For four years, I have been the Tigray relief project coordinator for the Meserete Kristos Church Development Commission. Because of this work, people gave me a new name. They called me Joseph, who saved his family and all of Egypt during a famine, as we read in the Book of Genesis.

Also, like Joseph, I was separated from my family.

The war in the Tigray region from 2020 to 2022 profoundly affected our lives. Many people were killed by both the Ethiopian National Defense Force and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Many homes were intentionally destroyed using heavy artillery.

Families have lost their sons, daughters and homes. Among those who perished were my aunt’s son, and also a Meserete Kristos Church missionary, who I considered my spiritual son. (MKC is a Mennonite church and a Mennonite Central Committee partner in Ethiopia.) The memory of these losses weighs heavily on my heart.

I grew up in the church, and I have served with various MKC churches and church plants for 16 years. Currently I am a pastor for the MKC congregation in Mek’ele, the capital of Tigray.

At the beginning of the war, I shared information about the situation with MKC’s head office in Addis Ababa and via social media. Despite the risks, I assumed the responsibility of being a voice for the people suffering from hunger in Tigray.

After MKC sent a first round of MCC-supported relief supplies to Tigray, I brought a relief report to Addis Ababa. But while I was there, everything went under blockade, and I was stranded for a year.

I had no way to communicate with my family. I was completely cut off.

I worried about how they were eating. I was concerned that the war would cause many deaths, sickness and much damage. I feared that drone attacks might kill my family.

While in Addis, I continued working with MKC’s Development Commission. I proposed to MCC representatives to bring cash to Tigray on a United Nations airplane to help my people. They studied the idea and agreed.

On the plane, I kept the bag containing the money securely under my feet. I felt anxious carrying such a large amount of money.

The process was stressful, but God never let us down.

In Mek’ele, we gave money to people directly at first until we could deposit funds into bank accounts.

Whenever I arrived in Mek’ele, the people were full of hope. A young girl saw me arrive and ran home to tell her mother. Her mother said, “Why didn’t you tell me that Jesus has come? Don’t you know that when Bizuayehu arrives, it means God has arrived?”

My faith was tested by the war, the upheavals experienced by the nation and my family and the uncertainty I felt when my movements were restricted.

I grappled with questions like why these events were happening despite my prayers, why God seemed silent and why intervention appeared delayed. These experiences challenged me to find resilience and trust.

When I finally returned to my family and children after the peace agreement, I was overwhelmed with tears of joy as I rejoiced in seeing them. I wanted to stay, but I felt I needed to continue to travel back and forth to Addis Ababa for the MKC Development Commission.

Sometimes taking risks is necessary to help people and to prioritize the needs of others.

My biblical nickname reminds me that God has prepared me for a time such as this.