A Paradoxical Life

Since we moved from our passport country a year and a half ago, our lives have been full of upheaval, stress, great joy, great sadness, unrest, and peace. As we prepared to move overseas, we were trained on all of the above and how all of these feelings are completely normal and that it's normal to feel them all at the same time some days.

We have said from the beginning that traveling here is the most dangerous thing we do. On Christmas Eve morning we witnessed, firsthand, just how true that statement is. We were heading home to Nakuru after sending my (Stephanie) parents back to the States after their two week visit with us. We were traveling along the main highway of East Africa in Nairobi at 80 kilometers per hour, which is roughly 50 mph, when all of a sudden we saw something flying through the air in front of us. Unbeknownst to us, a man had dashed across the highway, which is extremely common here, and the car in front of us hit him going full speed. I won't give you all of the details but, needless to say, that is an image that is hard to get out of your head. Unfortunately, our children were with us and witnessed this scene as well.  We told them to close their eyes as we passed. To all you medical people, I honestly do not know how you do what you do and face death on a regular basis.....you have my deep admiration and appreciation for your commitment to provide medical care when it comes at such a deep cost!

This accident has unearthed some deep, hard, truths that I would much rather not face. Our lives here on earth are uncertain. Nothing is a for sure thing. I know these things but watching a life most likely taken in the blink of an eye really makes you stop and think: Did this man have a personal relationship with Christ? Oh how I pray he did! Have I made the most of the opportunities God has given me to show His love and share His life saving gospel? Did we make the right decision in moving our family overseas? Am I enough? Can I truly handle life here? The answer to some of these questions would be, “No.” I am not enough. There are days I can't handle life here and I know I've missed opportunities to share God with people. Thankfully I serve a big God that can handle my doubts and questions, my failures and frustrations. He chooses to use me in spite of my flaws and shortcomings. I will never be enough on my own and that is where my great, big, awesome, full of grace, and loving Heavenly Father comes in. He is faithful, oh so faithful! He can still use me even when I feel unusable.

So, our paradoxical life is full of just that; paradox after paradox. Joy coupled with pain, unrest with peace, love with frustration, life with death. There are days that these things seem to be too much to bear. But God is faithful to whisper to our downtrodden souls that it isn't up to us; all of the upheaval, stress, sadness, and unrest is in His hands. We can kneel at the foot of the cross and be renewed, uplifted, encouraged, find joy, and find rest at His feet. All He asks of us is obedience and surrender....and those two requests can be an hourly struggle on some days. But friends, He is entirely worth the pain and denying of one's self.....so very worth it!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.  2 Corinthians 1:3


So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:18




For we walk by faith, not by sight.  2 Corinthians 5:7

-Stephanie

Farming God's Way

Traditional vs. Farming God's Way plot

Recently in April I was able to attend a training called, "Farming God's Way." It is a Biblical method of farming that has grown all across Africa into many countries. It especially targets helping the poorest farmers break the yoke of poverty. In Kenya, and all across Africa, farmers make up around 80% of the population. However, farmers here aren't respected for their profession as they are viewed as being at the bottom of the "ladder." They suffer from low self esteem and little hope that anything will ever change. Youth are abandoning farms and the rural area in droves to the bigger cities in hope of finding a better life. Now farmers are turning to relief agencies for handouts, and are becoming accustomed to a life of dependency. This "aid" while well-intentioned, leaves farmers with little motivation to work to try and change things.

I wanted to attend this training because for me, coming from a large scale farming background in Iowa, to the very small scale farming in Kenya, comes with a lot of challenges. How can I use my experience working with farmers who farm an average of 800 acres, help farmers who only have an average of 2 acres? This training proved to be just what I needed to be able to make that transition.

While the outlook on farming here in Kenya that I described in the first paragraph, might be a bit depressing, there is hope! This training helped me realize that before any improvement can be seen in farming, we need a Biblical mindset and focus in farming. I had to ask myself, have I put enough weight on this importance in agriculture? For anything to change, we have to first change the heart and mind of the farmer. This is done through Biblical based farming that glorifies God in every aspect of our farming. So often we rely on ourselves, technology, or the latest new hybrid to increase our profits, but what if all we really need to do, is model God in our farming - the first and master farmer. He has created a system in nature that can restore depleted soil, restore broken lives, and redeem people who are living under the weight of dependency. 

