Megan Havelaar, Part 3

[00:00:00] Welcome to Women Worth Knowing, the radio program and podcast hosted by Cheryl Brodersen and Robin Jones Gunn.

[00:00:12] There are so many Christian women with fascinating stories, whether missionaries, musicians, reformers, authors or wives and mothers.

[00:00:23] Here are examples of our inspirational to us all.

[00:00:27] We have been inspired by our guest Megan Cheryl Broderen because they actually know each other and those are the best kind of interviews.

[00:00:37] You need to go back and listen to the first two episodes because in the second one Cheryl had us all crying so that was good.

[00:00:46] I didn't make a nannis, but I started crying because I loved what I was hearing.

[00:00:52] But so far what we have is Megan is this young woman who's born and call her out or her mom gets saved.

[00:00:58] They end up at this church. She has a very inspirational youth pastor and his wife who just instill in her passion for Jesus Christ and a passion for the mission field.

[00:01:09] She goes to Hungary, to go to Bible college. She thinks she's going to be there for a year. She stays for five.

[00:01:15] It's where she meets her husband. She doesn't even have that on the roster for her life but God does.

[00:01:22] They go from there they have these desires to be on the mission field. They go back to Colorado to kind of establish married life and then they go back to serve in Hungary.

[00:01:34] It's the mission field but it's not quite the mission field because you are surrounded by a lot of Americans and you kind of know the routine.

[00:01:43] I have my friends, Rose and Doug who served for years in Hungary and learned very little Hungarian because it's not necessary because you're so insulated on that Bible college.

[00:01:56] As you were saying that Sean was facilitating vision for life which is an incredible ministry where young kids from anywhere can come over and see what it's like to serve in a different country to kind of get culturally inculcated.

[00:02:19] I want to go to this just a second because you chose to have them in a Hungarian hospital.

[00:02:28] I'm so thankful for all the other missionary women at the Bible college who also had their babies out there.

[00:02:38] They did it. I can do it but I want to bring up something that which is really interesting.

[00:02:46] Her mother and her mother-in-law are both nurses so I want to know what they're worth.

[00:02:53] I think they were a little shocked by the decision but I assured them.

[00:03:02] This other women, the doctors so great and the other women had given birth there too.

[00:03:07] My mom was an OBGYN nurse so I got all the things from her making sure and all of that.

[00:03:15] It was fine. It was an experience. I didn't have another experience to go off of.

[00:03:23] It was culturally different but God really used giving birth to my son there to really ignite that heart that would eventually lead us to Ethiopia.

[00:03:41] I had given birth to Jude there and I remember seeing him in the little nursery and hungry with all the other babies.

[00:03:52] I always wanted to adopt and that was on my heart in Shons 2 but then after I had Jude and I just saw him in the nursery with all these other little babies.

[00:04:05] I was like, do they have good home? Do they have Godly mom and dads that are going to love them and give them all that they need.

[00:04:15] It was really through that experience that I felt like God ignited that heart that would then go to Ethiopia.

[00:04:27] How did you end up in Ethiopia?

[00:04:30] We were serving at the Bible College again. It was really so great to just be involved in something that had impacted our lives.

[00:04:42] I think that time in the Bible College, I think of those verses and first Thessalonians, I think it's chapter 2 when Paul is talks about we didn't just impart the gospel to you but our whole lives.

[00:04:55] If I could sum up my time at the Bible College, that's what it was. From being a student and all the things, I learned so much through the people there, through all the missionary families, pastors, family staff.

[00:05:07] I learned so much by them that it was such a blessing to be a part of it.

[00:05:12] We were really content at the Bible College. I had Jude and then I was pregnant with Sonia at the time when Sean was like, I want to go out to Ethiopia and I want to go visit Argo and Rachel.

[00:05:26] He's like maybe we could bring some teams from the Bible College out there.

[00:05:29] These were, if you're just listening to this podcast, there was a couple that had also been at Bible College and married there.

[00:05:39] Sean had this instinctive thing about getting to Africa. Ethiopia was...

[00:05:45] What is happening in Ethiopia at this point?

