Biblical Integration in Education Workshop in Ambo
Friday began with a 5:45 am departure from our hotel in Addis in an old Toyota Land Cruiser Solomon hired to take us to our final workshop location in Ambo. On our way out of the city we saw the sunrise. After a harrowing drive out of the city on a two lane road that was often blocked by slow overloaded trucks and vehicles stopping to pick up riders, we finally made it the location of workshop at the only hotel in town of Ambo (pictured below, with a Palm tree-lined avenue, similar to a Florida city!)
It turns out that this was one of our best-attended workshops, with over 40 teachers and a handful of pastors. We planned to have everything we presented translated into Amharic by Solomon. The further we got into our presentation, the clearer it became that the majority of the teachers didn’t understand either English or Amharic, even though English is the medium of instruction in secondary and tertiary education. Come to find out, we had crossed into an Oromo-speaking area of the country, and when our presentation was translated into Oromo, we began to see more recognition on the faces of the teachers. For a little taste of the language, check out the teachers singing and praising God in Oromo in the video below.
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At the beginning of Carla’s Foundations presentation, she had the teachers change from sitting in rows to small groups. Oh my! This was a new concept and took us quite some time to set up; however, once we got past the initial confusion, they seemed to enjoy working together, and so we continued to work in groups whenever possible for the rest of the day!
Our view out the back window while teaching. Beautiful! And the courtyard below where we hung out at the end of the day.
Coffee and snacks for break time.
Quentin finished the day, as he did with all our workshops, with a brief presentation of the PS78 Teacher Education Program using a brochure we adapted for PS78-TEP/MINTS-Ethiopia. Some interest, but English is a problem here.
Pastor Seifu was our host for this workshop. He is leader of the Ambo Evangelical Churches Association and founder and director of the Rehoboth Christian School system. Solomon is praying for a MINTS—Ethiopia Seminary branch in Ambo. Could Pastor Seifu be recruited to help Solomon with this vision? Pray!
We have discovered that “Selfies” are not just an American thing! All wanted a picture with Carla and Quentin. Fun time!
A short video clip from our last ride into Addis Ababa on our way back from Ambo.
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We arrived back at our hotel around 7:30 PM, quick change, then off to the airport. After a trek across a highway with our suitcases, three body and luggage checks, and a quick stop at Burger King (Yum!), we arrived at our gate with a few minutes to spare before our 10:50 pm flight. Our brand-new plane served us well for our 17-hour flight back to the U.S. From there, we both made it home (Fort Myers or Tampa) by mid-afternoon Saturday. Thankful to be home! We are grateful for the privilege of interacting with and teaching the many teachers we encountered on this trip to Ethiopia — and we look forward to working with a number of them as they study with us.
A special, final thanks to Solomon, our hero, and our friend!
May God continue to bless all your efforts to equip leaders, for His glory!
Signing off from Ethiopia! Thanks to all who have read and prayed for our time of ministry here.