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Jackson & Liz Kariuki
Jackson's grandfather was a polygamist and a strict traditional Kikuyu elder who lived in the dawn of the missionary influence on native tribes in Kenya. Most of the tribal values and customs were passed on to family members through stories, poetry, songs, and dance. Asked about his childhood, he reports that, the modern world did not exist in his village. The luxury of paved roads, running water, electricity, bathrooms, grocery stores, and automobiles were beyond reach. However, he notes that the community was closely bound together through family rituals and strong traditional taboos. When asked about a typical day in his life as a child in the village, he indicated that tending sheep and goats in the open plains, fetching water, gathering firewood was a common routine.
Like most children in his village, Jackson had to walk for many miles to the nearest school. In his day, education was a luxury for the wealthy, little has changed even with the disputed free education program introduced a few years ago. It was not uncommon for most children to stay home and learn a trade from their parents or uncles. Most parents considered it a success if their children graduated from the Elementary school.
The painful struggles of living through poverty, starvation, and disease formed his foundational search for the purpose and meaning in life. With many questions and very few answers, he was determined to rise above the repetitious cycle of desperation, poverty, and traditional ethnic taboos. In his search for meaning, Jackson had a spiritual encounter that would eventually shape his philosophy of life. He describes the conversion to Christianity as comparative to joining a new tribe. Only in this new experience, the demands of the deity were seasoned with grace, mercy, and love.
 In his late teenage years, Jackson benefited from a rare opportunity. The late Arch-Bishop Benson Idahosa invited him to study at All Nations For Christ Bible Institute in Benin City, Nigeria. While there, he trained and served for two years with the Church of God Mission International. The late Arch-Bishop Benson Idahosa commissioned him into the ministry by ordaining him on the eve of his graduation. Jackson returned to Kenya seasoned and equipped for ministry. In the following years, he served as a national representative for the Idahosa World Outreach in Kenya. Worked with the Nairobi Ministers Association, and managed Better Life Ministries project in Kibera slums.
Concerning his love life, he describes it as mostly a spiritual affair more than just a romantic expedition. The search for a soul mate was as important as his religious life, meeting Liz brought this search to an end. After 17 years of marriage, they are very satisfied with both the present and long term prospects of their relationship.
Jackson is a graduate of Philadelphia Biblical University, Lancaster Bible College, and Evangelical Theology School. He began his doctoral studies at Oral Roberts University and later transferred to the Pentecostal Theological Seminary in Cleveland, Tennessee. With the growing instability in Africa, Jackson seeks to focus his Doctoral studies on Ethno-Political Violence in Kenya, and hopes to construct a "Prophetic Paradigm for Peace Building in an Ethno-politically Fragmented Society".
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