First Things Foundation

Congratulations to new Field Worker Tuba Kök for already summiting her first volcano with and friends! Such a beautiful place. 🌋🇬🇹

Big update from Nguabu, Sierra Leone 🇸🇱🚰

“Thanks to Former Field Worker Seth Levine’s hard work in fundraising for this community, we have officially handed over this water well to the Nguabu village today. We appointed a chairman, hygiene officer, maintenance officer and a treasurer during the handover today. And I drank from it too!” -

Thanks to Field Workers Hassan and Isaac for keeping us updated on the beautiful things that happen because of your support. Help us keep this mission alive: first-things.org/support

May 1st was “Worker’s Day” in Mozambique! Our Field Workers feasted on goat, beans, rice, and cake as they celebrated at Deep Roots Farm. 🇲🇿

Photos by Field Workers and Sarah Mather

Join me in wishing a warm welcome to our new Field Worker, Tuba Kök!! She joins Sebastian, Ozzy, and Liam in Guatemala, and we can’t wait to see what she gets into. 🇬🇹

“Tuba was born and raised in Turkey and has mostly lived and traveled overseas. From 2014 to 2017, she worked as a homeroom teacher and volunteered with children from war refugee families in southeastern Turkey before leaving the profession to begin a very long journey. During this journey, mainly in Asia, she cycled from Thailand to Japan. Over the years, she has also lived in Spain, Thailand, Ecuador, and Tajikistan, supporting herself mainly by teaching English. Much of her life on the road has been slow and simple. She often camped outdoors or spent nights in temples, mosques, and churches along the way. Some days and nights passed in deep silence, far from towns or people, where she simply kept moving forward and left herself to the road. Beyond cycling, she has completed solo long-distance hikes in the Himalayas of Nepal, on Sri Lanka’s Pekoe Trail, and on the Lycian Way in Turkey. Teaching remained her main work, though over the years she also supported herself through outdoor guidance and translation. Having spent much of her adult life traveling slowly, often by bicycle, and living in developing regions, she developed a strong interest in working closely with communities and contributing to projects that create tangible change. By the age of 35, when her path crossed with the FTF, she knew she had found people made of the same fabric.”

“April 7th was Mozambique Women’s Day. It is a national holiday with no school, no work, and a whole lot of celebration. We attended the official ceremony at the town square in the morning which included placing small flowers onto a floral altar and greeting the female leaders of the village. Afterwards, there was dancing and other cultural events at the community center. Traditionally, families or groups of friends will dress in matching outfits.”

You may be wondering, wasn’t International Women’s Day March 8th? Yes it was—that’s the international holiday—but April 7th is also about honoring the life and legacy of Josina Machel, a prominent liberation struggle activist who died on this day in 1971. The day celebrates the achievements of women and their role in the nation’s development.

—photos and quote from Field Worker Sarah Mather

Our Field Workers really love mountain journeys! It makes sense. I can’t imagine a better way to get to know the land, the people, and their stories. Thanks to Hassan and Isaac for sharing their adventures in Sweet Salone with us! 🇸🇱

“The 🗻 is called Mamba Mountain. It is a holy mountain near Kailahun. We had to get permission from the local chief to climb, as well as a couple guides, which turned into half the village coming with us (most barefoot or in sliders). During the war, refugees hid in the caves on the mountain, and it’s said that whenever soldiers tried to climb the mountain, they would be bitten by snakes.”

-photos and quote from Field Worker

Announcing…Art of Tamada 2026! Save the date for a really special time in Florida! Let’s come together for a worthy cause and grow as tamadas and as humans.