Before leaving for Kenya I was able to sit in on one of Hugh Ross’s talks on Wednesdays about creation and how God has ordered the universe with great precision, purpose, and detail and as we read and study His word we see how as He works through the lives of His people and through His plan of redemption for us as well as for His creation we are consistently reminded that our God is creative, intentional, detailed, and persistent.
In our time here in Kipkaren I have had the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with several leaders of this community and the Living Room. And as I listen to them speak about their vision and what they’ve done so far to carry out their vision, and what they have planned, I’m impressed by their creativity, intentionality, detail, and persistence. I’m impressed by the Holy Spirit working in the lives of these people in powerful ways to accomplish His will in this community and in Western Kenya as a region. As they describe what they’ve been able to accomplish I can see God’s signature on all of it. They are marvelous stewards of the vision, resources, talents, and opportunities God has given them and as good stewards, they have taken a personal ownership of each part of what they do for the Living Room, while never forgetting that it all belongs to God.
Yesterday I worked in the passion fruit vineyard with Nicholas, Evelyn, and Solomon. Nicholas, who is trained in agriculture, but has a wide range of experience in leadership, worked with us as he explained how the fruit grows, what they do to encourage good growth, and how they work towards the good fruit they produce. The passion fruit is a staple at the Living Room, but it’s also sold at market and is a source of income for them as well. As we reached the end of the vineyard, harvesting the day’s fruit, past the rows of spinach, kale, onions, and beans, we came across a small pond.
Nicholas and Solomon were proud to tell us about this pond in which they are currently raising about 1000 Tilapia fish to be harvested and used at the Living Room for food and also sold for profit. The pond is a well engineered home for the fish, were they have designed protection from predatory birds, a source of fresh water to flow through the pond, and the right depth to ensure the right temperature for the fish to grow.
Then, after a brief time learning about the fish pond it was back to the vineyard. We worked in the opposite direction this time, removing all of the bad fruit that had fallen prematurely and threatened the health of the vines by spreading virus to the soil. This process is done every day, along with weeding and pruning the vines. We learned that the Passion vines will produce for three years and so while we were working in the productive field, another vineyard of passion vines was growing to take it’s place in two years.
I’ve been impressed how Juli and David Tarus have brought people into the Living Room with talents and skills to create a very sustainable community. While the focus is on care for the sick and providing dignity for those in desperate need, the Living Room staff is filled with support staff who cook, clean, counsel, administrate, grow crops, and work in a variety of ways to support the central focus and keep it going as well as providing jobs in the local community.
God’s signature is so evident in this place, that we feel truly blessed to be here and to see, encourage, and be a part of this work.
Ken for the CA team
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