belief in the power of the river's water draws pilgrims to debre maryam as well. priest eshete medhem was born and raised on the banks of the abay river. eshete: abay means life to me. not only because the water is holy, but also because the church on this island gives me work. the church and the river are closely entwined. people come here to be cured. once upon a time the nile's waters even raised some from the dead. reporter: a river so powerful, people even ascribe miracles to it. 30 kilometers south of lake tana, the blue nile falls are africa's second biggest. the falls are themselves a miracle in ethiopia, a country generally notorious for drought and hunger. time appears to have stood still in the impoverished highlands. further south, the blue nile bends westwards, heading towards the sudanese border, where it will be used to provide the country with electricity. 40 kilometers before the river reaches sudan, a huge dam and hydraulic power station are taking shape on africa's biggest construction site. 10,000 workers toil here day and night. the grand ethi