Dear Prayer Partners,

Thank you for continuing to pray with us as we walk and serve with Jesus in Central/East Africa. We are thankful for your partnership over all these years.

Brad has now been living in Rwanda for 20 years, and in June, Chelsea will have been here for 17 years. We praise God for the many ways that He has helped and empowered us to be a part of what He is doing!

Much has happened since we last wrote.

Thank you for praying for the trip to Burundi and South Sudan in December. The trip was great. It is exciting to see how God is leading Burundi Friends in preparing a plan to send missionaries to unreached people in Tanzania, and Rwanda Friends preparing to send missionaries to South Sudan in May.

In January, our EFC-Rwanda Friends hosted a team from EFM who led a 5-day Small Business Development training that we believe will be an important part of how God wants to give Rwanda Friends new ways to do His mission here in Rwanda and beyond. Mission through businesses is exciting and will open many opportunities for ministry in the communities.

On January 29–30, the Administrative Council of EFC-Rwanda met to discern the Lord’s plan for who the next executive leaders of EFC-Rwanda are to be. We believe that the Lord helped the group make wise decisions.

On February 14–16, we will have some important D4D meetings with David Thomas, one of our D4D coaches.

On February 17–18, there will be an important Pastors’ retreat. On February 19–20, there will be Yearly Meeting sessions to fill several other leadership roles for the coming years. Please pray for God’s blessing and help in those days of discernment and decision.

Please also pray for a retreat that Brad will attend in Kenya from February 19–24 with others working in Disciple-making movements. Pray for good connections with God and others who are doing similar work. Please pray for Brad to have special times that are renewing and refreshing with the Lord. Also, please pray for Chelsea and the kids, who will be home in Musanze.

We continue to be so thankful for the ways the Lord helps us stay healthy in general, and the ways He heals us when we do get sick. We are still praying for Brad’s stomach issues that interfere with his sleep. Our kindergartner, 4th grader, and 7th grader continue to show diligence and kindness at school, and we also all enjoy the school events that help us feel like a community. We are thankful to have rhythms of hosting special visitors and everyday home life—normal days and exciting days, work and rest. We pray the Lord blesses you with these things as well!

Brad, Chelsea, Sarai, Gideon, and Ian

The post Brad & Chelsea Carpenter | February Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Dear Prayer Partners,

Many things have happened since we last wrote. We are so thankful for your prayers and partnership in the whole-life discipleship movement here in East Africa!

From Saturday, December 13, until Sunday the 21st, Brad will be on a trip to Burundi and then South Sudan. Time in both countries will be focused on starting new mission work and partnership with our African friends. Please pray for wisdom and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, and to each other, as we (EFM) work with EFC-Rwanda and EFC-Burundi. We are praying for God to lead us into the best ways of partnering together for more effective mission to the nations. Please pray for health, safety, and blessing over those who are travelling and for their families at home.

We are thankful that we are all fairly healthy after being sick recently. We are also really thankful that Brad’s parents are with us until the beginning of January! We look forward to spending this Christmas season with them and some friends in Musanze.

Most of all, we pray that all would hear about the hope that God offers through Jesus. May He be glorified all throughout the world!

Thank you!
Brad & Chelsea
Sarai, Gideon, and Ian

The post Brad & Chelsea Carpenter | December Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Dear Prayer Partners,

Thank you so much for praying for our summer travels!  We are so thankful how the Lord kept us all safe.  Not all of our travels were smooth, and we certainly experienced a lot of difference and discomfort, but we are thankful that the Lord helped our kids (and us) be mostly patient in those challenges.  It was fun to experience some different cultures than we’re used to, and to see how God is at work in each place.  We really enjoyed the interns, who were with us.  We praise God for their commitment to follow Him, and we are praying for the Lord to lead them in their next steps.

Our D for D groups have reached the next phase in the D for D process, in which they are beginning to do training to deeply understand causes and consequences, along with searching for solutions to the biggest issues that they are dealing with in their communities.  The 5 groups in Rwanda all chose “conflict in the home” as one of their top 5 issues to address.  So, they are training people from the local church as well as people from the surrounding community, and together they are dreaming about what their homes and families would be like if conflict was resolved.  We are praying that these conversations, various teachings from the Bible, and relational skills will lead to families becoming more what God intends them to be.  The Burundi and Congo D for D groups are nearing the same phase, but are not quite there yet.