[00:05:48] In 2010 they started the orphanage, children's home. They didn't know what they were going to do at the time when they first moved there.

[00:05:58] Then in 2010 it became clear when they got their first child. Her name was Lawnto. She had some health concerns and her family were farmers in the village and they couldn't take care of her.

[00:06:08] They asked Argo and Rachel, could you take care of our daughter and give her all that she needs? They were like, yes. They took her in. That was the first child and that led to many others.

[00:06:20] After they got more kids and more kids, they started sending out newsletters and updates. We were on their update list.

[00:06:28] I had Jude and I was reading all these stories about these kids. One little girl was found in a trash pile and just really some of them were really heartbreaking stories.

[00:06:41] We were like, wow, let's pray for these kids. Sean and I started praying for them. We started sponsoring two of the kids.

[00:06:51] That was happening. We were reading it and getting updates from Argo and Rachel and Sean was like, yeah, I'd love to go and see what we can do and stuff like that.

[00:07:04] I was pregnant at the time. It's already called Ebenezer Grace, which is not just the most. I love that.

[00:07:11] The other great hitherto, the Lord has helped us Ebenezer and Grace. This is the power.

[00:07:17] There are some videos out there you can watch more about the children's.

[00:07:24] We will add in the show notes. I love to put those links in there.

[00:07:28] Please watch those videos and if you went to Ethiopia, Sean did. I was pregnant. I was like seven months pregnant.

[00:07:38] But I knew with Sean going, this would be...

[00:07:44] Sometimes God has to take us to go and see it. I think that's what he had to do with Sean. Sean had to go and he saw it.

[00:07:51] He fell in love with the kids and saw the needs and he came back and was worried.

[00:07:59] How am I going to talk to Megan about this? Is she going to be up for this?

[00:08:04] I think God was working in my heart too. We have both operated very much. If God speaks to you, He's going to speak to me.

[00:08:11] It's not one drag in the other to another place and we'll wait until that happens.

[00:08:17] We've always been led that way. When he came back and told me all that God was doing

[00:08:23] and the kids, the stories and all of that. I was like, yeah, I think this is it. I think this is where we're supposed to go.

[00:08:30] I gave birth to Sonia in Hungary in September and then we finished our semester.

[00:08:35] Went back to the States at Christmas time so we could get our paperwork and this was going to be a very different

[00:08:42] missions experience. Moving to Africa, having to raise more support, having to have a visa

[00:08:49] and all these things that we didn't necessarily have to deal with in Hungary.

[00:08:53] But it was like, okay, this is the mission field aspect of it.

[00:08:59] We moved there in May of 2013.

[00:09:05] When you moved there, did you move on to the grounds of Ebenezer Grace?

[00:09:11] At the time, the home that is now Ebenezer Grace Children's Homes was our good Rachel's first home.

[00:09:19] We rented it and it's a really big house and they rented it with that purpose.

[00:09:24] When Shawn went there, there was around 13 kids.

[00:09:29] By that time, Rachel moved out to their own house, had a big yard, big compound.

[00:09:35] When we moved there, there was about 26 kids.

[00:09:38] By the time we had left in 2019, there were over 100 kids that are in the care of.

[00:09:45] Ebenezer had its own home or going to Rachel had their own home and then we had our own home.

[00:09:50] All within walking distance. Our town, we lived in...

[00:09:54] It was a city called Owasa. It's about five hours driving south of the capital.

[00:10:00] But it's a couple hundred thousand people city on a lake.

[00:10:04] Really beautiful.

[00:10:06] If you talk to Megan about coffee, she is going to tell you it comes from Ethiopia.

[00:10:12] It's the absolute past and they roast the beans.

[00:10:15] We're not going to get you started there.

[00:10:17] I know, you avoid that.

[00:10:19] But just how the Lord gave you such a heart and you love the food, you love the people.

[00:10:26] Just how it was not for you, it wasn't this harsh adjustment.

[00:10:33] It was just...this is it.

[00:10:35] You know what? I just love about your story is that we did several episodes on Lillian Trasher

[00:10:43] and the children's orphanage that she ran for decades in Egypt.

