History of the Mission to Soddo, Pt. 2

How is a church born?  In Soddo, it happened like this:

In 1928, the Lambies had arrived in Soddo to set up the mission station.  Along with them were the Rhoad family, and three single men: Glen Cain, Walter Ohman, and Clarence Duff.  They were invited to set up their homes in a place called Otona which sat atop a foothill just to the east of Mt. Damota.  (Soddo sits in the shadow of Mt. Damota which was named for a previous king in this area).

They set to work building their homes which were made of local materials.  According to SIM’s policy, they were to have the luxury of a bathtub and a cook stove in the home, “so as to add to the missionaries’ comfort.”  They spent their days in the homes of the Wolaitta people, learning their language with one goal in mind: to be able to formulate a Gospel presentation to the people.   They established a clinic to provide practical help to the people in that area as well.

In 1929, their forces expanded.  The mission team was joined by the Lewis family, Selma Bergstren, and a nurse named Ruth Bray.  Within two years, the team had learned the local language enough to present the Gospel.  They began preaching at Otona to those who were coming to the clinic – combining physical and spiritual ministry just as we do today at Soddo Christian Hospital.  One day, a young man named Wandaro happened to come by and hear the preaching.

Wandaro was from Humbo, a little south of Soddo, and his father was a well-known witch doctor there.  On that day, Wandaro had been on his way to the market at Soddo, when a terrible thunderstorm hit, and he ducked into the clinic in Otona to get out of the rain.  It was there that he first heard the Gospel, which he said sounded like “honey to his stomach.”  He was drawn to the message, and a week later went back to hear more.  After a third visit, he professed faith in Jesus Christ, and the first Wolaitta believer was born.

In the years that followed, many more professed faith in Jesus, and the missionaries were baptizing new converts regularly.  The Lewises lost a baby son three days after birth, and many Wolaittans came to mourn with them.  In the wake of this tragedy, many locals became Christians after observing the peace that the mission team exhibited in the face of such tragedy.

By 1936, there were 73 believers in Soddo.  The mission had expanded to neighboring villages as well like Koisha, Yirga Alem, and Arba Minch.  It was estimated that in all of this southern region, they had seen close to 150 conversions.  But the tide of war was sweeping into Ethiopia.  The Italians had invaded, and the missionaries were going to be forced to leave.  Many of them left with a sadness.  Despite what they had seen, they feared it wasn’t enough to birth a new church yet.

But God had plans for the Soddo church…

[ois skin=”Blog Post Share”]