mark 7: 1-23 where Jesus talks about what is clean and unclean. This is a profound passage in my context where people struggle not only with the spiritual laws imposed upon them by the Orthodox Church, but also the reality of having a stigmatizing disease. I encouraged them that they do not have to follow the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament and that they should not let anyone look down on them for not doing certain things like fasting on particular days. For it is not things that go in to you that make you unclean, but what comes out from you shows where your heart is. I could tell this was creating cognitive dissonance between human tradition here and gospel. Afterwards, a staff member told me that a special 15 days of fasting had just begun for the Orthodox Church. This Monday, I also had the pleasure of teaching through chapter 19 in the Westminster Confession, which clarifies how we should view the Old Testament law after Christ. I was amazed at the Lord’s sovereignty in this. How much tradition lies in American Christianity that should be expunged?

There are a lot of exciting things going on in the project. I am now trying to do spiritual/emotional counseling in Bole, Lideta, and Kolfe . I have also started doing more office work in Bole with Danny and am teaching a few men’s support groups in Bole through my Mark study. Most have only heard the Gospel through teams that come here, so they are very open and interested. Through the weekly bible studies and support groups, they are now getting more exposure to the spiritual aspect of life. One man in particular, Bizuayou, is very interested in hearing how the Protestant church is different from the Orthodox. He’s seen the help we give to people in the project, and also that we do not have fasting days etc.

I am very excited about the boys program in Lideta. Derek and I have started prevention teaching. I will discuss why there is disease, moral law, and sex in the proper context of marriage while Derek will explain what HIV is from the medical side. So far, they have had good questions and have been interested. They have already asked about using holy water as well as ARVs, which is a difficult subject.

Our project has recently been given the task by the government of providing Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) counseling in all the health centers in the city of Addis Ababa. This is an enormous responsibility, but is a great gift from God as we expand a positive influence to those who are hurting. Many new people will need to be hired for this. The funding for this has been acquired, and we are waiting on it.

The rain is still coming down with temperatures in the 40s-50s. This feels quite odd knowing that it is summer at home. However, some friends and I are about to go on a ten day trip to Egypt and hope the weather changes when we get back.

Prayer Requests

1. For my Egypt trip. It will be a ten day trip starting next week, and will be great to get out of Addis for a while.

2. Pray for Derek as he will soon attempt to upgrade the lab possibly at the Bole Health Center and try to do a research project on Tuberculosis. Many details are not known yet for either, and pray for all the right equipment to be acquired here and from the states.
3. For the boys program and for the boys as they start school again in early September as well as for my support groups as I am finishing out the book of Mark in Bole and Lideta in the next 2 months.
4. For all the logistics and hiring of staff to put in all the health centers and for our funding to come in for this.
5. Pray for plans to hold a luncheon for the orphans of our Lideta project on New Year’s day here (Sept 11th). It’s cultural to have lunch with your families during this time, so we hope to provide something similar for them.
6. Pray for Gizaw as he works with three Ethiopian churches to begin the process of sending 75 of our beneficiaries to be cared for by them.
7. Pray for other people and churches in America to partner with the project by coming and/or funding as we expand into the third project site and start working with Ethiopian churches.

Plunk July 07 Update

2007-07-20T11:03:00.000-06:00

Dear Supporters,

All of the children and orphans came last Saturday to receive school fees, uniforms sizes, and a de-worming pill.

I can still hear the cries of mourning. Hagernish died a few weeks ago after suffering through the end stages of AIDS. She had many medical complications as well as hearing loss. I went to her likso (visitation) and was forced to realize that her brother, who was sitting next to me, no longer had his sister.
The day I returned to Addis in June, I was also told that Asnagich and Girma Mamo had died. Asnagich was also in a lot of pain from her ARV’s and had been struggling all year. Girma Mamo’s death has been one of the first to deeply affect me. This is mostly due to the fact that I continually visited him in the TB hospital and had the opportunity to show Christ’s love through grooming him. It’s odd to think that he is no longer here. I went to Asnagich’s likso and visited Girma’s wife. Sometimes there are tears, but sometimes there are only blank stares, as death is all too common here.
The kids here are out of school for a few months, and my boss Teddy wants me to initiate an English program for children and orphans that will start soon. So, I have been going to their homes to invite them to come. This has also been very hard to handle as I see orphans living together with no adult, or teenagers forced into early adulthood and take care of their younger siblings. Of course none of their homes are bigger than my bathroom in the states.
Based on these first two stories, you can tell that things are hard here. It’s also rainy season, which means winter here. It rains almost everyday and will not stop until late September. But, despite all this, I am encouraged because we have started our third project site in Kolfe Kuranyo. The need there is very extreme, as it is all over Addis, a city of four million. We are currently looking for office space and are slowly recruiting beneficiaries. Most have desperate housing situations and many go without food.
The graduate program is also moving along. Once we send them to the churches, our project in Lideta will be able to take on 75 more of the sickest people in our area. I have been working on a document to send to the three churches who will receive our beneficiaries concerning our responsibilities as well as theirs in this transition.
I am actually no longer teaching the graduates now. I have taken a few men’s support groups in our Bole project as well as am starting to do more spiritual/emotional counseling there. I have also started teaching the Westminster Confession to the staff on Mondays. It’s nice to do before seminary. Derek and I have planned the boys program through November, which is nice to have done. Thanks for keeping up!

Prayer Requests
1. Many friends have left, which makes things harder to deal with.
2. Pray for an office and for beneficiaries in Kolfe Kuranyo.
3. Prayer for my different work transitions.
4. For perseverance through rainy season, which lasts until mid-September.

Back in Addis

2007-06-28T00:47:00.000-06:00

After 26 hours of traveling, I am back in Ethiopia. In a lot of ways it is great to be back. I have seen many friends again and used my Amharic again with my co-workers. There are a few cultural restaurants I want to go back to as well as eat Ethiopian food again.

On the airplane over, a steward spilled part of a dinner on my sweater. So, he gave me a first class Lufthansa shirt. It was a joy to give that shirt to Alemu, one of our nurses. He was so appreciative.

Yesterday was a difficult day in some respects. Upon arrival, I was told that there had been two deaths in the project on Saturday. One was Asnogich, whom I had visited and witnessed to many times. Alemu, Sara, Derek, and I went to her visitation yesterday morning to comfort her sister and mother. They said they remembered us and were thankful for caring for Asnogich. They mentioned that no one really cares about them, but that we showed love. Their family is heavily orthodox, so I do not know her spiritual condition. Her mom did say that her last words on Saturday were, “I’m going to my father.”

The other death really affected me. Girma Mamo died Saturday in the hospital where I had visited him many times. He’s the one whom Derek, Alemu, and I had groomed in the last few months trying to show Christ’s love tangibly. It seemed like he was doing better so it is a shock that he passed away. It is weird to think that my razor cut his hair and now he is dead. We visited his wife and family, and they were very thankful for what Derek and I did for Girma physically in the hospital.

My last visit yesterday was with Hagernish. She has been slowly dying for about two months now, and it seems that the end is near. She has lost a lot of hearing and cannot walk. She wants to visit holy water out of the city and we somewhat want to put her in the hospital so she can have a more comfortable death. We comforted her brother who was there.

So, being back has been good as well as tough. I am kind of struggling culturally with the people again. Anytime I walk out of the compound here in Lideta, which is also where I live, I feel like a celebrity. Everyone stares and yells. There are also many beggers or people trying to sell things. It is overwhelming. It is almost comical how bad some of the roads have gotten since I left. Workers have simply dug up huge parts of roads for now apparent reason. So, traffic backs up as people have to avoid ruining their cars on the crags of asphalt.

Our water was turned off for a while yesterday. So, there were no showers, coffee, or toilet use in the house. We are somewhat use to that happening though. I had brought over a great new water filter for our sink, but the company forgot to put the faucet attachment in the box. I only found that out yesterday. That is frustrating, but I hope to have it shipped here in a few weeks.

It is rainy season here in Addis. Instead of having summer and winter, we have wet and dry. So, it mostly stays wet even though it is not always raining. This changes the temperature. During the day it can be in the 60’s and night in the 40’s. This is quite a bit different from Memphis a few days ago. Memphis is in the 90’s with the humidity making it about 105 usually. We are also 8500 feet above sea level here, so that might explain why I was a bit tired after home visits yesterday.

Each of these cultural differences on their own do not mean much. But, when added together, they make for a frustrating experience. Perseverance is needed.

Having said all this, it is nice to be back with my co-workers as we labor to care for people physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Even though the work can be tough, like yesterday, it is fulfilling and helps with the cultural issues. I am excited about taking a trip to Egypt in September at the end of rainy season with some friends. That should be a fun vacation. I will also soon be planning my November/December travel itinerary for coming back home. I hope to visit a friend in Istanbul and another in London. We will see what I can handle by then. Well, write me. I would love to hear from you!

Cheers from Addis,

Jim

Plunk June 07 Update

2007-06-22T18:29:00.000-06:00

Dear Supporters,

Video of Addis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3pz_rIl66M

Video of Project. This can also be viewed on the MTW website.
www.ethiopia.15four.com

June has been a crazy month. My sister’s wedding went well, and I am still trying to get used to her being married! But I am very happy for her. I also attended many meetings at General Assembly and got to see many friends.

Unfortunately, I did not make it to Chattanooga, but did go to St. Louis to visit Covenant Seminary. This was a very productive visit as my parents got to see the campus and a lot of questions were answered.

