Journey’s End

I never knew of a morning in Africa that I woke up that I was not happy.
Ernest Hemmingway

The early morning birds, warm sunshine, beautiful views, deep friendships, imminent adventure, and overarching purpose and focus in every day. How blessed we are to have spent the past 20 years in Kenya, East Africa!

Over 20 years ago we began a journey that took us to Rift Valley Academy located on the eastern escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. On that journey we have learned so much and been blessed in countless ways. There have been highs and lows; joys and sorrows. We have made amazing friends along the way and said more “good byes” then we can count. Our journey has now come to an end. We are sad to say “good bye” yet we are also excited about what lays ahead.

In the summer of 2021 we found ourselves returning to Canada from Kenya. We settled in Lethbridge, Alberta and over the past year we have sought the Lord as to what is next. Knowing clearly that God was moving us away from Rift Valley Academy, we considered other ministry possibilities within Canada and overseas. As we have prayed and processed with mentors, we have made a decision to remain in Lethbridge, Alberta. We will be finishing with Africa Inland Mission at the end of September.

New Opportunities

Though there is grief and sorrow in the “good byes”, we are excited for what is next. Already we have been thankful to be available to our parents as well as to spend time with friends and family. Todd is taking a break from teaching and working as project manager for a renovation company. He hopes to get his carpentry ticket during this time as well. Kylie is working full time at our church in Lethbridge and serving on the district board. We are also currently in the process of buying a house. We are so excited for the potential to use our home to bless others in the same way that so many of you have blessed us with your hospitality over the years.

Family Update

Ella is going into grade 10. This past year she enjoyed playing field hockey, rugby, and singing in her school’s choir. She also loved having her first experience of going off to summer camp.

Titus completed his first year of a sports management program in Windsor, Ontario and now back for his second year. He is far away but has made many friends and built great community there. He is working for his college’s marketing and sports departments.

Cassidy and Jadon just celebrated two years of marriage. Cassidy is working for Hilton Hotels in Calgary as well as finishing up her Bachelors in Hospitality and Tourism. Jadon runs his own photography and digital media business.

Thank you!

Many of you have traveled this journey with us; supporting us financially, supporting us through prayer, sending us letters and birthday cards in the mail, hosting us when we were back in Canada, and even visiting us in Kenya. We are so thankful to all of you that have played a role in the ministry of Rift Valley Academy. Thank you!

Thank you to all of you that have so faithfully stood beside us over so many years. We feel blessed to have had such a committed team that have supported us in prayer, encouragement, and with finances. “Thank you” seems too small a word to truly express our appreciation and the sacrificial giving of those things that have kept us serving all these years. AIM will finish accepting donations for us at the end of September.

This is not necessarily the end of hearing from us. We would still like to keep in contact with you through a now yearly newsletter/update. Please feel free to keep on our list of contacts. If you choose to unsubscribe from hearing from us in the future we will understand.

If you find yourself travelling through Lethbridge please look us up. We would be glad to see you again.

New contact information

Walk Down Memory Lane

We have archived much of our lives in our website over the years in pages and blog posts. We would encourage you to go to our website starting here.

If you want to read any of our 100+ blog posts and prayer letters from the past 20 years click here.

If you would like to go back and revisit the prayer cards we have had click here.

What Does Transition Look Like?

In the next week we will be moving back to Lethbridge, Alberta. After 20 years of serving at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya, East Africa, we are taking an extended home assignment (at least 2 years) to reconnect with family, friends, and what should be our home country. We are looking forward to new adventures and ministry opportunities but we are also sad to be leaving a country that we have come to love so much. We will miss Kenya very much!

Todd will be taking a break from teaching and will be doing renovation and carpentry work with a company in Lethbridge. Kylie is looking forward to taking a break from leadership and is praying about what the Lord has next. Cassidy and Jadon continue to live in Calgary where Cassidy is finishing a degree in hospitality management and working for Hilton Hotels. Titus is heading to Ontario in September to begin a sports management program at St. Clair College in Windsor. Ella will be starting grade nine and is hoping to continue playing field hockey.

