Twenty years.
In many ways, it seems like a lifetime ago. So much has happened in twenty years.
Liberia was a challenging place to live, especially in the immediate aftermath of the civil war. There was no running water or electricity in the entire country. Break-ins happened every night from the recently disarmed ex-combatants. We had no colleagues there to guide us on how to live and work in a culture that was so very different from what we were accustomed to.
But God showed up. And we fell in love with the place and the people. And the work prospered - from counseling to community development to business development.
And after 3.5 years, we left the work in competent Liberian hands and moved to Ghana.
Ghana had a school that Hannah and Noah could attend (after being homeschooled in Liberia). It had the hope of running water and electricity (which actually turned out to be more frustrating than not having it at all, because it would go out daily, and we never knew when it would come back). I was tasked with coordinating business development work in Liberia, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, and Nigeria. Bob was tasked with promoting peace and reconciliation in West Africa.
But God called Bob home, just seven months after we moved to Ghana, on March 20, 2010. Hannah was sixteen years old, Noah was fourteen years old, and I was 41 years old. Our family shifted in a way that we never anticipated or expected. In a still new and foreign land, a land with witch camps for women who have these types of events in their lives, we now wondered what to do.
Despite being away from family and friends, and in a culture that felt less welcoming than Liberia, we felt led not to make a significant change and to stay the course until God showed us what to do. So, I finished my three-year commitment, Hannah graduated from high school and went to university, and then Noah graduated as well. This takes us to June 2012. I no longer felt that teaching wealth creation without ongoing discipleship by the church was a responsible approach. I was about to leave Ghana with no idea of what to do next.
But God showed up, just in that last week, through a conference speaker named Dr. Phil Walker with International Christian Ministries. He was frustrated with not seeing the church have an impact on the nation, and I was frustrated with doing business development without the church. So, an opportunity presented itself to bring this work into the church by starting with a seminary in Kenya.
I moved to Kenya in January 2013, and it was there that Discipling Marketplace Leaders was born. Pictured here is the first class that took the Church-based Business as Mission course in February 2013. It started slow. Changing the paradigm of church leaders and denominations to view the church not as a building and its programs, but as the people and every sphere of influence, especially the workplace. This change doesn't happen quickly.
But God showed up again. We began to see where He was working and joined Him in that process. We decided to operate not on a "push" but a "pull." Twelve years later, we are working in twenty-five countries with thirty partners across three continents.
The work has not been easy. There have been sacrifices, pain, and challenges. There has been a loss of friendships and connections due to the difficulty of trying to live in multiple places simultaneously. The stress of fundraising takes its toll.
But God continues to show up, and there has also been incredible joy in joining Him in what He is doing. His promise that His yoke is easy and His burden is light is right, especially if I keep my eyes focused on Him. I have been blessed to meet hundreds of faithful disciples of Jesus who are willing to sacrifice, disciples, and build the church. I’ve been blessed with remarriage, and my husband, Michael, is incredibly patient and supportive of my long trips and my unending burden to share this message.
There’s no one else I’d want to follow BUT GOD. And I’m thankful for how He shows up through each of you in encouragement and partnership! Thank you for being on this journey with me!
