THOMASVILLE — A Thomas County man spent two weeks in July furthering Christianity among believers in a poverty-stricken African nation.

Mark NeSmith’s mission was to teach Ethiopians to how to maintain a Christian life and a lifetime of zeal as a Christian.

The trip was NeSmith’s second on behalf of Moultrie Road Church of Christ, where he is a member. He was joined by two friends.

After a 13-hour flight from Washington, D.C., the group arrived at Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia’s capital city. After an overnight stay, a trip in a rented vehicle over “a piece of a road” required hours of travel vying for road space with cars, trucks, horse-and-donkey carts, cows, goats and people.

“We ran out of Bibles very quickly, as so many families do not have a copy of their own, and they were so desirous to have a copy in their homes,” NeSmith said.

Most people in the areas NeSmith visited farm for a livelihood. He said it was not uncommon to see many large fields being plowed by multiple farmers, with teams of oxen yoked together pulling wooden plows. Others scattered seed by hand over large parcels of freshly plowed ground.

Food, shelter and clothing are necessities. Anything else is considered an accessory.

On a Sunday, NeSmith’s group preached at a village in mountain country. In preparation for NeSmith’s and the others’ arrival, a make-shift structure made of old tarps tied on top of eucalyptus poles was erected at the corner of a corn field. Eucalyptus leaves covered the ground to keep American guests out of the mud.

“Everyone in attendance had either ridden an animal to get there or had walked. No one there owns a vehicle,” NeSmith explained.

The group visited the home of a preacher for lunch. His wife prepared a meal of rice, boiled eggs, ground meat sauce and bread. She cooked coffee beans on a small clay stove on the floor, hand-pounded the cooked beans until they were ground up and put a clay pot of boiling water on the same stove.

“Serving coffee to guests in this manner is another form of Ethiopian hospitality,” NeSmith said.

When asked what kind of meat was in the sauce, NeSmith said, “I’m going to call it ground beef,” adding that Ethiopians eat a lot of lamb and goat.

He ate eggs at a restaurant, but does not know what kind of bird laid them.

Streets are muddy. People clean shoes for a pittance to get money to survive. A job in a city brings $7 or $8 a day. “In the countryside, it would be half that,” NeSmith said.

A Thomas County commissioner and businessman, NeSmith said Ethiopia does not have government-funded medical care. In sickness, families join forces to pay medical bills. Ethiopians see a physician only when very ill.

Child mortality is high. A child who lives to five or six is considered on the road to survival.

“One of the main things they battle is malaria,” NeSmith explained.

He saw two people smoking in Ethiopia, where the habit is considered immoral.

Water must be hauled, then boiled. Some running water is available, but not drinkable from the tap.

Ethiopians do not marry until their 30s. “They do not get married until they can support a family,” NeSmith said.

Some 60 languages are spoken in the country, many of them tribal languages. Typically, two languages are spoken. NeSmith’s group had two translators of different languages at one church session.

NeSmith embarked on the mission to deliver a little courage to a group of Christians in Ethiopia.

“Those I had contact with left me much more encouraged and thankful for all my blessings I have in my life than I could have possibly been to them. A trip like this lets one realize that material possessions are not the answer to happiness. The people I was associated with are as poor as any in the world, yet because of their faith, they can find happiness and contentment. I hope I can learn from this lesson,” NeSmith said.   

 Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820