by: Kevin Squires | Sr. Director of International Programs
Reminiscing about his childhood, Negusse remembers the silence, the loneliness, and the constant pacing across the fields of common ground as he herded his family’s cattle. His eyes would often be fixated on the cattle, but his mind would always wander to what his life would be like as he grew into a man. His parents were supportive, hardworking, and strong, and as the religious persecution of Christians was sweeping through Ethiopia in the early 2000s, they ran to the Lord rather than running away from him. With few Christians around them, Negusse and his family grew close as they studied the Word together and saw how the unparalleled life of Jesus blossomed from the shores of Galilee to the ends of the earth.
Negusse wasn’t much of a traditional student, as studying the life and impact of Christ throughout the Bible was his main focus and desire. With his parents’ support, he left the fields where he had spent years herding, and he enrolled in a Bible school in the city. He felt destined to make an impact in this world through simply following Christ to wherever he would lead him. Following Bible school, he did whatever he could do to serve his local church. He worked in the office. He served the poor. When he had nothing to do, he stepped outside the church and would walk up and down the street evangelizing to anyone that would listen. The whole town knew him as the evangelist, the young man who would hear their cries, care for their needs, and talk about the God who loves and the God who saves.
Although still young, he became an elder of his church in his early 20s, taking on the role of outreach and pastoral care. His heart for his community only slightly paled in comparison to his heart for the Lord, and the community saw that. When his church agreed to partner with World Orphans Home Based Care program, Negusse became the lead coordinator, caring for the families of twenty widows in desperate need.
As a boy, he had been a herdsman of cattle, but as a man, he had become a fisher of men. The faith that the Lord had given him began resulting in the spiritual growth of widows, orphans, and some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
Ferehiwot is a 17-year-old girl whose parents had passed away leaving her to raise her three siblings, including her youngest sister who was only fifteen days old. When Negusse discovered they were all sleeping on the floor, he bought them beds. Although Ferehiwot was initially skeptical of the church, she grew to trust Negusse. She even once said that “if we’re going to die, we may as well die in the church because at least they care about us.” Today, through Negusse’s love and care through the ministry of the church, Ferehiwot receives ongoing care and discipleship.
There’s also Tiruwork, a widowed mother of two. Abandoned by her husband, she felt she had no choice but to give up her children. Wanting to put them in a good situation, she asked everyone in the town what she should do. Person after person pointed her to Negusse and the church. For days, she searched to find his house. Once she found him, she didn’t get what she expected. Rather than take her children in, Negusse encouraged her and said that through the World Orphans program at his church, he would empower her to not only keep her children, but to provide a way for her to care for them through the World Orphans microloan program of sustainability. Three years later, Tiruwork is prospering in her small business, caring for her children, and most importantly, she has begun following the Lord.
To be honest, the stories don’t end. Negusse’s impact continues to sweep through the small town, a 90-minute drive outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. What started as a boy reading the Word while herding cattle, blossomed into a man changing lives through the Word. This is Negusse.
This article was originally published in the World Orphans Fall Insight Magazine 2024.