Friday, September 6, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
What's Going on Here?
The Lord has invited our family to join Him in Ethiopia. As you may know, we currently have a ministry called Rivers of Living Water ~ Helping Orphans and Widows in Need (www.rivers-of-living-water.org), where we are working with orphans and widows in Gojjo, Ethiopia. Last year, our partner in ministry, Alayu, a church planter, asked us to pray about planting a church. Our home church in Butte, Montana is Abundant Life Fellowship, which is part of the Church of God. So we met with Harvest Church of God in Ethiopia and told them what we thought the Lord was saying. They told us they had been asking for missionaries to come and had been praying about starting an International English speaking church for about 7 years. We asked the Lord how soon before we would be moving and we heard Him say 'one year'. So we went home and prayed and waited.
Around last November when we were back in Ethiopia, the Lord told us there would be many obstacles in our path, but to go ahead on our end and He would clear them all. So we went home to start getting ready. At the same time, we brought home our 2 new sons and we felt it was important to bond as a family for the first year, here in America. So now, here we are, 9 months later, November is coming soon and we feel now is the time to start getting ready, so that we can go.
Please keep us in your prayers as we start to change gears, as we shift from 'waiting mode' to 'preparation mode'. We're going under the covering and being sent by our church, but we still need to raise funds in order to go. If the Lord puts us on your hearts, you can help us by donating to our missionary fund. Just click on the link below. Thank you!!
www.rivers-of-living-water.org/family.htm
Around last November when we were back in Ethiopia, the Lord told us there would be many obstacles in our path, but to go ahead on our end and He would clear them all. So we went home to start getting ready. At the same time, we brought home our 2 new sons and we felt it was important to bond as a family for the first year, here in America. So now, here we are, 9 months later, November is coming soon and we feel now is the time to start getting ready, so that we can go.
Please keep us in your prayers as we start to change gears, as we shift from 'waiting mode' to 'preparation mode'. We're going under the covering and being sent by our church, but we still need to raise funds in order to go. If the Lord puts us on your hearts, you can help us by donating to our missionary fund. Just click on the link below. Thank you!!
www.rivers-of-living-water.org/family.htm
Saturday, September 1, 2012
We've Gone Public!
This post is long overdue. I began writing it when we first came home from Ethiopia ....
We received a VERY encouraging message today from Naiegzi (Nie-eeg-zee) Hiruy Tsige today. We met with him and his wife, Susanne last Thursday in Addis Ababa. They have recently been married. She is from Austria and they both speak fluent English. He is the son of Hiruy Tsige, the International Overseer of Harvest Church of God, which is the missionary church planted out of Church of God from Cleveland, Tennessee, of which our church in Butte, MT., Abundant Life Fellowship is a part of. Does that make sense? You may have to read that one twice. :)
Anyway we met with them last week while we were in Addis, because we believe through a series of events and "God-incidences" that the Lord has invited us to come to Ethiopia and help plant a new church, starting as a house church then growing from there. This was not our idea at all, but really, we have discovered it is on God’s heart for our family through prophetic words and invitations of believers, friends, partners, and leaders in Ethiopia. I am starting to feel a little like Moses, wanting to tell God ... Who us? You must have made a mistake ... We can’t do this ... We are not "trained" ... etc, etc. But I seem to recall, at least in the movie "The Prince of Egypt" that God got pretty angry at Moses and said basically, "Who are you to question me? Wasn’t it I who made man’s mouth? ... NOW GO!!!"
The meeting went incredibly well. We went humbly, not knowing what the response would be ... sharing what God had done in our lives leading us to Ethiopia, first thru our adoptions, then our ministry and now, hearing him call us, invite us, to join Him there in Ethiopia. They sat smiling and intently listening to every word. Then they shared with us their vision. We sat there with our mouths open, I am sure at least I did, marveling at how God works out every detail, ahead of time. Their vision was the same as ours, to the detail. He showed us that these things are not our ideas but His, implanted into our hearts and minds, so that we can fulfill His purposes.
