Welcome to our page! We are Caleb and Rachel Darden. We met in November 2021 and got married on May 21, 2023. We have been blessed to start our marriage serving the Lord in Kenya, and we are excited to share how God called us to this wonderful country.
I, Rachel, felt called to Kenya since the beginning of sixth grade when my social studies teacher, Mr. Lineberger shared about his trip that summer. I prayed about opportunities to go and God provided! I spent 10 days in Kenya in 2010 and 5 weeks in Kenya in 2016. It still wasn’t enough. I continued to fall in love with the people and culture of this country. After the trip in 2016, God called me to teach in the States for 5 more years and that time was very special to me. I met so many people that became lifelong friends. Then, at the end of 2021, God provided a two year opportunity in Kenya starting a church, Mercy Nairobi, for people in the city of Nairobi and a transition shelter, Mercy House, for women and children. I prayed over this opportunity and God made it clear that was the path He wanted me to take. That two year commitment has finished but I wasn’t ready to leave Kenya or the ministries. So God provided an opportunity to remain in Kenya using my gift of teaching. I now work at West Nairobi School teaching kindergarten and continue to volunteer with Mercy Nairobi Church and Mercy House. I look forward to seeing how God moves for His glory in Nairobi, Kenya.
After graduating high school, I, Caleb, felt a calling to ministry, specifically working with middle or high school-aged youth. I pursued this path at Piedmont International University (PIU), intending to become a youth pastor. My time at PIU deepened my understanding of the Gospel and God’s love. However, through several internships, I realized that being a youth pastor might not put me in the path of non-Christians and I longed for the opportunity to share the Gospel. I began exploring other avenues that would allow me to interact with non-Christian youth, and teaching emerged as the answer. I transferred to the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), where I earned my teaching certification and a few degrees. It was during my time at UNCW that I first considered teaching abroad. Although I initially postponed my plans to teach abroad due to a lack of friends or family overseas, my wait ended in November 2021 when I met Rachel. The first time we met I was just finishing up Mercy Charlotte’s Mission of God Class, which equip’s and encourages members know and engage in God’s mission for the Gospel, and my relationship Rachel exposed me to firsthand accounts of the people in Kenya and their need for the Gospel, sparking my excitement for new opportunities to share the Gospel and teach in Kenya. After interviewing with West Nairobi School (WNS), I was convinced of their commitment to the Gospel and their strategic location for reaching diverse families. I am thrilled to teach the gospel to students daily. I’ve come to realize that God’s plans are far superior to my own.
We are so thankful that God called us as individuals to overseas missions before we met. Rachel’s was a country-specific calling and Caleb’s was a vocational-specific calling. God had it planned the entire time. Now we get to bring those callings together to serve him through teaching and various ministries in Nairobi, Kenya.