New Roofs at Bess

A letter from Steve and Brenda Stelle serving in Ethiopia

March 2016

Before moving to Africa we had participated in a number of short mission trips—trips where a team of volunteers from the U.S. travelled to a particular place in need of assistance, and then, upon arrival, proceeded to do the assigned “work for” the people.  However, just recently we were honored to host a completely different type of mission trip, a mission work team from the U.S.  The Americans came to “work with” our Ethiopian partners, and together we put new roofs on both the main classroom building and the boys’ dormitory, and also replaced two of the water-damaged ceilings at BESS (Bethel Evangelical Secondary School).  Here Americans learned and worked side by side with Ethiopians, the Americans instructing how to line up metal roof sheeting, use power tools to secure the roofing, and replace tongue and groove ceiling tiles; the Ethiopians teaching us how accomplish certain tasks without the tools we all take for granted, like ensuring that corners were at a right angle without a T-square or making a new ceiling flat and horizontal without a level.

Tearing off the old roof

The American work crew was a small group of only three men: Ed Pollock, Tom Kaufman (from a church in our home presbytery) and Bill Sync.  And us: Steve joined the men on the roof and Brenda cooked meals for the team each day; when Steve was teaching at Gidada, Brenda assisted with the painting of ceiling tiles.  BESS Principal Amanuel Tesfaye provided a dozen maintenance men, farmworkers, and drivers from BESS along with hiring five local carpenters to assist in the project.

The project began with a group meeting that opened with prayer.  Introductions were made between the three men and the men from Dembi Dollo.   Principal Amanual introduced both the local carpenters and his men from BESS, indicating their positions at the school.  This enabled Ed to assign the right personnel to the various tasks throughout the week.

Soon everyone was working together to tear the roof off the classroom building and make needed repairs to the trusses and purloins (the structure holding up the roof).  After the first half of the roof was repaired, the three Americans guided two crews of the BESS staff (one crew working on each side of the building) to begin putting on the new roofing of the classroom building.  At first this was a very slow process as the BESS workers (and Steve) needed to learn the procedure for putting on the new sheeting.  First, they learned to attach the sheeting at the peak and then carefully stretch the roofing at the bottom to keep it straight (many buildings here aren’t completely square).  Additionally because many of the men from BESS had little working knowledge of power tools, the Americans demonstrated installing screws into the wood purloins without drilling too tightly and causing the new roof to dent.  Each day skills and speed improved, and soon this part of the project was complete.  From there the BESS workers, led by Vice Principal Naga, used their newly acquired skills and tackled the boys’ dormitory on their own, finishing the entire roof before the end of our time together.

New roof on Boy’s Dormitory

After the trusses and purloins of both roofs were repaired, local carpenters and some BESS workers worked together to replace damaged ceilings tiles.  It soon became evident this part of the project was more complicated than initially anticipated.  At first we thought we would simply remove the water-damaged tiles, replacing them with new ones.  However, the tongue and groove style made this impossible and more expensive.  Both Americans and Ethiopians pondered over possible solutions; working together, Ed and the carpenters (with some translation help from the BESS workers and Steve) came up with two workable solutions.  In one classroom the ceiling was completely replaced, using full 4-foot by 8-foot painted plywood sheets. However, in the second classroom, the men would use the old tongue and groove framework, using some new panels along with other old usable tiles. This was more work, but much more cost-effective.  Using these two methods, they finished both classrooms by the end of the week.  This joint teamwork meant that both the knowledge and money will be available this summer so that the remaining ceilings in the classrooms and in the boys’ dormitory will be repaired.

Gratitude for the BESS Roof Project
On the last evening of our time together we celebrated our accomplishments.  Director Amanuel and the school prepared umkumsa (a sheep dish) for all of the people who worked on the roof project. Over 30 people attended. Both Synod officials and Principal Amanuel spoke—offering thanks to everyone for their work, reminding us that these new roofs will keep the students of BESS dry for many years.  Principal Amanuel was very open; he admitted having concerns prior to the Americans arrival, worrying about how such a large project could be accomplished in such a short time.  However, he was both surprised and pleased, stating that only by working together both the Americans and his men were able to complete such an important task for his students. He then reminded us that this partnership began many years ago; he stated that it was the Presbyterian Church in America that built BESS in the early 1970s because they believed that education was the only way for the oppressed to escape poverty.  He added that the students of BESS are blessed to go to chapel every day, where they hear of God’s love for them and of His call to unity.  This project witnesses to each one of them; this project demonstrates to each of our students God’s words in action.

Deme cleaning chickens

WE LIVE IN AFRICA MOMENT!
For the entire time the Americans were here Brenda provided meals, snacks and beverages for the team.  For the Sunday meal she decided to prepare a traditional American dinner—roasted chicken.  However, up till now, we had never purchased chicken in Dembi Dollo.  Purchasing chickens here means choosing a live chicken that you must then kill yourself.  Breda freely admits she had no knowledge of how to choose a “good” chicken, so she took Deme, one of the women from BESS, with her to the market in the morning, where she learned to squeeze the chicken’s upper leg to see if he is fat enough. She purchased two large chickens, and carried them back to BESS in her basket.  Later in the afternoon Assistant Director Naga came to our home, took the chickens into our backyard and cut off their heads. Then Deme showed Brenda how to use boiling water to remove the feathers from both the chickens, which we cut up and cooked for dinner.  In those few hours while two live chickens were standing, clucking very loudly inside our living room, awaiting their final doom, we looked at each other and in unison said… We live in Africa!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Praise for the two roofs being completed before the little rains begin.

• Pray for Brenda’s 12th graders as they prepare for their National Exams.

• Pray for peace in parts of the Oromo area where violence and unrest continues.

As always we want to thank you for your prayers and financial support of our ministry, which enables us to teach at BESS and Gidada Theological College.  Gifts for 2016 can be sent to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  Congregations, please designate gifts for our account # D507574; individuals, for account # E200507.  Funds can be sent through your local presbytery office or make the check to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and send it to:  Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA  15264-3700.  Again we praise God for your partnership with us in serving in Dembi Dollo, Ethiopia.

In Christ’s service,

Rev. Steve & Brenda Stelle
Bethel Evangelical Secondary School
Box 186, Dembi Dollo, Ethiopia
brendastelle813@yahoo.com     stevestelle826@gmail.com

The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 142