Pisteuomen - πιστευομεν - T. Michael W. Halcomb

In addition to the previous language sites I have designed, I decided today to go ahead and launch another one that is a work-in-progress. As the title of this post reveals, the site's name is " Getting Ethiopic ". Right now, I have included media on the site that will assist folks in learning the Amharic Fidel / Feedel. Given that the Fidel is so intimidating and overwhelming, I felt this the necessary first step. I have included readings, videos, songs, interactive modules and more, to assist those wanting to begin learning Ethiopic languages. While most of the materials currently on the site focus on Amharic (modern Ethiopic), these resources will also assist folks in learning Ge'ez (classical Ethiopic). Given that this is an incredibly busy season in life for me, I'm not sure how often within the next couple of months I will get to add data to the site, which is another reason I chose to go ahead and launch it (no need to have it just being dormant). H...

Today is a special day for several reasons, two of which have to do with Ethiopia. First, exactly one year ago today, my wife and I brought home our son Silas, whom we adopted from Ethiopia. So, it is a sort of Homecoming Day for us. Second, it was this week last year that I first started designing the HelpKorah organization and site. As many of you may recall, NOTHING could be found on the internet prior to this date one year ago related to Korah. Now, if you google it you will find tons of material. That is because many people have started going there! Praise God. So, on this day, I am thankful for all of these things and I want to thank all of you have been and continue to be supportive of me, my family, HelpKorah and the people of Korah. Thank you so much!

Today, I am incredibly pleased to announce the first ever, that's right, The FIRST EVER, Help Korah book! The title is Help Korah: Sketches & Stories, Poems & Prayers . Here's what the back cover of the book says: "In this awe-inspiring book, founder of HelpKorah, Michael Halcomb, joins with his wife Kristi and friend Chris Van Allsburg, in helping transport you into the world of Ethiopia. From the eye-catching sketches to the words of every story, poem and prayer, readers will be inspired, challenged and moved. If you have ever been to Ethiopia, this book will surely bring back memories. If you have yet to travel to this historic African land, this work will not only give you a glimpse into one of the earth’s most fascinating places, but also help prepare you to go experience it for yourself. If you enjoy this book, you will be eager to know that more projects are underway! Stay tuned for other great literary works from HelpKorah in the near future." Thi...

On the one hand, I rejoice today because as far as child sponsorship goes, 56 children have been sponsored, meaning we only have 6 profiles left posted right now over at HelpKorah.com. (We're working on getting more posted!) So, this is GREAT news! If you can sponsor 1 of the 6, click HERE . On the other hand, my spirit is grieved by an email I just received from one of our contacts at our partner church in Addis Abeba. It is a gut-wrenching story and just eats away at me. Yet, it is the REALITY of life there for so many women! Please, read the story of Almaz and if you can do anything to help, especially in the way of sponsorship, please, use the Help Korah contact page to get in touch with me. Here's the testimony she gave to our contact, Nebiyu: "The street life is very challenging and miserable especially for a woman who has young daughters. Formerly, I used to live on the street because I had no other options to survive," explained Almaz. "I am from ...

Meet Georgia & Lillian. These two girls are truly amazing! These pre-teen twins have started their own project to help sponsor children in Addis Abeba in the Korah area. Their story is both edifying and challenging and forces us to ask and answer the question: If two young children can sponsor children, then why can't I? I hope that as you watch this 53 second video, you will find the compassion to sponsor a child and the creativity to find ways to make it happen. Thank you Georgia & Lillian for all of the great ministry you are doing!!!

That's right, over at HelpKorah.com and Transformation Love , in the last 3 days we've had 3 kids sponsored, how incredible!!! This brings us to to a total of 12 now and puts us just a little ahead of our 1 child every 2 days pace. Do you know someone who might have an interest in sponsoring? Do you have an interest yourself? There's no better time than the present to make it happen. Let's continue giving these kids and their families help and hope. Everyone at HelpKorah and Transformation Love just wants to say "Thank You" to all who are getting the word out and who are helping make this all possible. May we all continue to do our part to advance the Gospel in Addis and to change lives.

