By Dr. Adriana Bara, National Director, CNEWA Canada

For those visiting Ethiopia for the first time, the experience can hardly be described in words alone; it must be lived. It was the same for me and my two colleagues during our visit to Ethiopia to see the projects supported by our organization, the Catholic Near East Welfare Association. How can you explain how deeply moved you are when people put flowers at the door for you to step on when you cross their threshold, or when they wash your feet out of the love and joy that you to visited them? We experienced Ethiopian hospitality when we were welcomed at the Franciscan monastery where we stayed with nuns in Addis Ababa, and also when we were welcomed by our dearest CNEWA colleagues. As an agency of the Holy See, CNEWA supports Eastern churches throughout the region, providing pastoral and humanitarian support. We were welcomed by our CNEWA Addis Ababa colleagues and brought to visit those whose lives are impacted by the support of our Canadian donors.

The Ethiopians that we met follow the example of our Savior Jesus Christ, who is their model of life par excellence, not only when they are praying in the church but also in their daily lives.

The morning begins for these Ethiopians with prayer. At 5:30 am, the bells of the church call them to mass, and when they arrive at the church, they take off their shoes.

They stand barefoot on the “Holy Land,” which is the Church, where believers unite themselves with Christ in partaking of the Holy Communion during the mass. When the mass finishes at 7:00 am, people are ready for work and children for school, carrying with them the blessings of the mass.

CNEWA supports many Catholic schools, providing teaching programs, scholarships, and meals for children from poor families. Some children are so impoverished that they lack not only food but also drinking water. They receive bread and hot tea from the loving nuns who care for them during their time at school. Many of these children have never tasted meat or chocolate, yet their beautiful, sweet faces radiate with light and joy. They live in close proximity to God and believe that the entire world does the same.

On one of the days, we went to a forgotten corner of the world, to visit a tribe that had not come into contact with other people, until missionary priests reached to them and built roads for them. Together, they have now built roads, homes and even a church. Today, they receive visitors to worship with them. We also met Fr. Frew Chekol, a hermit who cares for the children of day laborers while they work on nearby farms. Fr. Frew teaches more than 100 children to read and provides them with food from his garden. He plants teff, the cereal from which he makes injera, traditional Ethiopian bread, to feed the children. After the children return home for the day, Fr. Frew works the land and bakes bread until late at night to have food for the children the next day.

Finally, the encounter with Sr. Surabela impacted me the most.

A few years ago, Sister Surabela was kidnapped. It is hard to imagine the hell that the nun went through until she was liberated. After this terrible event in her life, Sister Surabela returned to India, her home country, to seek healing. God healed the nun completely and transformed the evil done to her into strength and fearlessness against any evildoers of this world.

She returned to Ethiopia and, together with three other nuns trained in medicine and two medical assistants, built a clinic for poor people. All the medicines are supported by funds from CNEWA, thanks to the incredible generosity of donors.Sister Surabela is an example of a Christian with deep faith. Her face radiates light, and her warm smile and kindness bring comfort to the sick, in addition to healing their wounds. The sisters refer patients to the closest hospitals if they cannot heal them at the clinic.

I end this text with a kind request to remember our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia in your prayers. If you can and wish to donate to Ethiopia, please visit our website.

And if you wish to give a significant gift for one of the CNEWA projects in Ethiopia and would like to see the needs on the ground with your own eyes, please remember that any of us from our team is ready to accompany you to the Beloved Ethiopia for a visit that would truly fill your heart with all the details words pain to describe.

Source: https://cnewa.org/ca/the-beloved-ethiopia/