In the aftermath of the 1917 Revolution, Jacob and Justina Friesen started their family in Ischalka, Samara, Russia, enduring the turmoil and terror of the disastrous civil war and the famine that followed. This ordinary Christian family, leaving behind home, loved ones, culture, and all that was familiar, and, as pilgrims, fled from their motherland in search of a better home in western Canada.

This is the story of a young man growing in self-awareness, struggling with a sense of divine call. It leads to a romance in which he finds his significant other. Together they form a team, finding direction and committing themselves to lives of service in God’s kingdom.

A young missionary family finds their determined selfless efforts to bring about spiritual and economic transformation in Ethiopia’s feudal society challenged by family costs and forces of political revolution, forcing them to withdraw, leaving the results to God. Decades later, they realize God has transformed their “seeds” into a “mighty forest.”

Accompanied by their two youngest teenage daughters, the author and his companion leave behind a comfortable life in Canada and move to Kenya. They make their home in Ogwedhi, a village on the boundary between South Nyanza and the Trans Mara Region of Rift Valley Province.