Gerberich family embarks on a mission
by Noell Wolfgram Evans
Opportunity, whether sought or given, drives many of the choices that we make. For the Gerberich family, it drove them to pick up and move to Africa.
Katie and Joel Gerberich, and their daughter Eden Taylor, packed up in March and moved to live amongst the Ndengereko people in Tanzania as part of a long-term mission opportunity. The Gerberiches, members of Montrose Zion United Methodist Church on Cleveland-Massillon Road, are making this mission trip as part of a team from Africa Inland Missions. While it’s not their first mission excursion, it will certainly be their longest to date. Joel estimates that their time in-country could last between 6 and 8 years.
“It seems like a long time,” Joel admitted, “but so much at the beginning is spent in intensive training, learning the culture, learning the language. If we were there for a shorter period it would feel like so much of the time was just getting ready. This is a good way for us to build a strong foundation which will hopefully lead to a lot of success.”
Joel and Katie will be the first members of their eventual six-member (adult) team to arrive in the village located on the southern coast of Tanzania. “I think what we’re maybe most excited about is just to get there and see what daily life is like,” Joel said.
The couple’s website states that the Ndengereko people are subsistence farmers, growing maize, rice, cashews and sesame. They practice Islam interwoven with animistic traditions.
Joel, a Revere alumnus, met his wife Katie in college and the two immediately connected. In 2020, after graduating, Joel took an extended mission trip to South Sudan. That connection with Katie never wavered and in 2022 when he returned home, the two were married. The couple then undertook several U.S.-based, short-term missions but in the back of their minds, they always knew a trip like this was coming, said Joel.
“We just kept seeing this need,” Joel explained, “and we reached the point in our lives that we were willing to put our ‘yes’ on the table.”
“We both have seen the [spiritual] gap between people who have access to the Gospels in their own language in a culturally-appropriate manner, and those who don’t,” Joel shared.
He said that mission work being done today sits under the shadow of the concerning actions of the past. To combat this, AIM members take a more “relationship-based” approach centered around first understanding the native customs, culture and language, and then sharing the Gospels through relational exercises.
Katie and Joel had several “match-making, sort of ‘get-to-know-you’” calls with AIM team leaders in multiple regions to determine where to go on their mission. AIM has been engaged in missionary work for over 125 years and has active teams in over 20 nations in Africa.
“We wanted to make sure that wherever we went, it would provide a sustainable lifestyle for our family,” Joel said. It was a particularly relevant decision because they are expecting their second child in June.
Said Joel, “The whole vision with AIM is to become a community, to join in with the culture.” Katie and Joel are on their mission to spread the Gospels, but are also excited about what other opportunities exist for them to make a difference.
“Katie is a physician’s assistant,” Joel said, “so she is wondering if there will be an opportunity to teach medicine. I’m looking forward to seeing if there will be an opportunity to engage with sports activities as a ministry or if there is any business involvement.”
The Gerberich’s excitement for their journey is slightly tempered with a bit of trepidation.
“All you ever dream or think of is life in the Western part of the world. And when you’re here everything makes sense. It’s been really hard to envision what daily life will be like there,” Joel said. “We are definitely going to miss the convenience of living here, but we plan to spend a lot of our time upfront really getting to know our new community.”
They saw photos and had numerous discussions with their team leaders in the region and the regional team found a house for Joel and Katie that is fit for a growing family. While they knew where it was in the village, they were anxious to discover how it fit within the broader community. And with a newborn coming quickly, they were particularly excited to find the local medical center and connect with the appropriate medical practitioners.
The uncertainty in their new venture made it difficult to know what to bring. While Joel (briefly) considered taking a suitcase full of Galley Boys burgers from Swenson’s, they opted for lots of kids toys and baby items. It’s an understandable decision. But tucked in amongst the diapers and board books are a few touches of home – their Christmas decorations.You can follow Joel, Katie and Eden on their journey at joelandkatiegerb.wordpress.com.
Photo caption: Joel and Katie Gerberich, along with their daughter Eden Taylor, left Ohio in March to live in Tanzania as part of their work through African Inland Missions. Also pictured is Joel during one of his previous mission trips to South Sudan. Photos submitted