From Despair to Hope: Abrham Asres’ Pro-Life Ministry in Ethiopia

00:01.02
Don
Welcome to another edition of the Reflexio Podcast. I'm your host, Don Little. In today's episode, we have in a conversation with Abrham, who's a brother from Ethiopia, and he tells this remarkable story of a youth where his both of his parents died and left his family orphaned and he got into all kinds of trouble as a teenager, how God eventually found him and rescued him while he was working in Sudan. Then how God led him through an American brother and mentor to study Bible college and seminary in the U.S. And then he got a call to work with pro-life work in the States.

00:43.61
Don
And then he started investigating what was going on in Ethiopia. And just on his own, he went back home to Ethiopia. And for the last six years, he's been involved in quite a remarkable solo ministry of seeking to help women who are about to get an abortion and helping street children. And many of them are women who get pregnant.

01:06.26
Don
It's quite a remarkable story of compassion by a young man who's really following the leading of the Spirit and trusting God to provide for him. He's actually working as an Uber driver to provide his income while he does this ministry. So you'll find this a fascinating story. I read just on a website a couple of days ago that here in America, where I am, one-third of Gen Z people were aborted. This is a huge issue. And this brother is awoke to this issue in America and then went back to his home country to try to tackle the issue there.

01:43.45
Don
So come along for a very interesting, disturbing, but very encouraging story as we talk with Abram.

00:01:54.54
Don
Welcome Abrham to the Reflexio Podcast. It's great to have this opportunity to talk with you and the other side of the world. Welcome to the podcast.

00:02:05.36
Abrham
Well, thank you, Dr. Don. Thank for having me on your show.

00:02:09.36
Don
Our listeners really don't know who you are. We've written a little bit of introducing you, but can you just introduce yourself briefly and then we'll go and hear your fuller story.

00:02:22.23
Abrham
Yeah, sure. My name is Abrham Asres. I live in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and I've been living in the last six years here in Addis, and I do pro-life work.

00:02:34.61
Abrham
And also your homeless ministry. That's what God called me. And I love it. That's what I do. And I do transportation business oh like Uber.

00:02:43.18
Don
Wow.

00:02:50.45
Abrham
So I make my living.

00:02:53.70
Don
OK, so you support yourself though as an Uber driver.

00:02:56.59
Abrham
Exactly. That's right.

00:02:58.03
Don
All right.

00:02:58.07
Abrham
Yep.

00:02:59.47
Don
Wow. So we talked earlier and you told me quite a bit of your story. It would be great if you could share some of that with our listeners about your childhood. You had a rough background in terms of your family.

00:03:14.41
Don
Just tell a little bit about this. I mean, from Ethiopia, if people know anything about Ethiopia, they know that people are are Muslim or they're Orthodox or they're Christian or they're animus. So tell a little bit about your own religious upbringing if you had one.

00:03:30.73
Abrham
Sure, yes. I was born in Gondar, Northern Ethiopia.

00:03:42.84
Abrham
And I'm the baby of the family. And actually, my mom had another baby after me. And right away, my little sister didn't...

00:03:55.59
Abrham
uh, survived, died in a few months. Then my mother passed away when I was about two. I wasn't even two when my mom died.

00:04:05.77
Abrham
And, um, and, uh, I did, I didn't, I didn't remember my mom. i have zero memory of her.

00:04:12.14
Don
Yeah.

00:04:13.41
Abrham
I was too young to remember. And, um, I have four sisters and one brother. I'm the youngest. And it was really tough when my mom died.

00:04:25.99
Abrham
My father was you was devastated when she died. And still remember after that, it took him so many years to you know to realize that she won't be back. you know

00:04:42.64
Don
Yeah.

00:04:42.61
Abrham
It was really hurting. and um And after she died, he got into drinking habits and he was drinking.

00:04:51.10
Don
Wow.

00:04:51.89
Abrham
And when my mom died, she was 37 years old. She was very young.

00:04:56.10
Don
Wow.

00:04:56.55
Abrham
and yep And yeah, I remember my dad came drunk at night and he was a teacher.

00:04:57.04
Don
Very young.

00:05:07.43
Abrham
He was geography teacher and yeah.

00:05:08.20
Don
Hmm.

00:05:11.81
Abrham
One time, just a he realized, I guess God really touched him, and he realized it. and um you know He couldn't keep you know getting drunk, and he couldn't just continue doing that.

00:05:26.16
Abrham
So he completely stopped. We don't know how. i don't He just stopped it.

00:05:31.21
Don
He just stopped drinking.

00:05:31.27
Abrham
He just stopped drinking, and... da He became an amazing dad. Oh, he was the best. And he loved us. he was ah He tried his best to be to be to be the best that he could be. And, yeah.

00:05:50.27
Abrham
Yeah. ah yeah indeed And he just lived for us the rest of his life. I remember my uncle and they were encouraging him you know to remarry.

00:06:04.21
Abrham
But he said, no, no, I wanna live for my kids. don't want to someone you know I don't marry someone. us. ah and he because he was he was a was ah he was afraid she might not like us you know love us So he he didn't get married.

00:06:23.63
Don
Not love his kids, yeah.

00:06:25.99
Abrham
He was scared. Yeah, he was so worried about us. and they just ah he was he was the best dad. in ah To make a long story short, when I was 11, got sick. I don't know why he got sick. in them He was at the hospital for a few weeks, I think two weeks, and he died.

00:06:43.21
Abrham
And that that was that was devastating.

00:06:44.24
Don
Wow.

00:06:46.29
Abrham
Like um you strike the shepherd, the sheep scattered. That's what happened to us.

00:06:51.43
Don
Yeah.

00:06:51.42
Abrham
And the oldest was in the state at that time. And she was living in um Texas and she was supporting us financially.

00:07:03.10
Abrham
But, you know, my brother went his way. he got into drugs, drinking, all of that. My sisters, you know, they had boyfriends. They left home most of the time. It was really tough upbringing i had because I had no one to look up to. And I myself got into, you know, wrong habits, you know, gambling, you know, eating chats,

00:07:29.98
Abrham
smoking, you know drinking, er an earlier age. So it was ah it was a really, it was like no one would them would mentor me or show me, guide me.

00:07:44.92
Abrham
I was just you know doing my own things, like my sisters and brother. so Yeah, that was ah how I grew up, but i i kept work I kept going to school, even though I wasn't into it much.

00:08:02.18
Abrham
So I graduated and um I got tired of that lifestyle um and went to Addis, which is the capital city where I am now.

00:08:14.36
Abrham
And I lived here well with my uncle for a year. Then I couldn't find a job. it was Life was really tough. Then you know i said, you know, just I have to leave this country. I just need to get out of this country.

00:08:31.88
Abrham
Then I went to Sudan, which is neighbor to Ethiopia. It's not that far. So I went

00:08:38.06
Don
Okay, three four before you talk about the Sidon story, i want to ask you another question. So your father and mother, um you were raised Orthodox or they were Orthodox, but you never went to church. was Did they have any faith when your father stopped drinking? Was it something to do with God giving him grace or was it just he wanted to be a good father?

00:09:06.84
Abrham
At that time, i was too young. I didn't know. i knew there was change. My dad quit drinking. i was i was very young at back then.

00:09:17.49
Abrham
And one of our sisters in the middle of that, before my dad died, ah my dad used to you know get drunk and come home midnight.

00:09:29.100
Abrham
One of our sisters got sick and died. the second oldest, got sick. That could be the point. I don't know. I was really too young. that that could That could be it, or maybe God touched to him, but it was a miracle. you know He just completely stopped it and started caring for his family. he just started living for us.

00:09:51.37
Abrham
Everything started. He get up every morning and then he's, you know as you know, Ethiopian culture, men don't cook much. So he goes, you know he does he does he did his best.

00:10:03.36
Abrham
you know one of course so one of my sisters helped a lot.

00:10:07.43
Abrham
in the kitchen but he did best he gets up he helps with cooking he feeds us, he sends us to school and he comes home early

00:10:09.29
Don
But you weren't you weren't a religious family. You didn't go to church on Sunday or anything.

00:10:22.96
Abrham
yeah we well you know northern Ethiopia most people are orthodox and uh it's kind of tradition we just uh you know you go on so well you just um pray at the church and to come home ah yeah just to ritual to when people fast you fast you don't know much about the religion itself but you know you're ah one of orthodox you know you do the tradition thing but there is no there is no you know relationship with god or Christ we didn't even have a bible we didn't even have a bible but we have so many and prayer books saint prayer books but once a while we read them and

00:10:55.41
Don
Right.

00:11:06.34
Abrham
So we weren't that religious.

00:11:07.83
Don
Okay.

00:11:09.19
Abrham
Yeah.

00:11:10.38
Don
Okay. Okay.

00:11:11.29
Abrham
Yeah.

00:11:11.85
Don
look Go to your move to Sudan. Tell us that that story.

00:11:15.92
Abrham
Yeah, before I went to Dan, like, you know, I was struggling to myself. I wasn't addicted to it. But, you know, there was some a lot of pain in my heart. I was just running to hide, you know, that to drugs. I'm just drinking and, you know, eating chats and all of that.

