Desperate Ethiopian Food Crisis - many Christian families are literally starving

Shalala weed now being eaten

Insect on bean leaf

Completely destroyed Teff

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Dear friends, The situation in Ethiopia has become exceedingly desperate, especially in the countryside - and the news shared below apparently has not yet registered on the consciences of those who should be disseminating it to the rest of the world. I got this letter from a physician friend of mine who travels back and forth with her pastor husband to Ethiopia and other parts of Africa, doing AIDS education/prevention work, community health training, and pastoral education. Thus I know this information is coming from a reliable source. (If you cannot see the photos attached, for illustration, I have posted them at my blog -- see the address below.) I think we need to each be asking ourselves (and our congregations) some personal questions: e.g. "What can or should we be doing about this? To whom else should I be passing along this appeal, in order to encourage further investigation and response?" This unfortunately represents but one, but perhaps the most desperate, among many situations in our current global food crisis.

--Clair

20 Kookaburra Ridge / 4 Tauss Place, Bruce, ACT, 2617, Australia
Australia phone: 61-2-6253-4072 USA phone contact: 508-762-4226
Email: Clair.Hochstetler@gmail.com

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: update@hopeinview.org
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:13:45 -0500
Subject: [Update from Carolyn Klaus] More urgent news from Ethiopia

Dear Friends,

I apologize for writing again about the famine in Ethiopia, but we've received new information that we feel compelled to share with you. Here are excerpts from Messele's report of his meeting with our 10 church-planter/community-developers this week, with his pictures attached:

In their reporting time before the training they reported on obstacles they are facing in their ministry because of the severe famine created in their mission sites and all around. Many children died because of the lack of nutrition. Some families have lost two or three children. They have nothing to eat now and for the coming period because of an uncountable insect fallen in to their teff, maize, potato and bean.

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Now for the letter from Messele:

Dear family, the truth is this but if you heard our mass media, this truth is denied by our own authorities for the sake of politics. The famine is serious everywhere but it is more serious in countryside. People in towns at least have salary or some other financial income to buy what they could. But people in countryside almost lost the only thing they have. Do you believe me if I truly tell you that many people including some of our missionaries are eating a weed and if affordable cabbage with out any additional food? I myself went and verified this by my own eyes. I wept when I saw this during my missions sites visit.

Here are personal reports from our church planters from this past week:

• T.O.: Robbery is common in Gutu-Onoma because of the famine. Last week the unbelieving relative of our church member killed a person from another clan for robbery and due to this all of the killer's clan including all church members left the area for the fear of revenge. Now the church is empty until reconciliation because all are from the killer's clan.

• A.D.: Last time on the way to the mission site 6 people I know surrounded me and gave me choice: death or give up my money. I gave them the only 20 birr I had and saved my soul. The famine is serious in our Kebele [neighborhood]. Yesterday night me and my family had cabbage dinner with out any additional and today just now I am here without breakfast.
  

• W.B.: I sold the only oxen I had for farming for 1000 birr and bought 100kg maize for 550 birr. Now the flour is almost gone and I don't know the next.

• J.T.: I lost all my teff harvest I have. It was my yearly budget. I don't know what will happen to my children.

In all of these sites there is no any aid from the Government or any NGOs, including World Vision or United Nations. Not even any aid from the Government except medication and nutritional food aid to sick mothers and children in Kuyera Hospital. This is the real situation of the area.

Let's pray and do any thing we could for the sake of the compassionate Lord Jesus Christ the Savior. Matthew 25: 33-46.

Your brother,

Messele

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We are profoundly moved by Messele's report and other reports consistent with this that we get from other areas—and by the Scripture he referred to: "Inasmuch as you have not done it unto the least of these My brothers, you have not done it unto Me."

We CAN do something. Even if we can't "fix" the famine for all of Ethiopia, we have the possibility of saving many specific lives and making the good news credible in at least these five Muslim villages. The advice I'm getting from several senior missions statesmen is that in famine, you should get as much nutritious food as possible to the people affected, and worry about sustainability later. Ron and I have looked at our budget and are planning to give all we can to that end. Will you consider joining us? All donations for this purpose should be marked "for famine relief" and should be sent to Hope In View, PO Box 334, Goshen, IN 46527-0334.

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

Your fellow servant,

Carolyn - Update@hopeinview.org

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