Ethiopia

Ethiopia can claim several distinctions among the African nations...including being one of the few African countries mentioned in the Bible. Ethiopia, known in bygone years as Abyssinia, has been somewhat involved in world politics from the Medieval period and was never under a colonial power, other than a short Italian occupation during World War II. Home to over a hundred and ten million people, it is also the world’s most populous land-locked country. In a space nearly twice the size of Texas, many people groups co-exist, each with their own language and way of life. Hardship, however, is known to them all.

Shortly after WWII, Ethiopia suffered under a socialist government for nearly fifteen years. Between internal upheaval and wars and disputes with neighbors, Ethiopia is impoverished and hurting. Nearly a quarter of the nation’s young children are malnourished and millions face hunger as a regular part of life. Approximately 25% of its citizens are unemployed and scarcely more than half are literate.

According to ancient tradition, it was the second country to adopt Christianity after the missionary efforts of two slaves...dating a few centuries after the time of Christ. A church remains today that claims to have its roots in this national conversion; however, if it does, it has so dramatically changed that one would never guess it originated from Biblical Christianity. Most of the country claims to believe a distortion of Christianity, whether it is the Ethiopian Orthodox church or one of the many others that can be found there. Thirty-percent of the population are Islamic. The people are hurting, and many cling desperately to these beliefs in hope of finding the next life better than the one they now live. Yet, when their only hope is an empty belief, "How great is that darkness!"

Missionaries in Ethiopia:

Missionaries in Africa (listed with BIMI account numbers)