Happy Mother's Day

We hope all you wonderful gals had a "berry" blessed Mother's Day!!

Keeping the Lights On...

Amanda and I were recently able to purchase a generator in Ethiopia for use once we arrive on the field this summer . Because of the frequent and lengthy power outages, it is very important to have a generator and recently the prices have dropped drastically. Our missionary friends in Ethiopia felt that the prices would not stay at this low rate for too long so we went ahead and purchased one. Blake Fortner, whose family recently arrived in Ethiopia, just purchased one and he went ahead and picked up ours as well. The total cost of this purchase was $2500, which is several thousand less than we thought it would be. PRAISE THE LORD!!!
We went ahead and wired the money over because we felt we could not miss this opportunity. We do have money set aside for our move although not specifically for the generator. If you or your Church would be willing to help us toward this purchase we would be most grateful! You can send any donations into the BBFI missions office, PO Box 191, Springfield MO 65801

Special thanks to Blake Fortner and Eric Shadle for their help in taking care of the generator for us as we are in still in the states.

And here it is...isn't it a beauty?!

March & April 2010

Due to the finalization process of Jackson’s adoption we have had to wait a little longer before our departure for the field. On December 30^th we were able to be in Illinois as the adoption was finalized! It was such a sweet and wonderful moment for Amanda and I as we sat before the judge and made our son “officially” our son! Jackson sat quietly by, with the occasional sm

ile and chuckle, not realizing the significance of the day. While everything is now legally official we are still waiting to receive his birth certificate so that we can in turn apply for his passport and visa. We have included a few pictures of Jackson with the judge, Jackson wearing his “big boy” hat and his first time to see snow at Poppa and Pammaw’s farm. There are absolutely no words to describe the joy of that day!

As we have mentioned in previous letters the initial move to Ethiopia is extremely expensive. We have known this all along and have diligently set aside funds for the move but even in the last several months as the prices have gone up, our moving expenses are doing the same. Many of you have graciously given which has been a huge blessing! However, we still have much that needs to be raised.

As we finish this letter we are so grateful for all that God has done for our family this last year. This last Christmas was so special as we celebrated it with Jackson. Even as I write this letter I can’t help but think how God did such amazing things to orchestrate Jackson being with us. He now has two teeth and he just started crawling in the last week. We are soaking up all the moments with him as we praise God for His graciousness. We hope that everyone had a wonderful winter as we look forward to spring and the newness soon upon us. Fire up the grill and take an allergy pill because we have a busy road ahead!

2009, Our Year in Review

In a way we were looking forward to 2009 after a difficult 2008, but in the same sense we knew we were coming up on one year since Ava went home, and we knew it would be a difficult time. One of our supporting churches in Illinois knew how hard the past Christmas had been so the pastor’s wife, Kimberly Shirley, along with the ladies of the church sent a nice gift box to my wife. Inside among other things were some personal cards that the ladies had written to Amanda. One of those cards caught Amanda’s eye and after I had read through them I knew right away which one it was. A single woman, relatively new to the church, was pregnant and felt that the best thing she could do for her baby was to put the child up for adoption. Amanda and I discussed it and prayed about it. Certainly we thought how exciting it would be to adopt this baby, but we also knew that heartache could easily happen. It was a scary thought, not knowing how it would turn out. It would have been easy to ignore the card, but what if we miss an opportunity that God had given us? We didn’t want to look back in ten years and wonder what would have happened if we had stepped out by faith. So we decided that January day that we would see what God would do with this, and for us 2009 would never be the same.

The next few months were filled with busyness as we emailed back and forth with the mother, prepared paper work, and started to learn more about the adoption process. Right in the middle of all this, Amanda and I flew up to Illinois to nervously meet the birth mom for the first time. Everything went very well, and she said without hesitation that she wanted Amanda and me to adopt her baby. We were humbled by this, but knew that God had orchestrated the whole event and it was only by His hand that this could happen.

As June started we were both very excited and extremely nervous. As the second week of June came around we packed up the truck and headed to Illinois. The nursery was finished and we were anxious to see a little baby boy sleeping in there! Finally, on June 22, Jackson Zane Dyson was born. As we sat there in the hospital the whole thing was sort of surreal. Within six months of reading a card we were in a hospital watching our son come into the world. Only God could make this happen. Only God could use a difficult 2008 to bring a beautiful baby boy into our family. Since Jackson’s birth we have been enjoying all the new things that we get to experience with a new baby. Not a day goes by that we don’t look at him and realize how blessed we are and how much we love him. His birth was truly a miracle, in more ways than one.

On the deputation front, we had the great opportunity to present our ministry in Ethiopia to several churches with many taking us on for financial support. Unfortunately, because of economic times we have seen some unable to continue support for the time being. Of course, this is all in God’s hands, as we know His timing is best. We look forward to 2010 with great anticipation as we walk in faith and trust that God will guide and direct. On December 30 we will be in Illinois to finalize Jackson’s adoption, and after that we continue with the process for our departure to Ethiopia in the early part of the new year. Please pray for us, as much needs to be completed in the coming months.

We hope that as you look back on 2009 you can do so with joy in your hearts knowing you lived it to the fullest in your passion for Jesus Christ. We hope you experienced His unwavering grace, always knowing He is faithful both through the pain and joys of life. As we celebrate a wonderful time of year, be grateful for what He has done. Take the time to thank Him for the abundant blessings He has brought in your life, and most importantly for the birth of Jesus so many years ago. We pray and hope that you have a joyous Christmas and are looking forward to a wonderful 2010 striving to be like our Lord.

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Blessed New Year!

Craig, Amanda & Jackson Dyson