I have decided to accept my seminary scholarship for next spring and start graduate school in January of 2008 in the Masters of Divinity program. This means I will be returning from the field this December. It really seems like my time in Ethiopia has been life changing and invaluable ministry experience to prepare me for future work as well as prepare me for my studies. Finishing my education is important to me, and I feel God has shown me the time in which to come back and do that. I am very thankful for being able to work on the mission field as well as get ministry experience. I look forward to five more months of service.

MTW and I will be in touch with you in the upcoming months about my support. As for now, I still need your financial and prayer support. Thanks for allowing me to have this opportunity to grow and learn.

Prayer Requests

1. Thanksgiving for time with family and the ability to attend my sister’s wedding.
2. Thanksgiving for such a great visit to St. Louis and for all the details to work out for attendance.
3. Pray for readjustment back into Ethiopian culture as it is rainy season and many of my friends are leaving soon. I fly back to Africa on Sunday the 24th.

Acceptance!

2007-05-21T02:58:00.000-06:00

I would like to notify you to say that I have been accepted into the M.Div program at Covenant Seminary for attendance in the Spring of 2008! I'm not sure when I will actually attend, but it's good to have the acceptance process done. Now I just have to wait to hear about scholarships. Pray for that process.

Here is the website for the seminary.

www.covenantseminary.edu

Plunk May 07 Update

2007-05-10T23:48:00.000-06:00

Dear Supporters,

The update is below the pictures.

Shaving and cleaning Girma Mamo. I cut his hair and beard, Alemu washed his head to kill and prevent lice and trimmed his nails, and Derek washed his feet and hands. He has TB and is being treated for 2 months in the hospital.

We gave him a hat because it can get cold in the hospital with all the windows opened due to the TB. I will always remember this experience. Girma affected me more than I helped him.

Doing hospital visits has been good. Tigist had surgery in Black Lion and I was able to see her before and after. She has no family, but was encouraged through my visits as well as her support group coming to see her. This is a great picture of the purpose of support groups. Elsa’s group washed her and brought her to the office for the first time in months. It was a beautiful picture of community.

Boys group is going well. Derek and I have starting teaching English. The last few weeks we have built a doghouse for the two dogs that live at our project. They need some shelter before rainy season.

I have had some great conversations with my men's support groups. While studying Mark 2 about Jesus healing physically and spiritually, some asked me how to get spiritual healing now. The opportunities to share the Gospel have been plentiful.

June plans for trip to America
5th- Arrive in Memphis.
9th- Sister’s Wedding (the reason for coming home)
10th- Speak at Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church
11th-14th- General Assembly in Memphis
14th-17th- Trip to Chattanooga?
17th- Speak at New City Fellowship?
18th-20th- Trip to St. Louis to Covenant Seminary
24th- Fly back to Ethiopia

Please feel free to get in touch with me by phone or email while I am at home. I would love to tell you more about what I do or answer any questions for you. Thank you for your support and prayers.

My American cell phone number is 901-409-0141.

Prayer Requests
1. Abrahat died a few weeks ago. Pray for her husband. Tsahay Girma and Yirgadu both lost their sons this month. Both were under four years of age.
2. Thanksgiving for the opportunity to show physical mercy to Girma Mamo.
3. Towabitch (son arrested in sudan, and daughter released from prison in the middle east). Hobtom mekonnin became a believer through her son’s conversion. Both are being discipled in a local evangelical church.
4. Please pray that our staff will be sustained during a time of busyness and struggle as we care for our beneficiaries.
5. Pray for us as we try to work with churches to provide a place of worship for our beneficiaries and for the 75 who will be transferred soon.
6. My seminary interview went well. I am now awaiting acceptance and a scholarship package.
7. Pray that my time at home would be resting and fruitful and that I could endure reverse culture shock.

Plunk April 07 Update

2007-04-13T01:41:00.000-06:00

Dear Supporters,

Counseling at clinic. I had to reduce the file size, so it is a bit blurry.

Holy Water

This article gives a small picture of the interesting beliefs of the Orthodox Church. I am still trying to read and research about their doctrines and hope to do a case presentation to the staff in July on the topic.

Danut's Testimony

This is the testimony of Danut, a woman in our project. It will blow you away.

Two weeks ago, Teddy gave me an incredible opportunity to preach to three groups of 25 of our beneficiaries each week for the next 3 months. Sometime mid-summer we will be moving these beneficiaries to churches in Lideta. We are doing this because they are relatively healthy, to let the church take on some mercy ministry thus fulfilling part of its purpose, and so we can take on 75 more beneficiaries in Lideta who are desperately sick.

The first time I preached to one of the groups of 25 about trusting God’s plan in light of an unknown future some of them started crying. They told me that this project has literally saved their lives by providing rent money and medications. Many have also come to Christ in the last few years. This is an enormous change in their lives. I will take them through Scriptures concerning faith, trust, suffering, and other topics in the oncoming weeks to encourage them.

Abrahat is in bad condition. I visited her in December and then did not see her until a few weeks ago. Alemu told me she had been admitted to Black Lion hospital and had been there for two months. Now when I visit her see looks almost worse than before physically, but sadly she is emotionally and spiritually wounded from her stay in the hospital. She feels so one cares for her and constantly tells me she wants to die even though we visit her regularly along with members of her support group. Black Lion is the only government referral hospital for all of Ethiopia. It is one of the only hospitals to which our beneficiaries have access because they are very poor.

In light of Abrahat’s situation, I have told Tishoma, one of our staff members who does drug adherence counseling in Black Lion hospital, to inform me when our beneficiaries are admitted so I can visit them. I hope to do weekly rounds to let them know we care and that God has not abandoned them.

Medical clinics with the Menlo Park team have gone well. This was the first clinic in our Bole project. We also had a few clinic days at two churches to help them with outreach to their local communities. I did pastoral counseling after the beneficiaries had seen doctors in the clinic. This involved me asking them about their life and encouraging them emotionally and spiritually based on their situation. I handed out many Amharic bibles and explicitly explained the gospel to many. For details of the clinic, see my blog.

Menlo Clinic Pictures>

Pictures of clinic and home visits.

I went to the famous Fistula hospital last month and want to direct you to my blog for more details about it. I will be home June 5th-24th and will give you more details in my May update.

Cultural Observations
-It is cultural to hire women to wash clothes/dishes and do housework. It provides income for them and helps us. So, we hired a woman in the project, Zayada, who happens to be Muslim. She bleached all my underwear, but I forgave her.
-If someone is 20-30 years older than you or is 50 years old, they are called shimagolie (old person). Unlike our culture, this is considered a gift from God and is very respected. Older people have their own verb endings, so it is always interesting to figure out which ending to use when meeting a new person. I have yet to master this skill.
-During holidays, all stores and restaurants put blades of grass on the ground. Especially during Christmas and Easter, lots of goats, sheep, and chickens are in town for sale to slaughter.

Prayer Requests
1. A miracle has happened with Elsa. She was referred to the Psychiatric hospital and the medications have really turned her around. She feels and looks much better. She was even smiling and laughing when we visited her last week. This week her support group went to house and walked her to the office for a meeting. Praise God!
2. Praise for the work of the Menlo Park team.
3. Prayer for spiritual strength as I care for so many in the midst of deep need. I try to listen to at least 4 podcast sermons a week. Pray also as I visit beneficiaries in various hospitals in town to encourage them.
4. Continued prayer for seminary application process. Everything is in, and an interview will be soon.
5. Prayer for planning boys program with English teaching and support group talks/income generating activities.
6. Pray for Abrahat spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
7. Pray as I preach to the 75 beneficiaries each week and for them as they make a huge life transition.
8. Pray for Girma, one of my Ethiopian co-workers who is Orthodox. He translated for me this week at one clinic during counseling and was shaken emotionally by one woman’s story. He asked me a lot of theological questions afterwards and wanted a Bible. He is now reading a new Amharic bible I gave him for the first time. You can read more about this experience at clinic on my blog.

A Snapshot of Clinics

2007-04-12T02:15:00.000-06:00

4/4
One had been saved a few days before as the team did home visits. His name is Abata. He now lives in Addis, but his family lives down country. I asked why and he said he came here to see his brother. Then he said he got his blood tested and found he was hiv+. He was ashamed and did not want to go back and tell his family. I told him he needed to go back, but then he said his wife had remarried. This really shocked me because he obviously had lived here in Addis for a long time with so much fear and guilt and now has lost his family. I gave him advice, prayed for him, and gave him a Bible encouraging him to actually read it.

Demisay had a four-year-old girl and both were positive. He is a guard and doesn't make much money. He was very open about wanting to know how to enter the kingdom of God. So, as I did with everyone who let me that day, I walked through John 11 and explained the gospel through Jesus being the resurrection and the life. I prayed for him and gave him a bible as well.

Aynalem had a painful cough that the doctors examined. She has five kids and her husband died four years ago. She said we came at the right time in her life because she literally has nothing and needs help with money etc.

4/9
Birtukan sat down with me a told me of her leg pain. She has a cane to help her walk. Her hip has bothered her for at least six years. During that time, she has walked awkwardly which has caused nerve damage and back problems according to one of our doctors. I asked about her family and she said her mother was dead and her father had been in prison for political reasons for fifteen years. She has one child, but had to give her first child away because she could not provide. At this point she started crying. She said she feels like her life is going bad.