We currently have a home to rent in Lethbridge and are looking for a vehicle to purchase. Getting set up again here seems a little daunting and the learning curve is high but we are seeing the Lord work in amazing ways, providing for our needs every step of the way. Finishing school, packing up and selling things, three Covid tests in ten days, flights and entering Canada with new laws, hotel quarantine, and the continuing 2-week quarantine have all gone well. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again as well as enjoying what God has for us next.

We continue to be grateful for your continued prayers and support.

Top Ten Things on Our Hearts and Minds

Covid-19 – March 2020 RVA went online with students returning to campus in January 2021. We are now at the end of term and have been thankful that the protocols in place have worked. We have kept Covid cases to a minimum with none among our boarding students. We are so thankful to the Lord! Oh, how wonderful it has been to have students around again! Please pray that we will be able to finish the entire school year in-person. Cases are on the rise here in Kenya.
Returning to Canada – July 2021, at the end of this school year, we plan to return to Canada for a home assignment. We have now been in Kenya for 20 years!
Ongoing Ministry in Kenya – Pray for those who will take over our roles at RVA. We are excited to see what God has next for them and RVA. Pray that we will be able to finish well and hand over our responsibilities with excellence.
Ongoing Ministry in Canada – What is next? We do not know! We currently plan to locate near to Todd’s parents in Calgary so we can be there for them as much as possible. We have confidence that God will provide a place to live, work for us to do, a church family, and opportunities to use our international experience for His glory. Pray that we will see the provision of the Lord. He knows our needs.
Our Children – Cassidy was married to Jadon Lichti in August 2020. They currently live in Calgary where Cassidy is studying at SAIT. Titus is graduating from high school this July 2021. He is currently planning to attend St. Clair college in Ontario. Ella is in grade 8 and doing well.
Finances – We are thankful for the support that many have shown us over the many years we have been here. Please continue to support us financially as we return to Canada for our home assignment.
Natural Wonders – Kenya is home to many incredible things. We recently visited Amboseli Park and saw so many of the nearly 2,000 elephants that live there. As well as lions, giraffe, and hyenas. It is a beautiful place.
Goodbyes & Transition – Pray for the “goodbyes” that must be said to friends in our local community, at the children’s home in Maai Mahiu, and especially at RVA which has been our primary ministry for so long now. This is a period of transition for Titus having to say goodbyes to much of what he has grown up with and known.
Re-Entering Canada in the Covid-19 era – In the past we have been able to pretty freely get on an airplane, fly to Europe, fly to Toronto, do medical appointments and a debrief, and then fly into Calgary. This process that seemed so simple in the past now has many layered complications. We do not know what to do. Pray that we will have wisdom and insight regarding Covid testing and flight time requirements, the large hotel fee upon re-entry to Canada, quarantine, getting Titus to college on time, medical appointments and a debrief, a place to go on arrival, etc.
Health – We are anxious to get back to Todd’s parents. Please pray for their health. Kylie also recently experienced some heart issues that were worrisome, but God has provided excellent medical care for us here. Pray that we will remain healthy and be able to finish well here.

Thank you so much to all of you that have stood so faithfully by our side and partnered with us all these years that we have been in Kenya. We literally could not have done this so long without your prayers, encouragement, and financial support. We are incredibly blessed!

Dubber Update June 2019

Apologies for the last attempt at sending our update and just getting a nice scenic picture of Kenya. Struggles with Mail Chimp to get our post to be delivered to you have taken a while to sort out. Please feel free to read below and hoping that things are sorted out to avoid future problems of keeping you up to date with us.

SUMMER IN CANADA – We are excited to be spending part of this coming July and August in Canada! Normally, we are in Kenya for four years and return to Canada for one year. This time though, the year in Canada would fall on Titus’ grade 12 year. Titus would love to graduate in Kenya so we are taking a shorter home assignment this summer. This will also allow us to see Cassidy whom we haven’t seen in a year. We can hardly wait!

