Adili Kea, COO of SERV International, on Using Food as a Platform to Share Christ (Ep. 28)

The Finish Line Podcast

Adili Kea is the chief operations and development officer of SERV International, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that uses food as a platform to share Christ. Born in Kenya, Adili shares about experiencing poverty, hunger, and death from a young age, and about how missionaries and other nonprofit organizations helped him at different stages of growing up. He ultimately moved to the U.S. and later joined SERV International to help bring food, and more importantly, the gospel, to his home country.

SERV trains and supports farmers in Kenya to produce large volumes of food which SERV then purchases from them. The food is brought by native Kenyan missionaries to communities in Kenya and throughout Africa in need of disaster relief. Wherever they bring food, these missionaries share Christ with the people they meet. The model has allowed them to support hundreds of women farmers in Kenya, pouring funding into the local economy, and creating an impressively sustainable model where Kenyans are supporting their own community when there is need of immediate relief.

Having experienced life in Kenya and in the U.S., Adili had all sorts of perspective and stories to share on topics like why Christians in Kenya tend to live out their faith more radically and the incredible power of organizations working together towards a common goal. Listen now to hear all he had to say!

QUOTES TO REMEMBER

• “Money amplifies what is in your heart.”
• “Ministry is a lifestyle for me. It’s not going to serve. It’s not going to church.”
• “For 15 years, SERV did not fundraise. As God continued to bless Steve’s business, he continued to take his money and pour it into SERV International.
• “If you go in with Jesus as the good news, then people get attached to Jesus, not the resources that you’re bringing.”
• “Food is key to our success, but it’s not the reason we go out every day.”
• “We need to trust God’s vision more than our own.”
• “If we genuinely want to share Christ, then we should all be on the same team.”
• “I don’t need you to partner with us. I just need you to partner with somebody.”

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

• SERV International
• Revolution in World Missions, by K.P. Yohannon
• Atlanta Dream Center (now called Frontline Response)
• Convoy of Hope
• Feed the Hungry
• Unstoppable Foundation
• Mission Aviation Fellowship
• Charity Water
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

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