We were low on translators, so our staff member, Girma, was translating. He had not done spiritual counseling before and was greatly shaken when Birtukan mentioned giving away one of her kids. His lips began to tremble and hands shake as we both tried to comfort and encourage Birtukan. I shared from John 11: 25-26 and prayed with Birtukan. She was very appreciative of our listening and encouraging words.

Afterwards, Girma asked me about what I had shared and I realized he had never read the Bible for himself. He is Orthodox, and most congregants only listen to what the priest says. They are not encouraged to read for themselves. I gave him an Amharic Bible and Eyob, another Ethiopian staff member, explained to Girma where the different books were in the Bible. Girma had heard of some of them through listening to the priests, but did not know some or where they were. It was incredible to see his spiritual eyes slowly opening.

Over the next few days, we had other clinics and different sites. In our Bole project, a lot of spiritual progress was made with many of our new beneficiaries. Some came to Christ and many others at least heard the gospel as they were cared for physically and emotionally. A lot of them did not want to be prayed for or to talk about spiritual issues, but at least the opportunity was there. The foundation was laid for further work in the near future with support groups forming and a weekly bible study starting soon.

The Fistula Hospital, A Taste of Heaven

2007-04-05T01:34:00.000-06:00

Fistula Hospital

I had the privilege of visiting the famous Fistula Hospital here in Addis Ababa in early March. Most the women with fistulas are from rural Ethiopia. I won’t go into great detail, but giving birth with inadequate or no health care service or at too young an age causes a fistula. It is very common in countries like Ethiopia. There are 1500 midwives for 77 million people and all of them are in Addis. Many of the women at the hospital are very young. They were married of in their teenage years and their bodies were not developed enough to give birth. They then leak urine and are rejected by their husband and family. 93% have psych problems because of this.

The hospital, however, is a picture of heaven. The women come despised, rejected, and dirty. They have surgery to repair the physical damage done, and have other women around who have similar problems emotionally. Others receive physical therapy because they have been in so much pain that they remain in the fetal position for months. After receiving medical and emotionally attention, leave as a new person with confidence and with a new dress given by the staff. The tour I had was very informative and touched me.

Misc

2007-03-20T07:17:00.000-06:00

Cool news article on restaurants in Addis Ababa.

New York Times review of restaurants in Addis

Also, please pray for Abrahat. I saw her in December and she was complaining of hunger. She was too weak to go get food and no one would help her. She since has spent two months in the hospital because of a heart condition and bad adherence to her medications. She was released today and we went to visit her.

She looked really bad today with signs of dementia and was more emaciated. She reminded me of Yenenesh before she died. It was a hard visit and I read John 6:35,40 to her. After reading, I said a few words but in light of the situation I was somewhat speechless. There is such injustice and pain. I asked if she prayed to Jesus and she said she prayed to the Savior of the World. Alemu said this includes a lot more than Jesus. She is Orthodox.

On a brighter note, we then went to visit Elsa and she looked much better. She had music on, so I shook my shoulders and danced and she laughed. She praises God for her recovery. However, she is also Orthodox, so I don't know what she means by God. Before, she could not even walk because of a burning sensation in her feet, which is a side effect from ARVs. She went to the church today and put a certain kind of soil along with holy water on her feet and thinks that helped heal her.

Pray for Abrahat's soul as she feels death is near. Praise God for Elsa's recovery. Ask for both to be able to understand and accept the true Gospel of Christ.

March 07 Update

2007-03-14T02:37:00.000-06:00

Dear Supporters,

Picture of support group meeting.

As Derek, Alemu (Ethiopian nurse on our staff), and myself followed her to her house, we were surrounded by about 40 elementary school kids. It was their morning recess and we were the attraction. Derek and I had a few on each arm and some pulling the back of our shirts. We may have been the first white people they had seen. When we got to Yigirdu’s house to access her situation as a potential new beneficiary, even Alemu was shocked. It was probably 8 feet long and 6 feet wide with two beds. We realized her living condition was worse when Yigirdu told us that her and her four children owned one of the beds and another couple slept on the other. We immediately told her to come to the office and are currently working to move her into another house, provide rent and a regular regiment of ARV medication, and get her involved in a women’s support group.

Elsa, another beneficiary, is 25 and seems to be starting the downward spiral with dementia. I visited her house and took her to the hospital last week. We couldn’t get the doctor to walk down two flights of stairs from his office to see her. He missed part of the point of medical school. But we were able to get him to write a referral and she will go to the Psychiatric hospital for this week. Elsa has been sad and cries a lot. Our ability to physically help her is quickly fading, and we need to pray for her soul. Pray also for her father who is really struggling with this and is not emotionally able to provide encouraging support for her as he often openly weeps in front of her.

The soccer season is over at Bingham. We had a lot of fun and I really enjoyed coaching. It provides a nice break from work for me and I hope to still play once a week just for fun with the boys. It’s also sad to be done because the taxi drivers I use all have great fun teaching me knew Amharic words and listening to me mess up. They also laugh when they hear me say random things like “stand up!” and when I point and name objects while we drive saying “car”, “church”, and “ball” much like a little child.

The boys program is going well. We did water colors a few weeks ago and hung up our art work in the office, which can be viewed on my blog. Last week, we painted the outside of the house in which Derek and I live. They had a lot of fun learning how to paint and getting messy. This week I will take them to Bingham again to play soccer. Soccer is really big here and they love playing on a grass field whenever possible.

The men's support groups are kind of in flux. One group is very new and has had an attendance problem. They are my Wednesday group and could use prayer. I’m still teaching through Mark, but am in need of opening up the two other groups to new ideas like income-generating activities and/or starting some kind of business. Also, most of them belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which can create problems with my teaching. The purpose of the groups is to provide emotional support for them, not doctrinal disputes or conversion to Protestant belief. I will take the time soon to try to explain their beliefs.

In closing, I would like to inform you that I have started the application process with Covenant Seminary. I will start their M.Div program in the ordination track when I am done here. This has proved to be a wonderful ministry experience to have so far, but the Lord has convinced me of the need for more specific training for future service. I will keep you informed on that process.

I have worked my way through a book that John Piper edited called “Suffering and the Sovereignty of God.” I recommend it to everyone. Thanks for your support and prayers during this adventure.

Prayer Requests
1. Thanksgiving for opportunity to coach soccer and get to know the boys at Bingham.
2. Prayer for the Menlo Park team coming at the end of March. They are mostly medical and will be serving in Bole (our satellite project site).
3. Pray from guidance and understanding for Alemu and myself in ministering to the men’s support groups in the context of Orthodox belief and new ideas for our time together.
4. Pray for my seminary application process over the next 3-4 months.
5. Pray for the building of strong relationships in the boys program as we continue to get to know each other and lay the foundation/vision for the program.
6. Please pray for our beneficiary Elsa and her father.
7. In regard to me learning how to counsel/care/teach, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” Ephesians 6:19-20.

Ethiopia in the News

2007-02-26T03:49:00.000-07:00

BBC Ethiopia

Economist Ethiopia

This week at the boys program.

2007-02-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

This week we did art work.

One boy working on his coloring skills.

A small boy learning how to water color.

The final product.

We have made coat racks, model airplanes, played soccer, and now done some art work. In the future, we will have teachings on various topics, paint, grill out, plant, and maybe go bowling! I'll put more pictures up as we go. It should be a very good spring for the guys as we grow together and learn practical skills. Pray for us!

jp

February 07 Update

2007-02-14T04:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Supporters,

Well things around here have been busy. We had a construction team come from Chattanooga and they did some touching up on Derek and my house and we moved in last week. We now have a medical team from MTW here and have been doing clinics for the last week. I have had the opportunity to do some pastoral counseling with lots of different patients with some pastors on the team. I have even done some on my own! This has been an incredible experience as I have been learning what it means to counsel someone emotionally and spiritually by genuinely listening to their narrative, entering into their pain, applying the gospel with care, and praying with them. These people lead a difficult life, and their stories would shock you. I have learned many valuable lessons that I will try to practice and implement when I do home visits when the team leaves.

I have a new men’s support group, which brings the total to three. We continue to study through the book of Mark. It has also been a successful start to the new boys program. We have built coat racks, model airplanes, and this week I hope to take them to Bingham to play with the team I coach. I am still trying to keep their interest in hopes of allowing them to build good friendships, a group identity, and so I can teach them about sex issues and of course the gospel. This is an incredible opportunity since most of their fathers are dead from AIDS.

Language school is taxing/tough but good. It takes up every morning but is important for my ministry here. I’m about half way done with a few weeks left. Coaching has been a great experience. We are half way through the season and it has been a lot of fun and relieved pressure from my work. I have enjoyed getting to know the guys and giving them the opportunity to play with proper instruction as I had growing up.

Even though it’s been busy, we’ve had time to explore. We took the first team out of town to Debre Lebanos to see an old Orthodox Church and a large gorge. This weekend we took the medical team to the historic Lalibela to see the rock-hewn churches that are nine hundred years old. We flew there and rode mules up to an old monastery. It was fun and good to get out of the city.

