Thanksgiving

Dear Friends and Family,

May your holiday be filled with blessings as you celebrate Thanksgiving in the most wonderful country on the planet. I truly believe it is a great country because it was founded and established on the belief of a God in whom we trust.. Hopefully, today, those who have turned away from Him will have their eyes opened and come before our Father and thank Him for our rich heritage and prosperity.

I do wish this country of Ethiopia, where I am now into my third year of calling it “Home,” would have a thankful heart for the harvest which is now in progress. There was much rain, just a couple of weeks before the harvest began, which threatened to destroy the crops. Not only will there be grain to store but there is presently water in the rivers and streams for bathing, washing clothes, and irrigating crops during this very dry season (I can’t keep enough lip balm on).

One of the greatest blessings was the privilege of witnessing a medical team that had come here for two weeks from Menlo Park, CA. God worked through them in a phenomenal way! They had months of intense training before coming to Ethiopia. Not only did the team members serve in our hospital as nurses, dentist, and surgeon, but they also had scheduled trips to clinics around the region to provide support for the medical staff in those places by serving to diagnose illnesses and distribute medications. One nurse took along a “Daniel” puppet and always drew a crowd of children who were told how Daniel loved the Lord and was protected. They led many people to Christ. They had team support strategies in place which were very effective. I was in awe of their commitment, tireless efforts, positive attitudes, and proficient use of the gifts God had brought them here to use for Him.

Another blessing, which was huge, was that we were able to accommodate 50 more kindergarten students in our school this year. When I was asked if I could take 20 extra children I replied, “Sure, I will take 1800 more (the number who did not draw a ‘lot’), bring them on!” It had been difficult to turn even one child away during the registration process (which didn’t happen until I had been back in Ethiopia for 6 weeks—a real challenge for me!). We now have 5 classes and the extra class meets in the lunchroom—why not? That space is not used during the morning and there is no furniture to move because the children sit on the floor. Now, all the great activities which my sister Sharron taught and prepared the school for last January has become a daily class for each child as they move every half hour from one class to another. Sharron is just learning about our new enrichment class as she reads this letter for the first time. Thank you, Sharron, for the contribution you made and the supplies you put together or bought from donations made by your church friends and neighbors.

I can’t show enough gratitude for the automobile, which became available to me this year. It has been a tremendous help and has eliminated the frustrations I had when needing to communicate with anyone in the U.S. Now I have easy transport to the Internet Café, the one telephone (a mile from where I live), and trips I needed to make to Addis Ababa (3 weekends and a workday straight) to renew my residence VISA, which is always a difficult process. I feel that I know Addis Ababa very well now and when I become lost I just consider it another opportunity to learn about a different part of the city. The English worship services at the International Evangelical Church in Addis have become the highlight of my weekends when I must be in Addis.

I thank God for the humbling experience I had of witnessing the way in which He worked with the children who attended our Bible School for our Kindergarten students the last week of the school year. Many accepted Christ and have been divinely protected since.

As you can see, there are many things to be grateful for, even for an American in a third world country.

Most of all I am grateful for your prayers. When I first came I felt the prayer support stronger. I think it was because there was more interest in this new calling and direction God was giving me. However, I need prayer, even more, now. Though there is much good that has taken place this past year there are daily challenges, unexpected problems, and the need for better understanding and cooperation among those who live here. So, if my name is no longer on you prayer list I plead that you will return to lifting me up in prayer each time you think of me.

I love being in His Service. Don’t you, wherever you are?

God bless you and be with you,

Dee Donalson