About us
A History of The Way Home.
God planted a heart for Africa and a burden for its tremendous orphan population in both of us when we left our USA careers in 2000 to follow His leading to Uganda.
Before our nest emptied, after our youngest of three children graduated God began to re-fill our nest by clearly calling us to adopt a two-year-old Ugandan orphan while we were missionaries there (from 2000–04) even though we were in our mid-40s at the time. After nine months of making sure this is what we were being called to do… WE OBEYED! He has brought much joy to our family.
Fast forward now, eight more years. That’s right, during our mid-50s! God again made it clear that we were to adopt our two young grandsons—at ages one and six—when our daughter could no longer care for them.
According to the order of a guiding verse in our lives (Matthew 7:7) we asked. God answered. We sought. We found purpose in what Jesus was doing in our lives through adoption. We knocked and the Lord called us back to Uganda in 2010, now with personally prepared hearts for Grandparents who are struggling to raise their own grandchildren in extremely destitute conditions.
That is the short version of HISstory of the pre-field training God accomplished in our lives that put our own kinship family in perspective quickly and rooted in us an unquenchable desire to show many other orphans and their grannies “The Way Home” just as He has shown us.
Now don’t jump to conclusions, thinking parenting young boys in our golden years and running a project in Africa is easy. It’s not. Obedience to God’s call is seldom easy, but living the dreams and plans He has for us, in the very center of His will for our lives, is the epitome of life’s fulfillment & reward. Honestly, it’s a wild ride most of the time but, with God at the helm, we’re certain we’re the family He hand-picked to do it because we just love hangin’ on for the ride with faith and great anticipation of the next turn!
The founder of TWH
We believe God Himself is the founder of The Way Home. After all, adoption and family are His idea! We are merely the co-developers He prepared and called to be His feet and hands to care for the least of these that are so close to His heart and ours. From that desire the project has grown quickly in just the first three years to already serving 55 grannies raising a combined 302 orphaned grandchildren!
To our Founder, be all the Glory!
Keeping Bio Families Together Three Ways in Uganda
We know from scripture that God loves orphans & widows and that His Word commands His followers to care for these precious children and senior saints.
Building Spiritual and Physical Foundations
- Bible teaching and application: to Granny family groups, community & Pastors
- Food Security: Biblical Worldview Farming method that increases yield up to 10 times & teaches dependence on God alone.
- Shelter: Our national team builds a sturdy brick home that will remain with the orphans after their Granny is gone
Strengthening Family
Granny-Family group weekly meetings for:
- Bible Study & Prayer
- Encouragement
- Monthly Health check-up
- Farming God’s Way follow up
- Crafts (weaving mats, necklaces)
Preparing for Futures
Biblical Worldview Training workshops for Granny Families, Pastors & Community on:
- Farming God’s Way
- God’s Heart for the Orphan
We believe that man made orphanages for Children, but God made family for children!
We prepare the widows & orphans to move from barely surviving to thriving in their future home on earth by Biblical teaching and life application in the area of preventive health, food security & shelter.
But most importantly, we prepare each one for their eternal home in heaven by teaching each woman and child to know The Way Home forever with Jesus.
Meet our family
Russ, Marcia, and their three adopted children: Joseph, Samson, and Dominick
Hometowns: Kalamazoo, MI / Traverse City, MI / Jinja, Uganda / Nasuti, Uganda
But we’re not home yet…
