Sister Acts

I am speaking at a Women’s Spring Conference this Saturday, April 14th at 1:30 pm in St. Paul, MN.  Already over 1,000 have pre-registered.  Let’s get real!  This is a lot of women!  There will probably be more women at this thing than the population of my entire hometown.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are NOT coming because of me.  They are coming because the other speaker is famous.  He is known around the world.  I am sure that this guy is the draw- but I will take it!  I am grateful for any means that God uses to give me a chance to share what He has put on my heart with as many women as possible. God sure does work in mysterious ways, doesn’t He?

So here is another bit of honesty.  I am a little scared.  I know you might not believe it, but it is true.  Yes, I do enjoy public speaking and I have done my fair share, but rarely in front of a group of this size.  And if you know me at all, you know I would rather be in my deerstand with my rifle by my side in the near tamarack swamp than in the cities at a ladies event with 1,000 women.

I have been thinking about women and what God wants to do in their lives so much in the last two weeks that I am almost feel like I am having an “out of body” experience.  I need God’s help if I am going to connect with so many women from so many walks of life.  Only God can do it, and I know it.  So PRAY!!!  OK?  PRAY PLEASE!!!  God is definitely stretching me with this one!

As I have been preparing, one movie has been playing over and over again in my mind.  And I am not even speaking on it. So I thought I could at least use this blog to run some thoughts by you. The movie Sister Act was one of my favorites. I loved how Delores, aka Sister Mary Clarence, breathed fun and joy and life into stuffy people, dry programs, and rigid religion. Under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Sister Mary Clarence helped her sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovered her own.  The movie is definitely a shining tribute to the universal power of friendship between women.  Sister Act is a reason to rejoice in what can happen when girls embrace what God can do in and through them when they become fully alive!

This is the source of my inspiration for a new move of God that I can see happening among ladies of all ages in churches across America.  I can see women and girls responding to the needs of others as they are mobilized in practical  ways to participate in “Sister Acts” of compassion.  I see sisters being freed from the bondages of poverty, disease, famine, war, and injustice all over the world.  I see burdens being lifted from our sisters’ shoulders and minds being freed from years of anxieties. I see sisters experiencing hope, joy, laughter, dance, and a new song… all because women and girls around the world are following the challenge of the Bible to “open our arms to the poor and extend our hands to the needy.”

Sister Act also had an amazing sound track.  The music was certainly one of the reasons why it was a box office hit and enjoyed such great success all over the world.  If nothing else, I loved the movie simply for the music.

One of my favorite songs was, I Will Follow Him.  Here are just some of the lyrics from that hit:

I will follow him/Follow him wherever he may go/And near him I always will be /For nothing can keep me away He is my destiny

I will follow him/ Ever since he touched my heart I knew/ There isn’t an ocean too deep/ A mountain so high it can keep /Keep me away /Away from his love

We will follow him/ Follow him wherever he may go/ There isn’t an ocean too deep/ A mountain so high it can keep/ Keep us away/Away from his love

Another hit single from the movie was, If My Sister’s in Trouble. Here are the words of the chorus:

If my sister’s in trouble/ I will always help her out/ If my sister’s in trouble/ I will turn the world around/ I will fight for her right/ No matter where the trouble seems to lie / If my sister’s in trouble so am I/ If my sister’s in trouble so am I/ So am I

So my dear sisters reading this blog… are you tracking with me?  Are you on the same page and the same score singing the same song?  God simply wants to touch our hearts so we can experience the depths of His love for us personally. Out of that love, He wants us to follow Him wherever He may lead us. He wants us to find our destiny in Him by serving others who desperately need a touch of His love in their lives.

I am also firmly convinced that our sisters around the world are in deep trouble. I have been thinking about this for years as I have traveled extensively in so many different nations. I have seen firsthand the plight of women in third world countries.  The day-to-day grind of poverty is relentless. What are simple tasks in our lives are all consuming from sun up to sun down in theirs.  Life-threatening diseases are “normal” day-to-day occurrences.  Moms kneel on the ground by the tiny gravesides of their babies weeping uncontrollably for lack of $1.75 for malaria meds. Families eat beans and rice nearly everyday because it is all they have or all they can afford.

