The Upper Crust

Last week we had the privilege of having dinner with a high official in the Ethiopian government. Well, it wasn’t the President or the Prime Minister, but it was the equivalent of the President’s cabinet members – “Secretary of ____.” I will withhold exact details in order to maintain his anonymity (and none of you would have ever heard of him anyway). So, for this blog, I will refer to him has Ato Kefyalo (which literally means Mr. Man of High Places.” Our most direct boss here in Ethiopia has had a relationship with Ato Kefyalo for almost a decade, both having named their daughters by the same name. Ato Kefyalo is the former president of the region in which we plan to work, he is a strong Believer, he is ethnically Gmz, and he even comes from the very town that we would like to locate in. Needless to say, Ato Kefyalo is very interested in the possibility of a Bible translation being done for his people!
Our boss had called the meeting at a REALLY fancy restaurant here in Addis Ababa in order to discuss some other business, but the first half of the meal focused on how he might help us in getting started. We had talked with some other workers among the Gmz about the possibility of hosting a gathering of “Gmz church leadership” from all over the region (some coming from a many-days walk away). When Ato Kefyalo heard about this possible gathering, his immediate response was, “I want to be there.” And if his sincerity was doubted in any way, it was reaffirmed in his answer to the follow-up question “if you are unable to make it at that time, would you be willing to write a letter to the church leaders?” He responded, “No, I am serious, I want to be there. I will make it work.” Time will tell if in fact his schedule allows for a trip to his hometown for this important meeting (if in fact it happens at all), but to hear his emphatic support of this Bible translation project was the encouragement we needed to boost our confidence that God has been and will continue to open a way for the necessary government approval we need in order to get a work permit. On a lesser note, observing our boss’s interaction with this powerful man taught us to treat government officials with extreme respect, a skill that we will have many opportunities to practice in the coming years.