The village of Bochessa is a "suburb" of Ziway. With huge Lake Ziway on one side and the Bochessa River on the other, the poor villagers are essentially stranded from commerce, schools, medical care, and transportation. One of the visions of the church we are working with is to evangelize this strongly Muslim and Orthodox area with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since communication and transportation problems make this village very difficult to reach, the leaders of the Bochessa community listed as a high priority the building of a bridge over the Bochessa River.

During the dry season, when the river is low, residents could cross the river traversing a rickety, slippery bridge of eucalyptus poles nailed across several big logs spanning a long gap between stepping stones. Going back and forth to Ziway for the Bochessa villagers meant negotiating this dangerous bridge each way. If they had donkeys, sheep, or horses accompanying them, or if they had heavy loads, they had to wade through the deep part of the river. If the water level was too high, they were required to hire a boat to ferry them across. Crossing the river was dangerous and inconvenient any time of year. People being swept away by the stream and drowning or students dropping their books and school supplies into the muddy water were among the casualties of crossing Bochessa River.

In order to get to Bochessa to evangelize and to do further development work required building a bridge. With financial assistance and great encouragement from Loving Shepherd Ministries, the bridge has been completed and is a tremendous blessing to the communities of Bochessa and Ziway.

Crossing the Bochessa River on market day prior to the completion of the new bridge.

Crossing the Bochessa River during rainy season with the river at its peak. 

The completed bridge.