The good news is that we can change the lives of women just like this all over the world through simple acts of kindness.  I am convinced that part of following Jesus is loving our sisters.  It is part of our destiny.  It doesn’t take a lot to dramatically change a woman’s life and her family forever.  Just think… $1.75 can save a baby’s life!  All it will take is simple acts of kindness- woman to woman, girl to girl, teenager to teenager, young woman to young woman, grandma to grandma. We cannot do everything, but each of us can do something. What idea is God putting in your heart?  What sister acts can you do to make a difference in the world?

Are you in?  Do you want to take this journey with me?  Then come on… let’s get together and see where God takes us.  We can do it!  It’s time for Sister Acts!

(Now if only we had the $231,605,150 that the movie grossed in theaters… just think what we could do to show love to our sisters around the world!)

Mission Accomplished

Our team of five from Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are finally home from our trip to Uganda. It has taken awhile to recover and have time to catch up on the blog so we can fill you in on some of the unforgettable stories we experienced.

Through the faithful partnership of so many individuals and churches we were able to: launch two new Bible schools in northern Uganda and South Sudan; distribute 160 audio solar players in four different languages; open up nearly 100 more acres of land for the farmers this growing season; help train 85 people on how to run successful small businesses; provide new kitchen stoves for 75 women; begin family gardens by providing garden tools and ten varieties of vegetable seeds for 60 families; minister in several churches and ministry organizations; and bring healing and hope to those who were hospitalized.

Please take some time to go through the blog and read the stories that are of particular interest to you. Click on the tabs at the top of the blog for more information about this ministry, answers to possible questions you may have, and ways you can get involved. This is a new blog so please do me a favor and share it with your friends too.

Thanks for allowing us to share our trip to Uganda with you.

And thanks so much for your prayers. They made a world of difference!

I Love to Tell The Story

One of my favorite parts of our mission trip to Uganda was the times I had an opportunity to minister by telling a story. Now you might be thinking, “I thought this was a mission trip? And you told stories?”  Keep reading and I think you will understand.

What’s one of your favorite stories? Can you think of a good story you’ve heard, a great book you’ve read, one of your favorite movies that you’ve seen? Do you still remember some of your favorite childhood stories? Now try to think of a couple of good statistics you’ve heard in the last few weeks.

Which one came easiest?

Nine times out of ten, it’s the story. Stories stick in your head- many times for years.

There’s a lot of attention around content now. Relevant content. Compelling content. Engaging content. And tons of posts on techniques – how to spin the content, how to write powerful headlines and so on. But if you have noticed, the trend of even corporate America is to capture the attention of the consumer with a well-crafted story.

Stories are more powerful today than ever. Why?

• We are drowning in information overload. Good stories cut through the noise and grab us.
• Personal stories feel “real” versus abstract concepts, statistics, or logical arguments.
• Stories capture people on an emotional level, creating a deeper more intimate bond.
• Stories are memorable. People forget facts but remember stories. We identify with stories.

Hands down the greatest story-teller who ever lived was Jesus. He had this fascinating ability to capture a crowd and hold them in the palm of His hand all day long with story after story. And then he had this uncanny ability to ask those penetrating questions at precisely the right moment that leave people speechless and have them discussing the stories with each other for days afterwards.

That is why one of my favorite things to do in ministry is Bible story-telling.  I love to tell His stories. Even more than just telling the stories in the Bible…I love to train others how to be effective Bible story-tellers. When I was in Uganda, when given a chance to preach or teach, I usually told a Bible story. Then I would spend time deeply discussing the story with the people…drawing them into the story through a series of engaging, thought-provoking questions that helped them to discover the truths in God’s Word for themselves. I used this method in Sunday morning church, women’s groups, the farmer’s co-op, and at the women’s prison in Gulu.

The response all over the world is the same. People become captivated and transformed by the power of His stories. That is why I am hooked on this method and can say without a doubt, “I love to tell the story…particularly His story!” (Check out Tiffany’s testimony on how one of the story times impacted her life on our trip. See her February 21^st blog entitled, “A Heart Condition.”)

“The Church That Could”

I love children’s books. One of my favorite books is entitled, “The Little Engine That Could.” In the book, a stranded train is unable to find an engine willing to take it up and over difficult terrain to its destination. Only the little blue engine is willing to try, and persistently tells itself over and over, “I think I can, I think I can,” which helps him overcome a seemingly impossible task.

The story reminds me of our little church just outside the Internally Displaced People’s Camp (IDP) of Unyama. This camp was started because of the insanity of a war that began in northern Uganda in 1986. This was a bizarre war led by rebel leader, Joseph Kony, who abducted children from their homes to be used as child soldiers. Unyama was one of many camps in the north where the people were forced to go to, supposedly to be a place of refuge and safety from Kony.

