In June of 2020 I was scheduled to go on my third trip to Addis Ababa with the Adera Foundation. Unfortunately, we all remember what that year was like, and the trip was canceled. In faith, I asked Adera to keep my funds for a future trip, knowing God wasn’t finished with me in Ethiopia. I waited four years, but God not only opened the door for me to return, but to go back with my husband, Garett, this month!  

It is exciting to see how God has moved in preparation for the trip. Garett and I feel loved and supported through people’s generosity. The conversations about why we would take this type of trip has really caused both of us to consider our motivation. People ask us why? Why would you spend your resources and time in a country so far away? At first, I did not understand the questions. My response has been, why not? We were invited, we are able to go, and we desire to see what He wants us to see and experience. We are choosing to walk forward in confidence, knowing that our faith will grow in ways it never would have had we stayed in our comfortable culture in Aledo, TX.  

Garett and I were blessed to grow up going on mission trips, so we love answering the question why with confidence: “Because it is worth it.” It is worth getting to know God better and to love His people well. Let me explain.  

When you are surrounded by people who look like you and act like you much of the time, you start to think God might look and act like you, too. When you get used to the culture you live in, you forget it’s not the only one and that God is at work in other cultures as well. Traveling to another part of the world, which is equally created by God, with equal amounts of purpose and worth, reminds us just how big God is. It helps us get to know other aspects of God that we don’t see when we just stay home. This trip will help me truly know God more and expand my view of Him. So, I will pay all the money, give all the time, and sacrifice my comfort to go. 

Not only is knowing God better worth going on this trip, but loving His people is worth it, too. Believers in Ethiopia are very different from me but are still my spiritual siblings. They work daily in tough conditions, with poverty all around them, and they continue to persevere. The goal for the team is to encourage and support the Adera staff and the families and students.  The Bible tells us to love one another, and I am thankful to live in an age where I can love the people in my neighborhood and those halfway around the world.  

Please pray as we serve in Ethiopia, that God would expand our view of Him and of His people in a way that impacts our family forever.  

– Caroline Pearce, March 2024