The Marriage Stabilizer
Farming God’s Way at Work In Kenya
“Maybe I should just move to a city, far away from my wife and children, and start my life over.” Meshak Wekesa was troubled by his thoughts, but the humiliation of being unable to feed his family drove him to contemplate all of the options. Once again, his wife had left, taking one of their daughters to move back in with her parents. She told Meshak that she just wanted to eat every day. Her absence was a continual reminder to him of his failure.
Even before he was married, Meshak had heard about Farming God’s Way (FGW) from his friend, Griffin. Mechak’s parents, however, would not allow him to try it on their quarter acre. They planted maize every year using traditional farming methods. Their harvests were meager, but it was too risky to try something new and risk suffering with no harvest.
After three years of unsteady employment as a cell phone repairman and a consequent unsteady marriage, Meshak scraped enough of his earnings together to purchase 1/10th of an acre on which he built a one-room mud house. He planted kale with the guidance of Griffin, one of Heaven’s Family’s FGW trainers in Kenya, and he began to prosper. His wife stayed with him, and a third daughter was born.
Meshak added spinach and black nightshade to his tiny field the next year. He saved money by growing some of his family’s food and earned profits from the vegetables he sold.
A year later, he was able to buy another 1/10th of an acre, which doubled the size of his property. He grew casava and Irish potatoes on it. Using his profits, he quadrupled the size of his house, adding three rooms. He turned the original room into a storefront for his wife to sell their veggies.
The next year, he was able to buy yet another 1/10th of an acre, bringing his total land to 3/10th of an acre. His plot is now larger than his parents could ever afford. His profits allowed him to send his two oldest children to an excellent Christian school, which happens to be named “Heaven’s Family Academy” (due to Heaven’s Family’s investments at its founding).
When I asked Meshak what were the two greatest blessings of Farming God’s Way, he said, “First, it stabilized my marriage. Second, I am a landowner.”
We also asked him about his dream for the future. He said he hoped that God would help him lead many people to know Him, and help them learn how they can prosper through Farming God’s Way. Meshak has already started to see his dream fulfilled. He is now a co-pastor of a church of 100 people, and he is teaching Farming God’s Way to other farmers like himself.
Who are the heroes in this story? It is everyone whose investments in Heaven’s Family’s Farming God’s Way Ministry changed the life of Meshak and his family, as well as hundreds of other East African farmers like them. On their behalf, thank you!
[Photo of Meschak does not include his wife, Bridgid, as she was away for the weekend at a Christian women’s conference. 3 children: Sarah, Shandel, Shalyne.]
Grace and Peace,