00:11:37.17
Abrham
and smoking. I did that, but I wasn't really into it. It's not like you I was addicted to it, but I did it just to just run away thing.

00:11:48.54
Abrham
So if when I came to Addis, my ankles sense, they were into that.

00:11:48.78
Don
Right. Mm-hmm.

00:11:53.96
Abrham
They were smoking and drinking all that. So I couldn't stop. I was doing that too. So for a year, i lived with them and i tried to change, but I couldn't.

00:12:06.35
Abrham
So I thought, i just leave this country. And I couldn't find a job. One job I found, actually, shall this is this is very shocking. ah One job, it was Italian restaurant.

00:12:18.01
Abrham
And I found that job and I had an interview.

00:12:18.60
Don
Yeah. Yeah.

00:12:21.44
Abrham
And it was, at back then, it was, ah she said, 150 burr month. bur a month which was not much. And I said, okay, that's fine because I would make the tips, you know, you a lot of money, the tips.

00:12:35.80
Abrham
And the and there the manager said, you know, all the team the tips goes to the, there's another lady who has been working 10 years.

00:12:48.24
Abrham
My tip goes to her? ily he said, yeah. She said, yeah, it goes to her. She's in charge of all the tips. I was so surprised. And I said, am I going to eat here? And he said, and she said, you can eat once every other day.

00:13:06.74
Abrham
That was, I was trying to leave my uncle and rent a little one room place and, you know, But that was really discouraging. And I tried other things. didn't work out.

00:13:21.26
Don
So you didn't take that you didn't take that job then, or you did and gave up?

00:13:21.14
Abrham
So that was...

00:13:24.72
Abrham
No, I do not. I do not. I couldn't live on 150 That's like $2 month. Back then, maybe was exchanging it maybe four or five BR. It could be $5, $6 a month.

00:13:35.42
Abrham
You can't live on that. You can't even pay rent with that. It's just... for five per it could be five six dollars a month you can't live on that you can't even know

00:13:45.29
Don
A month.

00:13:47.29
Abrham
pay rent with that you know just So i looked to other jobs and didn't work and um you it didn't work out. So that was when I was 18 back then, went to Sudan.

00:13:59.81
Abrham
So when I went Sudan, life was tough. And when I got there, there was no one help me. I was just um the i was just in the streets of Khartoum.

00:14:17.06
Abrham
And finally, through a friend, I met two ladies. I stayed with them for a little bit. Then i moved out and done I found a bakery job.

00:14:30.08
Abrham
I was working and I was just sleeping on the cardboard I found on the street. And had no place to live. I didn't sleep. I was just working in a this bakery.

00:14:43.52
Abrham
Sudan is very hot. Very, very hot. Khartoum is. And, the mad and the you know, working in a bakery. Bakery is very hot. Anyways, I didn't speak the language.

00:14:54.45
Don
Double hop.

00:14:55.22
Abrham
I didn't yeah i didn't speak Arabic. It was really tough, tough, tough, tough. And I was sleeping on cardboard. it was it was a really hard time. It was a very hard time. One time i was sleeping. i like to sleep on my face, you know, face my face down.

00:15:13.93
Abrham
And in the middle of the night, the owner, he woke me up and he was so mad. He said, you don't sleep that way. And ah I tried to understand. I mean, he was so mad. I thought and did something, you know.

00:15:30.69
Abrham
But he said, you don't sleep, you know, face down. You sleep, um you know, face up. You have to watch. He said, oh, that terrified me I guess he meant ah there were some gays in that that place. And that terrified me. That really terrified me after that. I couldn't sleep and just looking around.

00:15:52.92
Abrham
just it was a really hard time working in that bakery and now and not knowing the language, not communicating with people. i just it was it was a very tough time and I was doing that for a while, sleeping on cardboard and run to, you know, leaving that place, just eating plain bread to save money. That way I can, you know, have in my own place.

00:16:25.44
Abrham
So I was doing that and my pants turned up, i two pants, one of them turned up. one of it just it was really, and there was no place you can take a shower, but to the good thing is you can find water everywhere.

00:16:42.42
Abrham
i mean, clean water, they put in a boat. in a and he in a boat and they put sand underneath it to cool it down. Every house, most of the houses, they put what you know water outside and it just,

00:16:59.08
Abrham
take a sip you know so that was good but it was really tough so doing that and i had no money i and i can't come back to Ethiopia and there's there was no hope so i was uh really lonely was uh really there was no hope i can you know strive live to live um want to live

00:17:01.89
Don
Okay.

00:17:23.08
Abrham
So what happened was ah I kind of gave up. I didn't want to leave. I just got tired of it. And, ah you know, there is no hope. I can't get out of this country. I can't go back home. I can't do this and that.

00:17:35.81
Abrham
So there is no hope. So I just, you know, should you know get rid of myself. So these suicide thoughts just keep coming, keep coming. And the more I thought about it, that's just... a the you know the better way, just get rid of myself.

00:17:52.45
Abrham
So I was thinking to kill, you know, to, this you know, to harm myself, to kill myself as I was so thinking and I didn't know what to buy, you know, i didn't, in the name of it, I could i could go to the store and I didn't know what to say, you know, to drink bleach or something.

00:18:12.65
Don
to buy To buy something to kill you, self?

00:18:15.68
Abrham
Yeah. ah Yeah, that's right.

00:18:17.07
Don
Yeah.

00:18:17.68
Abrham
And I didn't know. that Then I said, you know what? I just go around and if I see any car running fast, I just jump it. That was when I was just to the lowest in my life.

00:18:30.26
Abrham
As I was walking on the street and I was just waiting, the car, you know, Sudan is very flat and people drive so fast. And as I was walking, I was just looking you know, waiting for a car to run very fast.

00:18:46.30
Abrham
As I was waiting that then I started looking up to the sky. Then i felt really ah broken and starts praying and asking God, why did you do this? Where did you bring? Where did you kill my mom? Why did you kill my dad? Why did you bring me here? When you know what would happen to me? I was just looking up to the sky and just, you know,

00:19:09.72
Abrham
Blame all of the what happened in my life. Blame to God.

00:19:13.27
Don
on God.

00:19:14.25
Abrham
Yeah, and God, so that's right. and And God in His sovereignty, in His grace, He opened in that moment, He opened my mind and He reminded me the sins have committed against Him.

00:19:29.26
Abrham
And it was like, it was like, you know, all of those evil things I've done in my past.

00:19:29.60
Don
Hmm.

00:19:36.30
Abrham
And He reminded me like, I did them that morning and I felt so bad. i felt so down and I couldn't even look up to the sky.

00:19:46.37
Abrham
i bow the street and said, God have mercy on me. I'm so sorry for what I did. And I felt that i felt was a sinner and it's not just just a sinner, a great sinner.

00:19:57.12
Don
who

00:19:59.23
Abrham
And all of those things I've done, I've done it to God. So that was the first time I had an encounter with God and I repented after that corner of Khartoum.

00:20:11.89
Abrham
Then that suicide thought, that fear, that doubt, that shame, that guilt, he took it away. It was a miracle. He took it away.

00:20:20.13
Don
says god

00:20:21.20
Abrham
Yeah, he took it away after I repented. he took it away and he gave me joy I thought, I never experienced that kind of, of course, we know that's the Holy Spirit now. Back then, I didn't know. that God did something I never experienced before.

00:20:37.74
Abrham
I was overwhelmingly joyful. And the situation didn't change.

00:20:41.71
Don
wow

00:20:42.64
Abrham
felt so happy, so excited. And I started just talking to God. God, thank you. And what have you just done? But I'm so thankful, you know. so that's that was uh my encounter with god nobody you know shared the gospel with me i didn't know anything about the gospel back then i mean i heard about god nova but not clear the gospel message so yeah then i went back to work and was excited and happy, joyful.

00:21:13.56
Abrham
That that they kept going. then em Then I started asking God, God, what do you want me to do? you Did you bring me for this purpose?

00:21:24.49
Abrham
Now I know what you brought to me. So just if you want me to go back, I can go back. If you want me to stay here, just give me some purpose, you know. And I was just asking God, just praying to pray that way. You know, like when I walk, when I work, God, what you want me to do God, if if you give me this, and that would be good. You know, I was just talking like that. And enough one day I was praying, God, why don't you give me money and let me go back to Ethiopia?

00:21:52.14
Abrham
and tell my brother, my sisters about you, my friends, what you have done for me. Then, this is a miracle. Then my sister, the older the sister who lives in the States, don't know how she found um is the the people who work with me, the moose that that them the Sudanese,

00:22:10.11
Don
there.

00:22:10.99
Abrham
she reached out to them and i And they gave me the phone at that time, I was speaking a little bit Arabic. And when they gave me the phone, it was my sister from the States!

00:22:24.30
Abrham
And she said, go back. And I said, oh, sure, yeah, we'll go back. And I have no money. She said, i will send you money. And she did send me the money. But when I got out the money and I said, God, do you really want me to go back? My father's not there. My friends all are addicted.