At the end of September Pastor Nicodeme will be going to Juba, South Sudan, for 3 months to live, learn about culture, start building relationships, and answer logistical questions in order for his family to be better prepared to move there as missionaries in the near future.  Please pray for his safety, and please pray for the family as they are separated during this time.  Please pray for EFC-Rwanda as they cast vision and invite church members to join in this mission through intentional prayer and sacrificial giving.  And please pray for God to raise up the right person or people from North America to join them in that mission. 

As a family, we have entered back-to-school season, and we are happy that the kids seem to have been adjusting to school well.  Ian is now at school all day, so he is tired at the end of the day, but often tells us that “kindergarten is so fun!”  As they resume studies and various clubs (soccer, choir, youth group), please pray for them to grow in the Lord during the ups and downs of the school year.  Please also pray for Brad and Chelsea, experiencing some sickness and weakness, and for Brad’s continuing stomach issues.

Thank you so much!  May God bless you in every area of your life.

In Him,
Brad & Chelsea
Sarai, Gideon, and Ian

The post Carpenter Family Update September 2025 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Currently, they are spending a week at a Missionary training school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Our family is traveling there on Friday, July 11, to join them and explore what it might look like for Evangelical Friends to send future missionaries there for training. Please pray for wisdom for us, the interns, and the leaders of the school in Dar as we discern the possibility of students from EFC going there in the future.

On July 16, we will all travel to Burundi to join the EFC-MAYM Saltshaker team, a youth and young adult group that is coming to visit the Evangelical Friends Church of Burundi. Please pray with us for various church visits, meetings, and a youth camp with Burundi youth. Pray that we can be a blessing and also that our group will be attentive to learn from the Lord through our Burundi Friends and the special ways God is using them in their communities.

On July 31, our family will travel to Kenya for a few days of vacation before we travel back to Rwanda for the last few weeks of the summer.

Please pray…

1. For Brad’s health, as his acid reflux symptoms are not yet resolved, and can cause lost sleep and other issues
2. For our whole family, but especially our children, as they deal with unknowns, differences, and discomforts on this trip. Pray that they will turn to God for help, and that they see him and his glory in new and special ways
3. For all of us (family, interns, and the U.S. team) to be willing to listen and be used by the Lord, to surrender to his will and his Kingdom over our own
4. For the safety and health of everyone during flights, drives, and all of our stays.

We are really excited to see new things during this trip, to help in all the ways that we can, and to experience everything as a family. Thank you so much for praying for us and walking alongside us.

Love in Him,

Brad & Chelsea

Sarai, Gideon, and Ian

The post The Carpenter Family | Upcoming Trips first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

The school year ends and summer begins

Thank you so much for conti  nuing to pray with us! We are blessed to have you on our team.

Thank you for praying for Brad’s health. He has improved quite a bit, and we praise God for that!

This week, our kids are finishing up their school year. It has been a great year for each of them.

Also, this week we will be welcoming three interns who will be with us this summer. Each of them are pursuing God’s direction as they sense God leading them towards missions. We are looking forward to having them here.

Starting tomorrow, pastors from around Rwanda will be gathering for a two-day retreat to encourage one another and to seek God’s direction for adjustments needed in order to comply with some new regulations in the country.

Please pray with us for each of these different things. Pray that we will have strength and wisdom as we seek to be faithful this summer in various ministry opportunities, and the mentoring role we will have with our kids and the interns.

In Christ,

Brad & Chelsea

Sarai, Gideon, and Ian

The post Carpenter Family Update May 2025 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Thank you for walking with us through prayer in these days! We (Chelsea and Brad) had a good trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and met with good doctors there who did several procedures and are running tests to determine the cause of Brad’s stomach issues. We are still waiting for some of the results, but we are thankful that several conditions have been ruled out already.  While we are waiting, Brad is still not feeling well but is able to do some things.

