My blog sabbatical is over (a letter to you)

Dear friends, It’s been almost a month since I’ve been able to write a blog post… literally write a post, due to crazy internet connection in Africa. I have missed you. I have missed blogging. I have missed Wi-Fi. I have missed sharing my stories with you. I wanted to write YOU a letter, dear friends, to update you on my crazy life. So, please sit down and grab a cup of buna (coffee) and let’s chat awhile.

We spent 110 days living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and had the time of our lives. It was the best summer, the best memories, and the best days spent serving and loving the community of Korah, the birthplace of our daughter, Zoie Senait. We had the incredible opportunity to live and serve at the EGH (Ethiopia Guest Home) and Mission Ethiopia ministry. The generosity and kindness and extraordinary service of the staff makes it an honor to promote them here on my blog as the ONLY place in Addis Ababa I will recommend to stay for all your adoption, missions, or travel accommodations!!! They received an A+ score from every single member of my family and super nanny. Zoie even gave them 5 stars!!! There are 6 guest houses, and 115 incredible staff members that know how to make your travels safe and sleep sweet!! If you need to book a room or 2 … please contact Dave Mcllrath at dave@ethiopiaguesthome.com or here.

The ministries we served in Korah welcomed our family and opened their hearts to allow us to serve big. We want to thank Mission Ethiopia, Project 61, Great Hope Charity, Hope For Korah, Visiting Orphans, and Ethiopia Guest Home for embracing our Gibson Family Mission’s Adventure!! We are prayerfully returning to Addis Ababa in February 2013 to finish off the adventure with a bang working on our Simply Love and Man Up projects. (will share more soon) If you want to support our family this year, you can donate to our NEW Simply Love Ministry here.

We want to thank you for praying and supporting our family … helping us raise (on facebook) over $7,000 for OPERATION: MERCY in 48 hours!!! Some of you, in lieu of birthday presents, raised funds for flights- thank you Stephen and Wynne Elder!! Mercy is currently living with our family and wait until you here her medical miracles!! God has done a radical miracle in her life and I can’t wait to post and share her story of redemption and healing!! We are so honored to be a tiny part of this mighty miracle! We want to personally thank Julie Neal and family for championing her medical appointments and the White family for hosting her for a month!!

We are [now] back in the states for 2 months, until we start Part 2 of our mission adventure starting in November!! We will live 2 months in Pignon, Haiti serving our missionary friends, the Campbell family at Haiti Home of Hope (HHH) This was the reason for God selling our home. Read here. We can’t wait to see why God wanted our family in Haiti.

In the next few weeks, I want to go back in time and share stories from my Simply Love mission trip, as well as the inspiring stories of the day to day life on the mission field. The opportunities to share the gospel to the unreached people groups have radically changed our lives, as a family. We give God ALL the glory and thank Him for the opportunity to love and live dead in Ethiopia and Haiti.

“My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3: 16-19 MSG)

Please join our family praying for His favor and blessings and provisions as we start moving forward in faith, serving  and loving big in Haiti. We’re all in this together!!

I love you,

Mama Kiki