I visited Unyama for the first time in 2006. When I stepped out of my jeep into this surreal place I met a wonderful, elderly Ugandan gentleman named Sabina and his wife of a lifetime, Josephine. It would be impossible to describe what this elderly couple must have endured in their lives. Sabino spoke a little broken English, so after a little while I asked him if he was a Christian. “Yes, Ma’am, I sure am,” he replied. Next I asked him if there was any place in Unyama where the believers could gather to worship.

He took me to a long, narrow hut about 5 ft tall with one door and no windows. It was about 50 ft long and 20 ft wide. It was made of a mixture of cow manure, mud, sand, and grass for a thatched roof. I asked Sabino, “Have you ever dreamed of a nicer church where you could worship God?” He replied, “I have often prayed and asked God if there was somehow that He could make this dream possible.”

I returned home and went to Pennsylvania to speak at a Women’s Spring Retreat in 2006 for Christian Fellowship Church in New Holland. The women were so moved by the stories of Unyama that they “passed the hat.” The generosity of this small group of women was enough to build a brand new church for the people of Unyama. Today the church building sits on a beautiful setting on a hilltop overlooking the now peaceful countryside. There are about 100 people who gather on Sunday mornings for worship.

And that’s not all. Since 2006, this little church that has suffered so much has planted two more churches. I spoke to Pastor Willy and he said, “Our goal is to plant a church a year for the next 5 years in villages that are being re-established as people leave the Unyama IDP camp to go back to their land.”

The Unyama Church is certainly an example of the little church that could!  They are a reminder to us all that with God all things are possible.

Unyama Church Building

 

Hell’s Kitchen

Aspiring young chefs are put to the ultimate challenge in Hell’s Kitchen, a reality television competition starring world-renowned chef, Gordon Ramsay. Chef Ramsay demands quality, and the intensity of the challenges is beyond anything the contestants can ever imagine.

But if you think Ramsey’s kitchen is “hell”, you haven’t seen anything yet! What Ramsey and company need is a trip to northern Uganda, or just about any other third world country to see what the average woman goes through every day just to put food on the table…that is if they even have a table! Days begin at the crack of dawn where most women have to walk for miles to carry water for their family. Many of them walk long distances to the forest to gather a pile of sticks which they carry on their heads back to their mud hut.  They make a fire to cook on their crude, inefficient stoves which emit enough smoke to choke up a chain smoker!

I have seen way too many of these scenarios on my trips around the world. I have cried several times just thinking about the hell a woman goes through every day just so her family can eat.  This time, I was determined to do something about this problem. After a lot of research and comparison shopping on simple stoves for the poor, I came across the remarkable Ugastove.

More than 98 % of Ugandans rely on charcoal or firewood as their fuel source for cooking. But there have been problems from the severe deforestation in Uganda due to coal consumption and the unhealthy amounts of smoke emissions. Health issues are a grave concern, especially for the women and small children who spend so much time in the tiny mud huts inhaling the dangerous fumes.

The Ugastove seemed to be an answer to both problems. It has been tested by organizations in both the United States and Switzerland for fuel consumption and emissions. It passed with flying colors after rigorous tests proved that it used about 50% less charcoal or wood and cut dangerous emissions down to practically nothing because of the highly efficient way it burned the charcoal and/or wood.

Reduced charcoal consumption, subsequent financial savings and health benefits for families using Ugastoves have proven to be substantial.  According to tests and reports, an average-sized family using a Ugastove can expect to saving about $80 USD per year.  Not bad when the average annual income is about $400!

I was sold! So we purchased 75 Ugastoves directly from the factory in Kampala. They sold them to us at the wholesale price and delivered them to Gulu for free, which is about a six hour drive if the traffic is good, which is next to never. We were thrilled…and so were the families who got the stoves. We gave one to each of the 40 farm families that are part of the Alingi Farmer’s Co-op and 21 additional stoves to Momma Molly and the Jewelry Gals. The additional 14 were given to needy families that we met along our journey.

“All of the ladies absolutely love their new stove, ” Momma Molly said when I spoke to her recently.  “This is a far better stove than the ones they have used in the past,” she went on to say.  “It uses so little charcoal. Each of the ladies has been going through a 120 lb sack of charcoal every month, but the sack they bought this month is not even half empty. They told me to tell you, ‘Thanks for everything you did for us when you were here. But especially thank you for the new Ugastove that is making our lives so much easier.’”

