A Global Advent: 25 Stories of God With Us Around the WorldPrøve

During Advent, Christians around the world will light a candle to reflect on joy.

Where can we find joy in a world of hunger, conflict, and injustice?

Photo Caption: Fatuma and her son, Nur.

Two mothers in northern Ethiopia, Zere and Fatuma, have faced this question, not in theory, but in their first-hand, lived experiences of this year.

Their community has been touched by violent conflict—to which Fatuma lost her 22-year-old son. On top of that, economic shocks and extreme weather have fuelled the global food crisis and thrust these women, their families, and their neighbours into food insecurity, unlike anything they’ve experienced before.

“I never imagined a day would come when I would look for scraps of food in the house,” Zere says.

“Prices of food items have soared in an unexplainable way. We are barely surviving,” Fatuma adds. “I take the little money I have to the market and come back confused and angry with what I could afford. It is a nightmare. What is money if it can’t buy anything?”

Compassion’s local church partner is working hard to respond amidst the desperate situation. Compassion centre director Solomon shares that they were able to provide families with 50-kilogram bags of teff grain and 5-litre bottles of cooking oil. “The provision of food was like manna. It came at a time we desperately needed support. When I gathered the caregivers and broke the good news to them, the church compound was filled with shouts of joy.”

Joy. It’s a simple meal shared with family. It’s God’s unexpected provision when we need it most. It’s the ability to share with your neighbours.

Photo Caption: Zere and her two children stand in the doorway of their home.

“I sleep well at night knowing I have food to give to my children. I even share with my neighbours who are in critical need,” says Zere.

“I’m comforted, not just because of the provision of food, but because I know I have people who care for me,” says Fatuma.

What can you count as joy today? How can you multiply and share that joy with someone in need?