00:22:39.66
Abrham
And the only thing I can tell them is what you did for me. And that's it. And I don't know much about you. How am I going to go tell them? And I was struggling.

00:22:50.57
Abrham
So I kept that money right away when I got that money. ah

00:22:57.49
Abrham
and knew a guy and I joined him with the one room and i rent and I have a place now. So, yeah, the money was going

00:23:09.01
Don
So you use the money to rent a place rather than to go back.

00:23:14.73
Abrham
Exactly. And actually, it was a little much.

00:23:16.38
Don
Yeah.

00:23:16.93
Abrham
And I wasn't sure I should go back. or you know I was wrestling with them.

00:23:20.91
Don
Yeah.

00:23:21.28
Abrham
Go back or stay here so i was as I was praying. Then i had 100 pounds left. At that time, it was $50. Then it was just enough to go back.

00:23:32.43
Abrham
It was just enough to go back. And I remember it was Tuesday night and Tuesday around 5. And I was just praying, God, now I know you want me to go back. Like, ah I will go back, you know, I will go back tomorrow.

00:23:44.94
Abrham
So I told my friends goodbye. i don't have much clothes, just those two pants and two shirts. That's all I had in my shoes. So ah as I was planning to go the next today, which would be Wednesday,

00:23:59.53
Abrham
One of the lady I know, i met over there, the older lady, she called me around 6, 6 p.m. And she said, I got your job. that She is the only person I didn't tell I was leaving the next day.

00:24:12.24
Abrham
And she called me and she said, i got your job.

00:24:12.58
Don
Yeah.

00:24:16.12
Abrham
Come over here. And it's called Amarat Street. And um she said, come over here. got you a really good job. And I said, oh, sure, sure, sure. And I went to where she, you know, told me to come. And she took me to this couple's house. Very nice.

00:24:34.25
Abrham
Very fancy house. Very beautiful house. They have garden and outside. Then a guy... whose name is Paul, he came out and he works for United Nations, He needed a guard.

00:24:48.88
Abrham
and So with I talked.

00:24:51.60
Don
So he was an American.

00:24:53.44
Abrham
He was an American. Yes, he was an American. he worked you worked for United Nations, UNIMIS. And dam I met him and he told me, you know, my job and everything.

00:25:07.44
Abrham
the salary and all that. So I met him and he said, dumb okay, go back home and get your stuff tomorrow. And this is they gave me one room. I didn't want to go back. I didn't want to go back. And I thought I would miss it, you know, but he said, v go back and come back tomorrow.

00:25:25.97
Abrham
And I said, sure. So went back and... With that $150, I bought more clothes and came back from the next day. So i started working for you for him and his wife, Brandy.

00:25:40.97
Abrham
So yeah, that was that was amazing. And that lady who got me that job, she's the Ethiopian and she lived in Khartoum for a long time, long time.

00:25:51.63
Abrham
and She had a Bible and she got brand new one she from Ethiopia, her family sent her.

00:25:57.75
Don
Okay.

00:25:59.53
Abrham
And she gave me the old one. And the first time i opened the Bible, just loved it, loved it.

00:26:02.22
Don
okay

00:26:07.34
Abrham
I would just start reading it from Genesis through just, just through it, just loved it. And every time i have a break, I just go and read it.

00:26:18.70
Abrham
And yeah it was ah it was really amazing. When I was reading, I was just really loved it. And um when I got the Gospel of Luke, that was when really I felt God was telling me to get out and, you know, serve others.

00:26:34.86
Abrham
So, and I started, you know, doing you homeless ministry. There are a lot of Sudanese, you know, um South Sudanese. before they spill it they spill it 2010 north and south and

00:26:50.48
Abrham
the south one they were living they were they were very poor Christians one they were very poor they live in tents and i was just going there you know ministering them you one time what happened was um i did that when Paul and Brandy they go to work when they go to work i bring them home in that compound ah you know i take them in my shower they take shower i cook for them and feed them and we don't We don't still, we don't communicate well.

00:27:20.21
Abrham
So I do that and I send them home. I send them home.

00:27:24.53
Don
you would You would do this during the during the day while Paul and his wife were away.

00:27:24.81
Abrham
so

00:27:32.36
Abrham
hey're at work. That's right.

00:27:34.54
Don
yeah. yeah

00:27:35.69
Abrham
ah One time I was caught. It was in the middle of the day. Never, never poke him. He leaves early morning. He comes at night. That's what they do usually because they're so busy over there, busy at the office. One day he came in the middle of the day and was feeding them.

00:27:56.75
Abrham
He cooked for them and feeding them. Oh, he came and he saw them and he said, Abby, he called me Abby. That's what my dad called me. My dad called me Abby and I told the Paul, call me Abby and he called Abby, still calls me Abby.

00:28:11.39
Abrham
Abby. So when he came and he said, Abby, what are you doing? And ah he was so surprised. At that time, English wasn't good. It wasn't good at all. So he went here he went to the house and he brought a measure, measurement.

00:28:28.17
Don
A tape measure?

00:28:28.05
Abrham
And he started this tip measure.

00:28:29.52
Don
Yeah.

00:28:30.58
Abrham
There were six or seven kids. I still have their picture, actually, with he measured them. And he measured them it seven of them then their shoes and he got paper and pencil he writing their sides and all that and he said i'm glad you are doing that when i go back to the states I'll bring them clothes and shoes yeah and he did and he said i support you please do it uh i'm glad you are doing it and then

00:28:55.31
Don
Wow.

00:29:00.49
Don
Keep going, yeah.

00:29:04.11
Abrham
And yeah, I did that and my dad, Paul, supported me for that ministry and the homeless ministry and the refugee ministry. So I learned so much from Paul, really. he He was an amazing, really an amazing, godly man. He gets up every morning a around four and he reads his Bible and um he goes home and cooks for us breakfast. He prepares breakfast for me and for his wife, for Brandy.

00:29:35.95
Abrham
And when we get up, we have a, at that time I was drinking tea. Teas ready, breakfast ready. he was that He was such an amazing, humble man I've never seen. and I learned so much.

00:29:49.96
Abrham
and sir

00:29:52.30
Don
he showed you He showed you what a Christian life was like by the way he lived.

00:29:55.98
Abrham
Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. And I learned a lot. A lot. whole lot. Because i didn't know all of those things. But I saw it and what I was reading and it can be applied.

00:30:08.46
Abrham
You know? And Paul was so just, I mean, he has a good heart and loves Christ. in love So he was a very humble guy. now ah So yeah, we lived i lived with him 2008 to 10.

00:30:25.77
Abrham
Then at that time, the president of Khartoum was Bashir. And the president said, UN get out of this country.

00:30:37.07
Abrham
So before they, it' ah they're about to split North and South. Then Paul said, Abby, you are my son.

00:30:47.47
Abrham
i can't leave you in this country. When North and South split, it will be very hard for Christian to live in this country. So oh what can I do for you before I lift it but i get out of this country?

00:31:01.13
Abrham
And I said, let me pray about it. And I prayed about it. Then I said, you know what? God called me to, you know, to care for the the homeless and share the gospel, and which I don't know much.

00:31:14.29
Abrham
And I don't know much about God. And the little thing I know, I'm sharing with them, but I want to go to Christian school and learn about God and be homeless ministry, you know, minister.

00:31:27.34
Abrham
I want to, want

00:31:27.73
Don
to do this ministry, but be equipped

00:31:31.21
Abrham
Exactly. So I told him that he was so happy and he said, ah that was really good choice. And we were thinking about, back then, were thinking about, you know, he would go back to the States and I would go back to Ethiopia and he would send me college, Christian college, he ran at this. That's what, that was what all the plan was.

00:31:51.12
Abrham
So he he he had he had a break, he had a vacation time. He and his wife came to, went to um North Carolina to visit his mom.

00:32:02.25
Abrham
and his sister and as they were having lunch he said have a son his name is Abraham and uh he's a Christian he does this and that and i want he i want i want to help him he wants to go to Christian school but i don't know how to help him he said to his mom and sister and his father died a year earlier And he told his you know his family about me and he wants to help me to go to college, Christian college. And his sister goes, why don't you bring him here? There is a Bible college here, John Wesley. And I know the president. I'm sure they would love to have international students.

00:32:43.57
Abrham
And his mom goes, he can live with me. I'm living alone. You know, it's called it like a puzzle. just put it together. And he called me well let me call me and he called me and told me, oh, that would be great.

00:32:59.09
Abrham
So that's how we started the process. and then two thousand And then 2010 in December, December 17, he brought me to the state and he said, you know said to he got me everything I needed, ATM card, bank account, clothes.

00:33:20.53
Abrham
You know, I was so surprised you when the first time when you took me to Walmart, I was i was so shocked and you know, dishwasher and what's this thing, you know?

00:33:30.99
Abrham
yeah Very surprised. We never saw that before. you know, cereal aisle. I'm just surprised. So many things, I mean, so much stuff.

00:33:40.98
Don
Yeah, so much stuff. Yeah.

00:33:44.97
Abrham
So I stayed with him in Florida. That's where he lives. He has a house over there in Florida. And two years, he got settled. He got me everything.