Because the time is short, we are going to be focused mainly on family who live in both BC and Alberta. We realize that we are not going to get to see everyone but hope to see as many friends and family as we can. In case you are close by, here is where we are going to be on Sundays:

July 21 – Squamish Baptist in Squamish, BC
July 28 – Armstrong, BC
August 4 – Hawkwood Baptist in Calgary, AB
August 11 – Stettler Alliance in Stettler, AB
August 18 – Lethbridge Evangelical Free in Lethbridge, AB

STORMY TIMES – This past year and a half have definitely been the hardest we have ever experienced in ministry. The Lord has drawn us closer together as a family and taught us so much. He has been our anchor in the storm and we are thankful for this time of growth and challenge. Thank you to those of you have been praying for us. We look forward to sharing more with all of you when we are back.

CHANGES AHEAD – This school year Todd has continued to teach PE and coach field hockey and volleyball. Kylie took on the role of Assistant Superintendent at the beginning of this school year and also continued as Counseling Liaison and coached field hockey.

This coming school year, Todd will be adding Canadian Studies to his teaching schedule. We have also requested to return to dorm parenting. We have missed having this role at RVA. We are so excited to be returning to our old dorm to dorm parent grade 7 & 8 girls for the next two years. We will be moving out of the house we have lived in for the past 8 years just before we fly back to Canada this summer. Exciting times ahead!!!

Field Hockey & Volleyball

Mid-March we wrapped up a very full field hockey season. The Lord provided an assistant coach this year for Kylie who has extensive field hockey playing experience. Both of our teams did excellent this year with our highest finish in the league yet. Todd is now coaching volleyball and has a passion for seeing younger players develop in their skills and love of volleyball. Coaching is such a joy for both of us. It is an opportunity to build into our students more than just skills as well as continue to build great relationships with the coaches at other schools.

COASTAL CULTURES STUDENT TRIP – In March we were able to take a group of grade twelve students on a 10 hour drive to the coast of Kenya to learn about coastal cultures as well as meet with families who are ministering there. We were amazed at all of the people that we met and experiences that we had. In Mombasa and Malindi we learned about Islam, Swahili culture, the coast’s Portuguese history, as well as the impacts of British and Italian colonial influence.

STEVEN’S CHILDREN’S HOME – Thank you to those of you that have taken an interest in Steven’s Children’s Home. Recently Steven found a family of six children who had been abandoned by their parents. Though already having 10 children living at his home, Steven took them in until they were able to find a more permanent home for them at a larger location where they could all stay together. Through the RVA community, the Lord provided clothing, food, and a loving home for these children after such a traumatic experience. We are so thankful for Steven and his wife, Mary, who are making such a tangible impact on their community. In May, Steven was ordained as a pastor. His church is vibrant and growing. When we attend, our dance moves (or lack there of) are always challenged when all the chairs get pushed to the side and singing, worship, and dancing shake the building for an hour. What a different and inspiring experience compared to our much more traditional church upbringing. If you would like to be a part of this ministry by contributing financially please let us know.

Cassidy, Titus and Ella

This past year, Cassidy has been at Prairie College in Three Hills, Alberta doing their one-year Encounter Program as well as working at a local coffee shop. This coming school year she will be at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary, AB studying Hospitality Management. Though missing Kenya, Cassidy has had a fantastic year and we are thankful for the many friends she has made, all the things she has learned, and the great support system that the Lord has blessed her with.

Titus is in grade 10. He loves playing, watching, and following sports. We are sure he is Africa’s most faithful Calgary Flames fan. He enjoys spending time with friends, has a great sense of humour, and works hard in school.

Ella is in grade 6. She loves DIY projects, gymnastics, singing, art, and most of all – hanging out with friends. She is currently getting ready for her year-end grade 6 trip to the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. In May, Titus turned 17 and Ella turned 12. Titus is quickly catching up to Todd’s 6 feet and Ella is getting ready to pass Kylie in height very soon. We are definitely in need of clothes when we come back to Canada as they are outgrowing everything!

Financial Support

We have been truly blessed with such a faithful group of supporters. As you will know there are many life circumstances that lead to people having to change what they give. We are currently running $400/month short of what we are needing to be able to run at 100% for ministry here at RVA, providing for Cassidy’s continued education, and for living in Kenya in general. If you would like to support us please either contact us or view our web page about that here – Why You?

Thoughts from a Missionary Kid (MK)

Thought we would try something a little different and give a glimpse into life from our children’s perspective. Cassidy contributes to this prayer letter with her thoughts and experiences. She will be leaving Kenya in just a couple of days (July 18). Praises and prayers will be at the end of the post.