Thank you for praying for our kids and Chelsea’s parents as we were gone. The Lord blessed their time, and it went well. We are thankful we get to spend time with them for the rest of their visit. (Photo on the left: Waiting in a doctor’s office in Nairobi)

Thank you for praying for the ministries that we are a part of here in Central/East Africa. The Lord is blessing the different discipleship groups in Rwanda, Burundi, and Congo.

Thank you for praying with us for our Rwandan Friends as they prepare to send Pastor Nicodeme and Annonciata to South Sudan as the first missionaries sent by Evangelical Friends in of Rwanda. They plan to send them this year.

Brad & Chelsea

Brad getting checked in for his procedure	Chelsea’s mom (Karen) playing a game with the boys
Ian on his birthday morning – he turned 5 on March 16!	All of us enjoying a family dinner

The post Carpenter Family- Update on Kenya Medical Trip first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Last Friday, January 31, Brad traveled to Burundi to meet with Burundi church leaders and Matt Macy, Jesse Penna, Cassi Coleman, and Grace Anderson. We will be meeting with Burundi Friends leaders to prayerfully discuss the next steps towards going on mission with God to the nations. We will also be planning a summer youth/young adult trip with EFC-MAYM called Saltshaker. Also, on Sunday they were with our Burundi Friends as the role of Legal Representative is handed over to a new leader.

– Please pray for these events and for these conversations. May God lead us into his plans.

On Tuesday, February 4, the Americans and I will travel to Rwanda and meet for a few days with Rwandan Friends leaders about their plans to send missionaries to South Sudan this year. We will also have conversations about strategy and how to best support missionaries in preparation and while they are on the mission field. We will have a man named Samwel Kengela with us from Tanzania who leads a missionary training school in Dar es Salaam. He will be sharing his insights from his years as a missionary and now as a mentor to missionaries.

– Please pray for these conversations and that God would lead each one towards his will.
– Please pray for Chelsea, Sarai, Gideon, and Ian as they are in Musanze on these days.

May his Kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Brad & Chelsea Carpenter

The post The Carpenter Family | Missions Conversations first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

This morning, I was thinking of our supporters – and feeling a little troubled, knowing how much you sacrifice in your time in prayer, in your finances, and in other ways. I know that you pray for, give to, and invest yourselves in other ministries, including the ministry of your own daily lives. I know you face troubles and difficult situations and that you still give to others. Then, I was reminded that you are not just giving to our family, but that you are giving to God and his work, and that you are giving out of obedience to him. So, I am filled with thankfulness for you all over again, and also challenged to examine my own prayer life, our finances, and our daily lives so that we can also walk in closer obedience to the Lord. Thank you, again, for your partnership in his Kingdom!!!

In the past month, we’ve done more traveling! We’ve been able to visit Glen Elder, Bolton, and Derby churches and people from those areas. We were also able to hang out with some close friends from college and some of Chelsea’s extended family members for a couple of days in Missouri. Then, Brad and Chelsea spent some time in Colorado while the kids stayed with family members in Wichita. We are so thankful for the sweet connections and reconnections the Lord has allowed us to make with churches, friends, family, and each other during this last month.

This past month, we’ve also seen the need for more financial and prayer supporters, and we have also seen the Lord provide those in a short amount of time – we are 100% funded! If the Lord is still laying on your heart the desire to partner with missions in Africa, please feel free to sign up below or contact the EFM office about different ways to do that.

This week—our LAST week in the States—will be full of meetings, fellowship, family time, packing, shopping, logistical tasks, and emotions. We’d love your prayers for all of these things, as well as for our travel on August 18, 19, and 20. It has been an amazing time in the U.S., and we are also looking forward to being home in Rwanda soon.

Love in Christ,

Brad & Chelsea

Sarai, Gideon, and Ian

P.S. For those of you curious about our house wall project – the work has been completed!  We will have to rearrange the furniture and get settled back in, but we are so thankful that the moisture can now vent out of our walls instead of building up and causing problems.