00:33:56.08
Abrham
Then he took me to High Point, North Carolina. Then he introduced me his mom and his sister. Then he took me to the college, introduced to me. On the third day, he left.

00:34:11.57
Abrham
yeah Because he had to go back to work. he get ah He had to come back to Khartoum.

00:34:16.56
Don
So you stayed with his mother and went to Bible College and the you had a family to take care of you.

00:34:21.48
Abrham
Yep.

00:34:25.36
Abrham
Exactly. Exactly. Yeah.

00:34:27.21
Don
Wow, so amazing.

00:34:27.96
Abrham
So, yeah, it was living. Yeah, first I was living is with his sister. Then moved to his mom. So, yeah, I had a just wonderful life there.

00:34:38.82
Abrham
His mom was amazing. She's a strong Christian. His sister, very strong Christian, very strong. She's a prayer warrior. She's an amazing prayer warrior.

00:34:48.14
Don
well

00:34:49.45
Abrham
and um yeah And, yeah, I went to that college and graduated and um went to Piedmont Bible College in 2018. His mom, by the age she ninety six i'm sorry she passed away And then my dad bought me a it play house and he said, if you live here, this is yours.

00:35:18.59
Abrham
Get married and start your family. And yeah I was going to college then. there now ah His sister lived there. were very close. His sister. were very close.  So, yeah, and graduated from, from Piedmont Bible College. And then I was doing, you know, ah I was doing business, i was you know, here and there.

00:35:46.16
Abrham
and, and As I was, 2019, as i was i was as i was driving to work, I was living at that time in Winston-Salem, driving to High Point.

00:35:59.59
Abrham
That's where I was working. As I was driving, i was listening to a radio station. I don't remember which radio station it was, but I remember it was Christian radio station. that's was That's what I was listening. And as I was listening, there was a Christian, new Christian doctor,

00:36:18.99
Abrham
and a former abortionist, and he performed over 1,000 abortions. And they were interviewing him.

00:36:29.68
Abrham
and he he was speaking about abortion, just openly, and but you know how they did ah how he did abortion and how he regretted it. it regrets it and now And he was encouraging people, if you're an abortionist, stop, stop this is not what God has for you, please don't do that. This is someone's childing child, someone's grandchild.

00:36:55.15
Abrham
And um he was ah he was a pro-life, strong pro-life.

00:36:55.89
Don
Yeah.

00:36:58.90
Abrham
Now, his name is Dr. Anthony Lavitino.

00:37:02.77
Don
okay

00:37:02.81
Abrham
And when I was listening to that, I was so shocked, really shocked. And I was...

00:37:14.03
Abrham
Because when I was a teenager, when I was 14 years old, my brother, you know, like I told you, my but you know my where when our father died, it we scattered. which you guess We got into a lot of ah ungodly things. and So my brother was alcoholic. and So he slept with the lady was, ah you know, working for us.

00:37:40.91
Abrham
you know, cleaning the house for us. And she became pregnant. When I was 14, loved her like a mom. She was like mother figure to me. She was older woman. i would say she was, she would be 28 years old, 28 to 30.

00:37:55.50
Abrham
oh She came to me and said, um i am pregnant from your brother. And I said, it what can I help you? And da she said, um you know, my family are poor. They live in the countryside.

00:38:10.25
Abrham
They, you know, I support them. The little money you pay me, I try to help them. And I can't be a mother. I can't feed, you know, I can't, you know, provide for my child.

00:38:21.93
Abrham
As you know, your brother not responsible. You know, he's not responsible. e he's not

00:38:31.37
Don
Responsible.

00:38:31.34
Abrham
each He's not responsible, that's right. He's not responsible because of the addiction he has and we don't love each other, we just ah we've made a mistake.

00:38:42.96
Abrham
And I went to my brother. he was a two, there are two sisters in the middle. He's three oldest, the that the third oldest in the family.

00:38:55.31
Abrham
so And I went to him and told him what she said. And I told him, need to do something about it. And he just laughed and pushed to me and walked away.

00:39:06.64
Abrham
And I came back to her and I said, he just laughed. And she said, yeah, you need to help me to abort it. And I said, what can I do for you? And she said, she told me the amount. i don't remember. and she told me I need this much money.

00:39:25.68
Abrham
And I thought I was helping her and I don't know, still I don't know, I'm 38 years old and I don't know what I got the money, what I got the money she asked me for and I i brought that money to her and she said, I said, it is the money and she said, i found a place, they do abortion, would you go with me? And I said, sure and I went with her and she told me to pay that money and I gave them that money and she went and I bought my brother's son or daughter.

00:39:59.15
Abrham
Then I brought her home. Never thought about it. Never thought about it until that ah interview.

00:40:03.04
Don
Again.

00:40:08.78
Abrham
That interview, wow, it was really reminded me how you know the wrong thing i have done and the innocent child split it was on me so that's what i was convicted and uh and i repented and asked god forgive me and And after that, i was so into o this because I was so shocked. How could this be possible? People, you know, governments would allow this and people would go and do it this. So I was doing searching, watching YouTube videos and getting some books.

00:40:47.63
Abrham
um Then... One morning I got up as I was praying and I felt like to go to one of the abortion clinic and pray. And I didn't know anything about Planned Parenthood before.

00:41:01.81
Abrham
Never heard about it. So I Googled it. I Googled abortion clinic near me. You know, just went to Google and set abortion clinic near me.

00:41:13.04
Abrham
And it was five minutes where I live. And I went there. There were some people standing by the entrance, praying. They have signs. And I stopped and said, what are you guys doing? And they told me what they're doing.

00:41:28.27
Abrham
And I told them, you know, got yeah I feel like God want me to be here. And they trained me They're very amazing people. They're called... ah a The lady, I've done an abortion and she regretted and she repented and i now she became a very strong yeah you know advocate for life.

00:41:51.21
Abrham
And she trained me and she has her own ministry and there are other people, they trained me.

00:41:58.93
Abrham
Just how to come out to you know how to share the it out she hope not to go through this before they enter Planned Parenthood. So yeah, that's, as you know, you know there are abortion clinics, some you people go there to pray and to give resources to the ladies who are seeking to abort.

00:42:20.55
Abrham
So I did that for a year, 2019 through 20. I did that. I was going two times a week, Tuesday and Friday. i was there mostly in the morning and the afternoon.

00:42:32.31
Abrham
Yeah, we go there, just pray and counsel. And some ladies turn and some people just keep going. So yeah, we did that. But 2020, that was the shocking. You know, 2019, there is COVID season. But 2020, really a revolution.

00:42:50.96
Abrham
What happened was my, one time with my friends were, were, you know, were put in jail, uh, because, uh, you know, you can't be two feet distance.

00:43:03.31
Abrham
do you remember that we were gathering and, uh, and, and there were a lot of people going there at the, at that season.

00:43:14.48
Don
to the to the Planned Parenthood clinic

00:43:14.43
Abrham
um,

00:43:17.52
Abrham
exactly. Yeah. And, um, And it and there were really it was it was it was harder for us to to go there. you We have to be distanced, you have to do this, you have to do this. A lot of, you know, it was tough. And at that time you couldn't go to the hospital to check, you know, to be checked.

00:43:39.25
Abrham
You have to make an appointment and all that. But this place, most of the places are closed. This place is open. And I thought, this is really demonic.

00:43:46.75
Don
Wow.

00:43:50.31
Abrham
straight from hell.

00:43:50.95
Don
Yeah.

00:43:51.25
Abrham
Okay, even churches, even house of God, churches are closed and this place open. you know, hospitals are closed. And how could, you know, that that that didn't really resonate well with me.

00:44:04.28
Abrham
And I, and wow, this is I'm wrestling really against demonic powers.

00:44:05.73
Don
Hmm.

00:44:10.38
Abrham
So i then I started searching, what's going on in Ethiopia? Then there was ah there was there was there was a doctor who teaches, you know, about this topic.

00:44:15.58
Don
Ah.

00:44:24.27
Abrham
his name's Dr Siyumantonio, and he's very famous he and his wife they teach on you YouTube this is wrong they're Christian very strong Christians so they teach they teach they teach about of life yeah so i saw those videos which was but very uplifted me and then I could not find even one in the jews one ministries

00:44:34.32
Don
okay pro-life

00:44:52.53
Abrham
one pro-life movement, except this couple are speaking about it. But there was silence. Nothing I could find.

00:45:01.55
Don
no Nothing happening. No Christians actively pro-life in Ethiopia.

00:45:06.64
Abrham
No, nothing. Then that was when I felt like, you know, God was calling me to go back. then it was really hard for it to tell my family.

00:45:19.05
Abrham
And down it was tough for me to come back here. and But I kept praying. God gave me very wise Christian mentor, Dr. Danny Spence, from the church I was going in, Winston-Salem.

00:45:30.25
Don
Mm-hmm.

00:45:33.68
Abrham
He was a really, very, very humble guy. and there is a group, Bible study from Calvary Church. and um And they prayed for me and prayed.