For those of you that don’t know me that well, my name Cassidy and in the past few months I turned 18, survived a week long camel-camping trip in Laikipia, and finished my last term at RVA. At the moment emotions seem to change within a heartbeat, leaving Kenya in just a few short days is nothing to be happy about. At the same time I am preparing to start a new chapter of life and my Guka ([Goo ka]; aka Grandpa) has come to visit and travel back with me, yay! The experiences that I have had in these last couple of years of my life leave me feeling so blessed to be surrounded by awesome friends and family. For example, the camel-camping trip. At my school, all the junior and senior students get to go on a learning trip called interim. You can chose to go to the coast of Kenya, Northern Kenya, Ethiopia, Zanzibar, Egypt, or Uganda. Then, depending on what students choose, they participate in different learning opportunities/experiences. Everyone is split up according to what they are interested in and we all get to leave school campus a week early for interim.

This year I signed up to go camping which turned into an all-girls group with amazing leaders. We took a map of Kenya and basically decided to go to a ranch, located in an area called Laikipia near Mt. Kenya, that raises camels and has a program where you ride camels to a different campsite every night for about a week. Experiences included de-worming goats, cooking supper over a camp fire, thatching roofs, teaching a class at a Kenyan elementary school and slaughtering a goat. Let’s just say I was out of my comfort zone for most of the trip. Before you ask, I did not slaughter the goat… I just drank its blood. Moving on, the trip was amazing, all the girls became such close friends and we all learned more about the beautiful country that we live in. One day while we were riding the camels, I was talking with friend when all of a sudden a cheetah came running by. Our guides thought it was a mother cheetah that was trying to protect its babies by running to distract us. Therefore we spent the next 5 minutes looking for its babies, we didn’t find them, but the cool part was that just minutes before I prayed and asked God if we could see a cheetah. I thought it would the least scary big cat to see and He answered that prayer.

Currently I am getting ready to leave RVA. I will be going to Prairie College in Three Hills, Alberta and living with my Guka and ShoSho (Grandpa and Grandma). I would really appreciate it if you would pray for a good transition for me back into Canada. My parents have decide to stay in Kenya for the next year and not come back with me. I am blessed to have an awesome extended family that will take care of me but at the same time it will be a big step to say goodbye to my Dad, Mom, and siblings. Saying goodbye to my friends will be really hard so you can be praying that we will all say goodbye well.

We are very proud of Cassidy. She has grown into a beautiful young woman and showing maturity and wisdom everyday. We are trusting that God will show her His plan for her life and guide her to be successful in every way in her future endeavours. We will be sad to have her leave our family here but are confident that she will have very good supports for her in Canada.

Prayer and Praises:

We are so thankful for committed financial and prayer supporters. We cannot express just how grateful we are to know that there is such a faithful team of people with us participating in this ministry. We praise God for the provisions He has given and thank you for giving.
Please pray for the ability to pay for Cassidy’s education. She has desires and ambitions which we trust are from God and know that she will be blessed by His provision in her life as well. We have saved in an education savings plan but it will definitely not provide for all that she will need.
Kylie has transitioned into a new job here at RVA. She has been Dean of Women for several years here but has now been asked to fill the role of Assistant Superintendent. She has been gifted in amazing ways and wants to see the staff at RVA develop their gifts and talents to make this place even better. Please pray that Kylie will be wise in this position and that God will continue to use her as He has in the past.

Dubber 2017 Christmas Letter Infographic

We are glad to be partnered with you in ministry here at RVA. It has been an eventful year so we thought that we would give a glimpse into what we experienced with an infographic. In the next several updates we will be doing a “Dubber Kids Series”. Each of our children will be given an opportunity to post an update through their eyes. Hopefully you will find it interesting.

We trust that you, your family and church community are well. Thanks to those who have sent cards, letters, and greetings from Canada. We are blessed. We pray that the next year reveals more of how God is sovereign in each of our lives.

