Pastor Tesfaye wasn’t setting out to plant his fifth church. He was simply answering a friend’s call for prayer.
“And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” — Romans 10:15
Pastor Tesfaye serves in Ethiopia, in a region marked by tribal conflict and deep spiritual oppression. When he heard that a friend needed prayer, he made a decision that seemed simple enough: he would go.
What happened next would become the beginning of his fifth church plant.
A Community Held by Spiritual Bondage
“In the area where I am serving, there is ongoing conflict between different tribes,” Tesfaye explained. “Many people rely on witch doctors, believing they have the power to kill others or bring healing. This fear fuels violence and division, and it shows the deep spiritual bondage that exists here.”
In Tesfaye’s community, people seek the help of witch doctors for both healing and harm. Fear has shaped relationships and deepened divisions between tribes. Into this environment, Tesfaye has been called to carry the hope-filled message of the Gospel of Jesus.
His ministry doesn’t begin with easy circumstances. It begins with a willingness to go where God has placed him and faithfully serve the people around him.
The Six-Hour Walk
When Tesfaye heard his friend needed prayer, he set out on a six-hour journey on foot to reach him, because it was worth the time and effort.
The next morning, his friend asked him to preach. Eleven people placed their faith in Jesus that day.
Tesfaye had not set out to plant another church. He had simply gone because someone needed prayer. But that ordinary act of obedience became the beginning of something much larger.
“Moments like this remind me that obedience, even when it is costly and tiring, brings fruit,” he said.
Those eleven new believers became the beginning of Tesfaye’s fifth church plant.
When Opposition Gave Way to Curiosity
The road forward was not easy. In the days that followed, Tesfaye faced strong opposition from the community. It was during this time that a member of the community became seriously ill and began losing his sight.
The man invited Tesfaye to his home to pray for him privately because he feared those who opposed the Gospel. Tesfaye went, and God miraculously restored the man’s sight.
The healing could not remain a secret. The community’s attitude began to change. People who had once resisted Tesfaye and the Gospel began to listen. They became curious about the God they saw at work through the pastor.
Today, over 180 people gather in the church Tesfaye planted.
What began with one friend’s need for prayer has grown into a community gathering to worship Jesus. What Tesfaye could see that day was a friend who needed him to come. What God saw was a church that would reach far beyond that moment.
What God Can Do With a “Yes”
Tesfaye didn’t set out that day thinking, “Today, I’m going to plant my fifth church.” He heard that someone needed prayer, and he went. He walked six hours, showed up for his friend, preached when asked, and continued serving even when opposed.
Jesus showed us this kind of Kingdom multiplication when five loaves and two fish became enough to feed thousands. The offering itself was small, but placed in His hands, it became far more than anyone could have imagined.
What seems small in our hands can become something much greater in His.
The request for prayer, the long journey, the message he was willing to preach—none of those things seemed extraordinary on their own. But faithfulness rarely begins with something extraordinary. It begins with saying “yes” to what God has placed in front of us.
We may not know what God will do with our obedience. A conversation, a prayer, an hour we can give, a small gift, or a step of faith may seem insignificant in the moment. But when we place what we have in His hands, we don’t have to know what comes next.
What has God already placed in your hands?
Faithfulness often looks ordinary in the moment. We don’t always get to see what God is multiplying on the other side of our obedience. But we can have confidence because we know who God is: faithful to carry out His purposes in and through our ordinary lives.
Tesfaye walked six hours because a friend needed prayer. He could not have known where those steps would lead.
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” — Romans 10:15
Petros Network works alongside indigenous church planters like Pastor Tesfaye, equipping leaders to bring the Gospel to their own people and establish healthy churches that can continue to reproduce and serve their communities.
Editor’s note: To protect the identity of a church planter serving in a sensitive ministry context, we have changed his name.
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