It often feels like every season of our lives has a theme. Throughout 2023, the word “obedience” kept coming to my mind. As I read the Bible, I frequently thought about how God asked the Israelites to obey Him. It seemed like a simple command. But when life gets difficult and doesn’t go our way, it can feel unbearable. Obedience for us meant stepping out in faith. For so long, we felt called into missions, and in early 2023 a door opened for us. It wasn’t easy. It was one of the most challenging years (in our faith and finances) as a family. But God was always good to us. As we reflect on 2023 and look forward to this year, we continue to see a theme: the Goodness of God.
Every moment, from our highs to our lows, God has been faithful to our family. The Goodness of God song by Bethel says, “And all my life you have been faithful. And all my life, you have been so, so good.” In those moments of hardship and joy, we will continue to hold onto the Goodness of God. We will continue to trust in His promises and act in obedience to Him. Throughout our lives, He has truly been faithful.
Here are three ways we have experienced the Goodness of God this year.
Family Time in Kenya
If you know our story, you know that Reed and I both grew up in Africa. Reed and I met in Kenya when we were four years old. We both moved to different countries soon after – Priscilla to Ethiopia and Reed to Ghana. We moved back to Kenya for middle school (Reed) and high school (Reed & Priscilla). Reed and I attended the same high school and eventually got married in Kenya in 2014.
In December, we were blessed to be able to take Kai and Marleigh to Kenya. We spent time in the neighborhood we both lived in. We visited the beach where we got married. We took our kids to see our high school. Kai and Marleigh absolutely loved Kenya. In fact, our first day back in the U.S., Kai started to cry. He missed Kenya and wanted to move there. It was beautiful to see our kids fall in love with the country we love so dearly.
One of the highlights of our trip was dedicating Marleigh in the Indian Ocean with our family. Kai was dedicated at the beach where Reed and I got engaged. We wanted to dedicate Marleigh at the beach where we got married.
Ministering to MKs
During one of our last weeks in Kenya, we had the opportunity to minister to missionary kids (MKs) from East Africa. It was at a retreat that Reed and I were a part of as MKs. I worked with MKs from the ages of 1 to 5 years old. Reed captured photos and videos of all the MKs. As an MK, I always hoped that I would be able to bring my kids back to that retreat spot (Brackenhurst). It felt like a long-awaited answer to my prayers to have our kids with us at the retreat and invest in the lives of MKs (like people had done for us years ago).
For some time, we have been praying about getting our ministry credentials. In September, I started the application process to become a licensed minister with the Assemblies of God (AG). Because of our family’s rich history in the AG, we decided to go that route. After passing the exams and interview, I became a licensed minister with the AG in January.
Starting Part Time With CS
In January, we officially started part time with Christian Surfers United States! While we are still in the fundraising process, Reed has started to dive into his role. He helped design the new CS magazine, and he is currently working on the website, helping create social media images and capturing testimonial videos. In February, our family traveled to St. Augustine to participate in their chapter meeting. Reed then traveled all along the East Coast of Florida with the National Director and Florida Regional Director to visit CS chapters. Within the next few months, we will start sharing testimonial videos so stay tuned!
We are two months into the new year and there are already countless examples of how God continues to be faithful to our family. Some days are challenging, but we cling to the Goodness of God. And it’s my prayer that as you read our story and as you read all that God is doing in our lives, you too will see (and cling to) the Goodness of God in your life.