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 :)

With Jesus!!!

It is with great sadness as we let you know that Hanna passed away Friday morning, June 21. We rejoice that Hanna is healed and in the presence of God Almighty. Please pray for her husband Boo  and two small children, Desta (4) and Teddy (2) in the days and weeks to come. We are so thankful for God's ultimate healing of Hanna! We rejoice that just two years ago Hanna was gloriously saved and on January 1, 2012 she was the first person every baptized at Bethel. Below is the picture of her baptism day along with Seble who both had went through our membership class and became the first members of Bethel. Hanna is no longer in pain and we can't even begin to imagine how joyous it must be for her now. As much as we will miss our precious sister in Christ we are thankful that she is with Jesus!

Quick Update...

The medical trip is finished and it was bittersweet seeing it come to an end. Overall it was a fantastic trip and an even better team to work with. Our upcoming newsletter will give a little more detail of the trip...

Our VBS trip is coming soon with a college student coming June 30th and a group from Antioch Bible Baptist Church near Kansas City coming July 3rd. The VBS week will be July 8-12th...

We now have almost half of Jackson's tuition raised! Thank you for giving and please pray that we can raise the remainder of it soon. As we are also preparing for our next furlough next Spring, we are praying to raise additional support that will help with this new expense....

While on the back burner, we are raising money for a second vehicle. We are looking to raise anywhere from $30,000-40,000 which is a good amount for a reasonable and reliable vehicle here. With the amount of work continuing to increase and Jackson's school starting we are praying that God will provide...

Thank you for you support and prayers!

Medical Team...

Here is the medical team before church on Sunday plus a few kids from the church :) Today they will be going to Korah, which is one the of the worst areas of the city. Please continue to pray for the team!

School Days...

Melkam Fasika!

Melkam Fasika everyone! Tomorrow is Easter here in Ethiopia so the country is digging in for a big celebration...

Continue to pray for Hanna, she continues to fight and we are trusting God with the results...

Eric, Amanda and the kids left for furlough on Wednesday. Please pray for them as they visit family and share with churches all the work God is doing here. We are grateful to be working with Eric and Amanda. We are strong supporters of team missions and are blessed to be apart of it...

In less then a month we will be hosting our first ever medical missions trip. Please be praying for this exciting opportunity...

Below is a picture at a kindergarden we visited this last week in the town of Fitche. During recess this little boy fell asleep in his class room :) 

Here in the next week or so we will be sending out a special prayer letter to update you on Jackson's school tuition. Have a great weekend! 

Throw Back Thursday...

In 2008 Eric, myself and Dwayne took our second trip to Ethiopia. A year later Eric and his family moved here, us in 2010 and Dwayne and his family this past January. Hard to believe this picture was five years ago....

Five Men...

" And people who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives... and when the bubble has burst they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted." - Nate Saint 

Every time I read or watch something about Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming and Roger Youderian, I get tears in my eyes. To listen to people such as missionary Frank Drown breakdown in tears 50+ years later retelling the story of leading the search party to find the missing men is heartbreaking. All five of these men were young, married and many with small children. Would they say today that it was worth it? 

You bet. 

Living for everything this world has to offer? 

What a waste.

 57 years latter, they still are impacting the world for the cause of Christ...

Prayer...

This is an update from Hanna's sister we received on Facebook.

"Hello everyone, I hope all is well. My sister Hanna is still in the hospital fighting for her life. The doctors have said that there isn't anything they can do for her other than keeping her pain under control through pain killers. So with that said, Hanna needs all your prayers right now more than ever. So please please keep her in your prayers and ask the Lord to heal her. Send her your love. Thank you all for your prayers :)"

Please be in prayer for Hanna...

Update on Hanna...

Many of you know that Hanna has been dealing with some health issues. About 2 1/2 weeks ago we found out that Hanna is battling stomach cancer. Right now Hanna is in Canada seeking treatment and she has just started Chemotherapy. Please keep Hanna in your prayers that God would give her strength and peace through this battle. Hanna is a precious and wonderful friend of not just ours, but anyone who knows her. She is a huge blessing to Bethel and is cherished and loved by everyone. This picture was taken just several months ago after we all took the kids to the park for the day :)

 We are praying for a miracle, but most importantly we are praying that God would be glorified through this. He has a purpose and we are praying that Hanna will continue to trust Him completely. Thank you for praying on behalf on Hanna, I know it means a lot to her.

