How did we meet?
From Stephanie’s post on Facebook, interested in how many of us came to know them, many are sharing their stories. Click here to visit the post and share your story.
But in the meantime, did you know Dianeh Joy is living with the Bys Family for the next few months to help be a loving helper with the children and however God calls her to serve? She is already filling the airways with praises to God and greater revelations to us all back home sharing her heart and God’s passion He is living out through About-Face Missions in Kenya. Read on to hear her story of coming to know them and God leading her to travel to Kenya…
“I was praying about going on a mission trip and working with orphans. I did not want to do a short term trip, but a couple months at least. In the meantime i kept busy waiting on the call by making and selling shoes to feed the hungry.
I used a hashtag #James1vs27 for most of my posts. My daughter Aura Moore was also praying about a mission trip to Africa and we thought we might go together. On one of her posts I noticed she used the hashtag #james127 and I wondered if anyone else wrote the hashtag that way..
So guess what? I clicked on that hashtag and it took me to posts by Stephanie Bys. It was the day after they had gotten arrested and there was a huge call for everyone to pray. Talk about God!!
I went to their site and read everything I could about their story and looked at all the pictures. I sent Stepanie a message saying. “Please know that you have one more person praying for you” After that i prayed for them day and night, I couldnt get them out of my head. I was even woken up out of a sound sleep a couple of times sitting straight up in bed with the name Stephanie Bys. I’d get up and pray for her then fall right back to sleep. This went on for months as I started following and commenting.
Then i started saying out loud to my family. “I think #MercyChildrensHome is where I am supposed to go. So after about nine months of praying and communicating with DC Shelton, President of #AboutFaceMissions and Stephanie and Jeff Bys. I arrived in Kenya on my 60th Birthday!!
I have been here two weeks and I am so thrilled to have this opportunity to serve here. The current plan is for me to stay for four months, 120 days which is three 40 day periods of time. (I prayed that God would make the length of time I stayed meaningful too) This has certainly impacted my life. My prayer is that God will continue to bless and provide for this ministry. I pray to God that my going will help open up the way for others to come and also to generously support this ministry. This is truly a work of God.
I have seen first hand the love and devotion that Jeff and Stephanie and their children pour into this home and these kids. They have a Godly staff and the community is being impacted for Christ as well. It dawned on me that these are not just children they are caring for, these orphans and at risk kids, are growing up to be men and women of God whose lives and eternity has been changed because of this obedient and selfless family.
I pray that many people would recognize how much help is really needed here and trust God to give, not out only out of our abundance, but out of our lack as well. We will then see the great things God can do through that kind of giving. God bless you all.”