Teaching the boys of GCM the Farming God's Way method

Making the rope for accurate spacing 

Within a couple weeks after this training, I already have begun to see the positive affects. I was able to help a local ministry that I have been working with implement what I learned. In fact Pastor Mwai, the leader of God's Children Ministry (GCM), was able to attend the training with me. He is the director of this ministry to boys, brought off the streets of Nakuru from a life of drugs, out to a farm where they are discipled and trained up to become men of God. The farm is blessed with nearly 14 acres of land and we were able to start small and show them the practical methods that they can do. I believe this is just one example of what God will do through this teaching here in Kenya. I also hope this method will be a tool that I can use to help our AGC missionaries bring the Gospel into some of the most difficult places in Kenya. Stay tuned!

Adding God's Blanket (mulch)

Settling In

It’s hard to believe that the last time we posted was about waiting on God’s perfect timing to get us to Kenya. Now we have been in Kenya for six months…..how time flies! A lot has happened in the last six months as we adjust to living in a new culture and thousands of miles away from all that is familiar. There have been so many incredible days and there have been some incredibly hard days. Here is a recap of some of those times….

Leaving Iowa: It’s hard to put into words the joy, excitement, heartache, uncertainty, and sadness of leaving our family, friends, and all that we knew for an unknown place. We had never been to Africa, let alone Kenya, and our children had never left the US before, or flown on an airplane for that matter. We dealt with airsickness, the airline running out of food, pure exhaustion, and a real questioning of what in the world did we get ourselves into. But, in all of those moments where it felt like too much, and the longing of wanting to turn around and return to what was known, God was so faithful in giving us just enough strength to keep going. I wouldn’t say it was an overabundance of strength, but it was just the amount we needed to keep persevering. It was in those moments we truly felt His presence and knew we were on the right path.

Arriving in Kenya: I don’t really remember a lot of the first week here…..jet lag is not a friend of mine! :) But for the first three weeks we lived in Nakuru while we got our bearings. It was, and still can be at times, overwhelming learning how to even shop in a new culture and foreign land. Then you add four children that are overwhelmed, overstimulated, and tired and it gets pretty interesting. Again, we were able to see God’s grace and provision in action.

Language school: We next spent three months in language school studying Kiswahili. It was a hard, frustrating, and joy-filled experience. We absolutely loved our teachers and fellow students at Shade Language and Culture School and miss them all still to this day. We loved the large compound we lived on, and our children had so many friends. It was so nice to be able to let them roam and explore knowing they were within a fenced area. Andy and I, along with Aubrey, attended class five days a week. Our minds were continually stretched as we strived to learn a new language. Kiswahili is not an easy language, but I think that can be said for any language that is not your mother tongue. We are nowhere fluent, but we can understand a fair amount and speak some. We came not knowing any Kiswahili and I can now say that I enjoy listening to this beautiful language, even if I don’t understand everything that is being said. :)

Settling in: We are finally settled into our own home. I can’t tell you how wonderful this is! We moved into our place five months, almost to the day, of arriving in Kenya. We have a beautiful compound and live in one of the older neighborhoods of Nakuru. Andy is in the process of figuring out how he can best help with agriculture. We both really feel a burden for the AGC (Africa Gospel Church) missionaries and hope to be an encouragement to them and support them as best we can. They are on the frontline here and serving just as cross-culturally as we are. Please join us in praying for these amazing men and women of God that have a burden to see all of Kenya reached for Christ. 

What we have learned: That the God who called us to Kenya is faithful! There were times while we were still in the states that felt like we would never arrive, and now there are times that are very discouraging and we wonder what He has in store for our family. But we can confidently say that we serve a living, amazing, faithful, gracious, and awesome God! This is not about us and what we can accomplish, but about how He has chosen to use us. We truly want to bring Him glory in all that we do. We are His instruments and long to be used however He can use us best.

Thank you for joining us on this journey! We pray that you are encouraged as God uses the ordinary for His extraordinary purposes. May we continue to be His hands and feet, wherever He has us.

-Stephanie