|
  
|
Our Charis Family
Denae
Mulder
Brady and Denae
Mulder
Hello everyone!
My name is Denae and my husband, Brady, and I
currently live in a tiny, rural town called Bunde,
about two hours west of Minneapolis, MN, where he
serves as the pastor of the church here. Brady
and I met a few years ago and were married in August
2014 in our hometown of Byron Center, MI. In
November 2014 we moved to Minnesota to follow the
Lord’s calling on our lives to minister to the
church here and we have loved newly married life as
well as the adventure of living in a new state!
Way back in 8th grade, I was asked to do an
independent research project on the topic of my
choice in school. I chose to study the African
country of Malawi and as I studied more and more, I
became aware of the devastating poverty and the
needs of so many children and families not just in
Malawi, but all over the world. From that
point on, a Godly passion was sparked in my life to
serve those in need and in doing so, to present the
Gospel of Jesus Christ to them. The Lord continued
to stir my heart for missions and the summer before
my final year of high school I was given the
privilege of going on a mission trip to Ethiopia and
Uganda, Africa. While in Ethiopia, I fell in
love with the people and the culture and also was
able to share the Gospel and serve alongside various
missions organizations.
Upon graduating high school in 2011, I was given the
opportunity to return to Ethiopia and serve with one
of those mission organizations working with children
and families in a slum community in the capital city
of Addis Ababa. I was so excited for the
chance to go back and committed to serving one month
of the summer, leading Vacation Bible Schools for
children in the community, helping the missionary
family there, and being the hands and feet of Jesus.
However, that 1 month turned into 14 months! I
continued to feel God’s blessing on my time there
and I knew I was exactly where He wanted me to be
during that season of my life. What a blessing
it was to get to be a part of hands-on cross
cultural ministry overseas! I learned so much
during my time in Ethiopia about missions, ministry,
respecting and cherishing other cultures, and even
learned a new language! I look back now and
see how God was using that time to prepare me for
future ministry and grow my relationship with Him
and I am so thankful for each moment… even the times
when there weren’t hot showers or electricity!
While in Ethiopia, I met a young girl named Buzayehu
who soon became a dear friend of mine and her story
was one that had such a huge impact on my life. At
just 15 years of age, Buzayehu, an orphan, became
pregnant as a result of rape. Out of fear and
shame, she considered aborting the child growing
inside her, but she felt the Lord’s presence and was
reminded that He would always be with her, even
through this difficult time, and she chose to keep
the baby. She continued her pregnancy with no
prenatal exams due to the expense of the doctor
visit, no family support, and very little health
education. When she went into labor she didn’t
have money for the taxi to the hospital so some
young friends of hers ran from house to house
begging for enough for the taxi fare. Upon arriving
to the hospital she begged to be admitted even
though she had very little money and was eventually
given a bed next to a group of other laboring moms.
She recounts the birth of her son with so much
pride, but she will also tell you of the struggle of
learning how to care for a newborn, finding money
for diapers, and not being able to get help with
breastfeeding her child. She is one of the
strongest people I know and her story inspired me to
want to serve women and girls like her who don’t
have access to the resources or information they
need during pregnancy and birth. I want women
to be able to see the beauty of God’s design for
pregnancy and birth and feel empowered during such
an important life event and to be able to surround
them with encouragement and support!
Denae in Ethiopia, Africa
Once I returned to the States, that
desire grew and I began apprenticing with a local
midwife with the hope of one day returning to
Ethiopia to serve women and girls there as ministry.
Shortly after that my husband and I met and began
dating and I felt as though God was giving me a
different focus for this season of life… to wait and
prepare and grow more deeply in relationship with
Him. It was difficult to put some of my dreams
of being a missionary midwife on hold, but I see now
what an amazing grace it was to get to focus on
building a relationship with my husband as well as
settling into in a new state, making new friends and
getting to know our new church family here.
Now that we are settled into life and ministry here
in Minnesota, God has once again opened some amazing
doors to serve here! There is a community of
Somali refugee families just a few miles from our
home and one of the greatest needs for the women of
this community is healthcare education, the support
of a doula in childbirth as well as postpartum and
breastfeeding support. After hearing about
this opportunity to minister and praying with my
husband I am excited to begin training once again as
a Doula, Childbirth Educator and Lactation
Consultant through Charis! My hope is that I
will be able to use what I have learned to serve
these women and families with love and be the hands
and feet of Jesus! How amazing is it that God
led my husband and I to a community where I am not
only able to use my interest in birth and doula
work, but also able to serve people from a nation
thousands of miles away… right next door! His
ways are truly always higher and more amazing than
we can ever ask or imagine!
I am so thrilled to be a part of the Charis family
and to learn and grow in my skills as a doula!
I am so thankful for a program that recognizes God’s
amazing, creative design in birth and also
emphasizes missions and ministry! It is my
prayer that I will not only grow as a doula, but
that I will also learn more about God and His
character as I study!
“But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him
faithfully with all your heart; consider what great
things He has done for you.” – 1 Samuel 12:24
|
|
|
'Behold, I will
bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of
the earth,
Among them the blind and the lame,
The woman with child and The one who labors with child, together,
A
great throng shall return there...And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD.'
Jeremiah 31:8, 14
~~~
©2015 Charis Childbirth
Services, All Rights Reserved
Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends in its entirety,
leaving all attribution intact.
April 2015 |
