n Evangel: her father named her in faith

‘Born evangelist’ led to
Bible Society work

by Dr Loren Bliese, Translation Consultant with the Bible Society of Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — From the day she was born, Evangel’s father had high hopes for his young daughter. He named her Evangel and prayed that she would live up to her name and become an evangelist, sharing the Word of God.

Her life was difficult from the start, however. A few months after her birth, she and her mother nearly died of pneumonia. And more challenges were in store for the family. They wanted to send Evangel to school but they were not wealthy. Yet through their hard work and dedication, Evangel was able to attend school and left with a high enough grade to qualify for business college.

Hazardous journey

Although she lived on the other side of Addis Ababa, she faithfully made the journey each day to college. She sometimes stayed late and missed her bus, having to walk home across the city at night – a hazardous journey for a young woman alone. But Evangel was determined to qualify and worked hard, studying as well as taking on jobs to help pay her fees.

Despite her hard work at college, she could not find a job when she left. Unemployment in Ethiopia is widespread and many school and college leavers find themselves unable to use their qualifications. Evangel spent many months searching for work and praying fervently that God would help her use her talents and training for his purposes.

By that time I knew Evangel’s family myself. In my work as Translation Consultant for the Bible Society of Ethiopia (BSE), I needed someone to type the manuscript of the Gurage Bible onto computer. Evangel was only too willing to take on the task and, after being trained, she was hired on a part-time basis by the BSE .

Her ability and enthusiasm earned her the respect of the other Bible Society staff, and she was soon taking on other responsibilities at the office. She is now a full-time secretary at the Bible Society office, as well as a Bible study group leader in her local church. (WR 363/22 - 10.01) [PHOTOS]