Prayer requests

1. Pray for my attitude that it would be one of compassion/comfort/empathy to the beneficiaries I see and to my co-workers.
2. Pray for my cultural stress that is setting in. I’m realizing how different this place is from home and only get a glimpse of something familiar at night when there are only lights on the horizon.
3. Thanksgiving for being able to do spiritual counseling with experienced pastors.
4. Pray that I could persevere as I finish up language school and the soccer season while trying to start up the boys ministry and maintain my other jobs.
5. Thanksgiving for the work the teams have done and for the fellowship they have provided.

praising him,

jim

An Overdue Update

2007-02-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a while. I've had trouble getting acces to blogger.

We had a team from Chattanooga here to do construction on our house and that went really well. We got everything painted, a usable bathroom, and a somewhat set up kitchen. Derek and I are still working on some of the details like furnishing and stuff. It's interesting to see how other Americans react to the third world and to the life our beneficiaries. Their shocked and sobered reactions often make me realize where I am living and what I'm doing all over again and reinvirograte me for the task before me. It's also nice to see familiar faces as two of the girls went to college with me. I often don't see familiar things and have realized that I actually get glimpses of the first world only at night. At that time you can't see the slums. All you see is light and it reminds of home.

I just had an amazing support group meeting. I was teaching in Mark 2:1-17 and got to thoroughly explain the concept of grace. It's funny how I can have a bullet point outline and then change it or expand as I'm teaching because grace wasn't there at first. It just came up and I think they might start to grasp the true meaning of forgiveness especially in the orthodox culture. Legalism exists everywhere but has different manifestations. Grace is such a hard concept to grasp because our nature fights against it. We want to pay for or earn things that are given to us, but grace can't be paid for outside of Christ's death. As I read this morning from J.C. Ryle's devotion book "Day by Day", the comforts of Christianity disappear without Christ's death.

Soccer coaching continues to be a challenge here, but I still enjoy it. I'm so thankful for this door opening up. I love being around the game again. I feel a lot of confidence coaching soccer because I played for so long and had so many good coaches. I hope to impact them in good ways as an example but also teach them discipline. The season will be over in about a month, so it's quick. It's so nice to be able to go to the field and forget about work and just run around with the guys. I love providing that opportunity for them as I had in school.

The boys program is coming along well. We made coat racks by sawing, drilling, and glueing wood (manly stuff) and last week made model airplanes, which we will finish tomorrow. We are currently running clinics all day with the MTW medical team that is here, but Derek and I have langauge school in the mornings. Language school is tough but good. I've found myself thinking in Spanish and Greek while trying to learn Amharic. Very interesting. Well I will keep this thing more updated especially when the team leaves and language school ends.

Peace,

Jim

A Death

2007-01-16T03:22:00.000-07:00

Mesilu died early this morning. There were women weeping in our Libeta community bible study this morning. I mentioned her in my last update. Her funeral is today at 4, but I can't attend due to a soccer game we have. Pray for her soul and her neighbors. I don't think she had family in the city.

Experiences of note

2007-01-15T00:19:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday I was walking home from lunch and a random dog was walking across the street with a cow head in his mouth. This is not an uncommon sight, but you still do a double take whenever you see it.

Last week I had some good home visits. These are always fulfilling but often very hard. They remind you of why you left home to serve here. I had injera and some wheat grain in Danut's house while a girl was roasting coffee beans. I shared some passages in 2 Corinthians with her. She has at least 6 sons and her husband passed away a while back. After her house, I went to see Tadessa, a man struggling with TB who was in one of my support groups. He's basically bed-ridden because his TB meds are reacting with his antiretrovirals. The meds take away his appetite so he is weak with a lot of gastric pain.

You would be surprised that a lot of my most interesting cross-cultural experiences have been in the guest house I currently live in. There are many Australians, New Zealanders, Brits, and Canadians. We all speak the same language, but with such variation that we often are confused and even make fun of each other. It has been a great learning experience and quite fun to talk about football (soccer), cricket, rugby, and gridiron (aussie word for american football). Last Friday, I went to an Italian restaurant in Africa with a bunch of Americans and Australians. I also coach with a cool guy from England. I guess because I have much more in common with them, there is more cultural rubbing that you can notice as opposed to me with the Ethiopians. It will take more time to see and understand their culture and language.

This week my team plays against a team from a french school and another from a greek school. This should be interesting. Here is a picture of me with Danut amidst the smoking coffee beans.

January 07 Update

2007-01-09T05:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Supporters,

Well it has been weird being around here now during the holidays. This was the first time I celebrated Christmas in a culture where no one else was. They actually celebrated it on January 7. I really get a strong sense of being a pilgrim on earth who’s far from “home”. I’m getting used to the mullahs, the hundreds of cats fighting at night, and depending on taxis to get everywhere. I’m having the true cross-cultural experience. This will especially be true when I move into the poor community next month.

My weekly schedule is starting to come together. I will have soccer practice on Monday and Wednesday with games on Tuesday and Thursday. I do counseling on Friday afternoons with Teddy (my Ethiopian boss). I teach two small group bible studies with men every other week on Tuesday and Thursday. We usually do a case study on Wednesday mornings. And Tuesday and Thursday mornings I usually visit sick patients in their homes to spiritual encourage them with the nurses and give a devotion. In my free time I plan bible study lessons, plan my soccer practices, and plan my devotions for the patients. I also try to run early in the mornings and might start taking karate lessons! At nights there are many ethnic restaurants to try since I usually eat Ethiopian of lunch. I also am enjoying break from academic life and doing some pleasure reading I’ve been meaning to get to and reading the Economist. It is nice to read that magazine through international eyes now. The African Union, which is located here, has a summit meeting here in a few weeks with the new Secretary General attending. Traffic should be a mess for a while.

However, I’m also about to start work with 13-19 yr old boys after school a few days a week when they get out of school. We have something for the vulnerable girls, and I am to start something for the boys to give them something profitable to do as well as the gospel. There is a lot of potential here and I am very excited. At this point it will revolve around me doing soccer clinics and then some bible teaching. I hope to get an Ethiopian to translate for me and I’ll mentor him so he can take over when I leave. There are 40 boys in the area, and this is a great chance to see many converts as well as do a lot of discipling.

I'm steadily challenged here with only caring for people spiritually when there is such a medical need. People need medicine so badly and I can’t help them in that way. This is good though because I am usually humbled. Also, through this, I am seeing that we are a team and am getting a clear picture of the body of Christ. I want to help these people so much, but have to rely on my other team members. We each have gifts and callings and can use them to help the patients in unique ways.

Prayer requests

1. Language school starts on January 29th. I might only do it for a month and it is only in the mornings, but it will be a challenge. It will also probably be quite humorous and fun.
2. Soccer season starts this week with practice and games are next week. I’m really excited about this opportunity. Pray for my coaching ability as well as my influence and witness with the boys. They are from all over the world.
3. Pray for Assefu’s faith as well as the other men in my support groups. He has taken a step away from the Orthodox Church after support group this week and will attend bible study in Lideta next week. He used to be devoutly Orthodox and wouldn’t associate with Protestants, but due to an acute pain in his leg and a dream he had, he came to my group and heard the Gospel. Conversion here is often a long process because of social and cultural baggage.
4. Mesilu is one of three beneficiaries who have fatal cardiac conditions. I think she will live most of this year, but we don’t know. While struggling emotionally, she knows she’s in this condition for certain reasons and is glad we come to visit and share the Gospel with her. She hasn’t had the strength lately to read the Bible on her own.
5. Pray for new beneficiaries who come to us already very sick with no family or friends to bring them food or other care. One young girl, Yenenesh, died last week basically from starvation because of this problem. I’ve never seen someone so frail and thin. This is one reason we have support groups on top of spiritual/emotional/social care for each other. We presented the gospel to her but I’m uncertain of what her spiritual condition was. Pray for another lady I visited last week who is in the same social state.
6. Pray for the two teams coming soon: New City from Chattanooga next week and an MTW medical team in early February. Pray for their witness, ability to get their tasks done, and energy for us to host them.
7. Pray for my new ministry with the high school boys. This is a large opportunity to connect with a group our project has yet to help. Pray for their receptiveness, a good way to introduce goals and myself, and for the Spirit to work in their lives as only He can.

my correct cell number

2006-12-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

011-251-91-2061899

This is what you dial with a calling card.

The Spiritual Doctor

2006-12-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to a girl's house with a physical therapist and a nurse. The girl's legs were basically nothing but bones due to lack of use. She is in a lot of pain when she tries to stand up or move her feet. The therapist showed her and her mother some exerices that she needs to do everyday in order to regain muscle mass. She has nerve damage in her legs, which could be a side effect from an ARV drug. We do not know. I read from sections of 2 Corinthians 1 where Paul emphasizes the comforting nature of God. "who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." The women don't know why they are in this state, but some recognize the opportunity to comfort each other, which is one reason we do support groups.

This afternoon I saw two more women. The first named Elsa. She has similar problems with her legs in that there is pain that is hard to control. I shared with her from Hebrews 2:17-18 where the author gives a reason for the incarnation of Christ. Since he became flesh, he can sympathize with our suffering and understands. We can talk to him about it. He loves us, as he showed by entering our suffering and ultimately dying for us. Our Ethiopian nurse, Alamu, introduced me as a spiritual doctor, which I thought was interesting.

The last woman was the toughest. She has congestive heart failure and we basically had to explain to her that there was nothing else that could be done medically. She cried a lot while we were there. She hurts for her sister and children who have to watch her suffer each night. She prays that she would just die for their sake and doesn't think about living. One of our nurses shared many passages from John about how we want her to have a relationship with Jesus so she can live in eternity free from pain with Him. I think she was somewhat encouraged. We're not sure how much longer she will be with us, but I hope to go to her funeral.