[embeddoc url=”https://thedubberfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/009eb-dubber-2017-christmas-letter-infographic.pdf” download=”all”]

Dubber Update – Christmas Edition

It is hard to imagine how much more full four months can get but working here at RVA continues to show us that four months can fly by with every day full of exciting possibilities. It has been good to be back so let us fill you in with some of what has been happening with us. We will include prayer and praise requests at the end of this update.

Both Todd and Kylie continue in their roles of teaching P.E. and being the Dean of Women as well as coaching extracurricular sports. Cassidy, Titus and Ella continue their roles of being students in grade 11, 8, and 4. They would say that school here is tough but they are all doing well. Cassidy is taking on some leadership roles in her class as well which is neat to see her developing her skills in.

After spending the year in Canada and getting involved in several things there and being “busy” we realized when we got back and into life again here that we had not lived for the past year at the same intensity as we experience here at RVA. There are always things to do, people to meet with, students to teach, activities to be planned, go to and be involved in. Life is full here with not as much “down time” as we had in Canada. We find that we even if we had access to TV shows here we just would not be able to sit and watch like we did when we were back in Canada. However, we do miss that ability to watch those favourite shows as well. The culture of RVA revolves around interacting with people much more than we get used to in Canada.

We also have the privilege of interacting with so many people from so many different cultures. It can be challenging but it also makes us better people in realizing that there are so many other ways people live in the world around us. Every year we celebrate our multicultural mosaic and do fun activities on what is a Kenyan holiday during our school term. It gives a glimpse into what it is like to be created with different ideas, values and ways of thinking but ultimately recognize that we are all created equally and accepted unconditionally by a loving God. Todd gets to organize a 5Km run during this day as well. He is always amazed at how fast people are finishing 5Km at 7,000 ft in 20 minutes.Pinewood Derby is a highlight event for many of the students in the school. This is where the RVA culture and wood meld into a fun expression of creativity. Students and staff work at creating the best engineered, most creative, most unique or fastest car to run down the 50′ track. It is an exciting day that ends with awards that the students celebrate their achievement with. We have made a car in the event for the past 13 years and now have many cars to show off. Here are the Dubber creations for this year in the back and from years past.

Todd and Kylie attended the Global Leadership Summit event held in Nairobi. We attended for the first time in Lethbridge last year with approximately 300 people. This year we decided to go again and registered for the one in Nairobi. Little did we know that there would be about 2000 people there. Most of them were Kenyans as well which was such an encouraging thing to experience and know that there are so may people who are developing their leadership skills in this country.

We recently mourned the loss of a Kenyan family member here. Mary, who we have known for a very long time, lost her husband suddenly to a stroke. He was 68 years old. We have done a lot with this family from helping them put gutters and a water tank up to catch rain water to supporting them with finances to help take care of homeless children. We attended the funeral which was a different experience for us but we learned a lot about how death is handled in Kenyan society. Many people were there and many groups presented songs and spoke. We were so thankful that he had accepted the Lord in 2014 and are at peace that he is with his Lord and Saviour in heaven.

Looking ahead to the next school term both Todd and Kylie will be coaching Field Hockey. Kylie has been coaching the varsity field hockey team for several years now. Coaching the Junior Varsity team will be a new venture for Todd who, ironically enough, became the first “trained” Field Hockey coach in Alberta under the National Coaching Certification Program in Canada. We are looking forward to working together in this sport program and developing student athletes to do their best.

We have to remember that this is a Christmas Edition update. Hard to do that here when this is the “summer” season here below the equator and temperatures are in the high twenties and low thirties. We do have a Christmas tree which helps us remember that we are getting closer to celebrating the birth of our Saviour.

We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Prayer and Praise:

We are grateful that our vehicle in Canada sold and we were able to use the funds from the sale to pay for repairs to our vehicle in Kenya. God is good.
We have a lot of good staff to work with at RVA. We appreciate what God is doing in the hearts of people who come here to invest in the lives of the students.
Please pray for the student body as many are influenced by things of the world. Pray that we as staff will meet them where they are at and that they will make appropriate choices so that everyone can live in community.
Please pray that we will start into the second term of school well rested and ready to engage with the students coming.
Please pray for Mary and her family as they mourn the loss of her husband. It will be a different aspect of life for them.

