About Matthew & Tiffany Carmichael

Tiffany and I were both from the same small hometown and became acquainted at around age fifteen. We fell in love while studying together at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri. We shortly after got married.

Tiffany and I dedicated our lives to missionary service at the National Christian Missionary Convention of 2004 during our first year of marriage. At that time, God had called us to a special ministry in Latin America, working with the local church and the care of orphans.

Tiffany and I felt strongly that God had directed us to establish a unique ministry. We named the ministry "No Hindrance Ministries". Our desire was to serve Christ in Northern Mexico among abandoned, abused and orphaned children, while also evangelizing the culture through lifestyle evangelism and church networking. We began this journey of faith by incorporating a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Tiffany and I chose our board of directors and began meeting together to discuss future opportunities. After several months of planning and fundraising, we packed our bags and our supporters sent us to language school within our second year of marriage. Tiffany also gave birth to the first of our four living children.

Shortly after language school began, we found out Tiffany was expecting again. We were very excited to be parents a second time, but extremely nervous about the cost of another child. We knew God had called us to the mission field, and so we trusted him. On November 5, 2005, we sadly lost the baby to a miscarriage. In memory of this little one, we named the baby "Jaden Bennett", meaning: "God Has Heard, Little Blessed One." It was one of the most difficult times in our life together.

Tiffany and I continued on through language school, and in May 2006, Tiffany graduated from the RGBI Language School in Edinburg, TX. Shortly before graduation, God re-directed our path to live and work in Mexico City, Mexico, serving with "Niños de Mexico", a children's home for social orphans. It was around this same time that God blessed us with a third pregnancy. We served at Niños de Mexico from the fall of 2006 until the fall of 2010. During this time and after much prayer and consideration, "No Hindrance Ministries" was dissolved. 

God had directed us to partner with Niños de Mexico full-time. Our two boys were both born in Mexico City while serving on the field. We also pursued the adoption of a young child from the orphanage, but our request was declined. We experienced profound grief and heartbreaking disappointment during this season in our life. Tiffany and I left Mexico City in 2010 to pursue education opportunities for me and for our children. Tiffany also began to face health issues at that time. 

God had in mind a time of healing and growth for our family, but he wasn't ready to move us away from Mexico missions quite yet. He directed us to work with troubled teens in the northern part of Tamaulipas, Mexico. During this time, the drug wars along the border among the Cártel del Golfo and Los Zetas were out of control, causing deep spiritual warfare and outright danger among the youth and surrounding communities. God opened the door for us to begin a small work among troubled teens, which we called "The Abandoned Hope Project". 

It was during this time that Tiffany’s little sister, Jessica, also passed away in a traumatic automobile accident. Our lives and the life of our family members were changed forever. Upon the loss of Tiffany's sister, we made the difficult decision to move back to Springfield, MO from Brownsville, TX. Over the next years, life changed greatly for us. We went from only knowing life in Mexico as a family of five to attempting life in middle America, very far away from where our heart had settled. 

Shortly after moving back to Missouri, two of our grandparents went to be with the Lord. We definitely grieved the loss of loved ones, but we also grieved the loss of our ministry and the many children God had placed in our path. God began to stir up our faith in 2014. We dedicated the year of 2015 as a year of re-commitment. 

Tiffany and I were made ready to serve him once more in whatever capacity he placed us. We began praying and seeking him, taking small steps of faith toward his purpose for our lives. We committed ourselves to our God and to our purpose and calling; a year to renew our strength and our calling. This was the year we felt God would also renew our ministry.

In May of 2015, we were approached by the leadership of Niños de Mexico about a position that would soon open as house parents. In July of 2015, we were formally invited back to serve alongside them as house parents to a home with 15 boys. After much prayer, discussion and consideration, Tiffany and I decided this ministry both fit our calling and his leading. With joy, we accepted the challenge to care for these precious children. We officially took on this role in November of 2015.

After around three months in our new role as house parents, God began to reveal a few things to us. When we previously left the mission field in 2010, our hearts longed to return and we had several "what if" questions come to mind and heart. God taught us that he had a new path for us, but we were unable to see it until the final stroke of the completed old chapters in our life had come to an end. 

God helped us to see that obedience, faith, love for him and love for others above ourselves, along with trusting him no matter the circumstances, are of utmost importance in the life of a believer. He also helped us move forward in our journey, rather than constantly looking back to the "what if" moments of life. Tiffany and I made the difficult decision to return to the United States in March of 2016.

Although we did not know it at the time, returning to the United States brought about an unexpected surprise to our family. Tiffany and I were asked by my momma and aunt to pray for a teen girl who already had a little baby boy, but was now unexpectedly expecting again. With other options available for unplanned pregnancies in this country, this young mommy had a difficult choice to make. Facing her fears and making a choice based in selfless love for her unborn baby, she decided to pursue a loving adoption plan for her child and began seeking out an adoptive family. 

While praying for this young lady, our hearts for adoption began to beat. God not only gave us a deep love for her unborn baby, but also for the birth mother and her other child. Tiffany and I felt we should approach the young girl. 

My aunt helped connect us through Facebook first. After meeting with the birth mom in person and discussing the need further, she selected us to adopt her unborn baby. We humbly accepted this blessing. 

On July 17, 2018, our fourth child and little girl was placed in our arms. If we had not returned from the mission field, we may have missed this blessing in our lives, but God certainly knows what he is doing!

More than the skills and talents God has given us, we have a heart for God and a heart for people. We are imperfect people seeking to work with imperfect people to bring about God’s perfect purpose on this earth. Tiffany and I find great joy in working with our hands while making a difference in the lives of others. Tiffany and I have fun working and laughing together, and we enjoy dedicating our lives serving Christ and serving others.

Our mission is simple: Love God and Love People. Our missionary service and loving others is the action of our will and a direct result of our worship before God. Do we hit the target every time? Of course not, unfortunately, but we do believe God uses these "missed-mark moments" to help us grow and mature in him.

We appreciate you walking with us through this journey called life. Many blessings to you all!

In the Ministry of the Cross,

Matt & Tiffany Carmichael and the kiddos