Eth Pp 2018 05 29(2)Asaminew grew up in a Christian home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. However, he lived a life of sin and addiction that was common among his peers. “It was difficult for me to surrender to Christ due to bad habits that plagued my life, like chewing chat,” he admits. Chat, or Qat, is a leafy plant chewed as a stimulant and was very common in the village.

Asaminew grew restless and felt he was living a meaningless life. His friend spoke about how Jesus would receive anyone who put their trust in Him. “He took me to one of the church elders in the village. There, I received Jesus as my Savior by confessing my sins before God.” Asaminew was filled with joy, and his life began to change. “I struggled for a few months with my bad habit, but by God’s help, prayers, and continuous follow-up, I was completely set free.”

While he was with the church, he came across Bible League’s Project Philip Bible studies. The church ran Bible studies to aid believers in spiritual growth and to become disciples of Christ.

Asaminew shares that since then, about 200 people have participated in the study and received Amharic Bibles. Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia. He further acknowledges that God’s Word, the Bible, did not guide his daily life.

“I wasn’t attentive to God’s Word, and my prayer life was poor. My focus was on being involved in different church services. And because of this, many times, I felt a deep emptiness after the services. I found no satisfaction in church or in my life. I also lacked focus on specific tasks. I was going through the motions, which made me unfruitful.”

Sadly, Asaminew also realized that the people he served shared his same lifestyle.

After observing all this, he contacted the Bible League office, received training, and started the Bible study. “As the members sit together to study and discuss the questions, they can dig deep into the Word of God and enhance their level of spiritual growth. The studies have brought a big shift in strategy and measurable spiritual change in the life of believers and my local church as a whole,” he affirms.

Regarding the materials, Asaminew says, “Bible League’s materials are easy to understand and so useful for people’s spiritual growth. They have the power of guiding the direction of a participant’s life towards Christlikeness.”

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The Bible study had a tremendous impact on Asaminew and the members. “I’ve not been too busy being involved in different church services, but I’m cultivating a godly life following God’s Word. I’m now focused on specific tasks only, which have made me effective in ministry. I’m now more people-oriented than task-oriented. Even the church leadership has recognized how much the believers have benefited from the BLI ministry as the impact has been evident in church,” he notes.

Asaminew is very grateful to God and to Bible League, “I want to extend my special thanks to Bible League International donors, staff and BL Ethiopia office for their dedication and commitment to serve the generation.”