While I was in this last woman's house, I was struck by the smell of smoke and then human waste. These are common combinations in the communities. People burn their trash since there is obviously no trashmen, and the waste often is poured out by the houses along trenches. Alamu emphasized the me not to carry my Bible in my hand. This is because many here are Ethiopian Orthodox and when we visit people they suspect we are Protestants who are witnessing. Seeing the Bible confirms this, and our patients will be socially ostracized for believing something that is backwards and not orthodox.

Grace is also very hard for the orthodox to accept. Works is simply engrained into the tradition. Even when someone dies the relatives try to do things to help the soul. I'm still trying to understand how deep the works doctrine goes and will get back to you on that. What a day.

Pictures!!

2006-12-14T23:31:00.000-07:00

Beneficiaries.

Street in Lideta.

Women grinding grain.

The City I Live In

2006-12-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

Ethiopia: Over 80 Percent of Urban Population Dwells in 'Slums', New Study Reveals

Also, my new cell number is: 251 91 061899.

December 06 Update

2006-12-09T00:41:00.000-07:00

December 06 Update

Matthew 14: 28-31

It seems pointless and irrational for Peter to try to walk on the water. I have thought about this passage the first few times I walked through the poor communities we serve to do home visits. Why am I here? I couldn’t be more out of place. This is irrational. And then I realize it really doesn’t make sense outside of Jesus. Without Him I am to only look out for myself, and this is not exactly accomplishing that goal. He is the only reason. As I assimilate into this place, I deal with a lot of fear and see how much I am merely walking on water and can fall easily. But that is actually a picture of the reality of being a pilgrim on earth, you just see it easier here than in America.

I arrived here safely with all my bags on December 3rd. My job description will change, but I have already sat in on support groups for both the men and women where they hear the Gospel and encourage each other. I will eventually lead devotions for these groups. I sat in on adherence groups where they learn more about their medicines and how to adhere to drug plans. I have done home visits where you meet the people where they live and show your love and care for them. That’s an experience. There is also counseling available for couples and singles dealing with depression, spiritual questions, and general family issues that come with AIDS. I sat in on those discussions as well. I will also be coaching a soccer team soon.

I like the food, but they eat with their fingers and only with their right-hand. I’m left-handed it’s comical. The streets are very interesting with hardly any lines for lanes and no lights. There aren’t many wrecks, however, because the drivers know so many implicit rules. The streets also provide a good base for cultural examination. The Ethiopians are extremely nice and thoughtful people. This is probably the safest city in Africa for missionaries to work. However, this courtesy is usually tied with a personal relationship. So the kindness diminishes when they get in cars and drive. It’s mayhem.

I’m slowly getting used to the muslim mullahs calling for pray at 5 a.m. I did not know, however, that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) does the same thing. But they sound better because its more of singing or something. I can’t tell. The EOC does not seem evangelical, but more Catholic in many of their beliefs. They only pray at church or if they burn incense in their homes. They also don’t pray to God directly, but to Mary or a saint to not demote God. They believe that a springs next to the church are Holy Water and drink, bath and wash in it to cure them. This is absolute poison and shows the importance/power beliefs have. Many of our patients do this and get very sick because the water here is bad. The real problem comes when they decide to trade ARVs for Holy Water. We must peal back all these cultural/spiritual issues as we meet with them.

Home visits are where you see the reality of the situation. As you walk through the alleys you see how people really live, in 5 ft. by 15 hovels. But even as we walk to visit 4-5 women in their homes, we see others who walk by us in obvious pain due to AIDS who have yet to come to us. The beneficiaries have very little, but always find a stool or bench so you can sit in their house as they squat. Many weep in front of us when we tell them that God loves them and will never desert them. Most of them are women who have been raped and/or lost their husband. They are very brave in that they openly tell us their entire story.

Even as we fight the AIDS problem, so many others arise. Multiple-drug resistant tuberculosis is an increasing problem with our patients. Many are getting first line treatments but once resistant to that there is little else they can do. The next round is much more expensive/invasive with shots involved.

Prayer requests

1. Thanksgiving for such a great team of nationals. They are incredibly strong and mature believers who are very accepting.
2. Thanksgiving for company coming. Derrick, a microbiologist is coming in January and we will live together for a year. I couldn’t make it here for a year with company. This was my greatest need and the Lord has provided through Derrick and my team.
3. Perseverance as I assimilate. I am still getting use to so many things. I’m living at the SIM compound and will move to another house in a month with Derrick next to the office in the poor community. I start language school in late January.
4. My family and I through the holidays. I have been homesick and wish that wasn’t part of this job. It helps to know that this is short-term and gives me a lot of respect for long-termers.
5. For the faith of the beneficiaries. Many have a very basic and even skewed view of personal salvation due to (EOC) background. Some are also Muslim, and they actually come to the support groups where they hear the gospel!! But they haven’t responded.
6. Pray especially for a woman whose name I can’t remember. She is a new beneficiary from Bole, has one infected daughter, and her husband left her not long ago. She has a lot to deal with. Pray for her health as she battles HIV and for the growing maturity of her daughter.
7. Pray for Alematu. She was raped while unconscious after a car wreck, got HIV, then was kicked out of Yemen for this. Her husband has left her and she has two daughters and used to live a middle class life in Yemen. Now her poverty would startle you. She wept openly at the thought of your prayers.
8. Pray for Danny, our 24 yr old team member. If a war with Somalia ensues, the army will kidnap young Ethiopian men to fight, which is a death sentence.

New Address:

Care of SIM
PO Box 127
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Attn: Jim Plunk

I'm here

2006-12-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks for praying. The transition is going well and I've already seen and done many things that I will post soon as well as pictures. It's hard to access blogger from this country since the government denies the IP address. But I've found ways. I will have a cell phone soon and will post that number. Also, my new mailing address is:

Care of SIM
PO Box 127
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Attn: Jim Plunk

please email me with questions.

May these minister to you

2006-11-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

Psalm 139: 23 "Search me O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts."

Psalm 105:4-5 "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgements he pronounced."

Isaiah 43:4 "Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for your life."

Hebrews 12:11 "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

Colossians 1:28-29 "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me."

John 17:5 "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."
-this points to the fact that Christ became a pilgrim like us by leaving what he had.

Three book reviews

2006-11-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

"Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder

I highly recommend this book. It is the story of Dr. Paul Farmer as he basically uses all his experitise as an MD to treat AIDS/TB patients in rural Haiti, Russian prisons, and the slums of Lima. It is very inspiring as he devotes twenty years to treat hundreds of these patients as they would otherwise die through lack of funds and healthcare availability. Farmer has written numerous books and journal articles and considers himself a doctor to the poor.

"East to West" by Ravi Zacharias

This is Ravi's autobiography and is very powerful especially for those interested in evangelism and pastoral ministry. He details how he came from the depths of poverty in India to eventually get opportunities at education through his dads increased business success. He was not a very good student however. He even tried to committ suicide, but has obviously risen to do so many great things in many hard countries for the Lord. It's worth your time.

"Jesus and the Fuhrer" by Ravi Zacharias

This is another addition to the series Ravi does on certain people having a conversation with Jesus. This one features Jesus and Adolf Hitler. He includes the voice of the martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer along with others who knew Hitler. It gives a powerful picture of the gospel as it is explained in many ways through Hitler's endless questions and misunderstandings.

November 06 Update

2006-11-14T19:23:00.001-07:00

Dear Supporters,

Psalm 94:18-19 “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.”

This passage has been of great encouragement to me lately. It is good to know that when tough times come, he is there to keep us from falling. He even knows our thoughts and can comfort us. As you can see above, falling can be a very bad thing when rappelling. Rappelling is analogous to missions/ministry. There is a lot of faith and trust that must be built. I was able to spend some time outdoors while training in Colorado. My journey in Ethiopia no doubt will be a testimony of God’s faithfulness in keeping me from falling. In fact, his faithfulness has already been made manifest in my journey. In March, I randomly and hesitantly stipulated October 31st as my date to have all my support. I am excited to declare that he provided over 100% of my need before that date!

I have bought my one-way plane ticket to Africa and will be leaving Memphis on Saturday morning December 2nd. I am not excited about saying goodbye to people, but it helps that my commitment is only short-term. It is important that my monthly supporters begin sending in gifts in December if they are not giving through automatic deduction.

My training in Colorado has been very fruitful in preparing me for the field. We have discussed many in depth issues that missionaries go through such as conflict resolution, personal soul care, and the importance of keeping the Sabbath. Honestly, I romanticized missions when I made my commitment. This training has been like a painful shot in the arm and has sobered me to what I have committed to. But hopefully with that shot will come very important preventative immunity or awareness to what is to come. I am on the boat towards Normandy, but I have now been given armor and a gun. I have found the training helpful for Ethiopia as well as my life in ministry.

The plan at this point is for me to spend most of December assimilating and settling into the culture and meeting my team members. Then, in January, I will do language school in the morning, and in the afternoon I will learn my place in the ministry and meet the beneficiaries. I am very excited to serve all the many needs the team and patients have. My team leader has informed me that I will have a cell phone there so the team can keep in touch throughout the city during the workday. I will give you that number in my next update. You can buy cheap calling cards on www.noblecom.com.

