A special Kenyan family has been on a journey of incredible transformation through the first two stories in this trilogy. Now the father’s struggle with his alcohol addiction is the final chain needing to be broken for the whole family to live in the full freedom of Jesus Christ. Come witness his astonishing journey, made possible by the care and support of friends like you.
You can read his wife’s (Leah’s) story (“When Love Comes Home”) at empoweringlives.org/love.
You can read their daughter’s (Beatrice’s) story (“When Hope Comes Home”) at empoweringlives.org/hope.
Peter and his family’s journey is based on real people, events, and circumstances. The names and some specific details have been changed for privacy purposes.
Special thanks to Lydia Ho for her beautiful illustrations, to the incredible World Changers in Africa and around the world who dedicate their energy and resources to empowering those trapped in poverty, and to you for investing the time to learn more about how our combined efforts help others overcome generational poverty.
“Dad, look how much corn I gathered!” Peter shouted across the path. His father and grandfather were busy tending their lush corn crop as Peter ran to show them the full basket he had harvested.
“Very good, Son! You will make a great farmer someday,” his father answered with a proud smile.
Peter dreamed of working alongside his father and grandfather as they built their family farming business. And maybe someday he would have his own son to carry on the legacy.
“Dinner is ready!” they heard Mother shout from the modest house at the end of the corn field. As Peter headed home with his father and grandfather, he felt excited to be a grownup someday. His favorite thing was to rush home from school and help in the fields. Grandpa would show him how to improve the soil to ensure a healthy crop. His father would explain how to properly plant the seeds and weed the young plants to help them grow tall and strong. Working alongside these men he admired was the highlight of his day. Then they would walk the path home and share the evening meal, and finally Peter would dig into his homework.
It
was a good life—a humble life—but they had all they needed.
But when Peter reached his teen years, things changed. His grandfather passed away unexpectedly, leaving a hole in Peter’s heart. He missed working alongside his grandfather every day. And now his dad was sad too. In addition to the loss they were feeling, extended droughts happened more frequently. Over time the farm produced less corn than it had in the past.
“What do we do now, Dad? How can we keep the crop going without water?” Peter asked, feeling worried.
“That is nothing you need to concern yourself with, Peter. Go to school. I will figure this out,” his father scolded. Peter could sense that something was wrong, and his father didn’t seem to have answers. Feeling helpless Peter turned and walked the path to school.
Snapping out of his daydream, a wave of despair washed over Peter’s heart as he looked out on the dying crop. So much for my dreams, he thought. He remembered how his father started spending more time away from home as money ran short. The little he was home, he was in a drunken stupor. The smile on his mother’s face was replaced with a look of worry and sadness. Eventually, consumed with sorrow and stuck in alcoholism, Peter’s father got sick and died.
Now the dried-up field lay ominously before Peter, reminding him of his own failing dreams. As much as he wanted to be a farmer, Peter had worked hard in school so he could get a job and help his family. Over time he built a life with Leah and their five children, supporting them by working for the local city government. It wasn’t much but it put food on the table. Peter had held on to the hope that someday he would be able to farm again, dreaming of working alongside his eldest son, David.
Then, tragedy struck again. Suddenly David got sick. The doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Peter was devastated when his son passed away within a few weeks. All hope of his childhood dreams being realized drained from his heart. Just like his father, Peter began to spend most of his days away from home, numbing his pain with alcohol.
Over the next few years, Peter’s drinking grew to be a serious problem. He was fired from his job, which forced Leah to find a way to provide an income for the family. Out of desperation, she chose the dark path of brewing and selling an illegal alcohol called changa’a out of their home. The children had to leave school to help her, and still the family was barely scraping by.
One evening, Peter and a few of his friends stumbled into the yard looking for Leah to supply them with alcohol. But she was nowhere to be found.
“Where is your mother?” he harshly asked his oldest daughter, Beatrice, as he stumbled into their home.
“I’m not sure, but she should be back soon,” she answered nervously.
Peter stormed back outside and told his friends that they would need to find some other place to find a drink because his wife was gone; she had probably gotten herself arrested again.
Who knows what I’ll have to sell this time to get her out of jail, Peter angrily thought to himself as the group of men stumbled away. Little did Peter know, his wife had left to participate in a nearby training program aimed at helping women learn safer, legal ways of earning an income. Throughout this process they would also learn of God’s healing love.
A few days later, Peter walked into the yard to see that his wife had returned but looked very different: smiling, eyes bright, her blue dress clean and pressed.
