ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Join us for a conversation about following God’s call all the way, from a Beverly Hills stockbroker’s office to a community in Nakuru, Kenya! 🌍
In this episode, Dave Hatfield, founder and president of Livingstone Global and author of I’m Not a Grasshopper, shares how he gave his life to Christ at 46, took a ten-day trip to Kenya, and never went back to his old life. He tells how a preschool of 18 children was lost, started over with $273, and now serves over 400 students. He also shares what happened when God sent him to bring peace between rival groups.
Dave walks through the founding of Maisha Mapya school, a Bible study that grew into Light and Love Church, a former bar turned coffee shop, rebuilding a team of 62 after losing nearly everyone, and his dreams for a boarding school and a restoration home for women.
Key takeaways:
* Say yes and take the next step. Dave never planned to be a missionary. He simply responded to God one step at a time, and God opened the way.
* Love means staying. Programs and meals matter, but the deepest impact came from being present through loss, betrayal, and hard seasons.
* Short-term trips form us. In Mark 4, Jesus tells the disciples to cross the lake. The point was to form them, and Dave found the same is true for anyone who goes.
* Become who God needs you to be. Dave wanted to expand sooner, but God was shaping his character first. The fruit of the Spirit grows through difficult seasons.
* Hold the work loosely. Even founders are called to make room for others. Dave’s next step of faith is learning to step back so the ministry belongs to the community.
🙏 Connect with Dave and Livingstone Global:
https://www.livingstoneglobal.org/
https://dave-hatfield.com/home/
Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome to Missions Pulse
02:00 Saved at 46: A Stockbroker Meets Jesus
03:10 All In: Taking the Whole Family Back to Kenya
05:23 An American Dream Kid and the Wrong Playbook
08:27 Why “I’m Not a Grasshopper”?
10:09 Painting a Picture of Life in Nakuru
12:39 Starting a Preschool with 18 Children
15:16 “Do It Again”: Starting Over with $273
16:45 The Girl Who Graduated from Grade Nine
18:23 “Daddy Dave”
22:44 The Missionary Who Didn’t Leave
24:54 Peace Between Rival Groups
28:22 Reading the Bible on the Steps
30:06 Light and Love Church
32:35 From a Bar to a Coffee Shop
34:05 A Peace That Passes Understanding
35:47 “Let’s Go to the Other Side of the Lake”
39:52 Formation: Becoming Like Jesus
44:29 Created in His Image
46:04 The Power of Presence
47:23 Inside Maisha Mapya School
50:41 Dreams for a Boarding School and a Restoration Home
54:05 Rebuilding: From 5 Staff to 62
55:18 A Trilogy and Learning to Step Away
57:19 How to Support Livingstone Global
1:01:30 Closing Blessing
What’s one moment from Dave’s story that stood out to you? Drop it in the comments!
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#Missions #GreatCommission #Kenya #ShortTermMissions #LivingstoneGlobal
TRANSCRIPT 🔗
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