Africa Recap

Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday that I sent out a last minute email to alert friends and family that I was leaving for the first of two summer trips to Africa in the morning. 4 countries, and about a month spent in East and Southern Africa later life will never be the same.  

I wanted to share a quick snapshot of the trips and could think of no better way than visually. So I waited a couple of weeks to do so. What you see below is only a snippet of all that took place. As always I look forward to sitting together in person to share more.

-sr

Food Pak ministry is the primary focus of Rethink Mercy, the church training curriculum of Children's Hunger Fund. Through Rethink Mercy Equipping, we train a network of local churches in biblical foundations and practical planning for mercy ministry.

After training, Children’s Hunger Fund provides 20 lb. boxes of non-perishable food, called Food Paks, to these churches at no cost. A team from the church takes a Food Pak and delivers it into the home of a needy family in the community.

This team will visit the family 8-12 times over the course of a few months, which opens the door for further ministry opportunities, relationship development, and gospel witness.

On our last trip we launched a new Mercy Network with Kabwata Baptist Church in Zambia. KBC has planted a number of churches in difficult areas around Lusaka. With God's help we trained 40 of their network's pastors and ministry workers and launched Food Pak ministry with 4 church plants. In this video Pastor German, and members of his church, delivered the first -of what we pray will be many Food Pak's to Sarah's home in the community of John Laing. In the video Sarah eagerly receives the Pastor's gift and immediately cooks a small meal from it -feeding her family and a number of children from her community. 

ZAMBIA: [Home Visit] Pastor German and friends walking through John Laing to deliver the first Food Pak.

ZAMBIA: [Home Visit] In route to Sarah's home

ZAMBIA: [Home Visit] Family in John Laing who asked if we would take a picture of them

ZAMBIA: The kids in John Laing had amazing personalities. 

ZAMBIA: [Home Visit] Pastor Banda was a faithful example. While we waited for Sarah to finish cooking he was engaging other people in the community with he gospel.

ZAMBIA: [Home Visit] Sarah's home

ZAMBIA: [Home Visit] Sarah was a blessing to meet. Rarely do I meet people in life let alone extreme poverty that bubble over with joy so much that it's contagious. This was one of those rare times. Pastor Banda and his team have been reaching out to Sarah and her family for 3 mos. Their testimony is that this family -though not yet believing in Christ, is one of the few who welcomes them at anytime and love to see them come bearing good news. 

ZAMBIA: [Home Visit] I was reminded that generosity isn't contingent on wealth. People who have the least often give the most (Luke 21:1-4). Sarah prepared food and shared it with children from the community. We anticipated her feeding her family.. not her neighbors. 

UGANDA: [Bible Study Methods Training] 

RWANDA: [Bible Study Methods Training] Pastor Godfrey and his wife Mercy sat front row during our training, soaking up every bit of it with joy.

RWANDA: [Bible Study Methods Training] Pastor Stanley Translated the teaching into Kinyarwanda -the heart language of the people.

RWANDA: [Food Distribution] Some of the food recipients come to an evangelistic outreach at the church and after a short bible study receive bulk food. It was a joy to serve them, getting down on our hands and knees to fill their sacks with a months supply of food.

RWANDA: [Home Visit] Anastasie is has HIV/AIDS. She was infected by her husband who died of the disease two years ago. She casually practices the Catholic religion and had not been to church though the church had been reaching out to her for a while. I was able to share the gospel with her and help her understand that Jesus is the only way to salvation and even welcomes her direct worship and prayers. 

RWANDA: [Home Visit] Sharing the good news with Anastasie

RWANDA: [Home Visit] This was surreal. After I shared the gospel with and prayed for Anastasie we prepared to leave. Just as we walked out of the door we were invited back inside. Anastasie's mom -who we're told is 100 years old, was in the room next to us was listening the entire time and wanted to say something.. "I'm blind and cant see you at all.. but I heard everything. Thank you for coming here. God spoke to me through what I heard."  I was speechless. Literally could not speak, thanked the family and walked away amazed.

funny: Once we went through our pictures we chuckled at the cloth she had draped across her. The name brands people $$$pend on are sent to the poor in East Africa as rags..  because thats what they are.

RWANDA: [Home Visit] Nakabonye is one of my heroes. Not because she thoroughly cleaned my backside after I fell down the small dirt hill leading to her home; because of her love and sacrifice. A widow with 4 children of her own she's taken in 3 more orphans like the little one pictured here. She found this little guy laying by the side of the road and took him as her own. When asked why she did it she replied: "I feel like it's a calling from God and I would want this done for me."  Before the Food Pak ministry she struggled to provide for her family, now a recipient she's feeding all of her children a balanced diet, saving money for their school fees, and has a growing piggery business to help sustain herself. She even bought a cow with the money she saved so that the infants she's taken in would have milk. 

funny: yes I fell and slid down at her feet in front of the house. yes she picked me up with one hand and dusted me off like one of her 'babies.' yes i tried to stop her. yes she slapped my hands away. yes. yes. yes.