Throw Back Thursday...

One of the first pictures taken after we arrived in Ethiopia in August of 2010. It is crazy to think that this is pretty much all Jackson knows. I hope and pray that he will grow up with a grateful heart for being able to experience this... We are very busy working on the new church building as painting needs to be done, work needs to be finished, and a variety of workers need to be found. We don't know many of the workers names so Eric and I call them the plumbing guy, counter top guy, hat guy, tile guy, guy who does nothing and wants to get paid guy.

Enjoy Throw Back Thursday! It is 12:30 a.m. and bedtime calls! Although if I was in the States right now I would go get a shake from Steak-n-Shake. Wow, that sounds really good right now. You would be amazed at how often we all sit around and talk about what restaurants we would be eating at if we were in America :)

March & April Update

Prayer...

Hanna, our neighbor and close friend (seen here after her baptism) has been having some health issues the last several month. Last Saturday she flew back to Canada with her children to find a solution to her health issues. Please pray for Hanna as God continues to work in her life and that His perfect plan will be done. We love Hanna and her family very much and are so grateful they are in our lives! The picture below is one of my favorites: Jackson with Hanna's children and two of his best buddies,  Desta and Teddy.

We have been very busy the last two weeks as we are frantically trying to finish everything in the new building for our first service this Sunday. Also, Mary Herman who is a missionary teacher has been here teaching a course on Methods of Bible Teaching. The class continues this week and has been very well received.

We are still needing some to help with Jackson's tuition. If that is something you can help with we would really appreciate it! Jackson can't wait for the first day of school!

Have a great week!

The Next Step...

It is 10:41 p.m. here in Addis and we are exhausted. Even the dogs are tired and they really didn't do anything today. Last week the lease ran out on our current building and today was our final service. This afternoon we all worked hard to load everything up and take it to our house and Eric & Amanda's house. This afternoon we found out that a location we have been looking at for the church was finalized so we now have somewhere to go. We are excited but tired! Please pray for us in the next several days as we move into a new (and bigger) building and set up. Exciting days ahead for Bethel!

thankful.

We have been thinking lately how thankful we are for the friends the Lord has blessed us with and blessed Jackson with.  thankful.

                                                          Kiiya, Sifaana, Jackson & Anna

The Important (And not so important) thoughts from the week...

The last few weeks have been very busy here. Here's a quick version....

...Last Saturday we had our first marriage conference at Bethel. We had twenty-six in attendance which was fantastic. The material we used was call What Did You Expect? by Paul Tripp. We are very familiar with Tripp and would recommend this study to anyone...

I turned 35 last Saturday. I guess that is all I really can say about that. Can't believe it, creeping closer to  40 :) Michael Jordan turned 50 on Sunday. Not that we celebrate our birthdays together or anything, but it was worth mentioning. I just realized that until my dad's birthday in June, he is 70 and I am 35. With the large amount of wisdom my dad has, I hope I can learn even a portion of what he has in his 70 years...

Many of you are dealing with winter storms. Now, I will tell you that I do miss the winter and the cold weather, so I am not trying to mock you. But...the weather here is about as beautiful as it can get temps in the mid to upper 70's and at night down in the mid 50's. The Sun is intense because of our close location to the equator, so it feels hotter and you can burn easy, but it still feels great. Three months out of the year we do deal with a large amount of rain which causes everything to be a big giant muddy mess, so it all balances out...

Friday night we had our Friday Family Fun Night at Bethel. We watched The Lorax and everyone brought snacks. It was a nice time to get together as a church family...

We are still trying to figure out what to do about a church building. The building we have been looking at is nice but we are hesitant because of the owner. The price has changed a couple of times and we just don't feel completely comfortable with him. Please pray! Three weeks ago we had sixteen children (9-12 years old) and one teacher in a room that was about 8x8. Standing room only and I mean that literally :)

Lastly, we are still trying to raise the needed funds for Jackson's school. Can you help with this? The amount we are trying to raise is $6,915 with $3,000 of that being a one time new student fee. Jackson is so very excited about going to school, which is bitter sweet for us. On Tuesday March 5th we have an appointment at the school so they can visit with Jackson. If you can help us raise this needed amount we would be so grateful!

