Posted
The Yohannes Family has been connected to LM for decades. Sisters, HAMELMAL YOHANNES GERMAMO ‘93 and BETHLEHEM YOHANNES GERMAMO ‘93 came to the United States from Ethiopia for high school and lived in the Graybill Hall Residence Hall as dorm students.
Their father, Yohannes Germamo, was deeply involved in the school system in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as Board Chair of Nazareth Bible Academy (NBA). He was passionate about ministry and growing the church as part of Meserete Kristos Church (MKC), Mennonite World Conference, and church planting. Many Mennonites from the U.S. knew him and their family from their time living and serving in Ethiopia at NBA or attending MKC, including LM Maintenance Director, Herb Kraybill and his family!
Hamelmal currently lives in Virginia and provides financial management and financial system support to the U.S. Government. She shares, “God gifted me with math skills. I enjoy numbers, details, analysis, finding problems, and creating solutions. I’m thankful I get to use that in my work.”
She fondly remembers her favorite LM teacher, Mr. Andrew Hershey, who taught math and physics classes. She was deeply impacted by the mission-oriented mentality of the faculty. “I could tell the teachers weren’t just there for the money, they really cared about students, and had an emphasis on appreciating other cultures and helping others that are in need or don’t know Christ. They helped blossom inside of me how much I can influence people and serve God. Cultivating global citizens is one of my values. Beyond Ethiopia and America, how do I become part of the positive global impact that as Christians God wants us to do? I do that by being involved in supporting missionaries, non-profits, sponsoring children, etc.”
Her sister, Bethlehem, is a nurse at Georgetown University Hospital caring for patients before and after surgery. She sees her profession not only as a job, but as a mission. “There are times when people ask me to pray for them, and I offer them comfort. My time at LMH boosted my confidence that I can spread the word of God right where I am and make a positive impact on others.”
The sisters are from a family of seven siblings, but are the only two who studied in the U.S. Their brother, Afework Yohannes Germamo, grew up hearing stories from his sisters and friends who attended Lancaster Mennonite School. He was impressed by the experiences they had to live a life of service to others, learn about God, the values that were instilled in them, and their career opportunities.
“I wanted this opportunity for my youngest son, Barkot. So when he asked us about pursuing high school after 11th grade in the United States, we explored LM because of the high-quality academic background and important values instilled in my sisters and other friends’ children. The same values have been maintained over the years, similar to our experience at the NBA (an affiliate of LM), and the values passed down to me from our family.”
BARKOT ‘25 is nearly through his first year at Lancaster Mennonite as an eleventh grader. He shares, “My favorite classes are Honors Algebra, Small Engines and World Religions. I want to be a mechanical engineer, so I think I am off to a good start!” He was warmly welcomed to the LM community and says, “I quickly found ‘my people’ here. I’ve made a lot of friends, and I’m also enjoying living in the Millstream Residence Hall.”
