Here's the story!
A few weeks ago, December 2020, Kristi and I reflected on our 21 years of marriage, of the adventures we've had, the growth of our family into 10 kids, and most importantly the call that Jesus has had on our lives. He has been so incredibly good to us and it has been our greatest joy to follow the path he has set out for us, leading us one day at a time, never revealing too much in advance. We got married in college and soon after graduating we left for the mission field of Kathmandu, Nepal with little knowledge of the world but a passion for making Jesus known and our first baby on the way, We found a group of Isa Bhakti's (Jesus followers) in Nepal that would teach us so much about following Jesus in the face of incredible persecution. We learned to meet in homes and move beyond going to church and instead becoming the church. We learned to climb mountains, travel to unknown villages, as well as love the neighbors in our own buildings as Jesus carved out a much greater spot in our hearts with His love. Two incredible years later we left Nepal and moved to Colorado to help Kristi's dad as he battled the latter stages of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. We learned to grieve, to trust in God's plan and to find joy in difficult circumstances. We learned to worship and to sing "blessed be your name, on the road marked with suffering." Kristi's dad navigated his last journey with a faith that would leave an indelible mark on our own lives. Shortly after, we were on the move again, this time following God's call to the mountains of Western Colorado. We spent the next few years living and working among the homeless, a group of people that would show us the very face of God. They would teach us humility, and to "remember the Egypt" where we came from in our own lives. They would teach us the prayer of Bartimaeus as he sat on the side of the road and screamed at Jesus, "have mercy on me a sinner, son of David." We found a small group of believers meeting in house churches on Colorado's western slope that would invite us into their community and show us the best example of the description Acts gave us of the early church when it described her as:
"devoting themselves to the apostle's teachings and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
The Lord asked our network to send a group of people to a land many were not willing to go, a land and a people He cherished as His own, Karamoja, Uganda. The next several years would see us walking trails and meeting under trees as we learned to do oral Bible storying among largely illiterate villages and planting churches that met in the time honored Karimojong tradition, under trees. As they came to know Jesus they taught us what it means to give sacrifically in faith, not out of excess. We saw new believers give food from their grain storage that would not last all winters to widows on the brink of starvation. We saw believers carve out sections of their already small farms to make sure the poorest were fed. We were blessed to see many elders make the choice to follow Jesus and subsequently baptize them in little cow drinking water holes, the only place water existed during the dry season. God laid it on our hearts not to just meet the spiritual needs but to address the physical needs as well for widows, and babies who lost their mother during labor, which was all too common. The income generation project was born, called The Akiru Project (visit www.theakiruproject.org to see more). We learned from the incredible strength and love of each of these women as they learned to follow Jesus and provide for their families. We learned so much about being grateful regardless of our circumstances.
Finally, the Lord brought us back to the states unexpectedly. The last 7 years we have felt called to start business and invest in our community as our act of living on mission. We started a coffee roasting company, Wild Coffee Roasters (www.wildcoffee.co) and a screen printing and vinyl graphics business (www.williamstribecp.com). The goal has been to add value to our communities of Rifle, Silt, and New Castle, Colorado as well as use business to meet people and let the light of Jesus shine from our lives onto everyone we meet. Kenneth has been blessed to coach high school and club soccer and bring that same mentality of letting Jesus shine through into the lives of high school students. We've found that whether in high school or adults in the workplace, people are facing and enormous amount of stress and need to be able to hear the voice of our Father, " rest in me, my burden is easy and my yoke is light." We believe the scriptures when they say "seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you."
And so.... we've created this little blog because the people that live and work around us need abundant life. They work hard, have so many stressors, so many things calling upon their attentions, so many things promising joy, happiness or at least a little relief from everyday life. Our experiences have led us to believe and operate on the knowledge that true abundant life comes from knowing and following the Jesus Christ of the Bible. God looked down on our situation and came down to live as a man. He showed us the way of life, the way of the kingdom, and ultimately gave us his own life in death on a cross that we might have access to all of it and the greatest love of all. The scriptures tell us "greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Join us in learning to lay down our lives everyday that others may know the goodness of God.
May you let go and let the furious love of God overwhelm you!
Your truly,
Kenneth and Kristi Williams
The common thing that all people need is to be overwhelmed and overcome by the furious love of Jesus Christ in their lives. We are here to introduce them to that very thing. Thank you for praying for us as we journey to make Him known!