How we met
We’re Isaiah and Judith, though most people online know us as Baba Jimmy and Mama Jimmy. I moved to Kenya with my family when I was twelve and spent more than twelve years working as a missionary in East Africa, especially Kenya. Judith’s brother translated for my dad, which is how our families got to know each other.
We spent a lot of time together, both when I came to visit and at church. We also played football, and Judith will happily tell you she was much better at it. As we got to know each other, eventually we began thinking about marriage.
Our first years as a family
Our wedding was pretty simple. We got married at an overnight prayer meeting, and my mom baked the cake. We didn’t have a big wedding, but we were ready to be married and begin our life together in Kenya.
Later we welcomed Jimmy and then Cynthia, and we had plenty to learn about being parents. There were difficult days, but also a lot of funny moments that we still talk about. Jimmy wasn’t much for sleeping as a baby, so we remember those nights pretty well. We had family helping us along the way too. My mom brought Judith meals and helped with things at home, and we’re still grateful for the care she showed us during those years.
Making our home in Kentucky
In 2024, we moved to Kentucky after several years of working through the process of getting a visa. Even when we were close to leaving, we still weren’t sure whether all four of us would be able to travel together. There was a lot of waiting, paperwork and prayer, and family and friends helped us along the way. We’ve shared the longer story in our videos, because there was quite a bit more to it than packing our bags and getting on a plane.
Since then, we’ve been making our home here and sharing some of that part of our life online. The kids have had new things to try, and we’ve enjoyed being near family. Kenya is still a big part of who we are, and we continue to go back.
The family you’ve come to know online
We started sharing videos on TikTok while we were living in Kenya, and things took off almost overnight. Before we knew it, we were trending in Kenya and a lot of people were getting to know us as Baba Jimmy and Mama Jimmy. It was a surprise to have so many people interested in our family, and some of you have been following us since those early videos.
After we moved to America, we began sharing more on YouTube. That gave us room for longer videos and a chance to tell more of our story. These days we share a lot of our everyday life, and we’re glad so many of you have stayed with us along the way.
Social media links
A look at our family business
Carrier Family Crafts is our family business, and we make our pieces here at home in Kentucky. If you know us through our videos, this might be something you haven’t seen much of yet. I do the designing, printing and sewing, and Judith helps show what the finished pieces look like in our home and helps with sales.
A lot of what we make comes from our connection to Africa. The geometric Africa wall art is one example, and we also work with colorful African fabrics for our pillowcases and stretched cloth decorations. We enjoy trying other designs too, so there’s room for the business to grow as we work on new ideas. If you’d like to support our family business, have a look at our products!
Explore our products