Debbie Stoppa’s report concerning her 2019 Five Aspects trip to Ethiopia with her father:
After this trip to Ethiopia, I am even more convinced that Five Aspects is desperately needed in the 3rd world, where women grow up not feeling valued and are asked to do many things that are not Biblical. Your study had such a deep, almost guttural reaction from the women, that it is hard to describe the extent of its impact.
Here's one example...one night my Dad and I were awakened by a disturbance outside our window (we were right next to the women's "dorm" rooms. There were excited noises and voices, but we couldn't figure out what was going on. The next day before class started, I asked one of the students what happened...she sheepishly said, we were just so excited about the material you are teaching us- we just couldn't keep quiet! In a nutshell, that explains how my 2 plus weeks went. The women heard the Word, accepted it and were changed by it. Not only changed, but ready to share it with the women in their sphere of influence. Since they are all leaders in their churches, they will be given a platform to share what they learned.
The area where I taught was Wolaita, in the city of Soddo. It is an area that has over 1.5 million believers. The city has over 25 churches, five of which have 3000-5000 attendees per week. The church is so strong here that they send out missionaries to other areas and have women on staff at their churches. The Ethiopian leaders expressed their deep gratitude for the missionaries that put so much effort into teaching 40 yrs ago when my Dad taught in the Bible school there. We got to see the faithfulness of God over the last 50+ years. Now the local church and seminary is completely run by nationals...which was my Dad's vision some 40 years ago! Praise God!
I feel so blessed to have been able to take the GOOD NEWS of the beauty of Woman to them. Thank you for creating Five Aspects- for all of the time and energy you spent over the last 30 years improving it and making it better each time.
I hope the Lord will raise up Five Aspects teachers who will be willing to take the material overseas. I pray that the Lord will give many opportunities and invitations to go. The impact will be double or triple what it is in the US. We are so fortunate to live in a culture where women are already valued. In 3rd world countries, it is not a given, so when they see what it really means to be made in God's image, they can't help but be changed. I know I was extremely blessed because these women had a firm Biblical background, so when they were confronted with God's design, even with submission, they were able to embrace it. Now, they are crying out for their men to know how to value women. Even though there is a distinct difference between the way a believing man treats his wife, they still have a long way to go. (My dad thinks one of the male profs. should teach the men Five Aspects of Woman, so they can understand how much God values women and how being a strong woman can complement men.) Anyway, another subject for another time!
Thanks again for your work and for allowing us to spread God's amazing news.
Warm Regards in the name of Jesus Christ,
Debbie Stoppa