You can purchase a Ugastove that will go to help a needy woman cook for her family for only $10. If you would like to help us end “Hell’s Kitchen” for the women in northern Uganda, simply send your gift to Bless Africa/Ugastove. Click on the Give tab for more details. For that price, why not get some of your friends together and buy a truckload!

Ugastoves

Malaria, Mosquito Nets, & Meds

We had just finished a three hour Sunday service at the Unyama church.  At the end of the service, a young mom came forward with a very sick little girl and asked Pastor Willy to pray for her.  He lifted her up in his arms toward heaven and asked God to heal her.  As we left the church I asked the young, concerned mom if she knew what was wrong with her precious daughter.  She replied, “Yes, she has malaria.”  I asked her if she had the money to get the medicine that would cure her.  She said, “No, I don’t have any money to get the medicine.”  I immediately reached into my pocket to give her the money she needed. Cost of the medicine to save her baby’s life- $1.75.

On another day, we sat under the tree with Momma Molly’s jewelry girls. A good chunk of our time together was spent simply getting acquainted with each other. I love asking questions to better understand the daily lives and the challenges of the people that I want to help.  As we talked, it became apparent that malaria was a deep concern for all of the women. This deadly virus is carried by tiny mosquitoes.  But one small bite can quickly terminate a life.  In fact, three of them had buried their small children for lack of a mosquito net or the meds necessary to counteract the deadly bite.  Cost of a treated mosquito net-$5.00.

Malaria is endemic in Uganda accounting for 25-40% of outpatient visits to health facilities and nearly half of inpatient pediatric deaths.  Malaria kills a child in Africa every 30 seconds and nearly one million people each year worldwide. About 3.3 billion people are at risk for malaria and that’s nearly half of the world population.  According to global reports, 85% of malaria deaths in Africa are children under 5 years of age.  Another high risk population is pregnant women.

Anyone who is a mom of an infant or toddler can identify with the deep concern a momma feels when her child is sick.  But few moms in America have stood at the graveside of their child for a lack of five bucks for a mosquito net or $1.75 for medicine! It is heart-breaking, gut wrenching, unthinkable!

Our efforts were admittedly small.  They were a mere drop in an endless sea of need.  However, we acted immediately with what we saw.  The lady at church received the money she needed to get the medicine to save her baby’s life.  As for Momma Molly’s girls?  We bought treated mosquito nets for all their kids under five- there were 22 of them.  With rainy season just around the corner, these moms can have a little more peace of mind knowing that their sweet little kids will be sleeping more securely under the safety of a treated mosquito net.

If you have toddlers to tuck in tonight… please remember these kids in your prayers. Going to sleep isn’t as safe for all the children of the world.

How Will They Hear?

This was a trip intentionally filled with the clear message that God is building His Kingdom with the people of northern Uganda and South Sudan. I am a firm believer that the Gospel Jesus taught and modeled was both the Good News of proclamation and the Good News of demonstration. His ministry was not only the Great Commission; it was also the Great Commandment. He did not just say, “God loves you!” He demonstrated God’s love for the people by acts of kindness and compassion. He preached good news to the poor. He delivered people from oppression. He healed the sick. And he brought comfort to the broken-hearted.

But faith almost always starts by hearing. The Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Hearing the Word is absolutely essential for the people of northern Uganda and South Sudan. The vast majority of them cannot read. Because of decades of war, most people have been deprived the right to an education. So illiteracy is unusually high in both of these countries. Many of them will never have the privilege of reading a Bible. There is also a big shortage of well trained pastors to lead them.

The Apostle Paul was right when he said, “How can they believe in the one of whom they have never heard?” So that begs the question, “What can we do to make sure more people in Uganda and South Sudan have the chance to hear of God’s love in their own language?”

That is why we made a decision to partner with The God’s Story Project and give people a chance to hear the Gospel through this wonderful tool. God’s Story is really a series of 18 Bible stories chain-linked in chronological order from Genesis to Revelation. It gives the listener a panoramic overview of Scripture. It clearly reveals the “big picture” theme of Scripture that God has always had a plan to save the world and provide a way for people to be in relationship with Him.

