Mission and Family Updates

Dear Friends,

It’s been far too long since I last put my thoughts to paper and updated this blog. Life, as it tends to do, picked up pace—both in Africa and here in the States—and this little corner of the internet was put on the back burner. But I’m hoping to change that moving forward.

My last blog post was in 2023, and since then, the Lord has done so much in our lives and ministry.

This post will help bring you more up to date, but I also hope to share more stories (and miracles!) in future posts.

September 2023

The Lord made a way for us to minister in Manghang—a remote area about six hours down a dirt road from our home base in Moshi. While there, we held three services and saw about 30 people come to salvation! Praise the Lord! While in the area, we also visited a church construction site for another missionary. What we didn’t know then was that this visit would help lay the groundwork for one of our major 2025 ministry projects. God is always preparing the way, even when we don’t realize it.

Fall 2023

The remainder of Fall was spent homeschooling Mikey while Mike made several trips to continue construction on the Losteties church, located about four hours from Moshi. This particular church building was sponsored by a wonderful congregation in Standardsville, VA. This build took longer than our first two due to a number of challenges: remote mountain location, unpredictable weather, vehicle breakdowns, and a holiday break. Still, the Lord guided us through each step, and we are thrilled that the church is now completed and actively being used by the congregation. We’ve heard reports of growth and plan to visit again soon!

Winter 2023/2024

We returned to the U.S. for the holidays and truly enjoyed a time of rest and connection with family. While home, we had the special opportunity to present recognition plaques to the two churches that sponsored church buildings in Tanzania. When we returned to Moshi, we presented matching plaques to the pastors of those Tanzanian churches, as a way to honor and recognize the beautiful bond between these congregations—though continents apart.

Spring 2024

In early February 2024, Mike returned to Tanzania to wrap up the Losteties church project, while Mikey, Wilma, and I remained in the U.S. That was a difficult decision, but with Wilma preparing to graduate high school, we felt it was important for her to participate in those final moments of senior year.

Mike finished construction and returned home in May—just in time for graduation and a quick family getaway.

Not long after, we received joyful news: We were going to become Babu (Grandpa) and Bebe (Grandma), our second daughter and her husband were expecting their first child—our first grandchild—due in Fall 2024! We had originally planned to be in Africa from June to November, but that news changed everything.

Summer 2024

We returned to Moshi in early July without a specific project in mind. Mike was feeling a little disheartened by this, so we began praying, asking the Lord for direction. One morning during our devotions, we were reading 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul lists the various gifts and ministries. The Lord highlighted something to us—the gift of helps! And help we did. It began with a chance meeting: a missionary woman mentioned she needed some construction assistance but couldn’t find anyone with the right knowledge to make it work. Mike and I just looked at each other and said, “Gift of helps!” From that point on, one project after another came our way. Every tool we brought, and every skill we had, was put to use—building gates, painting orphanages, hanging pictures, constructing fences, unloading c-trains, organizing storage rooms... the needs kept coming, and we kept saying, “Yes, Lord, we are willing and available.”

In August, our oldest daughter and two of her friends came to visit us for two weeks. We loved taking them to the children’s homes, visiting local churches, distributing food, and simply spending time together with our friends in Moshi. During one outing to do a bit of gift shopping, we had a brief but meaningful opportunity to minister to a few men on the street. That quick encounter sparked the beginning of a new ministry. From then on, Mike and Mikey began spending their Saturdays meeting with these men, building relationships, and inviting them to join us at church on Sundays. What started as a simple conversation turned into something much deeper—an ongoing opportunity to share the love of Christ.

We returned home in early October, just two weeks before our sweet granddaughter was born. We were able to spend the next three months with our family and experience new life milestones with her and what a blessing it was!

January 2025

Leaving the U.S. in January 2025 to return to Moshi was harder than ever before—leaving our kids, and now a granddaughter, tugged at our hearts in a brand-new way. But we know the call, and we trust the One who sends us.

This brings you up to speed for now, but there’s still so much more to share. Thank you for walking this journey with us—for praying, supporting, and encouraging us through every season. We are so grateful for your friendship and partnership in the Kingdom.

Until next time,

The McMillans