Sending Gifts to Ethiopia this Christmas!

On the plane ride home from Ethiopia, I felt conviction that I am not to receive any Christmas presents this year...I was unsure where God was going with this, so I just wrote it down in my journal and since that time I have been praying for Him to show me the purpose behind asking this of me. Through a few divine appointments, God has really shown me that instead of me receiving any gifts this year, I am going to be asking friends and family to donate gifts and money to send every child (~200) in the BCI program a Christmas present. Yes, every child!!  God has given me a lofty goal, that can only be fulfilled through prayer and trust that He will be the one who makes this all come together.

Please see the newsletter below for specific prayer requests for this project and more details if God is prompting you to get involved in sending Christmas cheer overseas this season.  I look forward to sharing with you about how God moves in this project!

KENYA - DAY 3

When we got to Kenya, we hit the ground running.  We quickly dropped off our luggage at Garcia Gardens and headed out so we wouldn't miss seeing the students that day. Oh, where were we headed? Only to one of the world's largest slums. We arrived at the Pangani Center in Nairobi and were greeted by Keith Ham. This guy was hilarious! He entertained us for a bit and we were served chai for the first of many times to come. We were able to meet Mary Kamau as well, who is the founder and director of Missions of Hope International. She explained how MoH is helping and empowering people to rise up and make changes in their own communities. The success stories are unbelievable! After a brief tour of the Pangani Center, we headed out to see the slum, specifically what's called Area 1 and Area 2. 

MoH crew... including funny man Keith!

There were several social workers who guided us through the streets of Nairobi. They always made sure to have one worker in front of, behind, and intermingled with us for safety.  

As we set out, we were immediately swarmed by several children who were very eager to hold our hands. Two English phrases they know well are "how are you?" and "take a picture?". I can still recall their sing-songy greeting in my head as I remember back. 

House

We walked through streets littered with trash, sewage, feces, and decaying animals that produced a stench which seemed to thicken the air. The homes were nothing more than pieces of tin secured together to fashion a small shelter. Kids ran around bright eyed and smiling, while their parents looked on at us from a distance, their faces heavy with despair and defeat. When I would glance their way, smile and wave, they always cheerfully reciprocated the greeting!   Finally, we arrived in Area 2, where the site of a school build is underway. 

During Christmas 2010, my church, White River Christian Church, collected a special Christmas offering of which 1/2 was donated to help build this school. Construction seems very cumbersome as the work is all done manually, including the mixing of the cement (by hand!). They are laying the foundation of what will one day be a five floor building.

First level of school building

After seeing this, we visited the current classrooms, where 30 or so students are squished into a very small room fashioned from tin siding. The kids greeted us warmly with songs and skits they had prepared! They were so excited for us to be there. They recited bible verse after bible verse to us! In Kenya, the Word of God is taught in schools. Instruction is done orally as students generally do not own their own bibles.  

It was at this part of the trip that God was about to radically change my life! Mary had heard there were some in our group interested in child sponsorship. She proceeded to pull out a list of roughly 40 names of children in need. It was there, standing in a slum in Nairobi that the weight of this being everyday life for these children became a reality. I approached Mary and told her that I wanted to sponsor a child. I didn't care what age or what gender; I just knew God has someone for me to help. A few minutes later I was holding James Mulwa Musyoki in my arms, meeting my sponsor child for the very first time. I got to spend some time with James talking with him in a separate room. He was very shy at first. However, he warmed up to me and ended up singing me a song about how 'we are serving the God of miracles'! If you are at all interested in sponsoring a child, please check out some information here. You have no idea the impact you make on a child and family's life. More importantly, you have no idea how much God will impact your life through it! He forever changed mine when He brought James into it!

JAMES MULWA MUSYOKI

One of the key moments that happened this day and shaped the rest of the trip for me was when I witnessed one of the girls on the trip, Ashley Meldahl, loving on these kids. She abandoned any restrictions and just loved them with all she had. She was hugging and holding them without any concern of the germs and grime. When I saw this, I vowed that this was how I was going to love them too, completely sold out and holding nothing back! This conscious decision changed my entire perspective on the trip, in a position for God to love others through me!

