May 2018 - Northern Ethiopia: Kobo, Woldia, Lalibella

We had the privilege of traveling to the Northeastern Part of Ethiopia to the Amhara Region. This is an extremely difficult region for Followers of Jesus with the overwhelming percentage of the population being Ethiopian Orthodox and Muslim. The people are amazing and the region is beautiful. Going from Woldia to Lalibela starts with green rolling hills (during the rainy season) to the parched mountains of the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia.

Training in Kobo

There are an estimated 60,000 people in the area of Kobo with only 250-300 Followers of Jesus. We had about 50 Pastors/Church Leaders/Members in attendance as we encouraged and trained these amazing people.

Training in Woldia

Woldia is about an hours drive from Kobo through beautiful mountain scenery. With an estimated 75,000 population in the area, there are 5 churches in region and we had about 60 in attendance.

Training in Lalibela

Lalibela is about 60 miles from Woldia. Although it is only a short distance, it was a difficult, but beautiful drive. Below is some of the photos I took along the way.

Lalibela is a sacred city to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. There are 11 subterranean stone churches that date back to the 11th and 12th Centuries that are in Lalibela. With a population of 80,000 there are only 40-50 Followers of Jesus in Lalibela and they face persecution routinely. Because of this, I have chosen not to post the group photo of those who attended the training.

The Stone Churches in Lalibela are stunning. I was able to spend some time walking through them.