Now, you might think that title's misleading but actually, it's not! Today, I figured out a way to sponsor a child for $35 a month without having to budget out that $35. Essentially, I have found a way to sponsor a child at no cost. What do I mean? Well, when you sign up for or own a Mastercard, you can also sign up for their free rewards program. One of the great rewards programs they have is called "Cash Rewards." For every cent you spend with your card, you earn money back. Recently, when I checked on our rewards program, I saw that in the last year, we earned $400 in cash. That is enough to cover about 11 & 1/2 months worth of sponsoring a child! If you spend a little more and bring your rewards earnings up to $420, you can sponsor a kid for free with your earnings. You can withdraw these earnings monthly or annually or whenever you need to make your donations. That's right just by shopping, paying your bills and spending, you can sponsor a child....

A few days ago I mentioned here on Pisteuomen that 3 kids had been sponsored via HelpKorah. Well, add two more to that number and make it 5! Things are picking up with the HelpKorah child sponsorship initiative and we certainly hope that more people will consider not only changing the life of a child, but also take the time to realize that in sponsoring one child, you can make a huge, positive difference for an entire family and in turn, part of a community or village. Please, consider sponsoring one of the wonderful children listed on the HelpKorah sponsorship pages . And keep an eye on those pages because more profiles will be added very soon.

Here is a sermon I recently delivered titled In The Shadow Of The Valley , which was the first in a series titled "Worshipping When You Are Wounded." In it, I speak about Jesus' Gethsemane experience (in Mk, of course), some of my own experiences in Ethiopia and offer up some passionate preaching. Enjoy!

I mentioned a couple of days ago that in addition to the HelpKorah Bible Scholars initiative, that we also had a Child Sponsorship project & partnership in the works. I (Michael) cannot even begin to tell you just how thrilled I am to finally be making the announcement that our partnership for this has finally launched! 8 months after starting all of this and two trips to Ethiopia later, HelpKorah, in partnership with Transformation Love Ministries & Mekanisa Addis Kidan Church is finally able to help get children sponsored. Our hope for holistic ministry undergirds our entire approach here as we desire to care physically and spiritually for young boys & girls in Addis. The majority of our children (we currently have 12 profiles posted), as you will see as you view profiles (click HERE or the "Child Sponsorship" tab on the HelpKorah site to see them), have lost the at least one parent to HIV & complications and may soon lose their second parent. Typically...

I know I've said it several times already but I really just wanted to take the time to thank everyone, once again, for all the support and encourage -ment you've shown me over the last few months. Starting with my wife, who made so many sacrifices so that I could travel to Ethiopia, I say "Thank you!" Next, the great folks at my local Church who supported me, "Thank you!" To all those who donated funds, I am incredibly grateful. Quite a few people whom I've never even met face-to-face stepped-up to give me financial backing. The reach of your dollars and mine went farther in advancing the Kingdom than probably most of us will ever know! So, "Thank you!" To everyone who kept up with my blog, checked on my family while I was away, sent notes of encouragement via email and Facebook, "Thank You." I have a million stories I could share but as I am trying to readjust to life here and to process everything, I really would like to sha...

Hey everyone, please, go check out the new HelpKorah website and join the movement. You'll notice a brand new layout and logo too (we decided to change the logo after another organization who came after us, pretty much hijacked our not only our name but also our original logo...whatever!!!). Anyway, there are lots of things brewing over there and in the coming days I'll be making some more announcements regarding our HelpKorah Bible Scholars initiative as well as our Child Sponsorship program. Anyway, again, please go check the site out and join our Awareness Team and support us                                                                     ...

This morning, I worshipped with the great folks of Mekensah Addis Kedan in the Mekensah / Korah area. It was great! 4 kids scrunched up next to me for the entire service. At the end, one little girl spoke to me in Amharic but quickly noticed that I didn't understand her. So, she spoke in English and said to me, "Give me a kiss." I kissed her forehead. It melted my heart! I love the kids here. After that, on behalf of HelpKorah , myself and Chris Vanallsburg were able to give out about 150 pairs of shoes. These boots will be great for the kids during rainy season. Anyway, much more to do tomorrow and the rest of the upcoming week. I'll leave here in about 6 days. Bittersweet! Anyway, check out the wonderful pix below. (Click once to zoom in or out and/or use keyboard arrows to move left / right.)