What did she do?! he thought to himself.
“Uh, I hope you have not spent much money on, you know, fixing yourself up,” he blurted out as he scanned her freshened appearance. Before he could express more anger, Leah pulled him aside.
“Peter, please listen to me. Things need to change—beginning with the brewing,” she said with confidence. “I have just returned from a powerful training program where I learned new ways for us to make money safely and legally. We do not have to continue living this way. More than that, I encountered Jesus and He has changed everything, Peter. Let me tell you: we can be free from this terrible life.”
As Leah talked, Peter noticed a glow to her face and a determination in her voice—things he hadn’t seen in years. Her excitement lit an unexpected spark in his own heart for the possibilities.
But then, sadness flooded back in. Things will never change. Free from this life? Not possible. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Peter couldn’t move past his own despair.
As the weeks passed, Peter was astonished by the changes he witnessed. Leah was baking bread every day to sell at the local market and started to raise chickens. The children helped gather eggs and tend the newly growing garden.
Seeing the joy in his family as they worked together inspired Peter. He flashed back to the days of walking the pathway with his father and grandfather after working in the corn fields, content with a good day’s labor. He now recognized that same smile on his oldest daughter’s face after she had worked in the garden. Maybe it isn’t too late, Peter thought to himself. Maybe things really could change.
This spark of hope led Peter to reach out to ELI to ask what might help his own miracle break through. Letting himself dream seemed risky, but it also seemed possible.
One afternoon while lost in his thoughts, Peter didn’t notice Leah walking toward him after her day selling at the market. “Peter?” Leah called. “I have something special for you.” She handed him a new shirt.
Then she turned to their children and announced they would be able to attend school! Another glimmer of hope rushed in. As he looked at the nice fabric and thought of his children getting a real education, his thoughts echoed again, Yes, maybe our family can heal. There may be hope and freedom for us after all.
Several months after Leah’s return, some visitors from Empowering Lives International arrived to see how Leah was doing. Meanwhile, Peter was down the pathway, staring off into his dried-up field. Depression still grabbed ahold of his heart, so Peter would often turn to alcohol for comfort. Hearing footsteps, he glanced over to see a man walking toward him.
“Hello, Peter! My name is Pastor Stone. I met your wife while she was at the ELI training program earlier this year.” The men shook hands, and Peter was calmed by his kind smile.
As the conversation deepened, Peter felt he could trust the pastor. Peter shared stories of how he and his family had at one time been successful in growing beautiful corn in that same field. “I loved working hard after school—getting my hands dirty, watching the seeds turn into tall corn stalks.” He paused for a moment, sadness crossing his face. “Then my grandfather died suddenly. Not long afterward my father battled several droughts. We kept losing our crop, and then I lost my father.” Peter sighed heavily, “I dreamed of turning this into a wonderful farm with my own son, David. But I lost him too.” Peter’s old hopelessness overwhelmed him as he remembered all the pain he’d gone through—and how their future still felt so uncertain.
Sensing Peter’s distress, Pastor Stone addressed the problem at hand first. “This does look like good land,” Pastor Stone asserted. “The soil has had several years of rest and must be full of nutrients! The rains are returning soon. This might be a good time for a fresh start.”
The thought of farming it alone without David pained Peter’s heart and immediately compelled him to look for a drink. “It won’t work, Pastor Stone. You don’t understand.” Peter felt frustrated and defeated.
“Peter . . . failure, fear, loss, shame . . . I used to deal with those demons every day when I was drinking. I used alcohol to try and shut them down. But instead, the changa’a shut me down. The only way I made it out was by holding on to God for dear life. And let me tell you, He has never left me.” He continued, “God’s word in Jeremiah 29:11 says: ‘For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
“God has a plan for you, Peter, if you are willing to give yourself to Him. Every Saturday morning a meeting is held for men who want to stop drinking for the sake of themselves and their families. It’s at the same church your family attends now. You are invited to come as my personal guest.”
Hearing Pastor Stone’s story and encouragement, Peter wondered if he might actually find freedom from his despair.
A few months went by. Most weeks Peter attended the accountability meeting, which was helping him learn to release his dependence on alcohol and embrace God’s strength and plans for his life. Pastor Stone had become an excellent mentor, showing up or calling when Peter felt selfdoubt creep back in and encouraging him to take it one step at a time.
By the fourth month of Peter’s progress, he had successfully planted rows of small avocado trees with Beatrice’s help. Beatrice truly loved working alongside her father, and Peter felt a tremendous sense of gratitude having this time with her.
