Baking on the Mission Field: Ethiopia Edition

The Lord has blessed me again with yet another opportunity to bake as a ministry in Ethiopia. We’re 4 for 4 so far! Out of the first four countries on our race, the Lord has let me bake for His kingdom in all four of them so far! I’m praying that we will go 6 for 6!

At HopEthiopia, they maintain a bread bakery called Hope Bakery. It has one hired staff member from outside the children’s village, and the rest of those who work there are the older teenagers from within the children’s village. Working in the bakery gives these kids technical skills that they can then use someday to secure a job and support their future families. A portion of the income from the bakery also gets poured back into the organization that is supporting these 34 children. To be invited into something that is focused on these kids’ futures, something with generational impact, was humbling.

When they heard that I am a professional baker, they were eager for me to share with them any wisdom that the Lord has blessed me with. What an opportunity that God has not let go to waste, to minister in and through the kitchen. He’s trusting it into my hands, and I’m giving it right back to Him. May it not be me in these kitchens, but Him in me in these kitchens. His words speaking through me, His love pouring out of me, His encouragement radiating and not my own. He’s uniquely equipped me over anyone on my squad to minister in this way. I trust Him to use these skills He’s given me to open doors that can’t be opened through others. May His glory shine in all of these opportunities, and may I touch none of that glory.

I ended up having the time and ingredients to put on a one-day course for three of the boys who work in the bakery. The bakery only makes soft rolls, so I decided to show them how to make a baguette. Something that they’ll have to practice on their own beyond our one class, but now they have the building blocks to do just that.

We walked through the recipe step-by-step together, from scaling the ingredients to pulling the bread out of the oven. I was even able to use the curriculum that I created back in Thailand to teach them about the chemistry behind bread, why the ingredients, timing, and environment work together the way that they do to create good bread. Definitely a full-circle moment!

Each step of the way, we found something to laugh about. Maybe they were just being nice, but they did laugh at my jokes, praise God! They even named each of their loaves of bread after different colors. They were all about having fun along the way! We talked and laughed about how Jesus is the bread of life, and that we were making the bread of “nimi’a”, which means “delicious” in Oromo. The boys were full of great questions and eager to learn. I am grateful to have been the one to teach them!

Once all the bread was out of the oven, we sliced it up and brought it out to the kids playing volleyball. The three boys were so proud to share their creations with their friends, and that was a sight to see. These pictures don’t do it justice, but the excitement in their eyes and the smiles on their faces were all the thanks I needed for sharing my knowledge with them.

I continue to be blown away by the intentionality of God. For Him to choose to use my pastry experience, something near and dear to my heart, on the mission field further emphasizes His love for me. He made me the way that I am for a reason. He embedded all of my passions and talents in me for a reason, to love Him and His children well through what He’s blessed me with. And I can’t believe that I’ve been able to do just that in all four of our route’s countries so far! He is beyond good.