Dubbers in Kenya

We would like to let you know that we have safely arrived in Kenya after the marathon 20 hours of travel which included several movies, a few TV shows, attempts at a few hours of sleep, four airline meals at very odd hours of our “day”, and all of our luggage arriving with us at Jomo Kenyatta Airport. We are now at Rift Valley Academy working on breaking our Canadian circadian rhythm and now in pretty serious jet lag. So waking up at 2:00am allows for us to send a quick update. We jump right into life here with Kylie involved in in-service with new staff starting on Thursday. First impression of arriving into Nairobi is that even though it has been a year there has been much change. We are excited about being here at this time and anticipate that God will have us involved in many different things that will teach us more about Him.

We need to share the highlight of the trip. After landing in Nairobi on a 747 at 9:30pm we just made a casual request which to our great surprise and delight was granted. What do you think? Any future airline pilots here?We are so grateful for your partnership with us in this ministry. Please continue to pray for us as we spend the new couple of weeks getting settled before school starts. We will be getting into a more regular routine of giving full updates every three months so be sure to keep your eyes open for those.

Financial Support Update

We headed out on the road to B.C. from Calgary last Sunday not knowing what was in store for us. As of last week, we were in need of $150 more per month. The fact is, from last April we were in need of $1,200/month. An amount that could have held us back from heading back to RVA in time for the next school year. An amount that seemed insurmountable and only God knew how He was going to provide. We have seen yet again just how faithful God is in providing for us. It is with grateful hearts that we thank God that we are fully supported at this time and able to purchase tickets to head back to RVA Aug. 5! We are excited to be going back for another term of service and look forward to what God has in store for us. Thank you Lord and thank you church for partnering with us in such a way that we pray will further advance the Gospel among the people of the world.

Please continue to pray for us as we go through this transition again. It was just a short year ago that we pulled up our tent pegs to come back here. Please pray that we will be wise with our packing. Pray that we will communicate well with each other as we are living and traveling closely together these next weeks. Pray that we will have good times with family as we say goodbyes.

On the Move Again

We are just less than one month away from the plan of boarding an airplane and returning to Kenya and Rift Valley Academy. We have moved from Lethbridge with an excellent last Sunday at the Evangelical Free Church. We are so very thankful for the welcome and care that we experienced in Lethbridge this year. When we left Kenya last July we did not anticipate what God had in store for us. We found that God had prepared our time with so many incredible opportunities that we were so blessed by. We give praise to God for our time to reconnect with our friends in Lethbridge.

We start into the next month of transition again with plans to attend the Calgary Stampede, head out on a road trip to visit family, churches, and supporters in BC, and then packing at the end of July to be able get to the airport and on that airplane again to arrive back to continue the ministry at RVA.

We believe that God is calling us to return to RVA to continue our ministry there. Our hope and prayer is that we’ll return August 2, 2016 so that we can prepare for a new school year and our children can start their new school year on time.

We will have a number of things to get done before then but a matter of urgent concern is our financial support. At present, we still need $400/month in commitments before we will be permitted to return. Africa Inland Mission’s (AIM’s) desire is that we have adequate resources for living expenses, our children’s schooling costs (which increase as they get older), RRSP contributions, health insurance, etc. The devaluation of the Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar has reduced our buying power in Kenya and our financial needs have increased as a result.

Would you consider joining our financial support team? If you are already giving, would you consider increasing your commitment? In order for the AIM Canada office to grant our Financial Clearance on July 15 they need to know about new pledges for support by then. Please call the office at 416-751-6077 or click on this link, Giving, to make your commitment before the Financial Clearance deadline.

We understand the financial challenges that many in Canada are facing. Please don’t feel any obligation or guilt if you’re not able to help out. God is the giver and He chooses to work through His people. We want to echo the words of Paul when he writes to the Philippian church. Philippians 4:10-20 expresses his thanks to the church for their financial help. In verse 17 he says, “Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.” If you are able to partner with us financially we would be deeply grateful. If you aren’t able to, please consider praying specifically each day for this need for the next two weeks.

We are stepping out in faith knowing that God will provide for this need. We plan to give another update by July 18th with how God has provided for this next term of service. With grateful hearts – The Dubbers.