00:45:45.16
Abrham
And God, I felt so convicted, you know, if even i said to God, even if you save one child, through me, it's worth it. I would go back.

00:45:59.76
Abrham
So it it was tough to say goodbye to my family and to say this because my family want me to live in the States, you know, start a family there.

00:46:09.33
Don
Now, when you say your family, do you mean your Ethiopian family or Paul's, your Christian American family?

00:46:09.29
Abrham
Ah, so.

00:46:16.33
Abrham
My American family, Paul, Brandy, Karen, Steve, you know, my U.S.

00:46:18.28
Don
Yeah. Yeah.

00:46:20.35
Abrham
family. They're the family.

00:46:21.92
Don
Right.

00:46:23.37
Abrham
Ethiopian family, they didn't want me to come back. When I told them over the phone, they said, are you crazy? We want to come. You or you want to come back?

00:46:30.64
Don
Why are you doing that?

00:46:31.95
Abrham
Are you are sure you can go back?

00:46:33.01
Don
Yeah.

00:46:33.47
Abrham
You know, i said, no, I might not come back. And they said, you must be crazy. Please don't do it. They were against it too. um,

00:46:42.86
Don
Of course.

00:46:43.28
Abrham
but um But i I told Paul and Karen, and um and they said, dumb you know, you need to do what God called you to do.

00:46:54.06
Abrham
So, yeah.

00:46:54.49
Don
Yeah.

00:46:56.33
Abrham
So, yeah. And in that year, 2020, was so convicted. I just couldn't stay there. So 2020, the end of 2020, I moved back to Ethiopia.

00:47:09.93
Abrham
Yeah, since then, I've been here. First, I was going to Marie Stopes, going to, you know, standing by the gate, and I thought it's like the state, but it was not. I had a big banner, and I was standing here.

00:47:28.11
Abrham
so There were, there o was a lot of threats, and it's not like the state. It's not like... in the States. Here it's much worse. It's not it's not safe to be there.

00:47:41.01
Abrham
They were threatening me. Just a lot of lot of real threatening going on. So finally I changed my strategy and I opened a cafe next to Marie Stopes in one of their brands, one of the busiest brands.

00:47:50.100
Don
Okay.

00:48:00.27
Abrham
And I opened the cafe. i I'll send you an article they wrote. And many, many, many, many moms chose life.

00:48:11.60
Abrham
They had to pass us to go to Marie Stopes. And before they pass us, we invite them.

00:48:15.89
Don
Sorry, I'm missing something.

00:48:16.39
Abrham
like

00:48:18.50
Don
You said it's right near a hospital or a clinic, an abortion clinic?

00:48:22.99
Abrham
Yeah. It's like Planned Parenthood type. The Marie Stopes, it's a...

00:48:26.67
Don
Okay.

00:48:29.68
Abrham
The founders, Marie Stopes, like Planned... What's the founder of Planned?

00:48:35.66
Don
I forget her name.

00:48:35.60
Abrham
Margaret Sanger

00:48:36.77
Don
So it was named after her.

00:48:39.47
Abrham
Yeah, this one, Marie Stopes, it's named after her. It's all about abortion, but they do other things too. But the main thing they do is abortion. It's very big. It's very international. It's that's everywhere. In Ethiopia, they're everywhere.

00:48:53.81
Abrham
So... So, yeah, I opened that cafe so people that, to you know, the ladies, before they go to that, they have to pass us.

00:49:03.09
Don
It would stop and have a drink of tea or coffee.

00:49:06.16
Abrham
Yeah, sometimes we invite them and say, come on, come on, let's have coffee. And we can tell by, you know, we can tell by their face. No one wants to grow up virtually, you know, happy. No, no.

00:49:16.87
Abrham
Always sad and wonderful.

00:49:17.65
Don
You can tell that they're very troubled. Yeah.

00:49:20.21
Abrham
very troubled. They wanted someone to speak to them, talk to them, which we did.

00:49:27.53
Don
So did, did you have some women on your staff as well at the cafe?

00:49:31.34
Abrham
Exactly. And we hired them there. All of the women working for us, well, some of them are pregnant, some of them are to give birth, and they you know we helped them to keep their baby at the daycare, very close daycare.

00:49:45.41
Abrham
So they work with us. And that was and ah and sometimes i don't speak and say, you know what? One of the one of the ladies, her name is Mirret, which is Mercy.

00:49:57.04
Abrham
and um And I tell, Mirret, tell them your story. And she tells them, and sits with them and, you know, I've been there. Now I have this beautiful daughter. Her name is Bessa Lukna. When she shows, it just breaks down, you know?

00:50:11.91
Abrham
And now so...

00:50:12.62
Don
So she had wanted to have an abortion, but she stopped and she kept her child.

00:50:17.90
Abrham
Yes. Yes. She kept her child.

00:50:19.44
Don
Yes.

00:50:20.33
Abrham
and She kept her child. Yeah. And there are other women, too, through this ministry at that cafe.

00:50:26.22
Don
Yeah.

00:50:28.33
Abrham
They just... So many. the last the last The last lady we met over there was, she was twins mom. She had two twins baby.

00:50:37.85
Don
Wow. Yeah.

00:50:39.73
Abrham
Now her babies are about two years old.

00:50:43.87
Don
Wow. Yeah.

00:50:45.25
Abrham
They're winning the world. And we many, many, many. And God used that ministry. It's just that cafe, we were just the neighbors and that people, the guards in that area, all of them, they know about us.

00:50:59.34
Abrham
And them first the war against, yeah, then they became our side when we explained to them about the life and, you know, God is the one who gives life and the God is the one who allows, you know, takes life, you know.

00:51:01.39
Don
There was a portrait.

00:51:06.41
Don
Okay. Okay.

00:51:13.77
Abrham
And how precious life is. and yeah So they became our side. When they see someone, when and when the ladies come and ask them the direction and they tell them, oh, you need to talk to those people. you know Direct to our cafe.

00:51:26.83
Don
Okay, they would point them to the cafe. Yes.

00:51:29.97
Abrham
Yeah. So it was...

00:51:32.33
Don
So is that cafe still going or is that stopped?

00:51:35.95
Abrham
Yeah, two years ago, there was a development going on in the city. So we had to close that place. Yeah.

00:51:47.44
Don
So what does the what does it look like now? What are you doing now in terms of helping women? And you mentioned, too, to me that you're also helping orphans or street children.

00:51:58.96
Don
Can you tell me a little bit about this?

00:51:59.53
Abrham
Yes.

00:52:01.36
Don
Because this was your original ministry back in Khartoum was with...

00:52:04.40
Abrham
Exactly. Yeah.

00:52:05.20
Don
your yeah

00:52:07.31
Abrham
Yeah. what's what what ah What I do with the homeless ministry is I help them to you know to go to church. I gather you know donations, clothes, and all that. take a shower and clean them and you know feed them and share the gospel and pray for them and search their family.

00:52:30.35
Don
Search for their family, help them.

00:52:30.38
Abrham
And most of Yes, their parents. Then send them back, you know, talk to their family before I send them over the phone. And, now you know, we you make peace with them and you send them back.

00:52:44.16
Abrham
Sometimes you have to go with them.

00:52:45.20
Don
Are these children or teenagers?

00:52:49.41
Abrham
Mostly teenagers. Yeah, there are children.

00:52:52.78
Don
Okay.

00:52:53.81
Abrham
There are children too. ah But these teenagers, they left their family

00:53:01.55
Don
They ran away from home.

00:53:01.45
Abrham
when they were. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, family do get divorced, mom died, father remarries and the what the new wife might not like the, sometimes like, like my situation.

00:53:12.33
Don
So, like your situation.

00:53:16.95
Abrham
Exactly. Exactly. So yeah, we we do that.

00:53:19.37
Don
Yeah.

00:53:20.100
Abrham
And um there are other individuals, Christian individuals, individuals and I work with them. There are so many individuals and I take them and they receive them there. They live there for a period of time. you know Most of them are addicted. They sniff glue. this you know They smoke. They take any drugs they can take to numb their pain.

00:53:50.46
Don
Yeah.

00:53:51.25
Abrham
Yeah.

00:53:52.72
Don
And so you've seen a lot of these children and teenagers get reconciled to their family and go back or get at least able to live normal lives and get out of their desperate situation?

00:54:05.17
Abrham
Oh, yeah. So many, so many, so many kids.

00:54:08.36
Don
Okay.

00:54:10.33
Abrham
And there is actually tomorrow, I'm taking five moms to Mary Hope. This is a Catholic angel.

00:54:22.06
Abrham
And they help the moms. They train them ah skills for six months. Six months, they live there.

00:54:29.23
Don
okay

00:54:30.22
Abrham
yeah And they... and they train them, and after six months, they give them a job. They find job for...

00:54:36.62
Don
And so these are five five mothers that were going to abort their children and kept their children?

00:54:42.81
Abrham
to Three of them, yes. Two of them, that they're from the street.

00:54:45.25
Don
Three.

00:54:47.69
Don
Okay.

00:54:48.12
Abrham
Yeah, they are from the street. And one of my friends, who's strong Christian, and she works there as a social worker, and she told me about this NGO, and she works there...

