- From a Mission Nanny in Rovigo, Italy. Ashley is a joy for the whole church. She is staying with a different family weekly (or, for two week periods), and spends the days at our house ministering in many ways. We've set up her room as an office. She fits in wonderfully as a part of our family, and is also dearly loved by all of the other believers. She has been studying and learning many skills which will allow her to do more in the ministry, while at the same time she is already helping in many ways. We thank God for the difference we are seeing with her being here.

- From a Mission Nanny to Romania: I spent 3 months in Romania with an interesting missionary family. It opened my eyes to new customs, needs and opportunities and I would not have missed it for the world.

- From France: Just a note to say how much we appreciated Mission Nannys help this school year. Mary Lee has done an excellent job with our three children, and has also been a real addition to the church here, helping with the youth. Her love for the Lord and servant spirit have ministered to all of us.

- From Turkey: Mission Nannys has been such a blessing to our family. Coming back to Turkey with 2 month old twins plus our toddler was an overwhelming prospect for my husband and I. From the start I felt your commitment to match the best Nanny up with our family. Having one for one year enabled me to regain my strength and have periods of rest while raising 3 young children this first year back on the field. 

- From Japan: When I was in the hospital for 12 days and later when I was gone another 10 days for the birth of the baby, the Mission Nanny was there to take care of the older children at home. Her being there enabled my husband to make many trips to the hospitals. Without her, he would not have been able to continue teaching many of his English classes, and we could not have paid our bills!

- From Jalisco, Mexico: Mission Nannys helped our family through a very difficult, stressful period in our ministry. Having a stable, Christ-centered adult to help us care for our children was a life-saver. The Mission Nanny gave wise, careful advice and assurance and she fit right into our family. 

- From Taiwan: The Mission Nanny has been with us for 6 months, giving freely of herself. She made pancakes smothered in her homemade syrup for breakfast this morning. She got the baby to smile for our last-minute family photo and her laughter is infectious. Then for dinner she made my favorite cornbread! I had great peace leaving the baby with her 3 mornings a week as I went out to lead Bible Studies. Two days after her arrival I had the joy of seeing two ladies confess faith in Christ. Praise God I could have part in this because Betty came to give of herself so freely.

- From a Mission Nanny to Mexico: This has been the most wonderful experience for me - truly of the Lord. 

- From a Mission Nanny to Italy: Thanks for the opportunity to serve and help a family in need. It was such a blessing to me.

 

Dear Betty,                            April 27, 2002 I am writing to thank you for all your efforts and valuable insights in placing Dianne M_____ in our home as a “missionary nanny" to our children. She lived with us for 8 weeks, caring for our little guy, Micah, each day so that I could attend a daily intensive language class in the nearby city of Basel, Switzerland.  I had no idea how much I would come to appreciate Dianne! She truly became an integral part of our family during those busy weeks. Not only did she care tenderly for Micah each day, she also took care of our evening meals and helped with piles of laundry each week ... always with a smile and servant attitude. Each Sunday evening, we had an informal meeting to talk about the week ahead and to plan meals, discuss needs and everyone's schedules. Therefore, we didn't experience misunderstandings, unrealistic expectations, or communication problems. Dianne just wanted to serve where there were needs, according to our perspective rather than her own. That was very thoughtful.  One of the things I appreciated most about Dianne’s wisdom and experience as a nanny was that she was very careful to avoid interfering with our parenting. She followed our lead and gave us space to enjoy our kids in the evenings and to maintain family unity. When asked for parenting wisdom, she offered it graciously, as a seasoned mother of three boys. However, it was never forced or exerted inappropriately. I really miss her input and our lively, inspiring conversations. She was also considerate about allowing Rob and I to have time alone to talk regularly ... in our small apartment, that took considerable effort on her part. I will always remember Micah’s endearing thoughts of his special nanny. When asked recently who his best friend was, he confidently exclaimed, “Miss Dianne!” That says a lot!! Our daughter, Amanda, offered to be Dianne’s flower girl, if ever the need would arise! Our children truly adored Dianne and her young heart, helpful ways, and daily kindnesses. She added a warmth to our home that we indeed miss. It is by God's grace and your wisdom that Dianne was placed with our family. Thank you for allowing the Lord to lead you in your leadership of Mission Nannys. We will be ever-thankful for our connection with this special organization. (Missionary Family, Switzerland)

 

(From a missionary family in Japan, struggling to learn the local language. Sept. 2002) "...The end-run came to us almost (but not quite) too late. One-and-a-half months before our year of Japanese lessons ended, we received a precious gift in the form of Mrs. Peggy __, a widowed doctor's wife who had raised her own children and wanted to do something special for a missionary family.I was constantly awed at how this woman of means came for the specific purpose of serving our family in any way we needed. She had long since given up cooking, but recouped that skill for our family. She hung out the laundry. She washed dishes. She took the kids on outings to the park. And during homeschooling hours, she taught Joseph while Judy taught Sarah and I taught Nathanael. We were all amazed at the super progress Joseph made under her able tutelage. He memorized whole chapters of the Bible for his Bible time with her. He progressed in Science and Writing and Reading. She had a golden touch with all our kids. I found it difficult, at first, to let go of the chores. I continued doing the dishes. There were times when I would come down to the kitchen and find Peggy already finishing the dishes. There were times when Peggy and I would try to strike the best balance: sometimes I would do the dishes since she had simply done more than her share already in the day and she really needed a break; other times she would say, "I came to help you have time to do Japanese, so let me do the dishes now." What a wonderful servant of God she was for us. She came to be with us from the end of January until the middle of May — almost four months. With the extra time I had to study, I zoomed ahead in my speaking ability. By then I had already given up on the Chinese Characters, but somehow the entire year of verbal learning came into focus during the time she was with us. By the beginning of March, several friends commented that my Japanese had suddenly become more fluent. I could express myself far more easily. From April, I began auditing seminary classes at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Kobe. Meanwhile, Judy continued her Japanese lessons until the end of May. It was a sad day to see Miss Peggy leave. She helped our family SO much. We all miss her and look forward to seeing her again when we are back in the States."

 
 

(From another missionary family in Japan, Sept. 2002) Dear Betty, ... We were blessed to have Dianne here as our Mission Nanny.  She helped in so many ways. She enabled Jackie to be able to study Japanese at home and a language school. She also enabled Jackie to participate in some of the ministry work.  Having four young kids: 5, 3, 2 years old and now 6 months old, keeps Jackie busy. David was able to get back to his routine of Japanese language study, teaching English and church work. We also moved from Suzaka to Nakano, which is about 20 to 30 minutes away. Dianne was able to watch the kids while Jackie packed.  On our moving day Dianne helped load our van and help Jackie unpack our belongings in our new location. On the home front Dianne was able to assist Jackie with various tasks so that consistent child raising was accomplished during this time of transition.  Dianne was able to share her testimony at the church we worked with in Suzaka.  She was able to attend a ladies luncheon with Jackie. The ladies luncheon was sponsored by several churches in Nagano and it's main purpose was to reach out to those who do not know Jesus as their personal Savior. Dianne was able to attend the church we work with now in Nakano and she was able to go to the home with one of the families for dinner. We praise our heavenly father for allowing using Dianne to bless our lives and the lives of Japanese people.