[00:10:49] What was that 120 years ago that that started or maybe maybe maybe eight or eight years ago?

[00:10:57] But you know, Lillians and Heavens.

[00:11:00] But here you are contemporary doing this and that the need is still there.

[00:11:05] But the way God prepares you and the gentleness of the way that he leads his children

[00:11:12] to do what he created them to do.

[00:11:15] And there's such joy and fulfillment in them.

[00:11:17] If you would just come on in first episode, you'd say, well yeah, we lived in Egypt

[00:11:21] and we helped with an orphanage.

[00:11:25] It would be okay, right? I mean sorry, Ethiopia, I'm thinking of Lillian.

[00:11:28] But it would just seem so why would you do that?

[00:11:33] And yet all the steps and that's why we needed to take the time to weave the story.

[00:11:38] That's right.

[00:11:39] Because that helps us when we look at what the Lord is doing in our lives to pay attention to those things.

[00:11:45] That's right. He says work. The prompts.

[00:11:47] Okay. Now I want to bring this up because Argo and Rachel, they had kind of...

[00:11:54] What do I want to say?

[00:11:56] I don't want to say philosophy because that sounds like too almost secular.

[00:12:01] But kind of a vision from the Lord of how this orphanage was to be and it's unique.

[00:12:08] So tell us a little bit about Ebenezer Grace.

[00:12:11] The whole philosophy, like you would say.

[00:12:15] The whole heart behind it is a family.

[00:12:18] They call... The kids call Argo and Rachel, Mommy and Daddy.

[00:12:22] Sean and I felt like Ann Uncle.

[00:12:25] Very family-

[00:12:29] very family-oriented.

[00:12:31] They had five kids of their own Argo and Rachel.

[00:12:34] But yeah, as the kids came in we have mamas.

[00:12:38] Those are the caretakers.

[00:12:40] So legally, you know, with the country and the rules we had to have caretakers and cooks and cleaners

[00:12:48] and people who did security and all the things.

[00:12:51] But they were called mamas.

[00:12:53] Yeah.

[00:12:54] So...

[00:12:55] So you had two children already but I know you have more than two children.

[00:12:58] Yeah.

[00:12:59] This is the part where I'm going to cry.

[00:13:01] Okay.

[00:13:02] Just... I got my clean-ex ready.

[00:13:04] All right.

[00:13:05] So... Yeah.

[00:13:06] So our daughter, Mia.

[00:13:08] Yeah.

[00:13:09] She was the first baby who came abandoned after we moved there.

[00:13:14] So we moved in May and she had come...

[00:13:17] Yeah.

[00:13:18] In June, a few weeks after.

[00:13:20] And the police brought her to Argo and Rachel's house and...

[00:13:24] Yeah.

[00:13:25] We were like, okay, that's what happened.

[00:13:27] So any Ethiopians not like people can just, oh, I'm going to drop my kids off with you

[00:13:32] or, you know, there's processes.

[00:13:34] So if someone finds a baby, they call the police and the police call Argo

[00:13:37] and say, hey, can you take this baby?

[00:13:39] So that's kind of how it happened.

[00:13:41] And so...

[00:13:42] Yeah.

[00:13:43] I have pictures of Sean holding her when she was a little baby.

[00:13:45] So we always felt a special connection to her.

[00:13:48] You know, when we moved there, we didn't know.

[00:13:50] If we were going to adopt her, be able to or what that was going to look like.

[00:13:54] But yeah.

[00:13:55] But she had come and then nine months later our son arrived at us.

[00:14:01] We arrived at Ebenezer and Colin, who works here.

[00:14:06] He was visiting us at the time.

[00:14:08] So he has this all-in video.

[00:14:09] I love that.

[00:14:10] I'm seeing coming in and yeah.

[00:14:13] It's...

[00:14:14] Yeah.

[00:14:15] I'm so thankful for that too.

[00:14:16] But what prompted the decision to adopt these two?

[00:14:21] Because again, you said there's like a hundred kids.

[00:14:23] Yeah.

[00:14:24] At least two.

[00:14:25] Yeah.

[00:14:26] So not every child at the children's home is adoptable.