Enjoy your weekend. Enjoy the snow. Throw a snow ball for us :)

January Update...

Here is our latest update. Thank you for you prayers and encouragement as we remember Ava. God has placed so may people in our lives that have impacted us in so many ways...Sunday was Bethel's first communion service and it went really well, there was a real strong unity...Pray as we are looking for a possible bigger building to meet at. We met someone today about a perfect location but the price is a bit higher then we feel the church should take on. Please pray for wisdom as we continue to look. That's it...have a great day! Enjoy the weather you are having wherever you are. It is sunny and around 80 here but I sure miss the cold! 

Five Years Later...

On A Saturday night in September 2007, Amanda and I became emerged into one of  the happiest moments of our lives. We were having a baby. I remember it like it was yesterday and we sat in our hotel room in St Louis, there because of a missions conference. I still remember us sitting there with tears running down our faces... A few short months later our lives would be forever changed, as we faced the saddest moment of our lives. It is hard to believe that it has been five years on Friday since our beloved Ava came into this world only to leave for a greater place. Five years which at times has felt like yesterday and other times it has felt like an eternity ago. During the early weeks of losing Ava, there were moments that we didn't feel we would make it through another week let alone five years. Yet, God has show His grace to us and through the valleys and the hilltops He has been there. He has taught us a great deal the last five years, and has brought a great deal of growth into our lives. As much as I miss our sweet Ava I would not change anything, because of our precious Jackson being brought into our family through Ava's death. Every time I look into his sparkling blue eyes I am reminded of his big sister who God used to allow him to be our son. God's plans are indeed a mystery at times, but His ways are truly best. It is not always easy in the here and now, but it is best.

As we celebrate Ava's 5th birthday I am grateful for a God who has shown his faithfulness to us even when we lacked faith. I am grateful for a precious 3 1/2 year old who I believe God is going to use greater than we can ever dream of. And I am grateful to share my life with a wife who God has grown so much in the last five years. Very few women have faced the heartache of loosing a child and the emotional journey of going through an adoption, and she has done so with grace. I am very proud of her.

As we think of Ava, I leave with a letter that I wrote to her on her 1st birthday. Each year in my journal I write a letter to her and while I am fully aware that there is very little Biblical foundation for this, I still write it just for my own personal joy. I look back on each letter and see and remember everything about Ava and everything God has done to bring us to where we are now.

January 25, 2009

Dearest Ava,

Today is your first birthday and your mom and I miss you very much. I know that you do not want us to be sad but it is really hard with you not here. How was your birthday in Heaven? I am sure that is was very special and could not even be described. We are doing well I suppose. Some days are harder than others but the Lord’s grace gets us through. I really don’t know what happens up in Heaven yet  I am so excited for you to tell me. Have you got to see your great grandparents yet? I sure hope so. Your grandma says that she hopes your great grandma Norfleet is taking care of you. I hope so to because she is a special lady. Your great Uncle Dale just went to be with you last week, and I hope you have had the chance to meet him, because he is a wonderful man. Anyway, I don’t want to ramble on and on but there is so much to tell you. I know that you would not want to leave but we miss you so much here on earth. But I am glad you don’t have to worry about this old place. Heaven is so much sweeter! When your mom and I cry it is because we miss you, not because of anything you did. We love you so much and am so proud of you! You’re the best daughter a dad could ask for. Well, that is it for now I suppose. We love you very much and look forward to seeing you real soon. Please give your great grandma a kiss for me.

Love always,

Your daddy 

Time for some "new" springs...

There it is. "The Spring of death" as I call it. Ok, maybe not that drastic but you get the point. Today when getting a tire fixed (a frequent problem) I saw the spring had broke. So, here we go looking again for some springs. The last two times we have had to replace them we were forced to get used ones because there were no new ones in country. Obviously these used springs are used for a reason so thus we are about to replace our third set. Will you please pray that we could find some new ones available which will hopefully last us a lot longer?

Happy Sunday...