00:54:56.30
Don
Okay. Okay.

00:55:00.01
Abrham
She told them about my ministry and they said, oh, we can help these people.

00:55:05.75
Don
These women. So to me, it sounds like there's a an overlap, a connection between helping unwed mothers and helping street people, because some of the unwed mothers are probably street girls, right?

00:55:07.66
Abrham
time

00:55:19.98
Abrham
Yep, exactly.

00:55:20.43
Don
the ones The ones who have babies and they don't have anywhere to go. Yeah. Yeah.

00:55:25.55
Abrham
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And yeah, we and we do i do that.

00:55:28.53
Don
yeah

00:55:30.46
Abrham
And the other one is pro-life ministry. What we do now, we don't go to i don't go to the marriage stops or you know, even government hospitals and private clinics.

00:55:40.86
Abrham
I don't go there like I used to. Now what I do is ah they're Christian doctors. I go, sometimes I go to the clinic and I find the abortionists and I sit with them and so talk to them. You know, you know what you are doing, you know, convince them.

00:55:57.21
Abrham
It's come Well, the in yeah some are Christians, but most of them are not.

00:55:57.81
Don
So you you find Christian abortionists and you convict them that they're wrong to do it.

00:56:07.37
Don
Okay. Right.

00:56:08.40
Abrham
Most of them are

00:56:08.85
Don
Right.

00:56:10.37
Abrham
Orthodox or Muslim, but i I go and talk to them about my view, about the church the child develop you know child development and since conception.

00:56:21.10
Don
yeah

00:56:21.54
Abrham
And this is a child. What you are doing is just killing a child. So why not refer them to me? Let me help them. the way Why do you have to go through that? And ah it's amazing.

00:56:31.50
Don
Ah.

00:56:32.67
Abrham
It's amazing how it works. There's a guy.

00:56:34.96
Don
It worked well.

00:56:36.27
Abrham
It works so well.

00:56:36.67
Don
Huh.

00:56:37.43
Abrham
There's a guy, he referred 15 moms, pregnant moms. Out of 15, actually one of them, one of them, them, one of them,

00:56:53.42
Abrham
son we celebrated his birthday today he's a year old now as i told you already yeah and out of 15 13 of them chose life 13 of them chose like certain of them gave birth and uh through this guy the two of them said no they went through it

00:56:57.87
Don
All right. Yeah.

00:57:14.61
Abrham
And we still can't we still mentor them. We just don't leave them alone. which We try to share the gospel with them, even if they went through it. What we want is you know to save the mother's soul and the child's life.

00:57:29.45
Abrham
And both of them goes hand in hand.

00:57:29.71
Don
Yes.

00:57:32.75
Abrham
It just, we knew that child needs a believer's mom, you know, who loves Christ, who wants to live for Christ.

00:57:33.15
Don
Yes.

00:57:38.72
Don
Ah. yes

00:57:41.36
Abrham
That has been very productive, very fruitful. It's hard when they, during their pregnancy, that's your religion, keep your religion.

00:57:45.17
Don
wow

00:57:51.63
Abrham
but which is which is fine. But the moment they give birth, even Muslims in Orthodox, and they said, your God saved my child. and My God did. So we share the gospel. we We teach them discipleship.

00:58:05.29
Abrham
And they get birth.

00:58:06.35
Don
So then and number a number of them come to faith, after the birth especially. Wow.

00:58:11.53
Abrham
Yes, most of them. Most of them come to faith after birth. Yeah, after birth.

00:58:16.49
Don
Wow. So beautiful.

00:58:17.27
Abrham
It's a miracle.

00:58:18.11
Don
Yeah.

00:58:18.61
Abrham
Yeah. very great even thinking your about it you know yeah it's

00:58:21.83
Don
Wow.

00:58:24.91
Don
And so you so you know Christian doctors, and so you get these abortion doctors to refer them to you, and then you take these women to Christian doctors who then help them give birth rather than aborting the babies.

00:58:38.38
Don
Is that the way you're working?

00:58:38.32
Abrham
exactly yeah that's what we're doing yeah that's what we're doing but now we i get i get a call i get a call from a different doctors And um some of the doctors, they do on a abortion, but they come and, you know, abortion moms come to the doctors and they tell them, oh, there is a guy.

00:58:49.87
Don
All over the city.

00:59:00.37
Abrham
Some of them, really, some of them, they refer me, an abortionist you need to talk to. They call me an abortionist. they insist, I have to do this. If they're abortionists,

00:59:13.81
Abrham
if they're

00:59:14.73
Don
You have to go talk to this person before you decide. yeah

00:59:17.49
Abrham
Yeah. And they come and they call me doctor.

00:59:20.12
Don
Okay.

00:59:21.55
Abrham
Still call me gentlemen of them they call me doctor.

00:59:24.17
Don
Wow.

00:59:24.09
Abrham
Doctor.

00:59:24.54
Don
And so...

00:59:26.29
Abrham
Then after that I tell them, no I'm not a doctor. I don't do abortion. So, yeah.

00:59:32.37
Don
okay well

00:59:33.45
Abrham
But they come to me some of them do that. And they tell me beforehand.

00:59:38.96
Don
and how Over time, you've been there about six years, five and a half years. um

00:59:45.16
Abrham
Yeah.

00:59:46.86
Don
Have you got networks with a number of evangelical churches who support and send volunteers to help? Or do you help the churches become informed about this? Or you're not so active with the churches?

00:59:59.50
Abrham
not so active with churches. That was the first plan I had. When I came back, I thought, you know, could just go around, tell pastors in churches and the go to my job would be go to the the abortion clinic.

01:00:05.36
Don
Okay.

01:00:14.09
Abrham
When this mom choose life, I just referred that refer them to that church and that church can help them what they need and support them, share the gospel and financially support them if they need it.

01:00:17.87
Don
to the church. Right.

01:00:26.57
Abrham
That was the thought I had. But when I came back, yeah it didn't go that well. It didn't go well. Most of the church, you know, because of COVID, it was closed and they were opening up and

01:00:32.97
Don
Okay.

01:00:38.64
Abrham
So they weren't into it. They weren't into it. That was absolutely really discouraging to me.

01:00:43.02
Don
Hmm.

01:00:43.44
Abrham
And them I met a guy when I was in the state, when I was coming when i was planning to come back. One of my pastors told me, you have to talk to Matt Willis.

01:00:53.85
Abrham
No, no. Yeah. Matt?

01:00:58.72
Abrham
Matt.

01:00:59.18
Don
Anyway, it's okay.

01:00:59.76
Abrham
think his name Matt. Mark. Mark Nicholson. I'm sorry. You have to meet Mark Nicholson.

01:01:03.76
Don
Okay.

01:01:05.36
Abrham
And he works for Passion Life. So 2022, the end of 2022, I called Mark after I came back and I called Mark and Mark, would you come and bring your team and give it training for pastors and abortionists?

01:01:22.81
Abrham
And it's, would love to do that. And he, this Passion Life team came to this and I gathered so many pastors and abortionists.

01:01:33.90
Abrham
And person was going to invite them.

01:01:34.17
Don
Wow.

01:01:35.86
Abrham
them And there was it was at the hotel, one of the nicest hotels, really.

01:01:40.65
Don
Yeah.

01:01:41.36
Abrham
and And they worked out two days intense training. Guess what? But no pastors continue working with us.

01:01:53.100
Don
Wow. None of them.

01:01:54.86
Abrham
Yeah.

01:01:56.56
Don
Yeah.

01:01:56.85
Abrham
that That was really sad.

01:01:57.74
Don
So you had to find a different strategy. That was that was discouraging.

01:02:01.68
Abrham
that was very discouraging because i thought you know pastors could stand and you know we can work together this is our calling you know it's not my call it's just our calling it's just Christians calling to be a voice for the voiceless you know it's up for life know so that that that was uh but still still we're planning to work with churches the church i go there are some Christians very supportive and I'm

01:02:29.01
Abrham
but not not the not the not the churches.

01:02:29.17
Don
Wow.

01:02:33.05
Abrham
i do We don't even know one church very supportive of this ministry, this ministry, not even one. Yeah.

01:02:45.29
Don
and

01:02:45.17
Abrham
But you can find believers here and there, yeah.

01:02:47.93
Don
So you're driving Uber to support yourself to do this ministry as a volunteer. Is that your main funding is coming from your own work?

01:02:58.22
Abrham
Exactly. Yeah. yeah you Yeah, my living comes from that. But the support, my mentor when I was in the state, the church I was going, the New Spain, they have fellowship class, their support to the ladies I minister, some of them, some them.

01:03:09.01
Don
Right.

01:03:16.78
Don
those They send funds to help with all the ministry expenses.

01:03:20.100
Abrham
Oh yeah, they have been. that They have been since I came back. They have been helping, sponsoring, helping moms and children.

01:03:30.09
Don
but not But not so much local churches in Addis. They're not helping so much. Not yet.

01:03:36.46
Abrham
Not yet, not yet. The church is here, not yet.

