Emerson Rickstrew graduated from West Texas State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in accounting and economics. He became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1971, launching a long career that gave him extensive experience working with various businesses in Texas, St. Croix, and California. Over the years, he has served as a trustee for many major businesses throughout the United States. In 1983, he established his own company and continues to serve as the CEO of Emerson K. Rickstrew, CPA—a tax, accounting, and consulting service.

Velda Rickstrew was also a successful small business owner and manager from 1981 to 2004, and later worked with the Starbucks Corporation.

The couple’s journey together began in 1969 when Emerson married Velda in Amarillo, Texas.

While Velda was already a born-again follower of Christ, Emerson made the decision to dedicate his life to Christ in 1971. Shortly after, Emerson took a job as a comptroller in California. Throughout his spiritual walk, Emerson has actively led Bible education classes and small groups for over 40 years.

While living and working in Southern California, the couple attended Saddleback Church. Their new church community and mentors helped them grow in God, preparing them for the specific ministry opportunities they were destined for. Alongside their formal church commitments, Velda has dedicated over forty years to serving as a women’s church leader. She remains a passionate host, opening their home twice a month for what many consider the very best local Bible Study group.

Velda developed extensive expertise in organizing group trips, travel, and training for Christian mission work across both America and Kenya. In 2006, the Rickstrews’ lives and ministry changed forever during a mission trip to Kenya arranged by Saddleback Church. Traveling from California with a small group—which included Pat and Kris Larkin, who have walked beside them and contributed greatly to their mission ever since—they fell in love with the Kenyan people. During this initial time in Kitale, they developed deep connections with a local orphanage, a clinic, Oasis of Hope, and a day school.

In 2010, the Rickstrew family moved from California to establish their business in Texas. That same year, they returned to Kenya to reconnect with their friends in Kitale, build new relationships, and begin a much deeper involvement in Christian and humanitarian ministries.

While based in Texas, they met Pastor Mark Jobe of Gateway Church in Southlake. Introduction to Gateway’s ongoing work in East Africa linked the Rickstrews to vital new relationships with Mission Barnabas International, Clarence Matheny Ministries, and several other networks.

To formalize their efforts, they established Crossing Boundaries, Inc., a non-profit mission. While Velda currently oversees the daily logistical details of the ministry, its core mission is threefold:

In 2011, the Don Babin Ministry introduced the Rickstrews to the Maasai tribal people living in remote regions. In 2012, utilizing funds from Gateway Church (their new home church), the Rickstrews and the Babin Ministry installed the first water well in the remote Maasai village of Kurum. Before this, the village women and children had to walk about six miles each way to fetch water. This single well drastically improved life for the local villagers and about 1,200 people living in the immediate area. Since that first project, nine additional wells have been completed, transforming the lives of many thousands of Kenyans.

Crossing Boundaries has also focused heavily on education and self-sufficiency. In 2016, they started a vocational school to teach tailoring skills in Kasarani, a slum village. In 2020, they expanded this project to provide vocational tailoring training paired with a initiative to manufacture and distribute re-usable feminine hygiene products for thousands of impoverished rural schoolgirls.

Providing fresh water wells, supplying Bibles and training materials for local pastors, and supporting orphaned street children remain deeply personal causes for Emerson and Velda Rickstrew. They view their divine calling as a mission to coordinate the efforts of multiple ministries—maximizing the positive impact they can make on both the spiritual and physical lives of the people of Kenya.