Since his transformation had begun, Leah had received more training from ELI and began encouraging other women to leave brewing and discover new hope in Jesus. She became part of the village’s “Team of Change,” a group ELI was equipping to reach and empower others. The impact was spreading and many community members were finding and implementing new ways to earn a living.
As Peter experienced God’s freedom, he noticed a sense of peace whenever the family was working together. Even Peter’s younger children were showing their willingness to work for the betterment of the family. When he thought back to where the family was less than a year ago, Peter felt surprised and even excited by how far they’d come.
As the school year was ending, Peter stood with his wife and younger children at the village school’s year-end assembly. His heart burst with gratitude as Beatrice was honored for the leadership she had shown. For months now she had been helping with outreach programs for community children, as well as excelling in school and helping with their family businesses. Beatrice was following in her mother’s footsteps, and all her hard work was being recognized.
Peter looked around at the crowd surrounding him. For the first time, he felt like their family had a bright future ahead. He also wondered how many other men were struggling like he had. How many fathers were missing this special day because they had lost hope?
If his wife could turn around from the destructive path she was walking and his oldest daughter could become a young leader in the community, he could change too! Although Peter was still learning and growing, he began to see how he could, with God’s help, lead other wayward men to a new place of freedom.
As the family walked home from the festivities, Peter felt excited to speak to Pastor Stone about how to mentor others in his community so they could have their own miracles.
Six months later Peter was still walking his own path of sobriety, and now he had impacted several local men caught in the tangle of addiction, helping them find healing from their pain and alcoholism. Leah’s impact continued to grow as the Team of Change was busy every week sharing knowledge and encouragement across the entire village. Moreover, her businesses were flourishing, and Peter’s avocado groves were thriving; in a few years those trees would provide immense ongoing income for the family. Peter and Leah felt truly blessed.
“Leah, how would you feel about getting baptized?” Peter asked Leah one evening as they finished up their outside chores. “I think it would be an important way to mark the miraculous journey God has brought about after so much pain and struggle.”
Throwing her arms around her husband, Leah shouted a glorious, “YES!!”
Peter’s deep love for his wife continued to grow. He thought about how far they had come in their lives. They had been so close to losing everything; now, through Leah’s determination to bring freedom to their home, God had turned things around. Out of gratitude he wanted to show her how much he loved and appreciated her. Peter had a plan . . .
A few weeks later, as the Team of Change, their church, and many community members stood around singing praises to God, Peter and Leah waded into the river with Pastor Stone to be baptized in the cool water. As they were lifted out, both felt a tremendous peace wash over them. How beautiful it was that Peter and Leah were able to use the pain and devastation of their lives to minister to others. And now they had a fresh start with their Lord.
“What a wonderful day!” Leah exclaimed to Peter.
Following a joyous community celebration, Pastor Stone walked up to Peter and asked, “Are you ready?” Leah looked confused as she glanced at her husband, who had a big grin on his face.
Turning to his wife, Peter explained, “Leah, we never had a real wedding. I think it would be another way for us to mark a new beginning.” Peter beamed with excitement over surprising his wife with this idea. “I thought we could plan a wedding ceremony. What do you think?”
Leah’s eyes filled with happy tears as she, once again, grabbed her husband into a tight hug. “Yes! I think that is a wonderful idea, Peter! Let’s go plan a wedding.”
Soon after, Peter found himself standing next to his bride, surrounded by friends and family. They had made their vows and were now enjoying the wedding celebration. He saw God’s blessings everywhere. Their children were excelling in school, excitedly pitching in at home, and becoming leaders among their peers. Leah had accomplished her dream of opening a café, and they had both discovered their callings of helping others experience true freedom in Christ.
Peter took Leah’s hand, speaking softly into her ear, “Think back just two short years ago. We were so lost.”
Leah smiled lovingly at her husband. “Yes, it was a terrible time. I think of David often. But I know he would be proud of us. God redirected the dangerous paths we traveled, and now our miracle has broken through, Peter.”
“He has carried us through,” Peter agreed. Then he remembered the Bible verse Pastor Stone shared with him all those months ago from Jeremiah. “I am so grateful for the day you found the courage to join the ELI training program— one of God’s good plans for us. He wanted to grace us with a freedom that brings us back to Him, a freedom that would take us all the way home.”
Leah nodded vigorously in agreement. “And now, Peter, we as a family are able to help empower so many other families into that same freedom, hope, and love. Praise God!”
