One day 15 years ago, when I was 18, my father returned from a mission trip to ­Kachise town. Kachise is 112 miles from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where my family lives. My father, Haile Gelan, went to Kachise to coordinate church leader elections and to teach and preach in Bekeabawima Meserete Kristos Church.

My mother, my brother and three sisters were eager to hear about his trip. We were also worried. He was limping and tried to hide his pain. What had happened?

He had traveled by bus to Kachise town but found no public transportation there, so he borrowed a horse. After only a few minutes of travel, the horse was stung by a bee. The horse spun around, my father fell off, and the horse ran away. My father had to walk for four hours to reach the Bekeabawima church.

As we listened in amazement, my father reminded us that being a disciple of Jesus means being selfless in serving the family that we are generously a part of in Christ. That is how we live our faith — by following Jesus both in word and deed.

It was a lesson that has shaped my life: My father did not let hardship stop him from serving Jesus and the church.

Growing up in MKC, the Ethiopian Anabaptist church, formed me to follow Jesus and to train myself in Christlikeness daily. I learned the distinctive features of being an Anabaptist in the Ethiopian context from my congregation, Misrak Meserete Kristos Church.

As a child, attending church was my favorite thing. I think many MKC members can relate to this feeling. I grew up with a strong sense of belonging because of how relationships are valued. The emphasis on Jesus’ teaching to love one another was a core value that my Sunday school teachers showed and taught.

The phrase I heard most in church was “Christlikeness in word and deed.”

The MKC mission statement is, “The Meserete Kristos Church exists to preach the gospel to all people, teach those who believe in Jesus to make them disciples of Christ.”

MKC emphasizes discipleship. When a person turns 13, they participate in a course called “Following Jesus,” and after this, they go through water baptism. After baptism, there are courses called “Discipleship” and “Being a Minister in a Church,” which encourage young people to get involved in church ministry and practice daily Christlikeness.

Cell groups and weekly Bible study in homes bind MKC members together as a family. Bible studies are divided by age groups, usually with eight to 12 people. This gathering is not only to study the Word of God but also to see one another and share food.

In addition, fasting and prayer programs are vital to strengthening fellowship, leading people to love one another as Christ Jesus loves us and working toward reconciliation and peace.

One MKC pastor, Tesfagorgis Teklemichael, who has now gone to be with the Lord, was an example and model for me. He was gentle and honest, loved everyone and treated everyone equally. He was compassionate, always ready to help people on their worst days. He had a sincere heart to help and visit people experiencing poverty. His role as a mediator and reconciler brought comfort and peace to all. Members learned from his perseverance in adversity to serve the Lord and love others as Jesus did.

Throughout MKC congregations, there are evangelists, teachers and pastors who serve as similar examples. They comfort and encourage the church community to finish our faith journey patiently, looking to Jesus Christ.

This is not only the role of pastors, teachers and evangelists. As my father said, this is how each of us, as Jesus’ disciples, should live.

Ruth Haile Gelane, currently living in Elkhart, Ind., is a student in theology and peace studies at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. The Meserete Kristos Church in Ethiopia is the largest national church in Mennonite World Conference, with more than 500,000 members.