As we have talked about the past several weeks, we long for Trinity Grace to be a church planting church & a church that encourages & supports church planting in Tennessee, the US, & the world.

Just this week, we received an update from Michael Granger in Ethiopia. I want you to read it & join us as we partner with Michael, his wife Kenon, & the team in Ethiopia.

When It Rains It Pours

Blessings that is… Yes, the Lord is raining blessings out here in East Africa! We returned to Ethiopia from our furlough on January 5th and the last 6 weeks have been jam packed with blessings. By the end of our trip to the States, the Lord had answered our prayers and we had enough funds for a vehicle. S o, last week we were finally able to make a purchase. We now own an SUV that is large enough to fit 10-15 people plus supplies. What a generous gift as we prepare to start a new church.

On February 3rd, Abenezer officially began working with us full time. He will be serving the church as the Music Director and Lord willing he is a pastor in training. The fact that he is serving full-time affords us a Paul and Timothy relationship and an opportunity to commit himself to theological study.

And then, on Monday of this week, we put on a City to City Africa: Gospel in the City workshop (pictured above) in which we trained 60 church and para-church leaders/minsters on the importance of Gospel centrality in a 3 seminar study. We were affected to see pastors with over 30 years of experience humbly articulate their need for change. Many confessed they had seen the gospel as something only the lost need rather than something that they themselves and their congregations continuously need. What a sweet example of God’s grace to sustain his servants for a lifetime. May that be said of us in 30 years! We were also excited to see the zeal of the younger future leaders for gospel centrality.

Finally, all these blessings come from the Lord through means—through ministry partners! It is impossible to imagine any of this happening without the blessing of fellowship. . . . You are a blessing to us!

Our new vehicle! Left to right: Dawit (my brother-in-law), Me (the white guy who looks like an Ethiopian), Abenezer. I could not have purchased this vehicle without their assistance. I feel like a fish out of water in Ethiopia's vehicle market.

Prayer Requests

Short term prayer requests:

Please pray for Abenezer - for growth in wisdom, grace, theological discernment, and holiness; for our unity; and for a wife.
Please pray for Aster (the single mother who lives and works with us) and her two children. We want to disciple her and her children well. Pray for unity in our relationships and for the gospel to powerfully heal and strengthen them.
Please pray for a building for our church to meet in. Our top two desired locations have fallen through.
Please pray for God to bring us the perfect Ethiopian church planting team. We are praying for 12 Ethiopians with an obsession for Jesus and a heart of service.

Long term prayer requests:

Please pray that God would give us grace for a life-long sustained obsessing love for the person of Christ.
Please pray for total surrender to Christ.
Please pray that God would help us to start a Christ-Centered Church in Addis Ababa that would serve as a model to all of Ethiopia.
Please pray that God would give us faithful and gifted indigenous partners; that he would lead us to the right men to disciple and train for ministry.