We are seven hours ahead of those on  EST so as many of you are either sound asleep or getting ready for bed, we are starting our day. Tomorrow Eric will be speaking on part two of a short series on The Lord's Supper and next week we will be having our first communion. We hope that you have a fantastic Sunday as many of you prepare to head to church. If you don't go, then here is my question: why? Don't use the excuse that churches are full of hypocrites, because I can assure you that they are. No church is perfect, no person is perfect. If you are searching for answers in your life, I can promise you that Jesus does have the answers. I can also promise you that there is a church out there with a bunch of other imperfect people trying to find what true joy is all about. So...if you don't have a church home, I would encourage you to get up, get the family ready and find one! It will change your life!

Every year I set goals for my life for the new year and this year one of the more simple goals (along with growing a mullet) is to blog at least once a week. I am working toward that, and will try to blog not only about work here but also maybe about stuff that has nothing to do with work: Life. Family. How great the 80's were. You get the picture.

Praying for each one of you right now and praying that God would teach all of us through HIS sufficient Word, what we need to learn!

Very Special Christmas...

This year our church spent Christmas gathering up gifts for a local orphanage. To celebrate the Ethiopian Christmas (January 7th) we went to the orphanage the day before and handed out the gifts. Each child received a new pillow with pillow case, a blanket, a bag full of goodies, and each one of our church families "adopted" a child to buy gifts specifically for. Many of our people said it was one of the greatest Christmas' they have every had. Thanks so much for those of you who gave financially or sent a box of supplies. Several made the bags and pillow cases as well. The picture above is our church family with all of the children at the orphanage. Its moments like this that makes living in Ethiopia so special.

Christmas Update 2012

An Update...(Quickly)

It has been a while since we have last posted as the last two months have been a blur. We have been busy with Pastor's Training, family visiting, Bethel's family festival and getting ready for the Christmas season just to name a few. Amanda's mom came to visit for Thanksgiving which as been a special treat and at Christmas my parents will be coming over to visit. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at the Shadle's house. Joining us for Thanksgiving were Amanda's mom and Jeremy and Karissa Lynn. Jeremy and Karissa are from the Shadle's home church and are praying about moving here as missionaries in the next few years. The Lynn's and Amanda's mom brought a bunch of food from the States (including ham!) so we were so blessed to have friends and family but also great food!

Things are very busy right now as the Christmas season is in full swing. We have had several boxes arrive for Operation Christmas Boxes which is so exciting! We hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are already singing those Christmas tunes. Later this week our annual Christmas letter will be out so stay tuned....

September 2012 Update

Audacious Faith...

I thought this was a great quote from a great book...

Operation Christmas Boxes

Our team is almost assembled for an amazing trip next May as we partner with Wudassie Diagnostic Center to provide medical care and training here in Ethiopia. We have around six nurses who are apart of the team and right now one doctor. We are praying for one or two more doctors so if you are a physician then please consider this wonderful life-changing opportunity! If you know someone who is a physician and has a heart for medical missions than pass this along to them. Please be in prayer for the team, we are very excited about this opportunity!

Water Works...Part 3

The above picture probably needs no explanation. The frame was built, the tank put up and eventually as water filled the top tank is seemed everything was going to work. Then...crash! About 8 pm on Tuesday night we heard an extremely loud sound and Belet was screaming. The top tank, probably about 3000 pounds of water had came crashing down onto the bottom tank as the frame could not hold the weight. First and foremost, no was was near by and everyone was safe. If by chance someone would have been underneath checking the bottom tank, then it would have been deadly. Eric and our neighbor helped me get the tank off and then rip the tangled mess of metal frame away. The bottom tank was fine, but the top tank had a hole in it and the frame was ruined. It seems the heavy duty metal that we paid for is not what we received. Unlike back home, here we will not get any refund or replacement parts so about $300 of parts and labor for the frame went away like a puff of smoke. Disappointed it didn't work, but most importantly grateful everyone was ok. We are back to the drawing board and someone is supposed to come fix the hole in the new tank. Thankfully the water has been on the last few days which makes us very happy. Praise the Lord for that and hopefully for it staying on for good! :)