So, here are some more pix from my trot out to the Ethiopian Highlands. This was my first trip outside the city and I must say, it was amazing. I chased monkeys (video to come later!), saw waterfalls, hiked for about 5 hours, ministered to people, built relationships and so much more. It was truly amazing. I just wish my wife could've been with me. Tomorrow I will attend church and HelpKorah will give out about 100 pairs of shoes. Then, I will do more home visits after that. Another big day (Sunday) tomorrow. Anyway, here are some pix. Enjoy and again, thanks to everyone who has supported me!!! Your reach has gone a million times further than even I could've expected!!! (To see the picture, click on it once. To zoom back out, click once more. To move from one pic to the next, use the arrow keys (up, down, left, right) on your keyobard.)

Well, I've been in Ethiopia for around 2 1/2 weeks now and it has been crazy busy. I've been preaching, teaching, feeding, visiting, networking, friend-making, studying, reading, dreaming big and losing weight. I've also been learning all the areas of the capital city and have been learning my way around. Anyway, here are some more shots from this past week:

It is super tough to find times and places to get good online access in Addis, so, I must keep this post short & sweet. Here are some more pix from around Addis (click on the pic once to view it up-close and click on it one more time to zoom back out). Much much more to come!!!

Here are some random shots around Addis Abeba / Ababba so far. I started teaching at the seminary last night and it was great. I'm looking forward to tonight's session. I teach 3 hrs each night of the week. Next week I will also begin teaching English, using the Gospel of Mark, at a local church. I will do that each morning for a week. Friday, I have been asked to preach at an HIV victims gathering. Saturday I may be visiting the Ethiopian prison and meeting w/some inmates. From what I hear, the prisons / jails are the worst on the earth. Kinda terrified. I will also be making home visits to HIV patients next week w/a local missionary. Anyway, there's a quick update. Many thanks again to everyone who has supported me and has a hand in making this trip possible! God is good!

Here are some shots (pix and videos) from Ethiopia. Internet is quite spotty and slow, so, it takes quite a bit of effort to get even these few things posted. Anyway, you will see here some shots from worship at Beza (Redemption) International Church at the morning English service as well as a gathering I attended with a number of missionaries. Despite what some locals might lead people to believe, there are lots of God-loving, Spirit-filled, established missionaries here (especially in the Korah area!!!), who have been doing great work for a long time. Many of them serve through CMF International and together, they have nearly 60 years of field experience in Addis alone. I hope to highlight some of these folks and their work when I get the opportunity. I have learned more from these folks in 2 days than over the last 7 months as a whole. I hope as you all get to know them, you may have a desire to come minister alongside them or to even sponsor them. Also, I begin teaching at ...

Several people have sent me messages wondering how they might get the word out about my upcoming trip to Ethiopia. So, I thought I'd just make another post that people could link to. If you're interested in the trip, basically what I'll be doing is teaching ministers and lay leaders at an accredited theological college / seminary for 1 month, teaching believers and lay persons at a local church for 1 week, and working with HIV victims, especially children, serving in some of the poorest areas of the world and supporting some of the local missionaries there. I expect the trip to be emotionally draining but spiritual edifying. I know great things are in store even though I am a bit nervous to be away from my wife and kids for that amount of time. Anyway, if you want to know more, you can contact me via the form below. If you want to give, you can click the donate button below too. Thanks so much. -Michael

One of the greatest poets to ever grace the face of this earth, Maya Angelou, once said, "I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself." Last November / December when my family traveled to Ethiopia, we were nearly 9,000 miles from home but we felt safe, sound and welcomed by the Ethiopia Guest Home. Our hosts, drivers, translators, housemates...they were all great! The motto of the Ethiopia Guest Home is "More Than A Place To Stay." This is so true! At the Ethiopia Guest Home you have opportunities to make friends and build relationships in a way that you would not be able to at any old hotel. Also, they amenities are fantastic, the food is catered to Americans and the service is top-notch. As I prepare to travel in a few weeks, I look forward to going back to the Ethiopia Guest Home (at 3 locations) because I know that I will be cared for. If you're ever in Ethiopia, if you plan to take a mission trip, if you plan to go and vis...