Kriittiseen aikaan Kambatassa

Bezunesh lähetti meille raportin. Hän kävi Kambatan alueella, missä juuri on meneillään ympärileikkauskausi. Myönnän itkeneeni ilosta lukiessani, että  ihmiset ottivat hänen opetuksensa vastaan avoimesti ja vahvasti. Hän pääsi paikan päälle hyvin kriittiseen aikaan, ja luultavasti pystyi opetuksellaan vaikuttamaan monen tytön lähitulevaisuuteen!

My dears all of who supported me and my project who live in Finland

As I informed you before, my topic for this time was:

What are the Challenges of Women in Kambata Society

Among Christian Community? 

"...Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."

 (Col 3:1-17)

I stayed for six days in Kambata area teaching about the challenges of women in Kambata area in my central work place in Zama Congregation. The time was very special, because according to Kambata culture September month is circumcision time for both males and females. Also this time is very unique for me too because I got the chance to teach uncircumcised girls in this circumcision season. 

 This time I taught more than 60 married women and 20 unmarried girls. Even this time also many men came to listen. Many men heard the challenges of women and so they came to understand about their women what they like. The following picture shows circumcised and married womens group and uncircumcised girls group.

Womens group

Girls group

As I mentioned before my based my teachings on Colossians 3:1-17. I asked: What was the challenges of those Colossian christians? ->Their challenge was false teaching including circumcision. This is unbiblical teaching. Then I asked: When we look at our area, what are the challenges for us to become free from any unbiblical teachings? ->Strongly there are many challenges for women in Kambata area in Christian community as well as non Christian community. For instance: Culture is a problem for women, women’s place in society, power imbalance, dehumanization, socio-economic oppression and Female Gentile Mutilation are some of womens challenges. All of these challenges affects women’s lives, especially female gentile mutilation as a harmful and dangerous practicing. I told them that this harmful tradition is unbiblical and I affirmed that by saying there is no biblical evidence for this practice.

My friends, I brought this teaching word sample for the benefit of you and to response your questions. I thought you might want to know what my teaching on this topic was.

Respons and furhter plans

The response of people on this teaching was very positive and nice. They encouraged me by giving strong suggestions. They said they want to learn more about these challenges and that they will start to stop this harmful practice and unbiblical teaching as Christian community. Also the response of some uncircumcised girls was that "we never accept this unbiblical teaching and harmful tradition in our lives and we will start to cut this practice from our friends too". They told they need more than this knowledge about the challenges of women to search a solution for these kinds of challenges.

Now I am preparing my teaching program for next time. My next topic is How Women are Affected in FGM Practice and the Consequences of FGM Practice on Women’s Lives. 

Please pray for me to become successful in my teaching in different churches. Also I have vision for other areas to teach on this project because I want freedom for all Ethiopian women in any regions. I will try to go to Oromia region in December. There I will stay for six days because the area is very wide and the population is bigger than any other Ethiopian ethnic group. And also that area, especially Bale kokosa area, is unreached in Gospel. When I reach them in this project purpose, I believe that I can reach almost all of Ethiopian people because they are so large ethnic group in Ethiopia. 

Also I would like to say thank you for your strong support in different sides. Our Lord Jesus Christ blesses all of you and your economy. I do not forget to pray for your mission work what you did with me last time and for farther. May God bless you all of those who read this work report!