Ato Mulu receives his wheelchair

Ato Mulu, Director of Public Relations for the Hossana Water Management Office was happy to receive his wheelchair. For several years he has been walking on his hands (in leather slippers) and knee-pads to and from work. He is the first of 100 recipients to be provided with a wheelchair through the cooperative efforts of CBF missionary, Dee Donalson; Ato Wondimu(also in photo), Academic Dean at the Kale Heywet Ministerial Training College in Hosanna, Ethiopia; Gail Thompson with the organization, "Joni and Friends; Wheels for the World, who provided the wheelchair.
This is the first of 101 wheelchairs to be given to recipients living in the region of Hossana, Ethiopia. Shortly after the Wheelchair was received to be taken by Dee to Ethiopia Sept. 25th,
she had a call from Gail letting her know that there were 100 more to be picked up at Norton Correctional Institute in Norton, Kansas.
Steve Ewing, at Compassionate Alliance, was contacted and one of his drivers, who had just unloaded supplies in Texas for Ike Hurricane victims went directly to Norton, Kansas and brought the wheelchairs back to their headquarters in Ocala, FL where they have been placed into a shipping container to be sent to Ethiopia with a prefabricated 8-room school building; also for children living in Hossana, Ethiopia for a Kindergarten started at the Ministerial College campus by Dee.
A great BIG thanks goes to a donor of the Sanibel Community Church who wishes to remain anonymous. He paid for the shipping of the wheelchairs which Compassionate Alliance provided for half the normal shipping charges from Kansas to Florida. The shipping from the U.S. to Ethiopia and the cost of the school building, which will be put up in five days by a team from Compassionate Alliance, will also need to be supported financially.
Dee has experienced the new trend in missions in the 21st Century, first hand; as CBF is all about bridging serving individuals and organizations to make a world of difference in Global missions. As Rob Nash of CBF has explained, the missionary is the Body of Christ moving the Great Commission into all the World....

Temporary Resident's Visa

Dear Friends,

I will be leaving Addis Ababa in a very few days to return to my home in Hosanna.

When I arrived in Ethiopia, almost 2 weeks ago, I was told by my administrator that
renewing my resident's visa would take three days. I knew to not get too excited about that expectation.

For the past 4 years, obtaining the resident's visa and renewing it has been a very frustrating experience. I will save you the details. Even though it took longer than ever to get the visa renewed this year, it was by far the easiest for me. I continued with other work here at the SIM Guest House while a person, trained to collect this document for the Kale Heywet (Word of Life) Church expatriots, did all the foot work.

This document is necessary if I am to stay in the country for more than six months each year. I must be represented by a non-government agency in Ethiopia; present all
my legal documents and letters; plus: diplomas, transcripts, and birth certificate to the Ministry of Labor to first obtain a Work Permit. This is taken to the Ministry of Immigration for the final I.D. card; approving temporary residence for one year.

Praise the Lord! It is done and I have an appointment on Friday afternoon to pick up the laminated I.D. card. Then, I will be heading back to Hosanna on Saturday a.m.

I have much to be thankful for. I have been writing about some of the wonderful connections my Heavenly Father had arranged this summer and more recently. The latest is with a team from a church in England. One person in that group, John, is an inventor of printing machines which all the major printing companies in England, America, and Canada use.

John kept asking what he could do to help. He offered to send wheelchairs from England but I told him that that had already been worked out with "Joni and Friends."
Then, one day when he was telling me about the printing machines he had invented, I let him know that the Bible College students could not afford to purchase even copies of text books which have British Publishers.

John took off with this idea, embraced it and asked me if I could get the names of the textbooks. While I was still talking with him I received a phone call from the Academic Dean of the Bible College, Wondimu. Right then, in those moments I introduced the two men over the phone, received the list and number of books needed that evening, and John put me in touch with an organization that sales Christian Textbooks in Africa at cost. John will pay for the books and the shipping, DHL.

So many good things happen if we follow The Word and "wait on the Lord." It is all in His timing. If I had gotten the visa renewed in three days I would have been in Hosanna long before now and would have never met John. God sent an angel!

How can I express my gratitude except to say:
"To Him be the glory and may He be exalted!" I am only one of millions in the Body of Christ, through whom He blesses others and works out His plans.

Yes, in a world that seems upside-down at times, there are still good things going on.
Thank you for letting me share just one of many which I have become aware of these past two weeks. And, will you join me in thanking God for my renewed visa and for the college textbooks? Thank you!

A Happy Servant,
Dee Donalson

In Addis

I arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia a week ago with the wheelchair for Mulu. He will also like the wheelchair bag. I need to get the straps reinforced by a tailor in Hosanna and will to that before giving the wheelchair and bag to Mulu. I am scheduling a physical therapist to fit the chair and
give instructions to Mulu.

I was permitted to use the chair so I did not have to put it on as checked baggage. However, it really limited my own carry on allowance. Three pieces were not allowed so I took the wheelchair bag and my small backpack purse. I knew I couldn't handle a roll-on with a wheelchair. The straps of the wheelchair bag broke because I had so much weight in it.

Most of my time has been spent networking with other missionaries. The team that
came from the "Water for Life" organization will be returning in Feb. and they have
been working in Hosanna for the past 2 months teaching Health and Sanitation.
One of the projects they are teaching is "Arbor-Lobe." It is a shallow latrine which
is covered with dirt when nearly filled. Then a tree is planted in this spot. It could be an idea for relief on the mountain-top lot, right? They also teach water purification and well digging. One member of this team has already agreed to help me teach trainers when she returns in Feb.

Another team is with the "Hope for Ethiopian Orphans." They took me with them to meet a precious Ethiopian Woman named Hanna who has a project of taking children out of prison where they were stay with incarcerated mothers. It has been so helpful here in Addis Ababa that she has gone to two other cities in Ethiopia and done the same. She has agreed to come to Hosanna to investigate to find out if children are in the prison there. If so, there will be a cooperative effort to work with my friend who is Dir. of Social Services in Hosanna to get the children into orphanages there.

Then, yesterday, God answered a prayer for other women to have fellowship and Bible Study with me. They are from Sodo, just 2 hours South of Hosanna. They have been living there for a long time and their husbands are doctors. I have an open door to go, when I feel the need to be with other English-speaking families---something I really missed last year.

I have to stay here in Addis while I wait for my Resident's Visa to be renewed. There is never a clue about the length of time it takes to process these documents through the Ministry of Labor and Ministry of Immigration. Meanwhile, in addition to making contacts with other missionaries, volunteers, and not-for-profit administrators, I am getting other needed things done like writing "Project Request Proposals" to be approved by my CBF African Team; paintings to sale for ministry support, and gathering consumable supplies to take to Hosanna.