Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
-Galatians 6:2 (NIV)
our history
God began writing this story a long time ago, long before we ever could have imagined where it would all lead. The birth of Covenant International was on a vacation to Rapid City, South Dakota in 2020 (yes, in the peak of the pandemic). Jaye and her daughter, Kelsie, were in town visiting family and friends. Greta, Eddie and their son, Jamal, decided to stop over in Rapid City on their way home from Colorado Springs. Greta and Eddie had already been married for seven years but Jaye and Eddie had never met. Over the few days together, Jaye and Eddie talked at length about many things, but one thing that really stood out was the life Eddie experienced growing up in Liberia and how blessed he feels today to have come so far.
But let’s back up because this situation only came about because of events that unfolded years (decades?) before. Eddie, having lived through two civil wars in Liberia, graduated from high school and was working for a neighbor doing miscellaneous jobs around her house. The woman was so impressed with Eddie’s work ethic, she suggested he apply to work for Mercy Ships and also offered to help him get there financially. Eddie joined Mercy Ships March 8, 2008. On a somewhat parallel, Greta, a junior at the University of New Mexico became a resident advisor. One of her freshman students living just one door down was Jaye. They were fast friends and had a great time at college! Greta graduated two years later, and worked overseas for Young Life, and in the states with Young Life and in other roles until she finally went to nursing school (where she suspected she should have gone all along!). After nursing school and a few years of work, she applied to Mercy Ships….and you can see where that story goes! Jaye, after the five year plan at UNM, traveled in Up With People and then spent years working in various fields, pursuing missions and her master's in international community development. Her heart was to start a non-profit but beyond that was unsure what that looked like or how it would ever happen. So, when this little group all came together for the first time, in 2020, things began to click. Jaye left that little vacation thinking “maybe Eddie and I could partner to serve his community in Liberia.” And Eddie said something to that effect to Greta but it took about eight months more to start a conversation. Once they started talking, they started praying, and then Eddie introduced Jaye to his pastor, Pastor Wesley in Liberia. And quickly, came the time to put boots on the ground in January 2022. Jaye visited Pastor Wesley and friends at Covenant Ministries, Inc. (Greta and Eddie couldn’t travel due to illness). And then it all seems to have snowballed. When Jaye returned, they had a brainstorming "summit" in Minnesota and Covenant International, a 501(c)3 was born in August 2022.