God’s Green Resourceful Earth Is Flourishing in Kisumu, Kenya
One of the great joys of seed starting is that the tiny seeds so fervently wish to grow. Given fertile soil, sun, and rain, they do most of the work. Perhaps that’s why Jesus talked about seeds so often.
I first visited the Africa Inland Church in January 2016 in response to an invitation from the Rev. Tom Ochuka, bishop of health and environmental ministries for the AIC. Each of us had been inspired by Dr. Wangari Maathai, the Nobel Prize winning founder of Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, planting trees to push back desertification. We had each begun to grow as environmental theologians, working to help mend the earth through education and trees. Tom motivated the congregations to whom Trisha spoke by bringing tree seedlings and announcing, “Let’s dig!” Together we planted the seeds for a tree nursery called God’s Green Resourceful Earth. 
Since 2016 the nursery has grown as zealously as a literal seed. The congregations began by giving 10,000 tree seedlings every year to schools, hospitals, churches, and neighbors. Then they began teaching farmers and students about organic food production. Two years ago they grew beyond the grounds of the bishop’s office to 1 1/2 acres in the countryside.
During my visit, Rev. Tom took me to see an aged, British-era dispensary (small hospital) owned by the Africa Inland Church. It was set in a picturesque site, accessible by a dirt road, and in dire need of repairs and updates in order to serve the thousands of people living nearby. The hospital administrators sat me down to tell me their needs, and I dutifully took notes, though I was clueless about where this visit could possibly lead. The upshot was that within months Tom and I had received a generous grant from the Presbyterian Women’s Thank Offering, and the dispensary was repaired, restored, and replenished. The government of Kenya was so impressed that they upgraded it to a regional health center and built a paved road up the mountain to its gates. 
This year we grew seeds and support not only in Kenya, but here in the U.S. First, through the wonders of Zoom, Tom and I were able to make a guest appearance at an adult Sunday School class at First Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, TN that is led by Dan Terpstra, our first venture in teaching together. Out of that grew some lead gifts to enable us to purchase, a year later, a large used Isuzu truck to aid the transport of seeds, seedlings, compost, and supplies
Second, at a Bread for the World lobby day in Washington, D.C. last June, I met the Rev. Mark Lynch, executive director of Basic Needs, Simple Solutions, an organization in Indianapolis that partners with others worldwide to help meet human needs such as clean air and water, food, housing, and medical and educational access. He was excited to hear what God’s Green Resourceful Earth is doing in western Kenya and quickly asked his board to adopt us fiscal partner.
With the help of Basic Needs, Simple Solutions, we applied for and received a grant from The Power of One in Indiana to expand GGRE’s planting by five more acres. With our new tax-exempt charitable status, we began a newsletter and finished raising funds for the truck and many other needs, including new projects in poultry and beekeeping.
And, since the Power of One grant stipulates a site visit, this September Mark and I and four other travelers will fly from the U.S. to Nairobi and on to Kisumu to meet with Rev. Tom and his army of volunteers, workers, and partners to see face to face, for the first time, all that came of our original meeting in 2016. While we are visiting I will do my best to post updates about all the people we meet, the animals and scenery we encounter, and the awe we find, watching not just any corner of the earth, but the land that is often called the Cradle of Humanity, flourish once again.
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