Though headquartered in Uganda, our ministry in East Africa started in neighboring Kenya, and our efforts in the country continue to this day. Kenyans Reuben and Ann Musaki, along with Reuben’s brother and his wife, Simon and Irene, head up our efforts there. We have been serving together for over nearly 20 years--they are more than cooperatives; they’re our brothers and sisters. This past November, my teammates and I from the US and our Ugandan cooperatives had the opportunity to visit our friends at their homes in Kenya. It was an unforgettable journey and a time of upbuilding for everyone. Following our time in Kenya, Reuben and Ann traveled back to Uganda with us for the remainder of the trip. I got the chance to talk to Reuben and Ann this past week to hear about how the time was for them, and also some updates on their work in their community. Read on to hear what they had to say. For more blogs on our work in Kenya, click the links throughout.
Q: What was the experience of our team being together in Kenya like for you?
Reuben: Wow, it was such a building time, so much that I don’t even have enough words to thank the team for coming. It was truly a restorative moment, such a blessing to all of us here.
Ann: I experienced a lot of love. It’s not an easy thing for us to work together as one region without borders. This is God’s love. I was also happy that you got to experience coming to Kenya what we experience going to Uganda. (While Ann and Irene have been to Uganda on more than one occasion, this was the first time the Ugandan women had left their country. The Kenyan women were overjoyed to share their homes with their friends.) I also thank God for enabling them (the Ugandan women) to leave their children for this time, and for Reuben and I to be able to leave our children to join you all in Uganda, and for the US team to leave their spouses and children as well. It’s not an easy thing to be apart from family, but we serve the Lord and he blesses us.
Q: While the last two harvests have been ruined by drought, this season has been marked by rains you hadn’t seen in nearly a year. How are you feeling about the harvest to come?
Reuben: This time in Kenya we have all the reasons to thank God that we have lots of green crops. We had stayed for several seasons without having rain. So it is wise to thank God for the provision of rain now. To me this is God’s blessing. We expect to have a good harvest of maize and bananas. What we are doing now is advising farmers to prepare for storage so they have food for a long time as we wait for the next season.
Ann: I thank God for his provision of the rain. We had a very difficult time during the dry season feeding the cow and the goats, but we are thanking God for answering our prayers. We have a harvest now! God is good.
Q: How are your family and friends?
Reuben: All our families are doing well now that everyone is healthy and kicking. Children have gone back to school after a long holiday of four weeks and we have good relationships with one another. Simon’s son, Amos (Reuben’s nephew), had been working in the city and has now seriously decided to join us here so we are thankful for that. Another family among us is experiencing restoration in their marriage and family as a result of responding to God’s grace and His Word. We are also still working with the community here building stoves, visiting their farms, and sharing God’s Word. We are very happy because they feel blessed through us together with you because we work together as one.
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