Unhindered Love

Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. -Romans 12:9

Our New Favorite Song

 

Check out this amazing new song by Brandon Heath.  His lyrics speak to the core of Acts 1:8 (the verse that inspired our blog and the one the Lord keeps using to focus our mind on His great harvest)! 

 

 

BEST DECISION EVER!!!

Today marks the one year celebration of my name (Michelle Elizabeth Moss) being written in the Book of Life!!  It was around noon on October 29, 2011 in Pastor Bill's office that I gave my life to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, accepting His gift of salvation.  I confessed with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in my heart that God raised him from the dead. - Romans 10:9.  It was at that moment that I made the best decision of my entire life!!!!

God has been leading me down His path of righteousness over the past year, pruning me, convicting me of sin, and completely transforming every area of my life!  I heard a sermon once where the pastor said that while people can discuss and argue about theology, your own testimony about how Christ changed your life is irrefutable . . . and I completely agree!!  While we may be able to have a detailed debate about certain areas of the Christian faith, I look back on my life and am in awestruck wonder of the grace and mercy of God, knowing with complete certainty that it is only through His redeeming power that one year ago I was made a new creation in Christ Jesus.

Words simply cannot express my gratitude and thankfulness for generations of Christians who have shared their faith with others.  My decision to become a follower of Christ was possible because for roughly 2,000 years people have been taking the Great Commission seriously, many facing persecution, suffering and even death to share this Good News .  I pray God will use me to continue His great work on making His name known to all the nations.

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.  Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.   - Philippians 3:7-8

But as for me, how good it is to be near God!  I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.   - Psalm 73:28

Email Updates Now Available

Hey everyone!!  We are really new at this whole blog thing, so we have just figured out how to add a cool new feature you should definitely utilize.  At the bottom of our page, you can type in your email address then click submit.  This will allow you to get daily email notifications when we add something new to the blog, which will make it easier for you to stay updated when we make a new post!  Have a truly blessed day!

IT'S MY NEW BIRTH DAY!

Today is my NEW BIRTH DAY! (Megan) On this day 2 years ago, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior! My name was recorded in the Book of Life on 10-3-10. Little to my knowledge then, God had been working on my heart and in my life, getting me to a place where I'd accept His free gift of salvation. I will be eternally grateful for the grace poured out on me by my Heavenly Father. He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to die, paying the penalty for my sins by His own blood. Then He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell inside of me, leading and directing me through this life. Oh the day when I can see my Maker's face and bow in awe at the foot of His throne. 

Birthdays are all about celebration. If you have made Jesus Christ Lord of your life, enjoy today by reflecting on and thanking God for all He has done in your life! If you have not, what are you waiting for? There is new life with Christ. I'm a living testimony of it. 

P.S. I hope when we're in Heaven we can celebrate the day of our salvation with Jesus. Oh, what a party it would be!!

P.P.S. I also have to share what I call my "salvation song". It was while this song played at my church, that I surrendered my life to Christ. And, God is so good... I heard it on the radio this morning as I drove to work!! Listen to it here!


If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. -Romans 9:9

ETHIOPIA - DAY 4

After playing with kids all afternoon, plus adjusting to the new time zone, I was more than exhausted when I laid down for bed on Sunday evening.  Though my body was ready for nothing more than a good night's rest, my mind was racing with anticipation because the next day I would get to meet the child I sponsor through Compassion International!! 

Monday morning we ate, had a daily devotional with all of the BCI staff, and our group headed to the new school - BCI Academy.  The Art, Sports, and Music teachers were gone that day, so our group was assigned the task of teaching those subjects for the day!! Though Jessica (our leader) and I came to see the school, we did not stay for the day because we were spending the late morning / early afternoon with our sponsor children!