These stories are made available for people living in remote places of the world through a wonderful audio solar player. There is no need for batteries or electricity because the power of the sun keeps them fully charged. We think it is an amazing way to answer the question that the Apostle Paul asked, “How can they believe in the one of whom they have never heard.” Over 2 billion people in the world have never clearly heard the Good News of Jesus love for them. But now through the marvelous gift of technology, those who have been cut off from the Gospel can have a chance to hear!! How cool is that!

So we made a serious investment and spent $3,000 on solar players to bring to Uganda and South Sudan in the 4 primary languages that the people speak. Each solar player cost about $20 so we had nearly 150 players to distribute between our partners. South Sudan is an especially tough place so our partners, Robert and Justin, received about 100 players. The rest of the players for Uganda were divided between our farmers, Momma Molly’s jewelry ladies, Pastor Willy and the church in Unyama, and Pastor Martin’s church in Gulu.

Each of the audio player coordinators is responsible for the distribution of the players and tracking the results to see how many people listen to the stories and how many decide to follow Jesus as a result of hearing the Gospel through this creative, cost efficient method. We can hardly wait to hear the reports and pass them on to you.

Sharing the God's Story in Acholi

Congolese Refugees

When I was in Gulu in 2009, I met a group of women who had fled the horrible conditions of the Congo to seek refuge in of all places, northern Uganda. They left with the clothes on their back, their small children, and if they were lucky… a few meager earthly belongings.

It was quite a bit like the expression of “jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.” They found themselves in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language and with no means of getting a job. So their vulnerable situation was exploited and they were forced into the one universal means of “employment,” sex trafficking. It was a horrible, degrading, life-threatening way to make a living. But at least it could put one meal of rice and beans in the bellies of their hungry children everyday.

That is the situation that I found them in three years ago. I will never forget their squatter, slum like conditions in one of the worst parts of town. Pastor Martin brought me there to share the love of God. I told them the story of the woman in the Bible who had “lived a very sinful life.” Yet, when hearing that Jesus was having dinner at the home of the Pharisee, she risked it all to go and lavish her love on Jesus anointing His feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, and pouring her expensive perfume on them. (Luke 7:36-50)

The conversation went on for a long time as the women discussed this story. In some ways, they understood the woman in the story. But many of them did not understand Jesus because most of them had never heard about Him or the different kind of love He had for women. Several of them gave their lives to Jesus that day three years ago.

And now, here I was in front of them again! But this time it was not in the “seedy part of town” but rather in church on a Sunday morning! Wow, what a change Jesus brings! Most of the Congolese women know Jesus now. They are attending Martin’s church. A wonderful Kenyan couple are serving as their pastors and are helping them to grow in their faith, find jobs or get vocational training, and get the medical treatment they need for the HIV virus they acquired when forced into the sex industry.

God is good. The Congolese women have a new life. Their future is hopeful.  All because of Jesus.

Unforgettable Joyce

Her unforgettable smile 🙂

I met Joyce on the side of the road while on my way to Gulu to run some errands. Joyce was wearing  tattered, filthy rags as clothes and selling dirty used water bottles to try to earn a living. Although her outer appearance was enough to draw my attention, it was the sight of her leg that grabbed me.

During a recent epilepsy attack, Joyce had fallen into a fire which resulted in severe burns on her leg. Flies were crawling in her open wound. Needless to say, infection had set in. The pain looked unbearable. I grimaced at the sight of it and had to turn away to keep from throwing up.

Obviously, Joyce needed medical care. Let me just say this, if you think America needs Health Care Reform, you should see the health care facilities of northern Uganda!! Count your many blessings!  I assure you, what Tiffany and I experienced in the hospitals of Gulu could be another entire blog!  I flagged down a motorcycle (boda) driver who acted as my ambulance and together we managed to get Joyce to a clinic for some initial emergency medical treatment. They cleaned her wound, bandaged it, and gave her some antibiotics along with a referral to Gulu Referral Regional Hospital. She might as well been given a referral to hell!

At first, Joyce was admitted to the Mental Health Unit.  It’s a crazy place! About 16 patients were all crammed into one bare, dirty, smelly room which was about 16 ft x 16 ft. Beds were nearly on top of each other. What few supplies they had, were horded and guarded under their beds which consisted of crude metal frames topped with a black plastic-covered mattress.

The hospital staff do NOTHING except administer occasional drugs, which most of the time a caregiver had to pay for or the patient would receive no medical help. The caregivers are expected to stay at the hospital with their loved one and do literally everything- buy the food at the local market, cook their meals, bathe them, do their laundry, and keep their area clean. Most of these caregivers are mommas with other children and responsibilities at home as well. So they just try to juggle two very stressful worlds at one time. It gives a whole new meaning to the expression, “Just suck it up!” These caregivers are expected to suck up way more than any human being ever should. But this is the only world they know. Sad, isn’t it?