01:03:41.44
Don
Hopefully soon. yes

01:03:43.05
Abrham
Oh yeah, yes. That's the plan. Now we are planning to register as a a ministry. That way we can reach out to churches, we can do more, we can have an office, we can have a counseling, we can have training um classes, sections and all that.

01:03:53.82
Don
Right.

01:04:03.47
Abrham
Now we are going pardon me.

01:04:04.11
Don
When it, when it, When I was in Addis last June, a year ago, my first visit, um I met a number of fairly high-placed church leaders from three two different denominations.

01:04:17.42
Don
And maybe when this is released, I'll send the episode to them and say, hey, you must you must meet Abram and support his ministry. We'll see. Yeah.

01:04:28.01
Abrham
That would be great. That would be awesome.

01:04:30.83
Don
Yeah.

01:04:31.44
Abrham
and In the back of my car, I wrote, pray to end abortion in Ethiopia.

01:04:32.21
Don
and

01:04:38.67
Abrham
And ah it's everybody knows it.

01:04:38.96
Don
okay

01:04:41.75
Abrham
Everybody knows it you know it has been I got that car over three years. so

01:04:47.37
Don
Have you had any news articles about your ministry? Anybody giving you either against it or for it in in the newspapers?

01:04:55.87
Abrham
Yeah.

01:04:56.46
Don
There's

01:04:57.01
Abrham
Yeah. There is one. I'm going to go share it with you. There is one.

01:05:01.08
Don
an English one.

01:05:01.13
Abrham
Yeah. Yeah. English one. There is English one.

01:05:03.91
Don
That's great.

01:05:05.14
Abrham
Yeah.

01:05:06.37
Don
That's beautiful. Wow. So um

01:05:12.56
Don
what what's some of the hardest stuff you're having to deal with, the stuff that really makes you struggle?

01:05:22.40
Abrham
The toughest part

01:05:34.62
Abrham
There are so many abortion clinics everywhere here in Addison, in Ethiopia. And there are so many abortion takes place. And that you we are very limited. There are few people, you know, you're helping. And there are more children are crying in the womb and more moms.

01:05:57.93
Abrham
wanting someone to come and talk to them and there is no access no one you know like when i was um when i was taking the the lady when i was 14 to that clinic there was no one standing at that door and i always thought you know yeah you know to tell us what um what we're about to do and uh there was no enough people who are speaking up for these innocent children and um so I've yeah the toughest part

01:06:12.30
Don
saying her

01:06:28.88
Abrham
is that, you know, it can be done. It's just, there are more voices we need. There are more places. ah

01:06:35.47
Don
so much to be done

01:06:37.10
Abrham
Yeah, so much to be done. in And yeah, and do you see moms going through so much because of a lot of, you know, a lot of stories. It's very hard, you know, what they go through. And especially the husband or the, you know, the boyfriend runs away from,

01:06:59.18
Abrham
from responsibility and gets away with it. And so all the burdens to the mom and that's heartbreaking, you know, and she didn't bring it by herself. You know, we have to make man responsible, you know, it is their child.

01:07:14.54
Don
Cultural change. Yeah.

01:07:17.03
Abrham
Like to cultural change. Yeah.

01:07:19.31
Don
I read an article today. I saw a headline earlier today. it said, in America, one-third of the current generation, young generation, were aborted.

01:07:31.29
Don
One-third. So we we would have 35% more people here in America if they hadn't aborted one-third of their babies.

01:07:40.46
Abrham
yeah

01:07:40.86
Don
It's horrendous. It's so, so desperately evil. Wow. can you Can you maybe to wrap up, can you tell sort of one story of a woman that you've helped and her baby just to to put some picture around what it actually looks like for someone?

01:08:01.45
Don
Just choose one story.

01:08:03.41
Abrham
there so many stories but uh to put one I'm gonna go tell you the story Of the baby who just turned one year old today.

01:08:12.21
Don
Okay.

01:08:13.57
Abrham
I'm going to go tell her story.

01:08:13.90
Don
Today.

01:08:15.05
Abrham
Yeah, today.

01:08:15.46
Don
It's fresh.

01:08:16.31
Abrham
twice That's right. And what happened to last year, that the one of the doctor I told you, he saved 13 children. He still keeps calling me, keeps working with me.

01:08:25.87
Don
Right.

01:08:29.13
Abrham
And he called me. He told me about this lady. and um And he said, come over and talk to her. And right away, the good thing is about my business, my job, i do write.

01:08:41.37
Don
youre You're in a car.

01:08:42.83
Abrham
Yeah, i'm mean I'm in a car. And I work with my schedule.

01:08:45.54
Don
Yeah. Yeah.

01:08:46.44
Abrham
i just turn it on, turn it off, just you know do my own ministry.

01:08:49.36
Don
Yeah. yeah

01:08:50.05
Abrham
So that worked well.

01:08:50.83
Don
yeah

01:08:52.11
Abrham
So he called me and I went to run away. yeah I went right away. And um I met this lady. I was sitting and she was just crying all the time. She was crying all the time as I was sitting for about three hours, just crying.

01:09:05.76
Don
Hmm.

01:09:05.65
Abrham
just crying, crying. I was just listening to her and just telling me what she went through and she doesn't want this child. I don't know the father. in nova And she had a lot of upbringing, very sad upbringing.

01:09:20.88
Abrham
And she was crying, crying, crying. So finally, I i started you know sharing about the child, you know? This child a human being and it's created in the image of God. And God trusted you. That's why he gave you a child.

01:09:37.46
Abrham
endow And, i you know, I shared about the child development. I even, you know, I carry this. This is 10 weeks baby feet.

01:09:51.82
Don
Oh, right on your lapel there. Okay. Yes, I can see that.

01:09:54.48
Abrham
This one is 12 weeks.

01:09:55.17
Don
Yeah. So you carry this in your pocket all the time.

01:10:00.40
Abrham
All the time, yeah. So I, you know, she was 13 weeks back then. And i let her touch this little, you know, fetus model and she touched it.

01:10:08.23
Don
A

01:10:11.47
Don
little model.

01:10:14.13
Abrham
and And I told her, this is your child, you know, and told her about how this child would be, you know, aborted. And we talked, we talked, she cried, she cried, she cried. And now we just go back home, just rest for a little bit. And tomorrow we can talk more. Please don't do anything. And I encouraged her not to do anything.

01:10:38.23
Abrham
And she did. And the other day she called and we talked and she talked. And it was so hard. During her pregnancy, it was the toughest, tough, really hard because...

01:10:50.82
Abrham
She was very suicidal and she wanted to kill herself.

01:10:53.99
Don
Yeah.

01:10:54.82
Abrham
and when i live in it She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to leave.

01:10:58.76
Don
Good night.

01:10:59.20
Abrham
And yeah she said, i will abandon this child after I give birth. I'm just going to go leave this child with you. You can do whatever. If you don't, I'll just leave it on the street.

01:11:10.82
Abrham
She was really the lowest her life. And in her life and um there was another lady we were helping. She's the same. She chose life and i you know we put them together in one room and we rent for them and that way they can help each other.

01:11:24.98
Don
Yeah.

01:11:28.75
Don
Yeah.

01:11:28.61
Abrham
And the other girl answered, no, I can't live with her. She lived a few days and she said, I can't live with her. If she has done something to herself, I'm going to be i responsible. So I can't live with her. So she left.

01:11:43.36
Abrham
And we we rent her another place. So it was really tough. we In the middle of the night, it was terrifying, you know, worrying she would do something. It was really, really hard. And we were just crying, just, you know, waiting calls, checking. Sometimes she doesn't answer, you know, think negative thoughts. Just praying for her.

01:12:06.82
Abrham
Until one time I took her to church and I didn't tell her. There were other four girls and one Muslim, three Orthodox. She's Orthodox.

01:12:17.23
Abrham
And I went them to church. It was Friday. We have Bible study. And I didn't tell them we were going to church. And I invited them. They came over. And I said, let me buy lunch. Let's have lunch. And there is ah there is a Bible study. We just sit and hear the Word of God. There's no different, anything like that.

01:12:36.65
Abrham
So we went. And when they saw it, it's a Protestant church. And there is the cafe is in the church. We have ah we have our own cafe in the church. So I took them there.

01:12:46.76
Don
In the church.

01:12:47.91
Abrham
And this lady said, this is if this is, you know, Pente (Protestant). This is Pente Church. I said, yeah, yeah. There's nothing wrong. Just you come to hear the word of God, you know. She said, no, I can't. I can't eat here.

01:13:04.59
Abrham
And the even the Muslim ate, the other two Orthodoxy ate, and we had lunch. And I said, eat. And she said, no, I don't want to eat here. Okay, drink juice. No, I don't want to drink juice. Drink water. No, I can't drink this place. I can't touch anything.

01:13:22.90
Abrham
She was that strict Orthodox. Really, she was that strict.

01:13:25.74
Don
Because she was the strict orthodox even though she... Wow. Wow.

01:13:28.94
Abrham
She was going that path. That's right. She was going that path, but this one, she was so she doesn't like all Protestants. She just has nothing to do with it.