Water Works, Part 2

So, let me try to explain how our water works... In the top left you see where it all begins. Near our gate is the faucet which is strictly "street" water. When water comes out, the street water is on and when there is nothing coming out than we have NO  street water .By the way, the faucet is ON in the picture but the street water was off hence, there is no water pouring out...and so our need for an extra tank. This doesn't mean that the house and the compound are out of water, but it does mean that if we don't preserve the water, than we will be completely out UNTIL the street water is turned on again. The picture of the tank is one that sits behind our house and is filled by the street water via the piping that runs underground. Usually when the street water is turned on you will start to hear this tank fill up after several minutes. The street water goes into the tank, then the small blue pump helps push the water up to the top of the house where there is another tank on top. This tank you see is 1500 liters while the one on top is 2000 liters. The tank on top is what is used in the house, and when it is empty a sensor inside will tell the tank on the ground to send up water. Our plan is to use the new water tank on top of the existing ground water tank (sort of like a bunk bed), therefore adding 1500 liters. The picture on the bottom is of me, Tafare (pronounced Tafara) on the left, and his brother Amare (Amara) on the right. Both of these men have done a great deal of work for us and several other friends as well. They are good, hardworking and honest people who can pretty much do anything you need them to do. They are awesome painter, builders, and all around handymen!  Both are very strict Orthodox, so both desperately need Jesus in their lives. Stay tuned for more exciting pictures of water works!

Water Works, Part 1

As mentioned before, the water supply in Addis is a delicate issue.  Simply put, either we have an abundance or we don't have any at all. That is why there is a giant water tank on the top of our vehicle. We bought this tank to have an extra reserve of water, and if you are interested, we will be posting some picture of how exactly the water system works in our compound. You probably don't see this kind of load on the top of other vehicles much, do you? :)

Home Sweet Home...for 2 more years at least...

Thank you for all that have been praying for our housing situation.  We were able to extend our rent by 2 more years...praise God!  We are thankful for the home the Lord has given us and are excited to be able to stay in the same house for 2 more years.  This was one of the most difficult decisions we have had to make since we have been here. Our water has been a huge issue, but moving is no guarantee that things will be better somewhere else. Much like automobiles here, houses can be a very frustrating thing to deal with and is pretty much a "roll of the dice" when moving into one. Due to a variety of items such as poor material and lack of building experience, everyone will experience frustrations and problems with their house. Also, as with almost every other thing in Ethiopia, our rent is being raised.  This was difficult to deal with but somewhat expected. Housing costs here have increased dramatically and while we have diligently set aside money for our upcoming rent we will unfortunately be short. We will have to take out a loan to help pay for this, so if you or your church would able to help with this expense we would be unbelievably grateful.

 Even with the issues we have had and are facing, we are very grateful that God has provided for us.  Because of us living here we have had the opportunity to open our home to several people that are here adopting as well as developing a friendship with our neighbor, Hanna, who ultimately accepted the Lord as her Savior. That alone has made it worth it! Thank you again for your prayers and any consideration in regards to a financial gift for our rent increase. If you are able to help out, please send any gift to the BBFI, PO Box 191 Springfield MO, 65801. Memo: Dysons Rent.

VBS Outreach 2013

Ethiopia, Two Years In...

Two years ago today we arrived in the country of Ethiopia. At times it has seems short, at other moments long. Frustrations have occurred while exuberant joy has taken place. Moments of questions, tears, laughter and exhaustion have been sprinkled in throughout the last twenty-four months with many more to go. We have learned a great deal these last two years and we still have a great more to learn. We've re-wired electrical issues and fixed leaks, stood in long lines, cooked meals from scratch, been stared at, faced water and power issues, broken down on the side of the road, learned to determine if the solution to a problem was a bigger issue than the initial problem, had our phones stolen, helped plant a church,  and have vomited more in the last two years than in the previous ten combined, among many many other things. We have no idea if this journey will last another five years or 50 with the possibility that in 48 years I will be sharing (on whatever social outlet is popular at that time) how excited we are to be celebrating our 50th year in Ethiopia. I simply do not know what tomorrow will bring. BUT, I do know this. Throughout the last two years (and many years before that) and until the day we are gone from this earth, God has always and will always provide and watch over us. Simply put: grace. Day after day God has always shown His love and mercy in our lives, something we are incredibly undeserving of. He has always provided and the lessons He has taught us the last two years are beyond comprehension. He has simply always been there.

As we look back on these two years, we are appreciative of all the prayers and support that each one of you have been to our lives and ministry. We miss our family and friends back home terribly at times, but your love has always been felt even here. As we reflect on two years, I want to leave you with a journal entry I wrote two years ago during our flight out of Raleigh. The verse shared still holds true today just as it was the day it was written so many years ago in David's time...

