Ron & Linda Severns

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Missionaries to Ethiopia
P.O. Box 2920
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
East Africa
RON He LINDA SEVERNS
CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP Prayer Newsletter
August 1995
Dear Friends,
I just returned from a week at Haro, the place where
wewill live and minister following our year of
language learning. My primary reason for going at
this time was to host the three summer interns who
have been working with our team of four missionary
families for the past two months.
Because of weather problems. MissionAviation
Fellowship was not able to fly. So, intern Matt Grinn
and I ended up there alone the entire time. Matt is a
student at Florida Christian College, and he and I had
lots of time to visit about his plans for missions
involvement, schooling, etc., while we were there.
We also got a lot of work done on the house: tearing
out old ceilings; putting up walls; and installing
plumbing. In addition. Matt got the first coat of
paint on our new clinic building. It was fun to have
Matt there, and I really appreciated the work he
helped me do.
But the real highlight of the weekfor me was a visit to
Jorga, wherewe havea newchurch beginning.
Recently, they received government permission to
construct a churchbuilding. Ato (Mr.) Qanaa, one of
the Haro church leaders and manager of our clinic
compound, led me on the five-hour hike out and
back. I went to see the property and to be an
encouragement to the congregation there.
The newchurch property is in a beautiful location:
on the highest point in thewhole area, where it will
be seenby all the people around. Together, Qanaa
and I prayed a blessing on that propertyand the
peoplewho will make it a church, then we went down
to where the church currently meets.
Without ever havingseen the property, I had
prepared a message basedon Matthew 5:14-16.
I told them that a city set on a hill cannot be hidden,
and the sameis true of a church. Peoplewill see that
churchbuildingand honor God. But I also pointed
out to them that they, not the church building, are
the light of the world. I believe God had given me
exactly the message theyneeded even with mylimited
language ability. What a highlight for the week!
On a cold, rainy, otherwise miserable Wednesday
morning, wewere allsoaking wet in the thatchedroof
building where the churchmeets, and there was no
sourceof heat. But 50 people had gathered to
worship God and hear a word from Him. Ato
Quanaa and the people therewere apologetic that
only 50 people had come because it was so cold and
rainy, but what a thrill it was to me to seethat many
people come out in a newarea. Another highlight!
On the waybackto Haro, I talked with Ato Qanaa
and found that I was the first missionary ever to visit
Jorga. Former CMF missionary DonJohnson and
manyother missionaries had lived and worked in
Haro, but none had evervisitedJorga. This was a
daughter churchof the churches theyhad worked
with.
As I thought about it, I recognized the parallel
between our work and that of the ApostlePaul at
Ephesus. Acts 19:9-10 tells that Paul taught in
Ephesus, but, after two years, all the people in the
whole province ofAsia hadheard the gospel.
Certainly not everyone came to Ephesus to hear Paul!
So, we assume that the people he taught carried the
message with them as theywent to their homes, to
visit relatives, to do business. Paul was not the
primary evangelist there, rather, he taught those who
took the message out to those whohad not heard. In
the same way, myministry at Haro will not be
primarily one of evangelism. Instead, I will teach and
encourage and lead others to do the ministryGod has
entrusted to them.
Our team of missionaries plans to multiplythemselves
many timesover through the church leaders and
evangelists who teach, encourage, and empower in
order to ftilftll the ministry God hasgiven them.
What a highlight to see that already happening!
When theworship service was completed, the church
leaders prayed for thosewho weresick. I was im
pressed again with the importance of Linda's ministry
in the clinic and in teaching basic healthprinciples. It
was a real confirmation to me ofwhat I believe God
desires to do throughus: to bringboth spiritual and
physical healing and renewal. What a highlight that
confirmation was!
As I CLOSE, I HAVE SEVERAL pRAYER REQUESTS. FOR:
Lindaand me to continue language learningaswe
move away from formal language school and back
into a conversation-based languagelearning
approach.
8/95
Ron and Linda Severns
Christian Missionary Fellowship
P.O. BOX 501020
INDIANAPOLIS. IN 46250-6020
Address Correction Requested
Goodrelationships withthe Oromopeople as we
continue to struggle with their language.
Our team members ~ Dan and Sue Burton, Ray
and Effie Giles, and David and Marsha Van
Wagenen, and our relationships with them.
Church leaders and members at Haro (where the
church isstruggling withsome major difficulties)
and Jorga (where it seems to be vibrant and
growing).
Government renewal of the license for our clinic, so
that wewill be able to purchase sorely-needed
medicines. This has become a major problem in the
past several months.
TAnd, Praises. For:
All the highlights of last week.
Progress we have made in language learning.
Dan and Lisa Turek from our home church in Port
Orchard who will join us for twoweeks in
September to get some major reconstruction done
on the house at Haro.
Lots of rain this rainyseason. It's inconvenient for
us when it takes threedays to get our clothes dry,
but inconvenience is nothing compared to the
importance of goodcrops in a struggling nation.
Every Ethiopian I've talked to is glad for the rains.
Ron Severns
NoopioCtOtganhaiion
U.S. Pottage
PAID
Pcnnit No. 2975
Indianapolis,Indiana
M-ission Sei-'^vicGs
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P 0 Box '4E"7
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