It is scary to think that I am about to leave. The Lord will do amazing things in my life to prepare me for seminary and a life of service as well as enriching the lives of those hurting in Addis. Thanks for making this happen. My next email will be from Africa!

Prayer requests

1. Ability to say a temporary goodbye to people while feeling a sustained call to do this work.
2. Safety in flying home from Colorado on November 17th and flying to Ethiopia on December 2nd.
3. That the Lord would bring together all the details (shots, packing, visa/passports) that need to come together before I leave. It can be stressful.
4. That the Lord would prepare the team and the work in Ethiopia for me, so that I would be less of a hindrance and more of a help to all involved.
5. That I would adjust quickly to my new environment so I would be able to begin serving quickly.
6. That I would have “elastic” relationships with my friendships that won’t fracture while I’m gone.
7. I am still somewhat grieving the loss of my college friendships. I would appreciate prayers for how to move through that process.

In Him,

Jim Plunk
Missionary to Ethiopia

Ethiopian Coffee and Fair Trade

2006-11-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

I just saw the documentary called "Black Gold", which is about how the coffee industry has negatively affected the Ethiopian Coffee farmers. I suggest looking on their website, www.blackgoldmovie.com , and see if when it is playing in your area. There is also a trailer on the website you can watch. Basically, the coffee industry has become second only to oil in the global market. With this boost, many companies have profited included Starbucks, Nestle, Proctor and Gamble, and two others. But the farmers are only getting paid about 1 Birr in Ethiopian currency, which is about 8 cents per kilo. They simply can't live on their income. Their co-operative leader is trying to talk buyers into giving them 10 Birr (50 cents), but the farmers say even 5 Birr would radically change their life. They are being forced to grow "chat" alongside their coffee. Chat is a narcotic that is widely used in East Africa and sells for about 35-50 Birr. They do this "not because they want to, but to avoid death." You need to watch this documentary.

On another note:
I also went to the Airforce academy for church this morning. It is a beautiful campus and it was snowing. The worship was good, but too bad the chaplain barely cracked open the bible during the sermon. The world needs good preachers.

Oh and I went rappelling yesterday for the first time. It was a lot of fun, but scary. You have to conquer your fears and really put your faith in the ropes. The experience is very analagous to missions and ministry in general. I'll put up some pictures when I get them.

A project update from my team leader

2006-11-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

Missionary: Andy &Beverly Warren
Mission Board: MTW
Location: Ethiopia

November 7, 2006

Dear Friends,

When Bev and I started working with AIDS patients one of our
principles was that we would always do everything we could for the
people God brought to us. If someone needed food, we provided it.
If they needed medicine or medical care, we found a way to get it for
them. If their children needed school fees or a uniform, we provided.

Sometimes people thought they needed things and we disagreed and we
reserved the right to refuse. Selam, one of the children on
treatment, thought a television was a necessity, but we decided she
could survive without one.

Over the last four years what people need has changed. At the start
we spent a lot of our budget on funerals. Now we spend more on wrist
watches because people taking AIDS drugs need to take their medicines
on time and a watch with an alarm is a big help.

Besides changes in how we work and spend money we have changed in
other ways. One of the biggest changes has been in the number of
people in the project. We have grown to 220 AIDS-affected families,
which means we work with about 600 people.

We started work in one small part of Addis Ababa called Lideta and
this month we expanded into a new community. Bole (pronounced bo
lay) is usually thought of as the "rich" part of Addis Ababa, but as
we explored where the greatest needs are we kept being directed to
Bole. We found extreme poverty and need and found that these people
were being passed over by all the other organizations helping people
with AIDS because they lived in the wrong place.

After visiting with national, city and local officials, and after
visiting several slum areas and doing household surveys we selected
one community in Bole to begin a second project. A very generous
donor has funded the first year of this work, and we have started
screening and registering new beneficiaries.

We are looking for a small office in the community and hope to be up
and running by December. We have asked the local government office
to help us find a good place for an office and they will take us to
see several places later this week.

Some things we need prayer about.

As we begin taking in new beneficiaries pray that they will see and
hear the Gospel and respond.
Covering two areas is stretching the project staff. Pray for Danny,
Mekedes and Darci as they visit potential beneficiaries and begin
their screenings, and pray that God will bring us new staff members
with hearts to serve.
Pray that we will find an office in Bole that beneficiaries can
easily walk to and that will have enough space for project activities
and offices.
Pray for our current beneficiaries. Many are on treatment and doing
well, but others struggle with depression, difficult family
situations and frequent illness.
Pray for new beneficiaries. Many are sick, malnourished and
homeless. Pray for wisdom in caring for them.

New Life Church and Ted Haggard

2006-11-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

Each weekend the organiation training me has stipulated that we are to go to churches that are out of our comfort zones. So, I went to Ted Haggard's church here in Colorado Springs called New Life Church. For those who don't know, he was dismissed today as senior pastor for sexual immorality. The church is non-denominational, charismatic and has 14,000 members. The service was very interesting.

Here's a bit of the story from CNN.

I stood the whole time because there was so many people there. The ushers all had small microphones on so they could coordinate where more seats were available. Many had to sit outside in the foyer. The service was contemporary with guitars, drums, a 100 man choir, and everyone in the first 10 rows jumping up and down. The music was good praise songs and the worship seemed powerful and well meant.

They established an interim pastor today who made some good comments about their church polity. They have about 70 deacons and a session made up of senior pastors from other churches. These people met last week when legal charges were brought against Haggard. As I already said, the interim pastor told the congregation that Haggard is being dismissed, so his sin was not glossed over. Then he said that this was an opportunity for forgiveness and reconciliation and that was the goal of this team of pastors. He read in Timothy about the characteristics of overseers and that their serious sins should be publicly brought up, which it was.

So there was a sense of sin being dealt with, but also reconciliation as a goal while still tending to the needs of the flock. Last week we were taught about dissonance and that difference is not always right/wrong. This service gave me a lot to think about in regards to how I think the church should be run and look like. I do not like churches that are that big because the sense of fellowship and discipleship is easily lost, which I think are essential. They do have lots of small groups to combat this, but you just can't know everyone in that church.

I also struggle with non-denominational churches since they lose a lot of needed structure and accountability. This church did a good job of trying to create a session of elders/overseers, but they aren't even from that church and probably most people don't even know them or the 70 deacons. However, it sounded like the church and pastors will handle this situation in a biblical manner.

Both Haggard and his wife had letters read to the congregation today that they wrote. Ted confessed that he was in sin and that all of this was his fault. His wife stated that she is wife Ted till death does them part and hopes their actions through this are a witness. Both were powerful letters.

Pike's Peak

2006-11-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

The brighter side of my job.

Ecclesiology, Cultural Relativism, Language Games

2006-11-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiology/Relativism
Okay, this is a huge philosophical/theological post based on discussions we had today at training. Many questions circled around the concept of church in a cross-cultural setting. In a cross-cultural setting, what is eternally true and what is culturally true. For example, what do we do about infant baptism or even the Lord’s supper? These are things I would argue are necessary in a church, but what modes do you use? And is it only an ordained person who can perform these functions as well as preaching? What if a minister is not around or what if they went to some weird seminary with dissimilar beliefs? What about dancing in church, which could be the case in Africa? Is this inappropriate for worship or is that our culture talking? There is the concept of what do we consider essential to Christian praxis and what is negotiable. What about the gifts of healing and tongues? We believe many of these gifts were held for the apostles, but many missionaries have stories of healings etc. Should these people be barred from church work or sharing testimonies? These views are incredibly practical because if a person becomes a Christian overseas what kind of church would you send them to.

Also, it says in the bible that bribes are bad. What if I am imprisoned and will be tortured for 3 months, or just be in a jail where I will likely catch nasty diseases. Acts 24:24-27 says that Paul was kept in prison by the government. He often was in prison and it didn’t seem like his followers would get him out, but only tend to his needs. Would you commit to a fast rule of never paying the bribe even if it’s your wife or kid? Or would you pray as a family/team that patience is needed to see if the Lord will work amidst suffering. Many Chinese pastors, as nationals, are under incredible pressure to not run house churches. They are often arrested and tortured for days. A guy with me at training who is going to China said that he knows of a pastor who said, “Please tell your western supporters to not pray for the torturing to cease, but that the Lord may accomplish his will through it.” So what do you do about bribes or ransoms?

Theology of Suffering Excersus
We also discussed a theology of suffering. Basically it echoes the Chinese pastor. What are we focused on, the temporal circumstances that we can see, or the Lord’s perfect will, which we can’t see. Maybe by losing our luggage, experiencing death, etc we have a rough time, but the Lord uses that to bring us and others closer to him. Psalm 84 speaks about pilgrims passing through the Valley of Baca and making it a place with pools. Baca means suffering. By us passing through the Valley of Suffering, we experience God, and therefore can provide refreshment/help to others. This is a very different attitude from our culture, which tells us to flee pain and run for comfort/happiness. Our culture says pain is bad, but God says it has uses. Notice how the former is self-centered and the latter service centered and even empowering for those who have had traumatic/devastating experiences. In regards to living by faith, Hebrews 11 is a great chapter, one of the best in the bible in my opinion. It depicts people stepping out in faith, not sight, and doing things that sometimes gained glory (conquered kingdoms, administered justice) and sometimes accomplished things through suffering (stoned, sawed in two, death by sword). The question is what/who are you living for? Is it to know the Lord and make him known through your life, or to preserve your comfort/happiness?