What really blew my mind was that the Mental Unit would ONLY treat Joyce’s epilepsy, which they saw as a mental illness, but would do nothing for her burn!! Can you believe it? Evidently they figured if they just kept all the patients on drugs they could ignore the other glaring issues that obviously needed medical attention.

I was furious! This was simply unacceptable. So I went to the unit everyday fighting furiously as an advocate for Joyce. I insisted that she be transferred to the intensive unit or surgical ward to get proper treatment for her burned, infected leg. After two long days of seeing several different hospital staff in both wards, and going through what appeared to be Uganda’s own version of “red tape” she was finally transferred.

Although, I came to see Joyce nearly everyday, I hired another lady at the hospital to care for her daily needs. She made sure that Joyce was fed, bathed, and had her bandages changed everyday. I went to town to buy food, get Joyce a new wardrobe with some decent clothes, and purchase all the drugs and medical supplies that she would need when she was discharged.

Joyce was discharged the same day our team returned to Kampala to fly home. I hired two bodas (motorcycles) to bring her back to her village. One was for her and the other was for a doctor who told me he would personally take her home and help explain the importance of ongoing care to her immediate family. I hope that Joyce has a full recovery. I pray she won’t have any more bouts with epilepsy.

After my experience with Joyce, the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible has taken on a whole new meaning. Gulu sure could use several hundred more Good Samaritans. ( See Luke 10:25-33)

Me, Joyce, and Dr. Nelson

Farm Day

Not all missionairies have farming on their agenda, but this missionary does.  Hunger is a global reality, and famine is a death sentence.  Relief is a necessity at times, but is not the long term solution to hunger.  Agriculturual development, however, is a solution. 

We have probably all heard the the expression “give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.”  At one time, Uganda was considered the Pearl of Africa with fertile farmland providing food all over the continent.  If it happened before, it can happen again now.  Forty years of conflict, war, and corrupt government has made it nearly impossible to farm.  But it’s time to learn again.  Ugandan farmers need to be re-educated in agricultural development, they need to experience the dignity that comes from tilling the land, feeding their family, and receiving an income that allows them to expand.

As many know, farmers are not afraid of putting in a long days work.  The farmers in our Alingi Farmers Co-Op are no exception.  We are currently helping 40 families (totalling 320 people) resettle their land, build their homes, and farm again after more than years of war.  So far, we have opened up about 160 acres of land, purchased several teams of oxen, provided seeds and farming tools, and hired an agricultural consultant to provide much needed advice  on the best farming practices currently used in Uganda. 

This year we stepped it up a notch- 2012 is our third year of providing assistance and it’s our desire that this would be our break through year.  We decided to kick off the year with a “Farmer’s Co-Op Day” at the local church that the farmers built for their community.  You shoulda been there!  There really are no words to describe the day.  For me it was definitely the highlight of the trip.  We celebrated, we sang and danced, everyone shared bits of history, the leaders of the Co-Op spoke, Russ gave a great message and two of the farmers were saved, and last but not least, we presented gifts of encouragement for their hard work in starting all over again.  The Bible says “do not despise the day of small beginnings.”  These farmers have come out of IDP/refugee camps and have literally started with nothing. 

Our gifts to them included…
-opening up nearly 100 acres of new land
-purchasing four irrigation pedal pump systems
-ten different vegetable seeds and essential garden tools to start gardens for every family
-food pantry items
-a new local kitchen stove and jerry can for carrying water for each family
-solar audio players with God Stories on them

…all totaling nearly $7000.  

Needless to say the farmers were thrilled.  You should have seen their faces of joy and gratitude as they received their gifts! They promised me they would work hard to make it the best year ever.  They do believe this will be their year of break-through.  At the end of the day, they gave me three gifts.  A new dress, two handwoven baskets, and a new name.  I was now one of them.  Although I look different on the outside, farming unites  our hearts and makes us one.  My new name is Aber, meaning “the best.”  I thanked them, but gently reminded them Aber is not the best, Jesus is.  The day and our joint partnership was only possible because of the Name above all names. 

Their church, their "Home of Possibility"

Sharing from the Word of God, Pastor Richard interpreting

Acholi dancers celebrating

the presentation of gifts