Ethiopia 2014
Ethiopia 2014 – Update #3
Sunday, after breakfast, Sarah taught the group on Genesis 11, where Abraham’s father, Terah, had lost his son Haran, yet continued to journey to Canaan, but when he came to the city of Haran, same name as his son’s, and got ‘stuck’ there and stayed until he died. Sarah’s message was about pressing on after loss, and not getting stuck as Terah did. We have a future and a hope, and what’s in front of us is bigger and better than what is behind us.
Then the group boarded the buses to the last healing meeting, which was the Sunday morning service at Beza. Marilyn taught on healing, citing many personal testimonies of witnessing the demonstration of God’s healing power. Marilyn called for people with crooked spines and lower back problems to be healed, then growths and tumors to be healed, then a call for salvation and re-commitment. Many came forward and testified of their healing.
In the evening, the travelers enjoy the Celebration/Farewell dinner and another powerful message from Marilyn.
On Monday morning after breakfast, Marilyn had a time for a Grace Offering, encouraging people to believe and give BIG.
Then the travelers toured a famous Ethiopian Orthodox church called the Holy Trinity. This is a church that Haile Selassie built, and he and his wife are buried there, as well. This looked very similar to an ornate Catholic church, with its icons along the wall and stained glass windows. There was a museum on the same property, and the travelers toured that next. There were golden crowns in this museum.
Then back to the hotel for lunch, then off for a brief shopping excursion, and then off to the airport for the 17 1/2 hour flight home.
We want to thank all the friends and partners of Marilyn Hickey Ministries—you help make trips like this possible.
Ethiopia 2014 – Update #2
On Friday morning, the group got up early to catch flights to Addis, then upon arrival, checked into the Hilton hotel for the second time. They had lunch and prepared for the first of three meetings at the Beza International church.
Marilyn met the president of Ethiopia shortly after landing, and the meeting was very pleasant with Marilyn feeling very at-home with him. More details about this historic meeting coming soon.
Sarah arrived in Addis, and greeted the travelers as they left for the evening meeting. The church and its members were warm and inviting. There’s not much of a police presence in any of the cities visited including the bustling capital, and the people live in simplicity and harmony – very impressive.
Beza means ‘redemption’ in the Ethiopian language of Amharic. This meeting was geared to church leaders and pastors, and was held in the chapel area where their administrative offices were, which is also the youth chapel. The place holds 500 and was packed out. Marilyn is very well respected here, and the leadership of the church expressed their appreciation and gratitude for her coming.
Marilyn spoke first about 4 keys to success: 1. meditate on the Word, 2. speak the Word, 3. do the Word, and 4. look for success. Sarah spoke next on Increase, using the life of Jacob as an example. She said the 4 questions we need to ask ourselves to help us increase is: 1. who am I? 2. What do I do? 3. What time is it with respect to the seasons in your life, and 4. Am I growing? Both MH and SB also ministered specific words and scriptures to individuals. The time and space was too tight to have the travelers pray for the needs of the people, nevertheless the evening was anointed and everyone had a great time.
On Saturday they had another early wake up time to go to Project Mercy, a community development organization. Project Mercy has its hands in the fields of medicine, education, water purification, AIDs programs, prenatal care, and a whole host of other things. They have several hundred acres and multiple compounds in various places, not only in Ethiopia. They are making a difference. They have a church building that seats maybe 200-300, and with our travelers, the place was filled as Marilyn taught on generational curses and blessing, citing her own testimony with mental illness in her family, the miracle birth of Sarah, and the healing of her spine. After the service, the travelers went to an area by the children’s school where they had set up a tent, and had a scrumptious, organic lunch fit for kings and queens. All of the meal was made from the veggies and grains in their community gardens.
Animals—goats, mules (lots of them), oxen, dogs, horses, and more walk freely on the streets, and sometimes the bus rides were quite exciting with the frequent swerves to avoid donkeys who occasionally wandered across the road unaware of oncoming traffic!
The evening service was in their regular sanctuary, which seats maybe 2,000 to 3,000. It was packed and all were eager to hear Sarah preach. The worship was lively and engaging, and Marilyn spoke first, introducing Sarah to the congregation. Sarah started with some specific words/scriptures for people, a general encouraging scripture for Beza, Hebrews 6:14, and then she prayed for women having difficulties getting pregnant. At the end of her message, she also had an altar call for salvation, fresh starts (renewal).
Sarah’s message was on how to cope with the times when God doesn’t answer prayer, citing the story in John 11 when Lazarus died and Martha and Mary’s response to Jesus when he delayed coming to them to heal him. Excellent teaching, eager listeners, and the travelers were able to lay hands on the sick, and left for the hotel eager for God to use them again in tomorrow morning’s service, the last before departing for home.
Ethiopia 2014 – Update #1
After landing in Addis, we enjoyed a smooth check-in to the Addis Hilton hotel and enjoyed a colorful Ethiopia/American lunch after freshening up. Our Land Only travelers joined us throughout the day, and by afternoon, most if not all joined the main group of 91 travelers on a bit of city-sightseeing tour.
In the evening, we enjoyed our Welcome dinner, where Marilyn addressed the group, and showed the Ethiopia 2002 International Ministry Update Video.
The next morning, we had a very early wake up call, met for breakfast and headed to Axum for our time in that city. Axum is beautiful, and our first tour was to the ruins of the obelisks which were tributes to the various kings of the region. We learned that—the bigger the columns meant the bigger the kingdom. One was so big that it fell because erosion over time caused the foundation to shift, and one was very small representing a 6 hour kingship—a king who was killed by the people.
Then we visited the palace of the Queen of Sheba. The connection between Ethiopia and Israel is strong because of the lineage of King Solomon through her. She had at least a three story palace with over 50 rooms and had a special cactus tree, very unusual in looks, that has been preserved over all these thousands of years, that we saw. One interesting fact was that in her day, the mode of transportation was camel and walking, so they estimate that it took at least a year to get from Ethiopia to Jerusalem. Legend has it that Solomon’s son, Menelik, was born on the trek back, and as he grew older, was teased because it was believed that his father did not name him, which was a shameful thing. There are many legends about the Ark of the Covenant being in Ethiopia, but the one the guide told us about was that because of the boy’s teasing, Queen Sheba sent word to Solomon about this, and that the Ark of the Covenant was sent to Menelik to prove his lineage.
Another interesting fact is that all succeeding kings of Ethiopia had to be of Solomon’s lineage.
At the end of the day we returned for our last dinner in Axum, where Marilyn taught on betrayal. We then prepared for the flight out the next day to Lalibela. Lalibela is one of the most gorgeous towns in Ethiopia. The people, land, and especially the children are so beautiful! We started the tour at the largest of the rock-hewn churches, and then proceeded to tour a few of the smaller ones. All intricately carved by hand, the legend and science differ in their estimates of the time it took to build it. The legend says 24 years with the help of angels, science says 200 years. Imagine! All by hand chisel and the measurements are precise and startlingly beautiful!
At the evening dinner, Marilyn taught on REST. She also shared with each table – life-changing scriptures and prophetic utterances!
The next morning after breakfast, praise and worship, and prayer, we visited more rock-hewn churches, and a church that was carved out of a cave. That evening, we had dinner served out on the roof of the hotel, and enjoyed an incredible panoramic view of Lalibela, and just in time to watch the beautiful sunset. Marilyn taught on the Holy Spirit, and then had people come up who needed to be filled with the Spirit.
