Born in Auckland, New Zealand to a mother who had migrated at the age of 8 with her parents from the island of Samoa and a father who was born and raised in Melbourne Australia to his migrant parents from Greece. Raised the second child of five in a Catholic home dominated by a father suffering with bipolar disorder, life sent a lot of mixed messages.
While spending three years in the city of Melbourne as a child, there was a famine in Ethiopia that was broadcast all over the news and inspired the "Band Aid" album to help raise money for those who were dying of starvation. At the same time this six year old girl had been listening to a vinyl record of the Kids' Praise album called "A Heart to Change the World". It spoke of going across oceans and seas to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It inspired little children to be missionaries as God had called them to be. So when that six year old girl saw the desperate situation on the news in their Melbourne home, she declared to her mother, that one day she would be a missionary to Ethiopia.
After some rebellious teenage years after the separation of her parents, she fell pregnant at the age of 18 and started to question the road she was walking. Soon after her first baby was born and marrying the love of her life, she gave her whole life to Jesus to be used by Him. This meant the move from Auckland's North Shore to the low socio-economic area of South Auckland where her husband was born and raised and where they were able to serve the Lord in children's outreach programs. It was at this church that God started speaking to the both of them about moving to Ethiopia. You can read more about that here.
In September of 2011, Michelle, Asaua and their five adolescent and young children, moved to a place called Debre Zeit in Ethiopia. For the last four years they have served alongside a church that was planted in the midst of what is dubbed the "Dark Corner" of the city. There they have pastored an International Service, initiated a partnership between the church and Ellilta Women at Risk to provide a way OUT for the women caught in prostitution and are currently involved in connecting with partners who want to get alongside what they are doing.
Blessings
While spending three years in the city of Melbourne as a child, there was a famine in Ethiopia that was broadcast all over the news and inspired the "Band Aid" album to help raise money for those who were dying of starvation. At the same time this six year old girl had been listening to a vinyl record of the Kids' Praise album called "A Heart to Change the World". It spoke of going across oceans and seas to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It inspired little children to be missionaries as God had called them to be. So when that six year old girl saw the desperate situation on the news in their Melbourne home, she declared to her mother, that one day she would be a missionary to Ethiopia.
After some rebellious teenage years after the separation of her parents, she fell pregnant at the age of 18 and started to question the road she was walking. Soon after her first baby was born and marrying the love of her life, she gave her whole life to Jesus to be used by Him. This meant the move from Auckland's North Shore to the low socio-economic area of South Auckland where her husband was born and raised and where they were able to serve the Lord in children's outreach programs. It was at this church that God started speaking to the both of them about moving to Ethiopia. You can read more about that here.
In September of 2011, Michelle, Asaua and their five adolescent and young children, moved to a place called Debre Zeit in Ethiopia. For the last four years they have served alongside a church that was planted in the midst of what is dubbed the "Dark Corner" of the city. There they have pastored an International Service, initiated a partnership between the church and Ellilta Women at Risk to provide a way OUT for the women caught in prostitution and are currently involved in connecting with partners who want to get alongside what they are doing.
Blessings
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| Michelle and her children in Ethiopia, January 2015 |
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