Holistic Ministry--by Dr. Randall Dodge

Post by Dr. Randall Dodge, Project Mercy COO
(pics by rd and sj)

What a privilege to partner with an amazing team of American families who were volunteering in Yetebon, Ethiopia, joining together to serve Project Mercy in a variety of holistic outreach services!  Although I have been to Yetebon many times and with many groups, this team of 26 members had to be the most age-diverse, with several who could still count their years on their own fingers, up to a septuagenarian whose energy and enthusiasm made him one of the most spirited and well-loved members of the group!  With Project Mercy's unique mission of holistic community development, this diverse team of volunteers contributed to many facets of the ministry including health care, education, children's programs, skills training, sports programs, and professional development, all the while expressing faith in a loving God who cares about every aspect of the lives of His children whether they find themselves in the US or in Ethiopia.

Team Project Mercy: from California, Las Vegas, Indiana, & Germany!!
Hearts united in service to the Lord!

Our group:  (L to R) Jerry Cline, Michael Cline, Ashley Jones, Randall Dodge, Harrison Jones, Rachel Peterson, David Cline, Wanda Demeke, Lali Demeke (with daughters Lydia and Hywot in front), Ivan Jones, Jenny Cline, Josh Cline, Devin Greer, Darrin Greer, Desmond Greer (in front of Hunter Jones and Noah Cline), Dineen Greer, Dana Greer, Will Jones, Zoe Tilton, Miguel Soler, Isabella Zuber, Bill Zuber, Chuck Yeager, Austin Yeager, Randy Thomas.
Not pictured: sj

Rachel meeting Sister Maseret at the Glen C Olson Hospital.
Sister Maseret is a beacon of light and pillar of strength and clinical excellence at the hospital and for the community.

Generations bond--septuagenearian Jerry Cline, 18yo Hunter Jones, and the author

I made this trip with my adult daughter, Rachel, who had just completed her first year of residency in pediatrics and internal medicine.  After first visiting my childhood home in Gondar, Ethiopia and seeing where my father had taught at a health college in the 1960's, we then met up with this talented team of medical doctors and their families in Yetebon.  The team had been assembled and was led by Dr. Sarah Jones, a family physician from California.  This was a return trip for Dr. Sarah and several of the visiting health care professionals, but a first-time experience for many of their family members.  It was also Rachel's first trip to Ethiopia and a chance for her to experience first-hand what she had heard about from her father and grandfather all her life, and to better understand what medical missions can be like in a developing country.

Rachel enjoying a buna (coffee) break -- welcome tradition!

Randall and Rachel at Gondar Castle, influenced by Portuguese builders

Rachel and Abdi, Project Mercy alumnus, tour Gondar University Medical School

As we quickly observed with the talented team of families, there were so many different areas of volunteer support that it is difficult to describe them all.  All of the visiting medical professionals went to Project Mercy's hospital and participated in a tour of facilities and services.  Dr. Bill Zuber continued each day to assist Project Mercy's chief surgeon, Dr. Fekadu, in the course of his medical duties at the hospital.  Other visiting physicians (including Rachel) and one visiting nurse had prepared lessons in infant and maternal care and shared these lessons over the course of two full days with the faculty of Project Mercy's midwifery college.  At the same time, reading programs and craft workshops were offered by other family members for Project Mercy's house kids in the mornings, and sports camps were offered each afternoon.  And while all this was going on, septuagenarian Jerry Cline was repairing electrical equipment throughout the Project Mercy compound in the skills training center and hospital.  Each day, the team came together for devotions based on discussions about the beatitudes, with Ivan Jones leading lively conversations that involved every member of the team.

Dr. Bill and Dr. Fekadu in the OR…together again!

Faculty Development session led by Dr. Michael Cline

PMHSC Faculty

Practical hands-on training at the midwifery college

Soccer!

Tesfu, Mulubraham, Ashley, Dana, Abenezer, and Heptum complete a puzzle

Ashley with Lydia, Mirhet, Wengel, and Selam

Ivan and Samuel read together

Jerry teaches Mohammad how to sew

Team excursions from the compound included a hike to an Orthodox church on the mountainside, a visit to a clinic south of Yetebon, a trip to nearby Butajira on market day, and a visit to the parents of a little girl from the community who was taken to the US almost two years on a medical visa.

Orthodox church

Picturesque countryside

 

Kalkidan's family tukul

Kalkidan's family inside tukul

Rachel and I also visited a nearby home in Yetebon to greet the parents of a young man from the rural Ethiopian community who lives with us when he is on break from studying at Taylor University in the US.  The young man's parents welcomed us into their home and the family enthusiastically watched a recorded message from their son/brother that we had brought with us.  His parents were almost overcome with emotion and pride, the father fighting back tears as his son spoke to him through the video recording.  Each member of the family then recorded their own message for us to take back to the US for their son/brother to see.  They shared words of encouragement, letting their beloved son know that he was missed but that the family was 100% behind him in his studies.  We were then treated to a coffee ceremony and snacks of roasted beans and soft drinks.

Kidane

Before we left their home I was asked if I had any advice for the family.  After a moment of reflection, I told them that they had done an amazing job of raising their son who is now in the US.  His kindness, work ethic, faithfulness, persistence, and love for others is an inspiration to all who have the privilege to know him.  My advice to his mother and father was to continue whatever they had done as parents for this son and raise their other children in a similar manner, teaching the next generation to be honorable and steadfast in the values that had been so successful in developing such great character traits for their older son.

Kidane's family

In much the same way, that was what the team of visiting American parents and physicians was trying to do for their children by volunteering together as families through Project Mercy in Yetebon, Ethiopia.  These thoughtful and generous parents wanted their sons and daughters to know about selfless service in an organization that had inspired them to give of themselves to others and to something that added meaning and purpose to their own lives.  Joining in a vision to "renew the heart of a nation" they wanted their children to see that joy did not come from having the latest fashion or technology but was a byproduct of loving service for the benefit of others and relationships that found common ground in virtue and selflessness.  What was most exciting to me was watching another generation come to a deeper understanding of how they could make a difference with no thought of what they might get out of it.  After a week in Yetebon, as we made our way home, my heart was further delighted to hear my own daughter commit to find a way to return and continue in a legacy of love for the people of Ethiopia through Project Mercy.

Dr. Dodge and his daughter, Dr. Rachel Peterson
What a meaningful time together!


Last day at PM--but Lord-willing, not our last visit!

Randall Dodge, PhD, JD
Project Mercy Chief Operating Officer