Providence and Provision

February 2009

Our friend Fouzi was showing us around the Salahley district. It was our first time visiting the village of Toon. The village isn’t far from our home in Hargeisa, but it was a bit further then than it is now as this was before the road to the village had been paved. As we walked with him and others to see the village’s dam (“bali” in Somali) we looked up and saw a sole cloud in the sky. A cloud that was formed in the shape of a dove. It felt like a sign. A sign of peace hanging over the village of Toon – a sign we wouldn’t forget.

In the years that followed we often traveled to other villages in the Salahley district, only ever just passing through Toon though – perhaps stopping occasionally for the odd cup of sugary Somali tea.

October 2013

We were back in the States due to medical reasons and not sure if our family would be able to return to our lives in Somiland or not. We were gathering regularly to pray for our daughter’s healing and also to wait for and seek direction for the future. It was at this time that we started having these surprising pictures come to mind of restoring the land and having a strange growing desire to see the land healed. This wasn’t something we had thought about before. It was in this place of waiting that we first received our vision for Desert Alive. But it was also in this place that a picture came to mind of a place we felt we were, perhaps, supposed to work to see the land restored. It was a picture of a place that had a small prominent hill in the center and was surrounded by flatland. Later on we couldn’t help but notice the similarities between this picture and the village of Toon which is known for the small prominent hill in the village center and is surrounded by flatland.

We returned to Somaliland in February 2014 and sought to be faithful to this vision we had received to restore the land. Sometimes we would be reminded about Toon or have a fresh sense that we should work to restore land in Toon. We would visit the village to see if any connections developed – but nothing came of it. We had seasons of pursuing our vision and seasons of waiting. There were stops and starts… and false starts. There was growth and learning. There were of course times of frustration and confusion as well as times of patience and submission. In the end it all came together at just the right time.

January 2021

After a week of prayer and fasting for the coming year I had gained some clarity. I had been reminded about the various signs and senses over the village of Toon and I had a new confidence that now was the time to give ourselves to seeing some of the land in Toon restored. I asked a friend of mine to visit the village and he immediately met 1 of the 11 brothers and sisters on whose land we now have our farm.

April 2021

We had the vision and the land; now we needed the money to make it happen. In addition to some generous gifts we had already received for startup costs, we needed to raise $100,000 and fast. We felt prompted to try and raise $100,000 in 10 days – and so that is what we did over the first 10 days of April. And while 100,000 didn’t come in over those 10 days, more than half of it did! By the end of April more than $80,000 were contributed with the other $20,000 coming in over the following months. We were overwhelmed by this provision and so grateful for each contribution. It was so encouraging to see our friends and family believe in us, stand behind us and put money on the table. It felt like confirmation on the vision we had received and over the place in which we were pursuing it. To all of you that contributed: THANK YOU! 😊

And now that we had the funds, it was time to get to work!!