Equipping

One of the goals of ROWAN is to equip and empower the people by giving them basic tools and then let them run with it! :) It is as though you are placing HOPE in their hands..and HOPE does not disappoint.

One of the current programs on the ground is our Savings and Loan Program. Our local staff teach and train groups of women, men, and caretakers. Throughout numerous meetings and discussion sessions, the group selects a leader, they decide rules, fees, and how they would like the program to work. As I listened to Sam and Christopher teach, I watched this group begin to take ownership of the tools they were given. They developed a vision for themselves as they established the foundation of how to be good stewards of their finances. There was an excitement coming from each individual as this program was being set in place! 

What a joy for me to witness the first steps of what 

will make a huge impact in the lives of these people! 

Here's a little clip of Christopher on our Savings and Loan Program..

...He’s still Faithful

words from a woman who is bearing so much on her shoulders. a woman who has lost her husband. A women living with HIV/AIDS. A women trying to raise kids of her own…still says that He is faithful! A women who works in her garden every day to try and make ends meet. A woman who has a growth on her neck that causes additional pain to what she is already dealing with….still says He is faithful! A woman who just had 5 MORE children abandoned to her from another lady who didn’t want her own children with HIV/AIDS…still says that He is faithful! a woman who met jesus for the first time just a year ago. A woman who gives sacrificially and puts others before herself. A woman who stands strong amidst the storms and trials…still boldly proclaims that her Lord Jesus, her Father in Heaven…is FAITHFUL & GOOD!

Meet my beloved HADIJAH. One of the many widows ROWAN is ministering to. Her situation is like so many others. the loss of her husband. disease stricken with HIV/AIDS. becoming the main caregiver. the task of maintaining the garden production to make ends meet. It’s a daunting cycle and reality of so many people. And just when you may think you have heard enough, there seems to be more…

As I sat with hadijah in her house, I couldn’t bear it any longer. I broke. I couldn’t keep the tears from falling. I began weeping in her presence. several faces looked towards me in confusion of why I was crying. Fighting through the tears, I finally got words out, saying, “I understand a little of the pain. I understand how much it hurts to loose a family member. To be left to figure out life. To try and make sense of it all and to try and keep going every day.” (i just couldn't quite grasp the idea of the only parent i had left, disowning me because I was sick). Hadijah, though, has welcomed these additional children in with loving arms and with full assurance that God will take care of ALL of them. 

as we sat together crying, she continued to say...

"though there is so much, HE IS STILL FAITHFUL AND GOOD!"

a video below...

(I was encouraged to make a little personal video of my visit. This is the first one I've ever done so bear with me! :) Also, in case you were wondering...AMAKA is a new program through ROWAN by bridging the gap even more to the people in Mawanga. As you become a member, you become a part of our family..which is in fact the meaning of AMAKA) 

Enjoy...

The garden is growing!

With the passion fruits only being planted a few months ago, they are beginning to produce fruit! J I feel so blessed to have been there from the beginning of this new project with digging holes, to planting, to now seeing the vines growing with fruit. It's a beautiful illustration of how we may have a part in planting a spiritual seed, having someone else water and nurture it, but then watching God grow it, mature it, and transform it!  I’m telling you, if you look, you will Jesus in EVERYTHING!

the first fruits of the garden!

            

I sat down with Christopher and John (local ROWAN staff) to get a full update on the garden. We went through the pros and cons of it all. To be honest, I couldn’t help but see the progression since the last time I was in Mawanga; however, the staff saw what was lacking and still needed. Once I understood the status, I then felt what they felt. They are trying so hard to make things happen for the production of this garden, but when funds are lacking, there’s only so much to do. And if things don’t happen soon, the passion fruit project will not make it. You see here’s the situation…they have some poles for the vines to climb, but what they are up against is the ants and termites! They are EVERYWHERE on the poles. So what they NEED is ant spray to kill them off. In addition to the spray, they need more poles and wire to finish out the garden and do it right. :) There is a need for approximately 300 poles and about 100 meters of wire. To walk among the garden and see it with my own eyes, I can only imagine what our staff and our widows who planted the passion fruits are feeling every time they look out over their garden. In a way, it represents HOPE for them. They are putting all they have into making this work and by being there, I am only challenged more to wrap my arms around them and carry them through it! We have to! I believe God calls us to! 

Please be praying for the garden and how you can stand with them! 

Passion Fruit Garden

This is the remaining area of the garden that still needs poles and wire!

standing in the gap...

my feet are muddy…

that is what happens when it rains in the village. the dirt roads become pure mud. you can slip, get stuck, and add layers to your feet or the shoes you are wearing. it’s impossible to keep your feet clean when you’re in the village. you can bathe and scrub, but there the mud leaves a red stain on your feet showing a sign that you have been in the village. showing you have walked the roads, the streets, and been with the people. it’s something that i love as a reminder of where i have been...and even where i will frequently walk!

as i walk the roads, see the faces of the children, greet the adults…i find myself embracing each aspect of the village more and more. it’s something that i can’t quite find words to describe but i feel it more and more rising inside of me each time i'm in mawanga. the love i have for that place, for the people, for the HOPE that is present, continues to spill out of my heart. more tears are being shed. more emotions are being tapped into. more heartbreaking stories being told. it’s the place where i’m at. in the mud. with the people. bearing the heaviness. the hardship. the unrelenting struggle every day. but i’m humbled to be in that very place. standing in the gap. HOPING alongside the people of mawanga and the surrounding villages….

...more to come