Wednesday, April 17, 2019
April Prayer Letter
Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support. We could not be here without you. Please enjoy our new prayer letter.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Creative Farmers in Toroma
By Sara:
I have been meeting with farmers in a church in Toroma, pastored by one of our friends, Moses. When we meet together, we do a Bible study and then an agriculture lesson. Recently, the group got really excited about making plans and about testing the germination rate of seeds. So they divided themselves into small groups and each group made a plan to test some of their seeds. They scheduled a time for me to come back and hear their reports.
Well, it turned out that not only did they test germination rates, but they went a step further and planted a bunch of vegetable gardens (they said "when the seeds germinated, we thought we might as well plant them"). Here is one Moses and his family put together at his house:
Another group built a raised vegetable garden because they live in a village center and wanted to protect their vegetables from the chickens, goats, and sheep who wander around.
Two of the groups came from a farther away village and so they just transported some of their container vegetable gardens to the church on their bicycles:
I definitely take no credit for these vegetable gardens since the farmers came up with the ideas all on their own. But it is very cool to see their excitement over what they accomplished and having fresh vegetables to eat at home during the dry season.
One group was really an over-achiever and came with a list of all the activities they had done together since the last time we met. I was even more pleased to see the Bible passages they had been studying as a group each time they got together.
I have been meeting with farmers in a church in Toroma, pastored by one of our friends, Moses. When we meet together, we do a Bible study and then an agriculture lesson. Recently, the group got really excited about making plans and about testing the germination rate of seeds. So they divided themselves into small groups and each group made a plan to test some of their seeds. They scheduled a time for me to come back and hear their reports.
Well, it turned out that not only did they test germination rates, but they went a step further and planted a bunch of vegetable gardens (they said "when the seeds germinated, we thought we might as well plant them"). Here is one Moses and his family put together at his house:
Another group built a raised vegetable garden because they live in a village center and wanted to protect their vegetables from the chickens, goats, and sheep who wander around.
Two of the groups came from a farther away village and so they just transported some of their container vegetable gardens to the church on their bicycles:
I definitely take no credit for these vegetable gardens since the farmers came up with the ideas all on their own. But it is very cool to see their excitement over what they accomplished and having fresh vegetables to eat at home during the dry season.
One group was really an over-achiever and came with a list of all the activities they had done together since the last time we met. I was even more pleased to see the Bible passages they had been studying as a group each time they got together.
Bible Study and Fireless Cooker in Pallisa
By Sara:
I spent a fun day in Pallisa teaching some church leaders and young people about how to make and use a fireless cooker and then taking them through some inductive Bible studies. In the morning, everyone was really skeptical about whether the beans would actually be ready later when we had only boiled them for ten minutes!
After going through a couple Bible studies as a large group, I split everyone into two smaller groups and had them each practice a study on their own.
Then we came together, and each group shared what they had learned from the passage and ways they plan to put what they learned into practice.
They did a great job and are confident in their ability to study the Bible like this with others now.
When we were done, there was the excitement of opening up the fireless cooker beans and seeing them completely ready. Everyone enjoyed eating them as lunch.
I spent a fun day in Pallisa teaching some church leaders and young people about how to make and use a fireless cooker and then taking them through some inductive Bible studies. In the morning, everyone was really skeptical about whether the beans would actually be ready later when we had only boiled them for ten minutes!
After going through a couple Bible studies as a large group, I split everyone into two smaller groups and had them each practice a study on their own.
Then we came together, and each group shared what they had learned from the passage and ways they plan to put what they learned into practice.
They did a great job and are confident in their ability to study the Bible like this with others now.
When we were done, there was the excitement of opening up the fireless cooker beans and seeing them completely ready. Everyone enjoyed eating them as lunch.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Psalm 127
By Sara:
Some recent reflections on Psalm 127.
Psalm 127 (NIV):
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
Psalm 127 (The Message):
1-2 If God doesn’t build the house,
the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn’t guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?
When I read verse 1 in The Message, I reflected on how the watchman doesn't stop watching if God is watching over the city. He still does his job. I've heard some people say that because God guards their house, there's no need for a guard (watchman), or it doesn't matter if the guard knows what he's doing or if he sleeps all night. Of course we put our trust and our safety into the hands of God. But at the same time, I also think this verse is telling us that God uses people to do his work. He is guarding the city through the watchman. Just so, he accomplishes his work in the world through us, through our small daily tasks and occupations.
Some recent reflections on Psalm 127.
Psalm 127 (NIV):
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
Psalm 127 (The Message):
1-2 If God doesn’t build the house,
the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn’t guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?
When I read verse 1 in The Message, I reflected on how the watchman doesn't stop watching if God is watching over the city. He still does his job. I've heard some people say that because God guards their house, there's no need for a guard (watchman), or it doesn't matter if the guard knows what he's doing or if he sleeps all night. Of course we put our trust and our safety into the hands of God. But at the same time, I also think this verse is telling us that God uses people to do his work. He is guarding the city through the watchman. Just so, he accomplishes his work in the world through us, through our small daily tasks and occupations.
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