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We currently have 974 prayer partners and still have a goal of raising it to 1,200. If you know anyone who would like to pray for our ministry, please forward this form to them.

The post The Carpenter Family | Deputation Update | We are Fully Funded! first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Thank you so very much for continuing to pray with us!

Would you please pray with us for the Lord to help us finish the remaining process of fundraising? God is leading us in exciting ways, and the expansion of his work requires more funds. We still need to raise about $2,000 per month in ongoing giving toward our ministry funds in Central/East Africa. These funds help with communication, transportation, and other things that are needed for whole-life discipleship and missionary sending in the region. We are confident that the Lord will lead those he is calling to give toward this ministry. Below is a group of future missionaries from Rwanda and the U.S. visiting a community in South Sudan on a recent trip.

If you have been giving and plan to continue, please let us know so we can know what to expect in the coming years.

One observation we have made is that many of those who have been giving financially for many years are over 60 years old. And in the last four years quite a few of them have passed away. We are asking God to raise up younger generations to catch the vision of God’s mission in the world. We believe that God asks us to give our time, prayer, finances, and lives to join him in what he is doing. If you have never given towards God’s mission among the nations, consider asking God where you should give and start by giving $5 per month to that ministry.

Is he asking you to join us with an ongoing monthly gift? If so, please see below for four ways to partner with us financially.

Thank you for partnering with us!

Brad & Chelsea and family

The post Partner with the Carpenters! first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

We are so thankful for you who read our messages, pray for us, and support us! If you’re not already signed up as a prayer partner or as a financial support partner, we invite you to prayerfully consider if God would have you do so. We know he has called us, and that he will call others to be a part of this team! We are also so thankful for the other teams and ministries you are a part of, and we pray that God will empower each of you every day in every part of your lives.

It’s been about a month since we last wrote, and during that time, we have been able to travel to churches in Paonia and Denver, Colorado, as well as Plains, Haviland, and Hutchinson, Kansas. We loved visiting churches and spending time with family along the way – including a family vacation in Colorado. The past week, we have seen that all our travel is starting to affect all five of us in our emotions and attitudes a bit more. We need God to keep helping us and showing us how to still be loving and kind in the midst of this specific kind of deputation-tiredness.

However, everywhere we go, several people in each place show a special kind of sensitivity to our family. They give opportunities for rest, for fun things for our kids, and for helping with our kids when we are speaking or working. We have been so blessed to share updates from Rwanda with people who really want to know and who really care. One highlight was being able to present a (very short) basic training on some of the foundations of D for D (Discipling for Development) at Paonia Friends Church. We believe the Holy Spirit was moving in us, challenging us, and calling us to some new ways of thinking and living life with him and others.

We are so thankful for God’s protection on the road (for example: a punctured tire we were able to drive on until we found a place to fix it), for healing from sickness (yucky stomach flu on the way to Colorado), and for the amazing people we get to connect with in each place (if only we had more time with everyone!)

We’d appreciate your continuing prayers for:

• Our hearts, attitudes, and emotions during our travels.
• God to bring all the people he’s calling to partner with us – whether through prayer, finances, coming to Africa, etc.
• Our long lists of things we need to do – that God would help us do what needs to be done and let go of everything else.

Thank you, and God bless you all!

Brad & Chelsea
Sarai, Gideon, and Ian

We currently have 974 prayer partners and have a goal of raising it to 1,200. If you know anyone who would like to pray for our ministry, please forward this form to them.

We are currently at 84% of our ongoing monthly need. If you are a current monthly supporter, thank you. It is important to let EFM know that you plan to continue or increase your giving. If you are not currently giving, please prayerfully consider supporting our ministry in Central Africa.

There are four ways to partner with them financially:

• Online. Visit https://catalog.friendsmission.com/carpenter. You’ll be given the opportunity to indicate whether you are making a recurring or one-time gift.
• Credit Card. This may be given online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office (303-421-8100) to give your information to a live person.
• Automatic Bank Transfer. Download the form here and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check. Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Make sure to mark your check “Carpenter Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”

The post The Carpenter Family | Deputation Update #2 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.