August 14, 2010
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 wanted 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, my sister Melissa, the Staubs and the 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 financies 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... 

Medical Missions Trip 2013

July Update

Even during the rainy season there are a few moments to get outside. Jackson loves to blow bubbles especially with Belet!

No Greater Love...

If you need a great book to read this summer I would highly encourage you to pick up No Greater Love by author Levi Benkert and Candy Chand. Levi, his wife Jessie, and their four awesome kids work in Ethiopia and attend Bethel. We are very blessed to serve alongside so many wonderful families such as the Benkerts. This book is fantastically written and a very honest look at how God has worked in their family's life. Check it out at amazon.com or look at your local book store. 

Enjoying some of the new toys before church service last Sunday. Joining Jackson are Aaron, Abby and Favan.

Furlough is Finished!

It is hard to believe that our first furlough is now over! On Tuesday at 4:40 (EST) we will be leaving Chicago for the 16 hour flight to Addis Ababa where we will arrive on Wednesday night at 9 pm Ethiopia time (2 pm EST). So, let me give you a quick rundown of our furlugh adventures. And imagine with me that I am speaking as fast as the awesome guy that did the Micro Machine comercials back in the 80's. Our furlough went something like this...
We drove over 17000 miles, drove through 17 States, ate at Chick-fil-a 21 times and 21 times Jackson asked to play first and eat later. We visited 25 churches, several of which we visted for the very first time. We toured the River Walk in San Antonio, the Alamo (which was much smaller than I thought it would be), we went to Lego Land in Florida, the Creation Museum in Kentucky, a children's museum in Illinois, a petting zoo in Texas, saw the Oscar Meyer weinermobile in Illinois.  We spent countless precious hours with family and friends laughing and just enjoying the time we could be with them, and we shared what our God is doing in Ethiopia through buidling up His church and bringing glory to His name!
And now it is finshed and we are excited to get back to Ethiopia. As you can see with the picture above, we have quite a few totes to take back! In fact, we have 21 totes, 1 suitcase and 1 tent along with a car seat. Please pray everything (and everyone) gets there safe and sound!
We have 12 bags sponsored which means we are five short of our goal. If you would like to help sponsor a bag or help with the hundered of dollars spent on minsitry items, your consideration is greatly appreciated!
Thank you for your prayers on our behalf, we look forward to getting back and unpacking and seeing what is in store!

They have arrived!

Thank you so much for praying! ALL of our documents arrived today from Ethiopia and we have them in our hands!  We board the plane in 5 days for our return...let the countdown begin :)

Urgent Prayer Need

Amanda and I have a BIG prayer request that we would ask you to pray for...our work permit and residency cards (which allow us to stay in Ethiopia legally) are currently on their way via snail mail from Addis Ababa to the US.  We MUST have these work permits and residency cards in hand to be allowed to enter Ethiopia.  Our flight leaves next Tuesday, June 26, from Chicago and it is imperative that we have these cards in our possession before we board that plane.  Will you please join us in praying that these necessary documents will arrive quickly and securely? Otherwise, we cannot leave the US without them.  If for some reason, the documents do not arrive in this time frame, this will be very detrimental to the renewal of our work permit and residencies.  It's in situations like this that I am so thankful that we serve a God who is caught off guard by nothing! 

Simply trusting, my friends, simply trusting!

We will keep you posted...

Furlough Update

Two weeks from now, we will, hopefully, be sound asleep in Ethiopia :) We are now in Illinois with just under two weeks before we leave. We have two more churches this weekend to visit and then next week we will be focusing on packing up our suitcases It has been a great time, of which I will talk about a bit in our next post. We are pleased to say that we have had a few more bags sponsored for our return trip. Special thanks to Stonebridge Baptist Church in San Antonio, the Rackley family in Raleigh NC, two ladies at West Fayetteville Baptist Church in Fayetteville NC, the Laminack family in Fort Worth TX, the Estes family in Forth Worth TX and the Spivey family in Raleigh NC. We now have 9 1/2 bags paid for! We are not sure how many bags we will have, we already have 9 packed with several items to go. We are hoping anywhere between 16-20 bags. If you interested in sponsoring a suitcase, please feel free to email us for more information.