Purposeful Life

A Purposeful Life is a long-delayed response to the call I received in the 1980s through two evangelists who closely watched my life as a Christian woman going through difficulty in my marriage, career, and religious life in Ethiopia. They encouraged me to write a book, telling me that my life example could touch many lives and make a huge difference. The long delay has a silver lining-It offered me the opportunity to be refined more and gain a broader experience to produce an enriched book that speaks to diverse audiences.

I speak from a lived experience in all areas of life: childhood, marriage, career, family, social, religious, cultural, economic, and political. The unmarried will learn from my life, the importance of making the right choice and decision before marriage. I show to those married, the effect of cultural and religious pressures on marriage, and scriptural and legal provisions toward maintaining healthy marriage and families as well as the wisdom to raising successful children.
I was born in Nedjo, a small rural town in western Ethiopia. During my early life, girls' education was not common in Ethiopia, and the estimated illiteracy rate in the nation was ninety-five percent. But soon after I was born, my father accepted the Protestant Christian faith and purchased a property adjacent to a Swedish Mission School. As a result, I was able to start school at age six. However, despite that promising start, my father abandoned our family leaving me defenseless against a chain of problems: a horrific attack by a school director at the age of ten; I had traveled eighty-five kilometers by mule-back and on foot to attend high school, where I continued to face adversities in different forms. Even after I left school, tribulations followed, and I endured a very abusive marriage while fighting sexual harassment and persecution in my career. But the strong Christian foundation that has shaped my life since childhood, and the unyielding faith and optimism led me through the depths of adversity to rise above my circumstances, and help others to help themselves.

My story provides a bridge between the developing and developed worlds toward addressing our shared responsibility in making the world a better place. In Ethiopia, I lobbied the then new prime minister of Ethiopia in 1991 to establish a ministry of women's affairs utilizing the experience I gained from my study tour to the ministry of women's affairs and social promotion in Niamey, Niger. In Minnesota, I participated in the drafting and testified at the Senate hearing of the bill that was enacted in August 2004, exempting foreign-qualified nurses in Minnesota from the CGFNS certification process and allowing them to take their NCLEX-RN exam after fulfilling Minnesota's requirement and practice nursing. I also played a substantial role in the new rule that was officially adopted by the Minnesota Board of Barber and Cosmetologist Examiners on May 15, 2006, exempting hair braiders from state cosmetology licensing requirements. A Purposeful Life is a call to action. By showing readers the fruit of putting others first, I invite them to do their share toward making a positive difference in the lives of others and the world we live in.

I obtained diplomas in community nursing and as a pediatric nurse practitioner before I moved to the United States where I earned a bachelor of arts in human services, an executive master of public affairs as a Bush leadership fellow, and a PhD in Christian Leadership. I now reside in Atlanta, Georgia where I spend my time writing and serving on a non-profit board as a president.