It is with great excitement that we share with you the incredible opportunity God has placed before us. We are preparing to spend 10 weeks as a family serving God in Ethiopia this summer! Though this journey of faith began many years ago, the opportunity for service in Ethiopia arose in 2011. We made our first trip that June with our church and The Ethiopia Aid Mission (TEAM) to lead a children’s Bible school, install and purify water wells, and investigate further mission opportunities. Larry returned to Ethiopia in 2012, while Megan stayed home to care for Logan, Joshua, and newborn Matthew. We both returned in 2013, adding women’s discipleship and pastor training to the ministries we led. We returned from our trip this past June knowing that God was calling us to vocational missions. We both enrolled in seminary in August and are pursuing Masters of Arts in Religion with mission concentrations.
We are so excited to have the opportunity to minister to the people of Ethiopia in an extended capacity. Some of our responsibilities during our time in Ethiopia will be to work with U.S. mission teams that come to serve, assist and minister to our Ethiopian pastors, build cohesive relations among the rural churches, and continue restoring and sanitizing water wells. We will also assist in a women’s discipleship and evangelism program and identify villages for potential future missionary work. In addition, we will continue working on learning the Oromiffa language and culture acquisition. Most importantly, we’ll be working with our Ethiopian brothers and sisters to help plant new churches and grow the kingdom of God.
While in Ethiopia this summer, our family will live in a small, concrete house in the rural village of Bantu. Bantu has a population of about 5000 and serves as the base for TEAM missions. Our home is equipped with electricity and running water from an electric well. However, electricity is only sporadically available, and we will hand pump water from a well in its absence. Bantu is about 2 hours from the capital city of Addis Ababa, and we will have the opportunity to go into the city every couple of weeks to purchase supplies. As the last main village on the road from the capital, Bantu is the commercial hub for many smaller villages and hamlets that surround it. People walk miles from their homes to attend the markets in Bantu, providing innumerable opportunities for the Gospel to be spread among virtually unreached people.
We are so thankful and blessed to be surrounded by Godly family and friends who also desire to serve the Lord and see His name glorified in all nations. Though God may not be calling you to physically go in service to Him at this time, we would love to invite you to join us on this mission in other ways. Would you please commit to praying for our family as we prepare for and go to Ethiopia? You can learn more and follow our journey via our blog at www.keysforHiskingdom.blogspot.com, where we will provide weekly updates, prayer requests, ministry needs, and pictures. If you would like to help provide the necessary financial resources for our ministry in Ethiopia, contributions may be made through The Woodlands First Baptist Church or TEAM Network. Please see the page link on the right for contribution information. Thank you for your continued love and support.