On our way back to the Guest House we passed roaming donkeys, families building their own homes with scarce supplies, horse carts acting as taxis, small children playing in a garbage dump, and a few stray dogs.  Our desolate surroundings really put things into perspective - that although amidst our excitement to meet our sponsor children in person, the poverty that infiltrated everything we saw is still a daily lifestyle for so many people in this world today, including the children we were about to meet.

Though the walk was sobering, my joy and happiness was soon escalated!  I was slightly nervous to meet Dereje (pronounced "Dare zh a" - the je is like the ge in beige) because I was super excited and I thought I may frighten him with being a little over-the-top!  But the first moment I met him was so absolutely perfect!!  We were getting ready to turn to go into the Guest House, but there was a group of people standing on the other side of the street (which did not phase me whatsoever because there are people standing on the streets everywhere).  But as I am turning to go into the gate, this beautiful little boy comes running toward me, all of a sudden it "clicked" that this was Dereje!!

I quickly dropped to my knees and wrapped him in my embrace.  Both of us were crying and neither in a hurry to let go, but his mom came over and pulled him away so she could give me a big hug!  The translator was there, trying to tell me that his mom was so thankful that I came and she loves me and is so happy to see me. 

I ran inside to grab my gifts for him and then we were off to spend some time at a local restaurant that had some area to play outside.  Dereje was nothing but smiles and he held my hand nearly the entire afternoon! 

We took a taxi to Pyramid where he opened his presents, we played on the playground, and I was able to talk with him and his mom through the help of our translator.  I was able to see his medical and school records, as well as all of the letters I have written him!  The translator used to be a Compassion child and he was able to explain the details of what my sponsorship does for Dereje and what it means to be sponsored as a child.  Dereje told me that when he grows up he wants to be a doctor so that one day he can provide for his mom and for me the way that we have provided for him.  Praise God for this loving little boy!!

We played for a few hours, then had lunch (him eating a burger and fries while I ate Ethiopian food!!).  It was so amazing to see his gentle, loving, and giving spirit.  Dereje prayed over our meal and he was always trying to give his food to those at the table so everyone could have a taste.  He is such a great big brother and I am so thankful that God led me to this outstanding little boy!

If you ever want to talk about the blessings of child sponsorship, please don't ever hesitate to talk with me!  I pray that if you have not yet made a decision to help release a child from poverty in the name of Jesus Christ, that you would do so today!!





God doesn't show favoritism, but in every nation the person who fears God and does righteousness is acceptable to Him.  - Acts 10:34-35

KENYA - DAY 2

On our way to Kenya, we made a pit stop in London before our evening flight out. It was a great chance to try out my British accent, which varied between British, Irish, Australian, and American all in the same sentence! Needless to say, I’m not very good with accents… Anyway, we toured Windsor Castle which is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the official residence of the Queen. While the splendor and majesty of the castle was definitely a site to see, I couldn’t help the nagging feeling as I passed from room to room that we were in for a wake-up call when we reached Kenya. And I was right. The stark contrast of a room laden from top to bottom with gold to a shack hand-made with sticks and dung depicted the harsh reality of the extreme wealth and poverty in our world.  

Full Group at Windsor Castle

  

Our leaders in England

Once back to the airport, we all tried various ways to get adjusted to the time change. Some couldn’t wait and had to take a nap while others tried to push through and better align their system with Kenya time. By now, we were no strangers to the cold, concrete airport floor. The stress of security and lack of sleep was definitely wearing on the group at this time. Because of the delays of our flight, we were permitted access to the first class lounge, complete with food, showers, massage chairs, etc. Finally, we boarded the plane to Kenya, saying goodbye to our lives of luxury and hello to the reality of how the majority of our world lives.

   

Sleeping at the Airport

WE MADE IT (and so did our luggage)! We arrived in Kenya at 6am local time and were greeted by Cheryl who took us to Gracia Gardens where we were staying the first few nights. On the drive, through downtown Nairobi, we saw a vast contrast in the income levels there. We saw tin shacks and gated manors in a matter of minutes on our drive. There were quite a few people walking and we were told that some would walk miles to work each day. In place of our nice paved sidewalks, they walked along dirt paths that had been formed by the thousands of steps taken on them each day.