Cultural Relativism/Language Games
We know as Christians that values are not culturally relative. But Australians come here and see paying tips as bribes. And Africans could see bribes as tips. But then we could be promoting a corrupt African government and system. The early 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein had a theory called language games. He said in society/culture there are many different spheres of life and each has different language games. (I haven’t studied this in a while so this might be rough). For example, in the Australian sphere of life the language game for bribes is different than the language game for bribes for Americans. However, one could not say that one was better or more right than the other. They are just different. You can see that he had a profound influence on the development of postmodernism. I understand the many arguments against relativism and how it basically negates the entire concept of “truth” since “truth” is, by nature, exclusive. But in these contexts with practical applications with real people there aren’t easy answers.

It is the goal of the missionary to not step on cultural mores of their host culture, but to also not commit sin by following wrong habits or customs. Maybe they have something right and we are wrong and maybe it's the opposite. So whether in Ecclesiology or actual practical decisions or both, the question is “Is this essential to my belief system or is this culturally negotiable?” And the problem is that there usually is not a clear answer. Most of us do not have the mental categories to process these questions because we’ve never seen the world/reality outside our own cultural glasses. It can be hard to even ask some of these questions especially about the church. But it is possible that many of our beliefs are culturally tainted. We have been show that as missionaries if it critical to know and be able to defend what we believe. Personally, I would argue that it is important not only for missionaries and church workers but for all Christians to be able to do this. That’s actually biblical. Yes, this requires studying and thinking, which I like.

There was a lot more cultural stuff, but this is a start. For the record, I am still Reformed Presbyterian and not a cultural relativist. But I am a thinker interested in these issues and being open/honest about them in that my system might not have all the right answers. Now I will sit in my room and stare at the wall for the rest of the evening to recover from 8 hours of social interaction and thinking deeply.

October 06 Update

2006-10-19T14:57:00.000-06:00

Dear Supporters,

Here is the website that explains my training in Colorado: www.mti.org/splice.htm

Well I am almost done raising support! I am currently at 95% in total support. I need about $175 in monthly support and hope to have it in the next few weeks so I can buy my plan ticket to Africa and give you a definite departure date.

I am leaving October 30th for Colorado Springs for three weeks of cross-cultural training and will return November 17th. This training will prepare me for the struggles and difficulties of living in a cross-cultural context. I will be taught how to care for myself emotionally and spiritually and learn how to handle trials in light of doing ministry. After this training, I will be home for Thanksgiving and hopefully leave the week or two after.

The reason I am taking time now to do ministry is so I can discern whether I should go to seminary, and learn about/test possible gifts in ministry. The Lord has been active in this area of my life. While doing my internship at St. Jude, I became somewhat interested in the whole idea of doing something in healthcare as a profession when I come back from Ethiopia. This was a challenge to my call to seminary. I realize that there is a lot of time between now and then, but also want to be a steward of that time.

I have felt, however, a continued call to seminary for a number of years. After spending a few months thinking and praying about it, I feel strongly that the Lord is still calling me to pursue seminary when I get back. I would pursue a masters in divinity and possible a masters in counseling. I trust the Lord will further work out this calling while I serve in Africa. I am thankful that the Lord and I have wrestled through this before I depart because this knowledge will be helpful in guiding my interests in the work in Ethiopia. Hopefully, knowing this background will help you understand why I took this step to serve in Africa.

There are two ways to best keep up with me while I am overseas. The first is my blog site, which is jimplunk.blogspot.com. I will try to update that at least once a week as an interactive online journal. The other is Skype, which is an instant messenger that can also be used for making phone calls. My account name is jimplunk. I will try to set up regular times that I will be on it to talk. When I get there I will also send you my mailing address. I will remind you of my contact information as my departure gets closer. Thanks for your support and prayers.

Prayer Requests:

1. Confirmation of calling to Ethiopia in the midst of hard transition with leaving friends and family.
2. That the Lord would already be working to prepare the team and I for my arrival and a work that I can do.
3. Fellowship with other believers in Ethiopia and especially a male accountability partner for encouragement.
4. Safe travel to/from training in Colorado.
5. Loose ends would come together with packing, getting immunizations, and me finishing my Evangelism Explosion training in the next month so I can be ready to leave when I get back from Colorado.

In Him,

Jim Plunk
jim.plunk@gmail.com
jimplunk.blogspot.com

Donations: MTW, P.O. Box 116284, Atlanta, GA 30368-6284
NOTE: Jim Plunk Account: 016125

Monthly Pledges: MTW, 1600 North Brown Road, Lawrenceville, GA. 30043-8141
NOTE: Jim Plunk Account: 016125

Check out this article on Newsweek

2006-10-15T16:55:00.000-06:00

Explanation of Philosophy Major

philosophers on horseback

2006-10-03T15:25:00.000-06:00

So I rode a horse for the first time today. It was exhilirating in so many ways, not really. I basically sat there hoping he would stay on the trail, which he did. It was slightly painful when we started to trot. No one told me to stand in the saddle when you trot. Needless to say it can be a dangerous situation when a philsopher rides a horse. Thankfully no one was injured in the outting. But I would do it again. It's good training if I get to ride a camel overseas.

September Update

2006-09-19T21:05:00.000-06:00

Dear Supporters,

Here is the new project website: www.ethiopiahiv.org

I have some important support news. I have about 65% of my money and need 80% to do cross-cultural training in Colorado from October 30th-November 17th. Completing this training will enable me to leave for the field by December if I have all my support. So, if you plan on making monthly pledges you should turn it in ASAP! In my original support letter I stated October 31st as my goal for support raising, and I would like to stick to that. My training in Colorado will be the last step before leaving. Right now, I have all my one-time and $1835 in monthly pledges out of $2500. Again, I hope to have all my support raised by October 31st and leave for Africa by December!

This last week I was at Living in Grace in North Carolina. Staff members from the Spiritual Life Department gave talks and testimonies about grace and how we can experience it through repentance. It was incredibly encouraging since I have been struggling with the idol of trying to control my future and be content with where I am. We were taught that we must bring our struggles before God in repentance and surrender, realize His love for us is infinite through the Cross and that he has a plan for us despite our temporary and circumstantial feelings. It was also nice to be with other missionaries to encourage one another as we raise support and realize that this is just a tough time for all of us.

After that week of training, I went to meet Andy (boss in Ethiopia) who is here for leadership training next week. We had a great time getting to know each other and were eventually joined by Dr. John and Jessica White, who are also coming to Ethiopia for two years.

My work has changed. I felt the Lord did not want me working asphalt so I am now working a few days a week at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I shadow the nurse practitioners as they see patients who have AIDS. This has been perfect preparation. I’m also working part-time with my church youth group.

On a heavier note, Heather and I have come to the conclusion that the Lord does not desire us to continue dating at this point. It has nothing to do with my trip to Africa, but issues between us. We are striving to honor the Lord in this difficult time and realize he has a perfect plan amidst the pain and confusion.

Prayer requests:

1. That Heather and I would feel peace about our situation and would keep a solid friendship.
2. My monthly support would come in so I can go to Colorado on October 30th and to Ethiopia by December.
3. Lose ends would come together with packing, getting immunizations, and me finishing my Evangelism Explosion training in the next month so I can be ready to leave when I get back from Colorado.
4. Thanksgiving for being able to meet and talk with Andy and the Whites and for the spiritual blessing of last week at Living in Grace.
5. A continued call to serve in Ethiopia and the ability to rest and prepare during these last few months at home.

In Him,

Jim Plunk
jim.plunk@gmail.com

Donations: MTW, P.O. Box 116284, Atlanta, GA 30368-6284
NOTE: Jim Plunk Account: 016125

Monthly Pledges: MTW, 1600 North Brown Road, Lawrenceville, GA. 30043-8141
NOTE: Jim Plunk Account: 016125

check out this site

2006-09-07T21:04:00.000-06:00

www.ethiopiahiv.org

August Update

2006-08-20T20:22:00.000-06:00

Dear Supporters,

This last month has been full of adventure and surprise. I am excited to announce that I have received all of my one-time need with a surplus! The surplus of one-time money will help to lower my monthly need, so one-time gifts are still welcomed. Completing my one-time is very encouraging because I can now focus on my monthly need. At this point, I have raised $920 monthly out of a needed $2500 (not counting the one-time surplus).

The Lord has been faithful in providing churches in which to speak. I have spent the last two Sundays in Mississippi speaking at Christ Presbyterian in Oxford and Grenada Presbyterian. I have received a one-time gift from Grace Presbyterian in Jackson, TN. It was very nice to be able to speak at Zion Presbyterian in Columbia, TN and meet Andy’s dad, who is the pastor.

The Lord has also been faithful in providing flexible work for this fall. I will be working for an elder in my church who has an asphalt paving business. The work will be tough, but he will be flexible with my traveling needs to speak at churches and to do training. The job is also good since I will have evenings free to call potential supporters and weekends to visit churches or friends at Covenant. I am very thankful to have been able to work with the youth at my church, but this is a better fit for my needs at this point than youth ministry.

I also have some missionary responsibilities this fall. MTW has required that I take an Evangelism Explosion (EE) class, which I will be taking every Wednesday evening at my church through the fall beginning on August 30th. It basically teaches you how to accurately and effectively share your faith. I also have a week of training in North Carolina from September 11-15. It is called Living in Grace and will be a good to time reflect on the concept of grace and gain encouragement from other missionaries. I will also try to study and take the GRE this fall so I can go to graduate school of some kind when I get back.