RWANDA: [Home Visit] Nakabonye's 12 year old daughter cooked a meal for the whole family. There was so much smoke from the burning straw inside the hut that we couldn't stand it. She just smiled and laughed at us.

UGANDA: [Home Visit] Visiting this womans home challenged me a great deal. After hearing that we were coming to the village she put on her best dress and met us with a sack of freshly picked sweet potatoes from her property that weighed upwards of 50lbs and a black bag of food. She also brought out the equivalent of fine china to prepare the meal she would be serving. On our way back to the Pastor's home we asked "what's in that black bag?" A chicken. She cut the head off for us when we got there. (A chicken is typically used for income & eggs production and not frequently eaten. This was an extremely costly gift) I've never experienced such hospitality. Though she's receptive to the church's outreach her and her family do not profess to have faith.. which was hard to believe.

UGANDA: [Home Visit] Along with the Pastor's we led the family to take time to give thanks for the Lord's provision.

UGANDA: [Home Visit] This family was so excited to receive us as house guests that they washed their best dishes and laid them out on banana leaves to dry for supper.

UGANDA: [Home Visit] They gave us their best. And ate beans and rice..

ZIMBABWE: [Home Visit] This is Bishop Musakwa. He's smiling as we walked to his home to share this food box with his family. Many times the pastors themselves are supported by the Food Pak ministry. We encourage the churches to prioritize meeting the needs of their congregations..

..let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. -Gal 6:10

ZIMBABWE: [Home Visit] Bishop Musakwa's Children and a friend.

ZIMBABWE: [Home Visit] This is Patricia's home. A small hut made almost entirely of grass/straw thatching and plastic tarp. Patricia's a widow who lives a couple hours outside town on an abandoned farm land. The landowner recently gave her a pay or quit notice since she'd been able to pay him all year. The Lord met her needs and covered her rent for the entire year..

ZIMBABWE: [Home Visit] Patricia is a 37 year old single mother. She has 2 children a 15 year old daughter who has to live with and be taken care of by her brother in town, and a 21 year old son with cerebral palsy..

ZIMBABWE: [Home Visit] Eddy is Patricia's 21 year old son. 5 years ago, at 16, he was still yet to attend school, walk and talk because of his condition and weighed less than 60 lbs. Through the food and assistance Patricia received Eddy has rapidly grown, is now learning at a 7th grade level, communicates, runs and plays very well. Assistance from the church helped him gain 20 lbs and also what led him to believing in Jesus and helping his mother do the same. 

ZIMBABWE: [Home Visit] When we arrived Patricia ran inside and grabbed her bible. As I sat and listened to her story the Lord led us to meditate on Matthew 6:1-8. Reading and praying with her and Eddy was by far one of the most memorable experiences.

ZIMBABWE: [Home Visit] Patricia and Eddy are dear to my heart. As often as I think of them I pray asking God to continue strengthening their faith and providing for their needs. Shortly after we took this picture we started to leave but couldnt before Patricia inside to give us a parting a gift. A fresh head of brocoli she'd picked in someone else's field earlier.

UGANDA: [Pastor Visit] Pastor Ivan Wanda chooses to live in a poor village outside  Kampala next door the church and alongside congregants. He believes it's important to be with the people he's serving citing the humility and descending of Christ as his motivation..

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Phil 2:5-8

UGANDA: [Pastor Visit] Pastor Ivan Wanda and family

UGANDA: [Home Visit] Mr. Sentongo takes care of his 3 grandchildren living in an abandoned building. His daughter is on the streets and doesnt take care of them so he does. Mr. S was another instant hero. I wrote about him later that day on an instagram post.

UGANDA: [Home Visit] Mr. Sentongo prepared a meal for the boys while we talked about his story.

UGANDA: [Pastor Visit] Pastor Semei and his wife encouraged me in perseverance and faithfulness. Theyve been reaching out to their community for years while being violently attacked and chased away. Since the Food Pak ministry was introduced they're started being welcomed by some of the same people who used to run them off and even seen a number of people in the village come to faith.

UGANDA: [Recipient Visit] Rose is a graduate of one of the church's tailoring programs. Before entering the program she was a prostitute, selling herself just to get by. Now she takes women off the street and teaches them to sew and make clothes to sell instead of their bodies..

UGANDA: [School Visit] This is Maranatha High School -a ministry of Gaba Community Church. Gaba believes and teaches that changing the world will start with building transformational leaders for the future.  This is done through spiritual, physical, and educational development. In addition to schools they help sponsor over 8,000 kids nationwide. 

UGANDA: [School Visit] Maranatha High School

UGANDA: [School Visit] Maranatha High School