[00:14:29] Some of them have family members who just...

[00:14:32] They're...

[00:14:33] For some reason, their families can't take care of them.

[00:14:35] So they go to...

[00:14:36] They do the proper channels.

[00:14:37] They go to the government and they say we cannot...

[00:14:40] You know, provide for this child.

[00:14:42] Is there some place where we can take them?

[00:14:43] Some are abandoned.

[00:14:44] You know, we...

[00:14:45] Some get left in hospitals and, you know, parents leave.

[00:14:50] But yeah.

[00:14:52] We don't know the reasons why.

[00:14:55] So we had seen other missionary families in our city adopt.

[00:15:00] Be able to adopt.

[00:15:01] Somewhere in American, somewhere in Canadian.

[00:15:03] And so they said, yeah, this is how you can do it.

[00:15:06] You know, you wait until you have residency and then by that time you should be able to adopt legally in the country.

[00:15:13] And so when our time was ready, we were like, okay, yeah.

[00:15:18] Like we want to adopt.

[00:15:19] We want to adopt a boy and a girl.

[00:15:21] They had to be younger than our kids.

[00:15:24] And they had to have no living relatives, known at all.

[00:15:29] Even the orphanage they are legally supposed to go and, you know...

[00:15:33] Research.

[00:15:34] Yeah, research.

[00:15:35] Do see if there was any family members that would claim this child.

[00:15:39] Like they have to do their due diligence in trying to find a family member.

[00:15:43] But our kids had no living relatives.

[00:15:46] So yeah, with Mia, it was like obvious.

[00:15:50] Like yeah, like we'd love to adopt her and then with Zeke I think again we were calling was there.

[00:15:57] And yeah, my kids were always like really drawn to Zeke when we go to the orphanage.

[00:16:03] He's a fun guy.

[00:16:05] Yeah, I have so many pictures of them, you know.

[00:16:10] Mia is not only beautiful, but she is the most loving girl.

[00:16:16] I mean, she...

[00:16:18] And it doesn't matter if you're a adult or an adult or younger,

[00:16:22] she gives you a hug and she makes you feel so special.

[00:16:26] She has just this ability.

[00:16:29] And she doesn't need a stranger.

[00:16:31] I just...

[00:16:32] Mia...

[00:16:33] I can see like she's a heart-stealer.

[00:16:36] And then there's Zeke who is full of energy, but he's not...

[00:16:40] He's not unrestrained energy.

[00:16:42] He's not like the nerve-wracking energy.

[00:16:44] He's just got that very channeled energy and that joy.

[00:16:48] They both radiate such joy.

[00:16:51] These are like two of my favorite individuals.

[00:16:54] I love the whole family.

[00:16:56] But these...

[00:16:57] And with you...

[00:16:58] And with you...

[00:16:59] And with your son, your school class.

[00:17:01] Zeke.

[00:17:02] Come up with...

[00:17:03] We're going to play this game.

[00:17:04] You'd be like, aww!

[00:17:05] And then he'd be the most enthusiastic player.

[00:17:09] And then you know, he is just...

[00:17:13] You just realized God's placement.

[00:17:16] That he saw Mia abandoned and he saw Zeke abandoned.

[00:17:20] And he said, I'm going to put them in a home where they are so loved.

[00:17:25] And then it's such a privilege to have me and Zeke at our church.

[00:17:30] We get to love them as a big family.

[00:17:33] And then I want to say this, their grandmother's on both sides are like very protective, very adoring.

[00:17:40] You wouldn't even know there's a difference.

[00:17:42] They're just isn't...

[00:17:43] Yeah.

[00:17:44] They are all the have-lars and they are darling.

[00:17:46] So getting back to your service there.

[00:17:48] Yeah.

[00:17:49] You get to select Zeke's name and this was the inspiration from Ezekiel.

[00:17:54] Oh, we know his name given the name.

[00:17:58] Confirmation.

[00:17:59] I know.

[00:18:00] At the orphanage was the Ethiopian version of Ezekiel.

[00:18:04] Mia's given name was Sarah.

[00:18:07] But we had a Sonia so yeah, we wanted to change their name.