Naiegzi and his friend Ketsela, the young 30 something man that was recently hired by our in-country partner Alayu as his assistant, have had a vision and been praying to start an International English speaking Church for over 7 years. They want it to be excellent. He said "We must use a different strategy with this one. It must be the best of the best. The best speakers, the best leaders, the best musicians..." (HALLELUJAH). He said he has been telling the people on the worship teams for the last year, to start learning English worship songs. He promised his new wife ... said he did not know how or when, but that God WOULD start an English speaking church in Addis. They want to use the church as a place to plant other churches from. To raise up missionary pastors to send out. (Our vision as well). They want to serve the poor, the orphan and widow. (Our vision also) They are trying to secure a water well digging rig to provide clean water for those without access. (Also our vision) The similarities were astounding ... and exciting .. and overwhelming.
"Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name, Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star,
Would choose to light the way, For my ever wandering heart.
Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done.
Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are ..."
You know, it is one thing to get an idea or to have a heart for something and then go and try to make it a reality. It is quite another thing, to have the Lord himself have an idea and a heart for something, then deposit that vision into your own heart and mind, then invite you to join Him, while He himself works behind the scenes, opening doors, preparing hearts, and making it a reality. This whole thing is just amazing to me. We have entered into a realm that we have never quite walked in before. It involves listening and seeing in the Spirit, believing what He says, trusting Him, patience, faith. LOTS of faith ... faith for that which is unseen. I am just amazed that he chose US!!
During the meeting we came to a point in the conversation where we said, "If you chose us ...."
And to that Naiegzi said, " If YOU chose US!!" Amazing ... so much for the fear of rejection.
His father, the Overseer, was out of town, out of the country actually, in the US at Church of God Headquarters trying to secure this drilling rig. So when he returned, they had another meeting after we went home.
I had sent a message asking if this was a secret, because up until now, we were advised that we should keep this private, secret from the government until it was actually a reality. I wondered ... how can I keep something like this a secret? How will we survive without prayer and support from friends and family while we are preparing to go? Trust me ... this will have to be a God thing, because this means in about one year, my husband will be quitting his job and we will be renting our house out for now and packing up all our belongings that can fit in our 2 suitcases each and moving ourselves and 8 kids to Ethiopia to be missionaries to plant a church. We have no money for this, no savings, no means for this to happen. Just like we didn’t for adopting 5 Ethiopian kids, two separate times. But He provided everything we needed. We will need set up funds ... a vehicle to fit 10 people, preferably a 4 wheel drive van costing about $26,000 - $30,000 with their 225 % tax, money for 6 months rent up front as is customary, money for furniture, beds, bedding, kitchen supplies, a stove, refrigerator, washing machine, etc. We will need monthly support to keep us going, for food and gas and all the essentials. We will need Gods provision. But we have faith and belief that if He wants this to happen HE WILL PROVIDE. Just like he did with both of our adoptions from Ethiopia, where money miraculously fell from heaven. And what about giving God glory for what He is doing?
Then I got this response back ...."First of all, we agree in making the idea of an International English Church public, this is a very good way of getting support of believers, in prayer and also financially. As long as we are sure about it we won't consider it as secret."
Woo-hoo!!! Here we go! So ... we've gone public ... well, except for my husband's workplace. They aren't especially supportive of anything we have done so far, so we will wait until things are firmed up next year and we have real dates and such.
So friends ... as always, we love you and are so thankful for you. Keep us in your prayers!
We received a VERY encouraging message today from Naiegzi (Nie-eeg-zee) Hiruy Tsige today. We met with him and his wife, Susanne last Thursday in Addis Ababa. They have recently been married. She is from Austria and they both speak fluent English. He is the son of Hiruy Tsige, the International Overseer of Harvest Church of God, which is the missionary church planted out of Church of God from Cleveland, Tennessee, of which our church in Butte, MT., Abundant Life Fellowship is a part of. Does that make sense? You may have to read that one twice. :)
Anyway we met with them last week while we were in Addis, because we believe through a series of events and "God-incidences" that the Lord has invited us to come to Ethiopia and help plant a new church, starting as a house church then growing from there. This was not our idea at all, but really, we have discovered it is on God’s heart for our family through prophetic words and invitations of believers, friends, partners, and leaders in Ethiopia. I am starting to feel a little like Moses, wanting to tell God ... Who us? You must have made a mistake ... We can’t do this ... We are not "trained" ... etc, etc. But I seem to recall, at least in the movie "The Prince of Egypt" that God got pretty angry at Moses and said basically, "Who are you to question me? Wasn’t it I who made man’s mouth? ... NOW GO!!!"
The meeting went incredibly well. We went humbly, not knowing what the response would be ... sharing what God had done in our lives leading us to Ethiopia, first thru our adoptions, then our ministry and now, hearing him call us, invite us, to join Him there in Ethiopia. They sat smiling and intently listening to every word. Then they shared with us their vision. We sat there with our mouths open, I am sure at least I did, marveling at how God works out every detail, ahead of time. Their vision was the same as ours, to the detail. He showed us that these things are not our ideas but His, implanted into our hearts and minds, so that we can fulfill His purposes.
Naiegzi and his friend Ketsela, the young 30 something man that was recently hired by our in-country partner Alayu as his assistant, have had a vision and been praying to start an International English speaking Church for over 7 years. They want it to be excellent. He said "We must use a different strategy with this one. It must be the best of the best. The best speakers, the best leaders, the best musicians..." (HALLELUJAH). He said he has been telling the people on the worship teams for the last year, to start learning English worship songs. He promised his new wife ... said he did not know how or when, but that God WOULD start an English speaking church in Addis. They want to use the church as a place to plant other churches from. To raise up missionary pastors to send out. (Our vision as well). They want to serve the poor, the orphan and widow. (Our vision also) They are trying to secure a water well digging rig to provide clean water for those without access. (Also our vision) The similarities were astounding ... and exciting .. and overwhelming.
"Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name, Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star,
Would choose to light the way, For my ever wandering heart.
Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done.
Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are ..."
You know, it is one thing to get an idea or to have a heart for something and then go and try to make it a reality. It is quite another thing, to have the Lord himself have an idea and a heart for something, then deposit that vision into your own heart and mind, then invite you to join Him, while He himself works behind the scenes, opening doors, preparing hearts, and making it a reality. This whole thing is just amazing to me. We have entered into a realm that we have never quite walked in before. It involves listening and seeing in the Spirit, believing what He says, trusting Him, patience, faith. LOTS of faith ... faith for that which is unseen. I am just amazed that he chose US!!
During the meeting we came to a point in the conversation where we said, "If you chose us ...."
And to that Naiegzi said, " If YOU chose US!!" Amazing ... so much for the fear of rejection.
His father, the Overseer, was out of town, out of the country actually, in the US at Church of God Headquarters trying to secure this drilling rig. So when he returned, they had another meeting after we went home.
I had sent a message asking if this was a secret, because up until now, we were advised that we should keep this private, secret from the government until it was actually a reality. I wondered ... how can I keep something like this a secret? How will we survive without prayer and support from friends and family while we are preparing to go? Trust me ... this will have to be a God thing, because this means in about one year, my husband will be quitting his job and we will be renting our house out for now and packing up all our belongings that can fit in our 2 suitcases each and moving ourselves and 8 kids to Ethiopia to be missionaries to plant a church. We have no money for this, no savings, no means for this to happen. Just like we didn’t for adopting 5 Ethiopian kids, two separate times. But He provided everything we needed. We will need set up funds ... a vehicle to fit 10 people, preferably a 4 wheel drive van costing about $26,000 - $30,000 with their 225 % tax, money for 6 months rent up front as is customary, money for furniture, beds, bedding, kitchen supplies, a stove, refrigerator, washing machine, etc. We will need monthly support to keep us going, for food and gas and all the essentials. We will need Gods provision. But we have faith and belief that if He wants this to happen HE WILL PROVIDE. Just like he did with both of our adoptions from Ethiopia, where money miraculously fell from heaven. And what about giving God glory for what He is doing?
Then I got this response back ...."First of all, we agree in making the idea of an International English Church public, this is a very good way of getting support of believers, in prayer and also financially. As long as we are sure about it we won't consider it as secret."
Woo-hoo!!! Here we go! So ... we've gone public ... well, except for my husband's workplace. They aren't especially supportive of anything we have done so far, so we will wait until things are firmed up next year and we have real dates and such.
So friends ... as always, we love you and are so thankful for you. Keep us in your prayers!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Jesus said GO . . .
OK. Some BIG NEWS . . . Our family has been invited to be part of the leadership team that is planting a new International English speaking church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! Jesus said GO into all the world ... so we are going. We hope to move to Ethiopia in the next year. But first we must raise our own support. We will be having an ongoing Missionary Fundraiser until we meet our goal. We will be offering Ethiopian Jewelry, Coffee, Scarves and our own Handcrafted All Natural Bath & Body Products from our Wild Prairie Farms website at www.wildprairiefarms.net/
Sunday, August 19, 2012
The Rainy Season in Gojjo
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Stand Back . . .
Caught some kind of bug on the plane .... ugh. Feeling cruddy. BUT ... GOD !!! We got great news today. MIRACULOUSLY ... they not only have the court decree already, they have the birth certificates as well ... These 2 things alone should have take 5-6 weeks. STAND BACK AND WATCH GOD MOVE.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Leavin' on a Jet Plane . . .
OK ... we are packed and ready to begin the journey home beginning tomorrow .... will be checking out of this beautiful guesthouse/hotel in CMC area and spending the afternoon with our friend/partner Alayu and his family. Then off to drop the boys back to the Care Center :( and then to the airport ... for a 17 hour flight back to DC. Then another flight to Chicago then Bozeman Montana. Ugh ... 17 hours! They stop in Rome to refuel, but I believe they don't let you off the plane. OMGosh ... please pray that I am not claustrophobic. Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed!
Friday, August 3, 2012
IT. IS. FINISHED.
WHAT A DAY ... court was supposed to be in the AFTERNOON. Had a bad jetlag sleep of only 5 hours, then went back to sleep at 6am. At 7am the driver appeared and said court is at 8:30am. UGH! Flew out of bed, threw on clothes, drove 1 1/2 hours thru town, traffic, road construction, diesel fumes, dropping off kids, picking up families. Got there late, only to find out they were not opened, as we stood outside in the rain. :) Then walked up 4 flights of stairs in an unlit corridor ... into a room FULL of people, adoptive parents, birth parents relinquishing .. very bittersweet moments ... wanted to cry most of the time. Then after another hour they brought us all in as a group ... asked us simple questions ...then said, "Your adoptions are complete and cannot be revoked FOR ANY REASON."
HALLELUJAH!!
Holding back sobs from deep within. Not sure it was the lack of sleep, or 16 months of waiting, laboring, praying, warfare ... or both. We walked out of there and in the crowd of people I raised my hands to the Lord and said "HALLELUJAH". Then we walked down the flights of stairs, passed several seated handcuffed prisoners heading to jail ... and into the van.
IT IS FINISHED. ♥
HALLELUJAH!!
Holding back sobs from deep within. Not sure it was the lack of sleep, or 16 months of waiting, laboring, praying, warfare ... or both. We walked out of there and in the crowd of people I raised my hands to the Lord and said "HALLELUJAH". Then we walked down the flights of stairs, passed several seated handcuffed prisoners heading to jail ... and into the van.
IT IS FINISHED. ♥
Thursday, August 2, 2012
From Addis . . .
"Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it. " ~ Habakkuk 1:5, NLT
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Almost Home . . .
We've been waiting SOOOO LONG for this court apointment. April 2011, is when the Lord opened the doors and we began the journey towards adopting our son's 2 brothers ... it's been a looooooong wait. It's almost surreal. I think I have either been holding my breath or running on adrenalin because I feel EXHAUSTED .... rung out.
I had one little tiny eeeeek of excitement tonight when I realized ... we'd be leaving in less that 2 WEEKS and that I will get to see, not only our 2 new sons, but our dear friends, visit our sponsored kids in Gojjo, and meet someone who may be instrumental in the future ministry the Lord is calling us to in Ethiopia, not to mention, look around at places to live, just to get an idea of what's out there. We still have a ways to go down this road ... probably won't be able to bring them home to the US until December, the way it looks, but PRAISE GOD. THEY ARE ALMOST HOME. ♥
I had one little tiny eeeeek of excitement tonight when I realized ... we'd be leaving in less that 2 WEEKS and that I will get to see, not only our 2 new sons, but our dear friends, visit our sponsored kids in Gojjo, and meet someone who may be instrumental in the future ministry the Lord is calling us to in Ethiopia, not to mention, look around at places to live, just to get an idea of what's out there. We still have a ways to go down this road ... probably won't be able to bring them home to the US until December, the way it looks, but PRAISE GOD. THEY ARE ALMOST HOME. ♥
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