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Ethiopia has a long, remarkable, history. It is helpful for any visiting American to develop some understanding and appreciation for its culture and history. Biblical connections go back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who is believed to have come from Axum, an ancient capital of Ethiopia. Ethiopian royalty traces its lineage to that union.
Unlike most African languages, Amharic, the national Ethiopian language, belongs to the Semitic group of languages like Hebrew. Ethiopia is one of only two African countries with written historical documents going back over two thousand years. It is one of the earliest countries in Africa with ties to Christianity. The New Testament records the conversion of an Ethiopian eunuch by the apostle Phillip.
The Coptic Church in Ethiopia has roots going back to the third century. It belongs to the Eastern Orthodox group of churches, but many of its traditions and practices are distinct from other eastern churches. In addition to the Coptic and other Christian churches, Ethiopia has many other religious groups. People of the small Falasha tribe in northern Ethiopia are known as the Black Jews because of their explicit Old Testament traditions and practices. Muslims represent over a third of Ethiopia’s population, and a sizeable number of tribal groupings retain ancient pagan beliefs and practices.
Ethiopia is said to be home to over eighty tribal or ethnic groups, most with their own distinct language or dialect. This, along with its religious diversity, gives Ethiopia many cultural flavors within its national boundaries. Still, the major Ethiopian cultural groups give the country most of its distinctive character.
Project Mercy is located in rural Yetebon, a two-hour drive south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. Its setting in the foothills of the Gurage Mountains is magnificent. Most of the people are Muslim, and like Muslims elsewhere, they heed daily calls to prayer.
In spite of being Muslim, elders of the Yetebon community asked Marta and Deme, founders of Project Mercy, to establish their base in the area. Even after Marta and Deme said that they were Christian and that the schools and all other work in Project Mercy would be explicitly Christian-based, the elders begged them to come there. Buttressed with this understanding, Project Mercy began in Yetebon.
In the early years of getting established in the area, there were a few times of friction as Muslim parents objected to the Christian-based teaching in Project Mercy’s Medhani-Alem School. However, Marta and Deme held firm to their faith and eventually the Muslim opposition miraculously dissipated. Today, the acceptance and friendship between Project Mercy and the surrounding community is remarkable.
Taylor University is also Christian-based, so when Taylor students came to Project Mercy for their J-term experience, they came with the commitment to share their faith in Christ along with their teaching. They did this in fun ways in the classroom and on the playing fields, all fitting in well with Marta and Deme’s desire to establish a broad understanding of faith in the community, without being confrontational. It is wonderful to see American and Ethiopian young people, Muslim and Christian, working in the classroom together, enjoying their free time together, and happily playing sports like soccer and volleyball with each other. How great it would be if the rest of the world could adopt this example!
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