June/July Update...

Here is our latest update. I really thought we would have had more time to post while in the States but it has been a busy and jammed pack furlough. Thankful for God's faithfulness!

April Update

Here is our latest update.  We are so thankful for your prayers and faithful support!

Project #4...Sponsor a trunk...

Our "Sponsor a trunk" project is back after a success last furlough! Because items are so expensive in Ethiopia, such as clothing, household items and books, we take several trunks with us when we go back. This usually runs between 15-20 trunks, which after allotted airline baggage, cost $200 a bag. Will you help adopt a bag for $200? Help us get personal and ministry items back to Ethiopia! Right now we have 1 1/2 trunks sponsored...

Project #3... Let's take a ride...

Vehicles are expensive here with a 200% tax. We desire to purchase a second vehicle, which will help with school as well as those children we pick up for church. Due to taxes we need to raise $40,000 to help with this purchase. Vehicles can be a big challenge and while we are grateful for the one we have, the busier we become the more vital having a second vehicle will be. 

Project #2... Learning your ABC's...

To send both Ermias and Jackson to a local international school, BinghamAcademy, the cost will be $10,000 per school year. We desire to give thema good education either through attending Bingham traditionally or through becoming part of Bingham’s homeschool program. We need to raise $10,000 to help with this expense...This next year we plan on sending Jackson to Bingham and Ermias will be home schooled. The following year, which will fall during our next furlough, we will probably homeschool both boys. Amanda has done a great job with Ermias and enjoys teaching him, even though it makes for a busy week.

Project #1...Home is where your heart is...

... House rent is paid two years in advance. We have set aside 95% of our current rent price to prepare for our next lease signing. However with current rising prices we still need to raise an additional $4,000 as our lease runs out October 1st. We have been blessed to live in this house for four years and we are praying we are able to resign again. Please pray and consider how you can be apart of this project. Pray that God would also allow us the opportunity to sign a new lease at a good price!

Tomorrow: Learning your ABC's...

Furlough...

Amanda and I have been busy as we arrived back in the States almost three weeks ago. We have visited four churches and are finishing up a missions conference in Ohio right now. We have been very busy buying a variety of things for our family and for ministry, from books to clothing to homeschool supplies. Tomorrow we will be heading back to Raleigh NC to spend the next couple of weeks. We will be busy visiting churches there as well catching up on medical appointments. Jackson is having  wonderful time and is enjoying Chick-fil-a very much :)

While in Ohio I had the opportunity to visit the Professional Football Hall of Fame with a wonderful friend of mine and fellow missionary, Tim Helton. In this picture we are standing next to the Lombardi trophy, which will be presented to the the upcoming Super Bowl Champion in February 2015. I am grateful I was able to visit a place I have always wanted to visit!

Starting tomorrow we will be sharing with you four projects that we are raising finances for and next week we will be sharing an exciting new opportunity that God has given us in Ethiopia. Pray about being involved in these opportunities.

I will aso give an update on the adoption as we continue to press on.

Trusting Jesus and confident He will always provide.

Craig

January•February 2014 Update

Almost Time...

We are just a little over two weeks away from heading back to the States for our second furlough. We look forward to having some rest as well as visiting family and friends. We are disapointed that Ermias will be unable to join us but we are grateful for friends here who will keep an eye on him. The adoption process continues to chug along, albeit at a slow pace at times. New regualtions that will take place in July will make it impossible to do a private adoption here. We have started the process last year and are praying that everything will be ok with our case. Idealy we would love to finalize everything once we get back in August and in October take the family to America so Ermias can meet everyone. That would be a huge blessing, one we will continue to pray about. Next week our January/February update will be posted with pictures from our recent baptisms.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

One month in...

It has been a few weeks since we updated everyone, but things have been very busy! It is hard to believe that February is now here and next month we will be heading to the States for our second furlough. The adoption process is going slow but steady. New regulations that have been put in place within the last six months have caused more paperwork on our end. Because of this Ermias will have to stay here with friends while we are in America. We are disappointed he cannot go with us now, but are blessed to have wonderful friends who will be watching him and caring for him. We hope that the adoption will be finished in the fall and Ermias and I will go back to the States to finalize. Because of traveling expenses and added expenses for the new paper work, we will need to raise a total of $12,000 instead of the initial $8,000. God has been good and we continue to trust as we move ahead. Our "dream" prayer would be that all four of us could go back in the fall and finalize Ermias adoption. We then would spend a week in Illinois during the harvest with my parents, a week in Florida with Amanda's family and a week in North Carolina with our home church. Something to pray for!

Just in Time for Christmas...

Adoption Fubndraiser

Suggested Donation, $20 for each beautiful necklace

Operation: Christmas Boxes 2013

It's that wonderful, amazing and gift-giving time of year again!  Bethel Baptist Church of Ethiopia is gearing up for our 3rd annual Operation Christmas Boxes.  This is a wonderful opportunity for you, your family, your Sunday school class or life group to represent Christ here in Ethiopia.  

Due to the extremely high costs of shipping, we are encouraging those would like to be participate to make a financial donation to this year's OCB project here at Bethel.  For a small, flat rate USPS box, the cost is now at $60 to have some under 20lbs shipped to Ethiopia!  We want your investment to go into touching lives and hearts, not shipping costs.

Financial Donations can be made through:

Craig Dyson

PO Box 191

Springfield, MO  65801

In the memo, be sure to include "Dyson: OCB Christmas 2013"

Donations can also be made online at:

http://bbfimissions.com/

Simply: 

•click on the "Give" button in the right hand corner of this page

•click on "Give Now" in the Give to Individual Missionaries box

•Find "Craig Dyson" in the drop down menu

•You will see a page load with our family picture.  In the top left corner of that screen will be a "donate" button.  If you have never donated online through the missions office before, this will prompt you to set up an account.  Don't worry, your information will not be sold to any third parties :)  This allows the BBFI missions office to keep an accurate record and mail out any forms you may need for tax purposes for your donation.

Operation Christmas Boxes can still be mailed to us here in Ethiopia at:

Craig Dyson

PO Box 30194

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

We pray that the Lord will use this ministry to help further His abounding grace and mercy to the people that we have been called to minister to.

School Praise!

Here is Jackson being silly with his class. He loves school very much and tells us all about his friends when he gets home. And in case you were wondering about the colored shirts, when you start at Bingham Academy you are assigned to a team for the remainder of your time there. In January they have Field Days, basically the Olympics for Bingham, and you will represent your team. All three are named after missionaries: Peter Cameron Scott, William Carey and Hudson Taylor....Go Team Scott!

We are also excited to let you know that all of Jackson's school tuition has been raised! That is a huge praise and we want to specifically thank the following:

Gilead Baptist Church of Allen Park, MI

Grace Baptist Church of St. Charles, MO

Mid-Way Baptist Church of Raleigh, NC
Noble Hill Baptist Church of Willard, MO
Seminole Baptist Temple of Springfield, MO
Nathan and Liz Boon
Don and Joyce Dyson
Patricia Jackson
Ron and Anita Linton
David and Sheri Rhodes

These are the churches and individuals that we specifically know gave towards Jackson's tuition and we thank you so much for your help! Our next big prayer request will focus on schooling next year. It's our desire for Ermias to attend Bingham Academy next year and with his tuition added we will need to raise $10,000. We are praying that we can add some new supporting church next year on furlough, however the cost will still be very high. One of the options is for Amanda to teach at Bingham which would help lower the cost, but would also be very time consuming. Please pray for wisdom as we look toward next year!

Thank you again! Jackson and Ermias are both doing great is school and both love it!

July•August 2013 Update

We are so thankful for all the faithful prayers and support that allow us to serve in Ethiopia.

Our family is incredibly humbled to be used in HIS amazing plan!

First Day of School...

JZ started KG 1 on Tuesday. He was very excited but has been crying when we drop him off :( The way he is when we drop him off with his friends, that was the last thing we expected him to do when going to school. He loves it though and is very excited to tell us all about it when we pick him up. The drive each morning is about 45 minutes and we have to get ahead of the traffic early so we leave around 6:45. That means 5:30 wake up and early to bed for the whole family. The adjustment has went well however.

Three Years...

It is hard to believe but tomorrow will be three year since we first arrived in Ethiopia. A lot of laughter and a lot of tears mixed in with frustration and joy. Some setbacks and a whole lot of growth has taken place and through this whole roller coaster journey God has been faithful. Today I want to share with you what I wrote in my journal on August 14, 2010. Thank you for all your support, God is doing great things and we are just along for the ride. I couldn't have done any of this without my precious Amanda and are soon to be kindergardener Jackson! :)

Nearly two weeks has past since I last spent time writing. I suppose this would be the time to write since we have been busy preparing for our big move to Addis Ababa Ethiopia. I often want to take time to write but our long list of things to do stood in the way. As we speak we are on a plane from Raleigh to Washington DC. It is 5:42 pm and Jackson is asleep in the seat next to his wonderful mommy. Amanda and I are tired but overall we really did not feel overly stressed. We paced ourselves well and worked hard. Today was a day of bittersweet goodbyes  with family and friends. Last night we said goodbye to Amanda’s mom and David and today my parents, sister, Staubs family and May family all went to the airport to see us off. It was hard saying goodbye but we are excited about what is in store before us. I remember many times writing about being unsure what God was doing. Today as we sit here on this plane I am confident that this is what He wants for us right now. I don’t know what lies ahead, I don’t know how the finances will come but I do know that we will and must trust God. As one of the Psalms says: “Some trust in chariots…some trust in horses…but we will trust in the Lord our God” Well….here we go, crazy as it may seem. There is a big world out there and we are about to see some of it. Praying for grace and strength and hoping and trusting that God will take care of us. Hoping that years later as Jackson reads this he looks at his time in Ethiopia with joy. We pray everyday that he will love Jesus…we pray everyday that we can be the example to show him that. 

August 14, 2010

Jackson's School Update...

Rainy season typically is a slower time here, but this rainy season has been anything but that. Bethel just finished her first VBS and it went fantastic! We have been very busy with the medical trip and VBS plus a slower internet brings challenges in keeping everyone updated. :)

We wanted to let you that we are over half way to Jackson's school tuition! As of today you have helped us collect $4,221 dollars out of the $6,915 needed! Praise the Lord! Also, $3,000 of that is a one time fee so next year we will not have to pay that. We are praying that during next years furlough we can visit and add at least five new churches to help with the rising cost here as well as the school bill.

We are also grateful that our home church, Mid-Way Baptist Church in Raleigh NC raise $921 for JZ's school during their recent VBS. So grateful for all of those children that gave!

Continue to pray for the work here, Eric and Amanda will also be arriving back in a little over two weeks and in about six weeks the rainy season will be finished! No more mud! :)

Thank you for all the prayers and support! God is good!

May•June 2013 Update Letter

Medical Team...

Here is the medical team with the staff from Wudassie Diagnostic Center. Maybe next time you can be in the picture :)