Honey, I Sold The Roof..
The training you provided restored a Christophers marriage.
“My wife certainly wouldn’t approve of this!” Christopher thought to himself. “But since she no longer lives with me, I guess it doesn’t matter.” And with that, he began tearing tin sheets from the roof of the bedroom.
Christopher had been a subsistence farmer for 27 years—all his married life. But he had never succeeded in growing enough food to feed his family. Usually, whatever he harvests is consumed within three months. With no food left, Christopher has no choice but to seek work elsewhere.
“My wife certainly wouldn’t approve of this!” Christopher thought to himself. “But since she no longer lives with me, I guess it doesn’t matter.” And with that, he began tearing tin sheets from the roof of the bedroom.
Christopher had been a subsistence farmer for 27 years—all his married life. But he had never succeeded in growing enough food to feed his family. Usually, whatever he harvests is consumed within three months. With no food left, Christopher has no choice but to seek work elsewhere.
His only option in rural Kenya is to work as a day laborer for larger farms. This job consists of things like weeding and digging ditches. “It was very hard work”, Christopher explained. “We were constantly being pressured to get more done per day because the bosses didn’t want to have us come back and work the next day. They don’t want to pay for another day of labor.”
This “very hard work” pays $1 per day. Christopher said, “That was just enough to feed my family for a day. On days when I could not find work, none of us would eat. I hated watching my children go hungry.”
Things got so bad that Christopher’s wife decided to take a job that was available at a local brewery. He objected. The thought of his wife earning money at a brewery troubled his conscience. Their disagreement resulted in a rift. She moved out and took one of their three children with her. “That was a very hard time in my life,” Christopher told me. “I felt terrible that I could not provide for my wife and children. But it was a time when I drew closer to God. I spent a lot of time in prayer, asking Him to help me cope with my wife leaving me.”
Out of pure desperation, Christopher decided to sell part of his simple house. He demolished the family bedroom and sold the corrugated tin roof sheets and stone walls. It was, however, only a short-term solution. He knew he couldn’t continue to sell parts of his house, as he only had two rooms left!
Then, in August of 2022, Christopher met Griffin, one of Heavens Family’s Farming God’s Way trainers. Griffin trained him how to grow several vegetables including kale. Christopher had attempted to grow kale in the past but it would dry up within six weeks. But this time that didn’t happen. “God’s blanket” (mulch) kept the soil moist even when it didn’t rain. Christopher began to harvest his kale in just three weeks and his harvest continued for seven months! He was able to sell kale every day to his neighbors.
Since Christopher began selling kale and other produce, his income has tripled. He went from 130 Kenyan shillings a day to an average of 390 shillings per day! He said, “Now my children eat three meals a day and I can afford to pay for my oldest son to receive higher education.”
In July of 2023, when his wife learned of his success, she came home. She admitted that life on her own had turned out worse than when she was living with him. She apologized for not trusting him. She promised to do FGW with him and pray that God will bless their efforts.
Christopher was overjoyed. He said, “I am very thankful that I have been taught Farming God’s Way. It has changed my life and restored my marriage. Now I also have an opportunity to meet many new people. A lot of my neighbors come over to look at my farm because they see and hear how it has changed my life for the better. I hope to train many of them in these methods, and also teach them about God.”
Christopher’s initial success has been achieved using only part of his one-acre plot of land. As he expands, he is excited about the potential profits and the lives that will be impacted as a result.
Thank you for helping lift Christopher and his family from extreme poverty. He represents one of the thousands of poor farmers in East Africa whose lives are being touched by your compassion!
Jerry Jefferson
Director, Farming God’s Way