01:13:39.65
Abrham
So finally... she didn't have She didn't have anything to it all day. This was about 2 p.m., you know? So we we waited there, and then at 5, we had Bible study, and I said, you have to go.

01:13:47.69
Don
Yeah.

01:13:54.17
Abrham
You have to go with me. And as she went in. She sat, she heard the Word of God. and And she had so many questions as we were as well as I was taking them home. She had so many questions. Why do you don't believe in St. Mary? She's the one prays for us. You know, that's a good question. And she had so many questions. And that the next Friday, invited them and took them. She heard and ah she was just keep coming, keep coming. Then I gave her a Bible and said, read it. And she stopped reading it. she She loved reading it.

01:14:26.36
Abrham
then one day as ah she came for she doesn't come on Sunday it's only Fridays so Friday as uh as the preacher preached she rose her hand and she said i'm gonna receive christ and she received Christ and um There is a lady, ah she you know i connected her and she went to discipleship class.

01:14:50.90
Abrham
Before she gave birth, when she was to eight months pregnant, she said, I want to be baptized. I want to be baptized. So she was baptized and completely, Dr. Dawn, completely she was transformed.

01:15:07.09
Abrham
She was reading Revelation chapter one, and sorry, to all, And she calls me, I don't understand this ah snake and dragon. What's that mean? She reads Job, the entire Job.

01:15:25.40
Abrham
She just loved it. She had time home. She's just reading it, just loved it. And now she became an amazing mom. Now she's so attached to her child. And her child has turned to one today. And...

01:15:40.59
Abrham
and she's completely transformed she loves Christ she a hard-working woman and uh so it's uh she loves her life now she loves god of course and uh god completely transformed my life and then she loves her child and

01:15:47.95
Don
So beautiful. well

01:15:57.07
Don
Wow. Beautiful story. Thank you. Wow.

01:16:03.74
Abrham
you're welcome

01:16:05.39
Don
Can you just any word for the people listening or watching this conversation? How would you encourage them to pray or to get involved? Any sort of exhortation or encouragement to us?

01:16:20.45
Abrham
Yeah, sure.

01:16:24.78
Abrham
Yeah. You know, in in the back of my car, you know, i put pray to an abortion in Ethiopia. You know, a lot of Muslim people, they stopped me and said, why pray?

01:16:36.15
Abrham
Why pray? You know, self-control. You know, and don't sleep if you don't want to chat. Most Muslim, they're against prayer. I don't know why. it just They stopped me, why pray?

01:16:47.02
Abrham
That's where you start, you know? That's where you start. Okay. And that's the connection we need. you know This is God's heart.

01:16:52.69
Don
is to pray. Yeah. Yeah.

01:16:54.03
Abrham
Yeah, just pray. Pray about this specifically. you know There are many abortion clinics and there are so many of our sisters and going to that place and they would go to the mom and the child and one of them only come up and the other is tortured in that place. And when we know that truth, you know two people go and one only come.

01:17:17.02
Abrham
And that devastates moms. I know, in fact, so many moms I've talked to, and even some moms I've counseled so much, and they still went through it and still regret.

01:17:29.41
Abrham
And because of because of lack of counseling, lack of you know, absence of light, that's what I call it, Christian absence of light, the darkness is everywhere.

01:17:30.51
Don
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

01:17:44.11
Abrham
It's just this darkness because we Christians are not stopping, you know, stepping up. And when we go to these dark places, the darkness disappears because we are absent.

01:17:57.20
Abrham
This darkness is just exploding. So the first step we need to do as believers, we specifically pray for the innocent children and the moms.

01:18:08.24
Abrham
And most of the moms, it's not so it's not they wanna do it.

01:18:08.89
Don
Yeah.

01:18:12.82
Abrham
it There is no one to talk

01:18:13.25
Don
Right. No choice. Yeah.

01:18:16.11
Abrham
No choice. It seems like the darkness, the devil is very deceptive. He deceives them and says, you know what? This is a problem. They don't see it as a child. This is a problem.

01:18:26.94
Abrham
Look at your future.

01:18:27.54
Don
It's a problem to fix.

01:18:28.12
Abrham
It's going to affect your future. Look at Look at that. Look at this. If your boyfriend hears about it, he might run away. There is a lady. told me he might run away he might you know there is a lady she told me ah she was 19 when she was pregnant with her boyfriend.

01:18:46.52
Abrham
And she told her older sister, who's married, and she said, don't tell him. Have you told him? She said, no, I didn't tell him. No, no, you can't tell him. Now, you know, the best thing you need to do is you need to abort your child.

01:19:01.02
Abrham
You are not married. He will run away. you won't love you. He won't... to He won't be your side. The best thing is you need to abort. And she took her sister to the abortion clinic and she let her abort.

01:19:15.69
Abrham
Guess what? That lady, three years later, she married the same guy.

01:19:23.12
Don
The sister

01:19:23.02
Abrham
She married the sister, the 19, the same guy who she she was pregnant with.

01:19:26.32
Don
married the guy.

01:19:30.45
Abrham
Guess what? They have been married for seven years. No child.

01:19:37.49
Abrham
After that abortion, no child. She's tormenting from inside. The other sister, the older sister who took us the clinic, she had three kids. She hated her sister.

01:19:49.13
Abrham
She hit her boy yes

01:19:49.65
Don
Because of what you told him.

01:19:52.53
Abrham
she hates her sister, affected her relationship, and she hasn't told her husband yet.

01:20:01.61
Don
Wow, it's so destructive.

01:20:01.70
Abrham
Imagine what she's going through. Yeah.

01:20:05.61
Don
Yeah.

01:20:06.15
Abrham
that So many moms, they want to, even after the abortion, there is hope. There is hope. You know, abortion is not an unforgivable sin.

01:20:12.87
Don
Yeah.

01:20:15.95
Abrham
Christ died for all of us. And he can forgive us. He can heal us if we if we went through that.

01:20:24.22
Don
Yeah.

01:20:24.24
Abrham
But for those moms who are desperate, they don't see any future of it. We need to step up and say, you know, God, then just, that's the lie from the devil, from hell.

01:20:35.61
Abrham
There is hope. There is hope in Christ. You can work. You can continue your education. You can be a mom. You can be working. You can, you whatever you want to be, you can be with me to your child and, you know,

01:20:46.20
Don
Yeah. Yeah. So people need hope and we need to pray.

01:20:52.69
Abrham
Absolutely. Yeah.

01:20:55.02
Don
I read ah while I was preparing to talk to you, i I looked at the website of the ministry. Is it Love Life? Is it called?

01:21:04.15
Abrham
Yes.

01:21:05.20
Don
in the states and there was a video there where the group had been praying for uh and protesting outside of the planned parenthood in New York City the headquarters the huge like eight floor building and they said this building is just closed down they closed down and this is in response to their prayers for many years

01:21:06.70
Abrham
Yeah.

01:21:25.93
Don
And um there's a there is a pro-life ministry that we support as a family here and near us in Rochester, New York.

01:21:26.02
Abrham
Exactly. Yeah. Hmm. Hmm.

01:21:34.88
Don
And um they call New York City the abortion capital of the United States. The more abortions there than any other city in the country. And they've opened several clinics there, to mobile clinics. They help find women coming to the clinics and they talk to them and help save lives.

01:21:52.01
Don
ah But... It's not a big thing in our circles to be pro-life. But we all believe in it, but we're not necessarily able to do anything.

01:22:02.25
Don
um So what you're doing is such a challenge and such an example to us. Thank you for being faithful to God's call.

01:22:09.69
Abrham
Thank you. Thank It's God. Thank you.

01:22:13.36
Don
So we will have some more information in our show notes and you can send me stuff and they can read and follow up. So thank you so much for this conversation. It's been encouraging, very disturbing what what's happening, but thank you for obeying and going back home to Ethiopia and trying to make a difference.

01:22:32.97
Don
And we pray that there will come a time soon when many of those abortion clinics close down because nobody wants to go to them.

01:22:38.67
Abrham
Man.

01:22:41.01
Don
Yes.

01:22:40.88
Abrham
Exactly. on Man. Yes, sir.

01:22:43.16
Don
Amen.

01:22:43.24
Abrham
Thanks so much, Dr. Dan.

01:22:44.94
Don
Thank you so much for this conversation and God bless you and continue to use you in mighty ways.

01:22:52.44
Abrham
Amen. Thanks so much, Dr. Dan.

01:22:55.12
Don
Thank you, Sabai.

01:22:55.28
Abrham
I really enjoyed it.

01:22:56.88
Don
Okay, bye-bye.

01:22:58.29
Abrham
Bye.

01:23:15.56
Don
That was quite a conversation with our brother Abram from Ethiopia. It's the longest episode I've recorded to date. And his story was so inspiring and amazing what God has drawn this man through, taught him, given him out of his own life experience, such deep compassion for those who are in need, whether they be homeless or women who are stuck with a baby they can't possibly support, and helping them learn that there is hope and there is a way forward. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Reflexio. I ask that you let people know about this podcast and especially you share this episode widely. Thank you.

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