“A pastor cannot mix ministry work with money. This is unspiritual!”

This is one of the deceptive narratives held by Christians in different communities across Africa. This is no different in Wolenchete village of Heber community in the East Showa zone.

Pastor Fikre followed this narrative diligently. He sold off many parcels of land that he and his wife inherited from their parents in adherence to this narrative. This left them with few small portions that they hired out to make enough for their children’s fees.

After his time at the PA training, Pastor Fikre was convicted to build a sustainable model around his ministry work and family life. He considered the busy trade route that passes through their village with truck drivers shuttling between Addis Ababa and Djibouti. The space in his compound would work perfectly for the establishment of rental rooms for the tired truck drivers.

Together with his wife, Pastor Fikre began construction with multiple hurdles due to limited funds, that he later sourced through a PA loan and other agencies, as opposed to selling more parcels of land.  Today, they have completed their family home and two external quarters that serve as rental facilities for truck drivers in transit.