In 1994, Shimeles and Yutta Retta met the “Russian Mennonites,” or Aussiedler, who had recently moved from the former Soviet Union to Germany. Being recently converted to Christ, Shimeles, an Ethiopian refugee, and his German wife, both of Catholic background, were incorporated into and discipled by this conservative Anabaptist community.
The Meserete Kristos Church in Ethiopia continues to grow, increasing by 4.5 percent over the last year to 310,877 baptized members. It is the largest national Anabaptist body in the world.
Would they help him make sure that the students of Meserete Kristos College in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, each had an English Bible of their own?
Legesse, a member of Bethel Mennonite Church in Elora, Ont., was born and raised in Ethiopia. He and his wife, Dianne, previously served in Ethiopia with Mennonite Church Canada.
Krista Allen of Elkhart, Ind., wrote the children’s curriculum in collaboration with the MKC peace office during a four-year service term with Mennonite Central Committee in Addis Ababa.