[00:18:11] So he gave Zeke the English version but his middle name means joy in Amharic.

[00:18:16] So we kept Amharic as the Ethiopian language.

[00:18:18] So they both have an Ethiopian middle name that we wanted to keep because

[00:18:23] students only have family middle names but like what we're saying, Zeke and Mia,

[00:18:29] their first home and their first family was Ebenezer.

[00:18:32] Like it wasn't an institution.

[00:18:35] They didn't have this horrible abusive neglect for upbringing.

[00:18:39] No they were cared for.

[00:18:40] They were in a family and so we always want to honor Ebenezer and what they...

[00:18:46] Yeah, what they're able to give our kids a home and love and all of those things.

[00:18:52] Such a picture of what God does when he brings us into...

[00:18:54] Yes, so that was important to like, again like honor that Ebenezer Grace was your first home.

[00:19:00] They were your first family and the kids at the children's home they were your first brothers and sisters.

[00:19:05] Yeah, and I think maybe that has to do with why they're both socially so adept and so friendly and so kind because they had this environment of love.

[00:19:17] But also that they're special because they are Ethiopian.

[00:19:21] That is part of their heritage too and that needs to be brought out and appreciated and loved and...

[00:19:30] Yeah, that's part of it too.

[00:19:32] And you love that culture.

[00:19:34] We love it. Don't talk about coffee. She loves that culture.

[00:19:37] But you were just there till 2019.

[00:19:39] Yeah, so we moved in 2013.

[00:19:42] Our adoption went through in 2018.

[00:19:45] The adoption process is a testimony in and of itself.

[00:19:50] It was one of the harness experiences of our lives, for sure.

[00:19:55] Trying to adopt these kids and I think having lived in that environment and working with kids and vulnerable kids,

[00:20:03] it's like me and you really see the enemy has such a hold around the globe of kids and all of that.

[00:20:10] So yeah, we knew it was going to be a fight and it truly was.

[00:20:15] It was a battle to get these kids to bring them into our home.

[00:20:20] But the Lord did it. We saw the Lord change hearts and open doors

[00:20:24] and we man kept shutting doors for us.

[00:20:27] Like, no, like telling us, nope, you can't adopt them.

[00:20:30] Nope, you need this and all the things that we needed.

[00:20:33] But we felt like man was closing those doors. God wasn't closing them.

[00:20:37] I love that.

[00:20:38] No, yes. Just the perseverance though.

[00:20:41] Yeah.

[00:20:42] And not show so much love to Zeke on me.

[00:20:44] Like you were worth fighting for it.

[00:20:46] You were worth persevering for.

[00:20:48] Yep, exactly.

[00:20:49] So yeah, and we knew after we adopted them in 2018 that in two years we'd have to apply for their American citizenship

[00:20:57] and so that would result in us needing to come back to America.

[00:21:02] Yep, we came back in 2019 right before COVID.

[00:21:05] We didn't know that that was going to happen but the Lord he worked it out.

[00:21:09] We actually wanted to go back and be in Ethiopia until May of 2020.

[00:21:14] But you came to California.

[00:21:16] We came to build it.

[00:21:17] Yeah, they ended up in Las Vegas.

[00:21:20] And this is the Lord again.

[00:21:22] One of her roommates was Grace Warholic.

[00:21:27] Grace and her husband Tim, did they meet it?

[00:21:29] Yep, by the time we two.

[00:21:31] They went to Croatia.

[00:21:32] They were missionaries in Croatian and then in church and then moved to Las Vegas.

[00:21:36] Yes. And so...

[00:21:37] And had five children in Croatia.

[00:21:38] Yeah.

[00:21:39] We've got to get Grace on this work out.

[00:21:40] You said that's another story.

[00:21:41] That's another story.

[00:21:42] Were they doing in Las Vegas?

[00:21:43] He's from there.

[00:21:44] So they handed their church over to a Croatian and moved to Las Vegas.

[00:21:49] And so when we were like moving needing to move back and stayed to do the immigration

[00:21:54] and yeah, just that they were one of our supporting churches.

[00:21:57] Tim and Grace.