     

  Poverty vs. Prestige in Nairobi

We were finally here. After a long time of preparation, layovers, and multiple flights, we had finally arrived. Little did I know that God was about to radically change my perspective on the world and its people.

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. -Ephesians 2:10

ETHIOPIA - DAY 3

Our first full day in Ethiopia was Sunday!!  I was really looking forward to worshiping with fellow believers and experiencing their church services.  Our group of eight split into smaller groups and children from the BCI program came to take us to their churches in the morning.  Three of us went to Emmanuel Church with Mekedis and Adana (sister and brother).  In order to get there, we walked from the side street to the main road for a taxi.  The taxis in Debre Zeit are more like vans with a sliding door that a young boy opens and closes, while collecting money.  Church was in a room with tarp walls, wooden benches, and gravel/dirt floor. 

The service consisted of a pastor leading prayer for about 1 hour, worship for about 1 hour, and preaching for about 2 hours!!  It was so amazing to experience the atmosphere in that place, sensing the Spirit's presence even though I couldn't understand what others around me were saying.  It was so awesome to remember how great God is, that He hears each of us, no matter where we are, or what language we speak!!

Worship was fantastic to experience, everyone had their eyes closed and you could just sense the intimacy those around you were experiencing with our Creator.  That they were in no way concerned by what others around them were doing, but to focus solely on the object of their praise.  After the praying and worshipping, we decided to go with the children to their lesson time.  We met Getu, one of the BCI social workers, and he had us lead some songs with the kids!  They were so well-behaved for sitting still in a small room for about 2 hours.

Another aspect of church in Ethiopia that struck me was how even though these people had just been in church for roughly four hours, no one was in a rush to leave.  People mingled and had great fellowship, as if there was no place they would rather be than at church. 

After church we had a coffee ceremony at the BCI foster home (coffee is Ethiopia's main crop and their customary way to welcome guests is with a coffee ceremony where they roast the beans, grind the beans, and brew the coffee - all by hand).  They even let me try to grind the coffee!!

 After drinking some amazing coffee and eating popcorn, we had a great time playing with the kids!  Bubbles were a huge hit with Fikir and Haben (two little girls), the older kids enjoyed the soccer and volleyball, while the babies (Ribirra and Joy) were infatuated with the cameras! 

 Praise God for these beautiful children, and a great first day in Ethiopia!!





Always be full of joy in the Lord.  I say it again - rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.  Remember, the Lord is coming soon. - Philippians 4:4-5

KENYA - DAY 1

After months of prayer and preparation, the big day was finally here... the day God was taking me to Africa.

Before I get into the trip, let me give you a little background on how and why this came about. Last summer, Todd Zimmerman, the leader of my church's young adult ministry, Engage, announced that he felt God leading him to take a group of us on a short-term mission trip to Kenya. The summer before that, Todd had been to Kenya himself and received the conviction and vision to begin Engage. Originally, when the trip was scheduled, it was around the end of May and into the first week of June. There was no doubt in my mind, somehow I just knew I would be going to Kenya. However, that was before I learned the dates were changing... and changing to be during my birthday! For most people, this wouldn't be a big deal. But, if you love birthdays as much as I do and my own birthday, specifically, you would know the dilemna I thought I was facing. My instant reaction was "Welp, there goes my opportunity for a mission trip. I couldn't possibly be gone over my birthday..." And instantly after I thought that, I felt God gently whisper into my heart, "Megan, what better way to spend your birthday than to be sharing the Good News about Jesus Christ?" So there it was, I was going to Africa.

On the morning of Thursday, June 7th, I woke up, packed a few lingering items in my suitcase, grabbed my backpack and headed to the church. Our bags were then loaded into vehicles to take us to the airport, and we were sent off with prayers, hugs and kisses from family and friends. Once at the airport with tickets in hand, Dan Crosley, the missions pastor at our church prayed over our group one last time and sent us off. While in the airport waiting for our flight, I saw the Vice President of Operations for Dow AgroSciences and got the opportunity to share with him that I was going on a mission trip. This would be the first of many doors God opened for me to grow in courage and boldness to share my faith.

Our flights took us from Indianapolis to New York to London and then on to Kenya. One of the best ideas someone ever had was for our group to wear the same t-shirts every day. This way, we were easily identifiable in crowds of people. We often got asked what our group was doing, opening countless opportunities to share about being on mission for Christ. While in the New York airport, we met another mission team headed to Kenya, too! Turns out, two in our group had sat directly behind two in their group at the Passion Conference in January. This may not seem like a big deal, unless you knew that roughly 45,000 students attended Passion!! How awesome is our God?

(Circle picture...laying on the airport floor!)

Good bye USA, hello London.
The journey had begun.

Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:18-20

ETHIOPIA - DAY 1 & 2

On Friday afternoon, I boarded a small plane in Cedar Rapids, IA to meet the rest of the group in Chicago.  My amazing new friends from Iowa City (where I lived this summer during my internship in Cedar Rapids) drove me to the airport and had some great words of wisdom as they had both previously done international mission work. 

 

 

After finally meeting the group in person, we all entered the United Airlines waiting line, eight of us in total carrying two 50lb. pieces of luggage plus a carry-on.  After a great experience with the lady behind the counter not weighing and not charging us for any of our luggage (Praise God because a few of the bags were questionable on the 50lb. cutoff!), we made it through security and found our gate.  We had a double-decker plane from Chicago to Frankfurt.  We landed, had to go back through a security screening, nearly missed our connecting flight, but at long last, we were on the plane to Addis Ababa.  Thanks to our great team member, Mark, we had a good idea of when to sleep and when to stay awake as to adjust to being 8 hours ahead. 

 

Due to a large group of people all wearing the same shirt, we had a lot of people ask us about our trip and what we were doing.  It was a great opportunity to tell others about our mission to do God's work and glorify His name in Ethiopia!

 

We arrived in Addis late Saturday night, and after using a local's cell phone, we located our Blessing the Children International contacts and transportation to Debre Zeit.  We road the BCI Academy bus that takes the children to and from school.  At long last, we pulled up to the Guest House and unloaded our luggage.  After getting sheets on our mattresses and situating things, our leader, Jessica called us downstairs for a quick de-briefing.  We discussed who was going to which church the next morning and she handed us a surprise she had been working on the past few weeks.  Each of us had an envelope of letters / notes of encouragement written by our friends and family back home!!!  My amazing sister wrote me letters for every single day, and I had countless other notes and loving prayers from my parents and family friends!!

 

In all, our traveling went very well and our excitement was beyond measure as we laid down for the first night in Ethiopia!

 

 

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love.  - Ephesians 5:1-2

Welcome to Our Blog!!

We are very excited for the opportunity to share our experiences in Africa with you and keep you updated on the amazing ways God is using our time there to impact our lives back in the U.S.!!

Megan is a Cost Analyst for Dow AgroSciences in Indianapolis, IN.  In early June, she travelled to Kenya with her church, White River Christian Church located in Noblesville, IN.  She spent the majority of her time evangelizing to the Maasai Tribe and working the slums in Nairobi.

Michelle is entering her third and final year of law school at Drake University in Des Moines, IA.  A few days after Megan's departure, Michelle boarded a plane for Debre Zeit, Ethiopia.  She travelled with a group from Windsor Road Christian Church, which was led by a close friend.  Her time was focused on supporting and encouraging fellow believers in a very poor town near the capital city.

Again, we are looking forward to having you along for the journey as we seek to provide details of our respective mission trips and share in how God is using our experiences to shape us during our time at home.

With Love,

Megan & Michelle


For God saved us and called us to live a holy life.  He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time--to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.  - 2 Timothy 1:9-10