God Is No Respecter of Comfort Zones – Bethany’s Story

I did not grow up an animal lover or with any dreams of living a rural life. In fact, when I was in my early twenties I spent some time living and working near London and in the heart of the city of Edinburgh. I loved the energy and excitement of city living and always thought that would be the world I would return to. So no one was more surprised than me when in January 2015 I found myself signing up to be a partner in a free-range chicken and egg farm on the South Coast of Australia.

That’s right chickens. This girl with a global city heart now has her gum boot clad feet firmly planted in farm life.

It all started with a trip to Rwanda in 2011. I was serving as the Missions Coordinator at my church and the opportunity came up to be part of a small group going over to Rwanda to do some community development projects. We visited the Village of Hope in Kigali, schools, water projects and churches. It was intense, exciting, exhausting and life transforming. As I spoke with men and women who were survivors of the 1994 genocide I was totally captivated by the resilience, strength and grace of the Rwandan people. Their country had been devastated, an entire generation of people killed but they were determined to rise above this and establish a new future for themselves. As I left Rwanda I knew I wanted to do something to contribute to the rebuilding of this nation but I had no idea what that would be.

The next few years were full of both challenge and change. I continued to be heavily involved in ministry at my local church and began university studies in the area of community development. I am very much a person that prefers to be ‘behind the scenes’ but as I continued to step into new opportunities I could see that God was gently but consistently challenging my boundaries. As scary as it was, He was relentless. By the beginning of 2014 I was at a crossroads, personally and professionally. I decided to start the year with a time of prayer and fasting and told God, ‘I’m up for anything, whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.’

I never imagined that it would involve chickens, especially 400+ of them!

In 2014 my friend Scott went with a team on a mission trip to Rwanda. While he was there they investigated options for sustainable business opportunities to help the Rwanda economy reduce its reliance on foreign aid. His focus was on food security projects that would provide ethical, secure, safe, long-term employment. While he was there he a met a woman named Mika who had a dream to establish a sustainable and ethical chicken farm. Eggs are currently a luxury item in Rwanda but she is determined to make this nutrient dense food source more accessible and affordable to everyday Rwandans.

Scott retuned to Australia with the dream to establish a ‘prototype’ egg production project that would provide funds for the development of a similar program in Rwanda; out of this dream Wanda Egg was born. As Scott and his wife Karen shared the vision for Wanda Egg with me something leapt on the inside of me. As part of my university studies I had been torn by the decision as to whether I would focus on local or global development; this would give me the opportunity to do both. Wanda Egg is a local project with a global focus. It was perfect. The fact that I knew next to nothing about chickens was a detail I would deal with later.

After months of research, study and plain hard work Wanda Egg commenced production in January 2015. I now know more about chickens, eggs and sustainable farming practice than I ever thought possible. Demand for our eggs far outstrips our ability to supply so we are constantly assessing our business and production practice to ensure that we reach our goal of establishing a similar sustainable business model in Rwanda. If I had a comfort zone it’s well and truly gone now.

As I look ahead I am so excited about the opportunities that await me. As I reflect on the past I am constantly amazed at how creatively and generously God has revealed that ‘anything is possible for she who believes.’ If someone had told me two years ago that this is what my life would look like I wouldn’t have believed them. I probably would have laughed out loud. But here I am, challenged, stretched, excited, exhausted but at peace. I have learned that the best place to be is where God is, even if that’s on a chicken farm.