Ethipoia: God is at Work

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for all those who carry His heart for His chosen family and who intercede for God-ordained connections!

Mike Frank (of the Kansas City International House of Prayer) and I returned Wednesday evening from Ethiopia, Israel and Cyprus. It was physically grueling at moments, but also full of God-filled moments.

At the East African TJCII consultation in Addis, we saw an Anglican Bishop from Kenya (who represented the arch-bishop) representatives from Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania, a Rumanian Orthodox priest and a Syrian brother from Damascus—all on the floor weeping for the past sins of their people against the Jewish people. Our Jewish brothers embraced them, spoke forgiveness and blessings over them, but were also quick to confess the sins of their own fathers in not receiving the Messiah as the One sent from God. Representatives from the Beit Israel (Ethiopian, many of whom have waited in refugee camps for years for permission to return to their ancient homeland) were also present for the meetings and we were able to bless them with an offering of several thousand dollars. (All of you were a part of that offering through our Caleb portion.)

One hundred plus pastors and leaders from Ethiopia were with us daily. We were together from morning to evening, providing lunch for all of them daily. (You helped in this as well!)

I got another piece of the interesting mosaic that makes up the believing community in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is the only national church in the world that came to the Lord out of Judaism, rather than out of paganism. There was a historically definable Jewish community in Ethiopia several hundred years before Jesus. The Ethiopian eunuch was obviously from that community. He was either Jewish by birth or by conversion, since he was returning from Jerusalem for worship and was reading Isaiah 53 when Philip joined him. (And this was before Cornelius experience that opened the door to non-Jews.) He obviously returned to Ethiopia and, from his high position in government, proclaimed the good news to his country. Many of his fellow Jewish countrymen and others received the message. Today the Ethiopian Orthodox Church still bears the imprint of its Jewish heritage. They circumcise sons on the 8th day, they maintain a biblically kosher diet, they eat unleavened bread during the 8 days around Pesach, and there is an “ark” rather than a cross at the center of their church buildings.

After Ethiopia, Mike and I went back to Israel in order to spend time with Talia, Gamliel’s widow. Gamliel was one of Eitan Shishkoff’s key leaders who lost his battle with cancer and was promoted to an early home-going.

We had many other timely visits with leaders in the body in Israel and I spoke at two of the Tel Aviv congregations on the Sabbath. We met with Ayal Frieden just as he was returning from the police station for further questioning regarding a young person who has received the Lord (it is against the Law to try to convince a minor to change their faith).

We went to Cyprus primarily to visit with Nehemiah and Shersti Rudolph whose young son was born with major health problems. Mike and Robbie Frank’s daughter Alexis was born with similar birth defects. She lived three and a half years. It was through her sickness that the Franks became acquainted with the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. After her death three years ago, they moved to Kansas City where Mike became Mike Bickle’s CEO for a season. Mike and I both ended up teaching in Gateways Beyond School one day, and of course I relished the time with Hunter Verner and to hear that he is doing exceptionally well.

The trip home had some challenges because of weather conditions in Newark when we arrived, but we are safely sequestered in our homes for a much-desired reunion with family and close friends.

God is at work! In Israel and in the Nations! Let us rejoice and remember to pray that His will continue to be done on earth as in heaven.

Don Finto