[00:21:59] And so we just kind of felt like yeah, there's an open door for us to go...

[00:22:03] To go serve with them.

[00:22:04] So that's where we went when we came back to this day.

[00:22:07] How long was that?

[00:22:08] That was two years.

[00:22:09] And then we moved here.

[00:22:10] How was the adjustment for the kids?

[00:22:12] Because you know, we hear about second culture children which all yours are now.

[00:22:16] Yes. They all are.

[00:22:17] I love studying about all of them.

[00:22:19] Yes.

[00:22:20] I love it so much.

[00:22:21] But I think one thing I learned in studying that was...

[00:22:25] And I had heard this from other missionaries, people like Pam Markey too.

[00:22:28] Like if the kids have safety in the home, like mom and dad, like if you're stable,

[00:22:34] if you're...

[00:22:35] If they find their home in you, then it doesn't matter wherever you go.

[00:22:39] Then they're going to have their safety and security in you.

[00:22:42] And so yeah, Sean and I have really tried to just manifest that in our home.

[00:22:48] Like, were you safety?

[00:22:49] Like no matter where you go.

[00:22:50] Like you're going to be safe because you're with mom and dad.

[00:22:53] And yeah.

[00:22:54] So your in Las Vegas and the knee comes up at Carver Chopin Costa Mesa, John Chewback

[00:23:03] because we have a really huge emphasis on missionaries here at this church.

[00:23:08] And we had it when we were at Carver Chopin Vista.

[00:23:11] It's just once you go on the mission field, you just get this world vision like people need to be saved.

[00:23:17] That from working with brother Andrew Robin.

[00:23:20] And so John Chewback, who is our missions pastor and served in the Ukraine, he just needed help.

[00:23:28] And so as they prayed, Sean and Megan's name came up and it was almost like...

[00:23:35] Like we almost held our breath, it was too good to even consider.

[00:23:39] Yeah.

[00:23:40] Like missions is, it's like when God flipped that switch on, he's not turning it off.

[00:23:45] Like it's on in me, you know?

[00:23:46] And it's on in my family.

[00:23:48] Like we are very globally diverse.

[00:23:50] Yes.

[00:23:51] Family, like missions got the nations that that's our heart.

[00:23:55] And so yeah, when an opportunity came for us to be in missions again, it was like yes, like no brainer.

[00:24:01] Like this is...

[00:24:02] And the fact that we know so many of the missionaries here through Carver Chopin Vista from Hungary

[00:24:06] and all over the world, they're just our friends.

[00:24:08] So we just feel so blessed that we could be in a position to love and support our friends around the world.

[00:24:14] And it's so beneficial too because I think of again, you got the heart from your mission, your pastor, who was your youth pastor.

[00:24:27] Sean was once at the invite at the Bible College there helping students come over and get a taste for the mission field.

[00:24:36] And that's really something that we want the youth to see because you're robbing you and I both know it is transformative.

[00:24:46] When you go on a mission's trip, I don't know anyone who returns from a mission trip the same.

[00:24:53] I want to thank you, Megan, for coming in telling us a little bit of your story.

[00:24:58] I hope it makes people thirsty so you want to write a book because there is so much more to that adoption story and just as a God story.

[00:25:05] So thank you our listeners for joining us and you can always meet Megan at Calvary.

[00:25:10] Thank you for listening to Women Worth Knowing with Cheryl Broderson and Robin Jones Gunn.

[00:25:15] For more information on Cheryl, visit Cherylbroderson.com or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

[00:25:21] For more information on Robin, visit robbinggun.com or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

[00:25:26] Join us each week for a lively conversation as we explore the lives of well-known and not so well known historical and contemporary Christian women.

[00:25:34] If you think there is a women worth knowing, we'd love to hear from you.

[00:25:39] Email us at wwwkactccm.com.

[00:25:44] We hope you've enjoyed today's episode.

[00:25:46] Make sure you rate us on your podcast app, subscribe and share it with a friend.

[00:25:50] Thank you again for listening to Women Worth Knowing with Cheryl Broderson and Robin Jones Gunn.

[00:25:55] Women Worth Knowing is a production of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa.