Since about age 8, I’ve always wanted to go on mission to Africa.  There was a Nigerian Pastor, who my Father invited to our home for dinner after church one Sunday, that absolutely intrigued me.  From that day, my love for missions started to grow.  God placed a desire in my heart as a small child to be a missionary to Africa.  As I grew up, married and had children, God continued to grow my desire “to go”.  After becoming a nurse, my desire reached a point where I could no longer deny my calling.  Finally God allowed me to go on a mission trip to Kenya in 2006. It was a medical mission to Alale’, the bush country in northwest Kenya.  I was in love!  My heart was forever changed, Kenya had a permanent hold of my heart.– Kathy Matthews

After years of serving with a variety of ministries, the experiences taught us many lessons.  Lessons on how to run a ministry that worked really well and lessons on how NOT to run things.  Our eyes were opened, not ALL serve the ones they claim to serve.  Our goal:  is to serve God and serve others, to build God’s Kingdom and build a ministry pleasing to Him.  In a BIG way, God told my husband and I to begin a new ministry.  God made it CLEAR on what He wanted, using a flight attendant on a flight from Tennessee to Florida to deliver His message. We were blown away, having NEVER experienced anything like that before in our lives.  The attendant approached us, and prophesied over us in detail.  He somehow knew what we were involved in, He knew what I had journaled about that previous week, He answered questions that only God knew I had asked. Ahadi Academy was born, there was no denying it, there was no doubt, no turning back, no running away. Full steam ahead, not having any real plan, but knowing God was leading us step by step. God took very ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We are still watching Him unfold the story, laying out His ministry, doing it His way and in His timing – Kathy Matthews.

God began putting our team together in a supernatural way!  God brought Rebecca Rukeyser into our lives through extraordinary circumstances.  Becky (Rebecca), is Kenyan-American.  She was living near our home in Tennessee and at that time, we both had been involved in a mutual ministry in Kenya, yet not knowing each other.

Becky and I became friends, and I shared God’s vision and the flight attendant’s prophesy with her.  With Becky being Kenyan, purchasing land together became a reality in 2015. Through a series of God-orchestrated events, Wycliffe Ochieng was introduced to me and shortly after he was named Operations Director.  Ahadi Development Association was legally registered with the Kenyan government.  Ahadi Development Association is the Kenyan branch of Ahadi Empowerment Academy, USA.  God hand picked the staff and leadership of Ahadi there’s no other explanation of how we all came together.  God had given each of us unique gifts and talents and ALL combined we make a powerful Kingdom force of Christian Soldiers.