Practicing Ukarimu: Tedders Update

Friends Diane and Libby, out for lunch at Andre's.

Our friends Libby Tedder and Roland Tedder are getting ready to move away from KC.  It's a bittersweet time, but we're sending them off with lots of love.  Libby is very close to graduating with her MDiv, and will be moving to Montana.  Some of you know Libby as my last seminary roommate when I lived on Walrond, before Michael and I got married.  We became fast friends...fast.  Others of you may have seen her at our wedding, which she officiated.  She is a brilliant and gifted pastor.  We've shared a lot of wonderful conversations about life, ministry, and the importance of self-care (especially as it involves our cherished retreat center, Shantivanam).

Roland, her younger brother who is also attending seminary, will be moving to Kenya for the year as part of his experience with NTS's 365M program, a year-long intercultural (mission) studies experience.  He will excel at this, especially given that their family already has roots in South Africa (Libby and Roland are MKs with dual citizenship there and in the U.S.).  I have really loved getting to know this family better, and plan to continue our friendships even given the distance which separates us. 

Roland sells Michael more coffee

If you are a fan of delicious coffee, I'd encourage you to purchase some of the Kenyan coffee that Roland is selling to help pay for his trip there.  He helped select the beans, and has also partnered with Benetti's, a local coffeeshop in Raytown, to get them roasted!  Michael and I bought a bag about a couple of weeks ago, and we both loved it so much that we bought another bag last night at their going-away party.  I enjoy it even more than the Roasterie coffee we were drinking before.  Roland's coffee is named Ukarimu, which means hospitality.  If you go to the website, you can order it using Paypal and have it delivered right to your very own door, to share with friends.

Side note:  Don't think that Roland doesn't know how to pick shoes that match.  He injured his foot in a wild Ultimate Frisbee game recently, so we're praying for it to heal quickly before he heads overseas.


Speaking of sharing with friends, Michael and I owe Libby and Roland big time, because they let us come take showers at their house a while back when our water was out for a whole weekend (I'm sure our coworkers appreciated the favor).  They even fed us delicious S. African food for dinner while we were there!  All of us who live in KC will definitely miss them a ton.