The week in July I had with Heather(girlfriend) was encouraging. We felt confirmation from the Lord regarding our feelings and commitment. We thank you for your prayers and are excited to be able to see each other more often this fall now that she is back at Covenant.

Prayer requests:

1. Thanksgiving to God for his faithfulness in providing work, bringing in my one-time need, and sustaining my relationship.
2. Prayer for traveling mercies as I drive to North Carolina for missionary training in September.
3. More opportunities to speak to churches and their mission committees.
4. Perseverance with calling supporters and studying for the GRE.

Support Raising Milestone

2006-08-04T20:13:00.000-06:00

As you can see on the sidebar I have raised my one-time need!!!

I would still encourage one-time gifts since the leftovers go towards my monthly need, but monthly giving is particularly desired at this point.

Ethiopia/Somalia Conflict

2006-07-29T06:41:00.000-06:00

Here is a helpful article on the subject.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5201470.stm

Random events

2006-07-28T19:39:00.000-06:00

So, I just got back from yet another youth trip that involved me driving a 15 passenger van. We went to Greer's Ferry Arkansas. It was a lot of fun playing on the lake. I'm in the process of losing the toe nail on my big toe after falling from a small rock face by on the lake. Not fun.

I have also had the opportunity to visit St. Jude Research Hospital in downtown Memphis the last few weeks to see their AIDS clinic. It was a great experience. I can't say much about the patients because of confidentiality, but I did learn more about the importance of adherence to the medications. It was also nice because I got to shadow a nurse practitioner and a social worker as they met with patients. Based on the recommendation of a nurse in my church who works there, I am somewhat considering taking some pre-reqs for nursing school this fall with the goal of coming back from africa and getting a masters to be a practitioner. This has all happened in the last few weeks, so I'm going to give it another few weeks of prayer and seeking advice. It will at least give me something else besides seminary to think about while I'm in Africa. I'd appreciate your prayers conerning this.

The time I had with Heather was amazing. We did lots of cool stuff and had a lot of things confirmed about our relationship. Distance is difficult. Also, I should have my one-time complete in the next week or so. Hurray!

July Update

2006-07-15T13:41:00.000-06:00

Psalm 27:13-14 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Dear Supporters,

I just returned from a mission trip to St. Louis with my youth group. It was an incredible time of seeing God work as we helped New City Fellowship in their outreach to the inner city. We tutored inner city kids (many had been abused), helped widows, and lead Bible Clubs in inner city neighborhoods. I also lead a team to help clean out a warehouse that will be used for job-training/discipleship in a bad area where the men have trouble getting hired for jobs. This ministry will be called More than Carpentry and will focus on woodworking skills. The Lord is definitely moving in that area as well as in our youth group. We were able to encourage and help the workers their, and we left with great ideas and questions concerning how we can do similar work in Memphis.

This month has been encouraging regarding my support. My one-time is up to $11,320.67 and my monthly is at $518.33. Again, I know of a few hundred monthly dollars that have not been pledged. The Lord has also been faithful regarding my attempt to contact the churches in my presbytery for monthly support. I mailed and called all of them and have already heard back from some. This will be a continual and hopefully fruitful process over the next few months. I am also looking into how I can incorporate businesses into supporting my ministry opportunity.

Your prayers have been encouraging to me as I go through this time of waiting on the Lord. He has been faithful to me in allowing me to feel more settled here in Memphis, as he has given me a general contentment about being here. I do feel that God is preparing me socially for Ethiopia by taking me from a lot of my friends and I’ve learned my lessons about depending solely on him.

Prayer requests:

1. Heather is coming to town this Wednesday for 5 days. Pray that God allows this to be a time of encouragement and direction.

2. I am speaking at Zion Presbyterian Church in Columbia, Tennessee on August 16th around 6 p.m. This is Andy’s dad’s church, so they are very familiar with the work in Ethiopia.

3. I am very hopeful that a lot of my monthly support will be gained this fall through contacting and visiting churches in my presbytery. Pray that God would open these doors.

4. I continue to struggle with having patience with God to get me to Ethiopia and give me a firm call on a particular vocation where he can use me to satisfy the needs of people around me. Pray for patience and that he would be faithful to give me a particular call where I can serve.

5. Thanksgiving for the mission trip to St. Louis for safety and the seeds planted.

6. Pray that God would open a clear avenue to a job in the next month that would be flexible during my time of support raising.

7. I will be completing my church internship in the next month. It has been a great experience. Pray later laborers in the kids’ lives would water that seeds planted.

In Him,

Jim Plunk
Missionary to Ethiopia
plunk.memphisblogs.org or jimplunk.blogspot.com

Italy vs. Germany...a commenatary

2006-07-04T22:09:00.000-06:00

Well I was glad Italy pulled it off. Their defensive performance was superb as the Germans had few chances. That's to say the Italian D did it without Nesta. Cannavaro is my age as well. I realize Totti took four too many dives, but I have much respect for the play of Gattuso. I love watching him sprint the field for the full 90 with AC Milan.

Now concerning the world cup, since I've played a bit of soccer my family and friends (who don't care about soccer) often ask me interesting questions. I had a cousin on saturday ask me why the scoring is so low. He thinks that's why there is not much interest in America for the game. He would prefer another goal to be placed above and behind where the original goal is and let that one count for three points, much like a field goal. Americans can't seem to enjoy a game, like the one today, where two teams are on the brink of scoring for 2 hours and don't until the very end. I felt like the game today was one of the best so far and I'm glad it did not go to penalty kicks. As Americans, we want instant gratification, or at least to have it more often than every 2 hours. But this is one time (of many) where the rest of the world has it right and we should learn something new. Congrats to Italy.

Ethiopian Cuisine in M-town

2006-06-30T11:22:00.001-06:00

I found an Ethiopian restaurant in town and tried it out last week. They do not use utensils, it was spicy, and it had a very particular taste. But not bad. My insides appreciated the preparation.

June Update

2006-06-29T22:54:00.000-06:00

Dear Supporters,

Well June has already proved to be a crazy month. Last week I was in Estes Park, Colorado, and this week I had the privilege of helping out with VBS. Both were incredible experiences and were made possible through my church (Riveroaks) here in Memphis hiring me as the summer youth intern. In Colorado we climbed mountains that still had snow on them, took classes on different Christian topics, and heard talks every night. The theme of VBS was Pilgrim's Progress. I found it fitting for my situation as I very much feel like a pilgrim as I wait for support.

This summer I am responsible for mainly the Senior High youth at the church, which means going on trips with them, meeting with them to encourage them spiritually, and just living among them to help them in their walk with Christ.

My support is coming at a slow yet steady rate. My one-time total as of today is $7,925.00 (out of $17,400) and my monthly pledge total is $353 (out of $2500). I know of a couple hundred dollars in monthly pledges that will be coming soon, but that is definitely where my need is. I have more e-giving cards from MTW if you are considering giving monthly and don't want to have to worry about writing a check every month. You can also determine which paycheck in the month the money comes out of. This will take the money from your account electronically. I recommend it. Contact me if you're interested.

I spoke at the Covenant Presbytery meeting in May and am currently trying to contact them to seek meetings with their missions committees. I also have scheduled a meeting with a church in Columbia, TN for August 16th. It's actually Andy Warren's (the MTW team leader in Ethiopia) dad's church. I am excited about that opportunity to share my ministry.

I am currently trying to set-up a blog, which is a personal website where you can keep up with me on a daily or weekly basis. It is located at plunk.memphisblogs.org. I'm still learning how to use it. I also have a skype account, which is a free instant messenger service where you can talk to me while I'm overseas. My instant messenger name is jimplunk. Also, my email address is jim.plunk@gmail.com. These are the best ways of contacting or keeping up with me outside of my monthly updates.

Your financial support and prayers are incredibly encouraging to me during this difficult phase in my life. The investment of your treasures into eternal things is inspiring to me and will yield fruit into me, the team already in Ethiopia, and most importantly, those who are suffering from AIDS. I do not take it lightly that you support, pray, and even think of me and I hope to sufficiently update you throughout the next few years. Please feel free to contact me with any comments, questions, or encouragement.

Prayer Requests:

1. The team in Ethiopia and the beneficiaries (AIDS patients). Praise that the number of deaths has decreased and that the team now has access to a government hospital where patients can be tested, which will hopefully help with preventing the spread of HIV.

2. Encouragement and perseverance for me during this time of support raising. Many of my friends do not live here anymore and I'm struggling with having the patience to wait on God's perfect timing for my departure into the next stage of life.

3. Opened doors to speak at churches in hopes of getting monthly financial and prayer support. Praise for the opportunity at Presbytery.

4. My distance relationship. Yes I'm in one and it is and will be difficult. Her name is Heather and she will be a junior at Covenant this fall. We haven't seen each other since May 11th and won't until she comes here July 19th. Pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit during this rough time.

5. My ministry this summer at my church. Praise for employment and this wonderful opportunity. I'm speaking this Wednesday at youth group and going on a mission trip to St. Louis in July. I'm also trying to partner with inner city ministries.

6. Flexible temporary employment for the fall when my internship ends in August.

In Him,

Jim Plunk
Missionary to Ethiopia