Greetings in the Lord from brothers and sisters across the ocean! I have the great privilege of sharing the stories of these precious people and how God is working in and through lives in Uganda. Today I want to share our most recent victory and how provision is made for His people. This post will be filled with pictures in order to somehow convey the great joy felt and expressed by so many this past weekend.
We are rejoicing around the world at all God has done for ROWAN this Christmas season!
Praise be to God, we were able to raise more than $12,000 and give a total of 230 goats to families infected or affected by HIV/AIDS this Christmas!
We are so grateful and excited about the impact these goats will have in the lives of the people in rural Eastern Uganda.
Saturday, December 19th was the annual Christmas party in Mawanga for ROWAN and all members of its special groups. And it was an incredible time of dancing, singing, gathering together and rejoicing in the name of Jesus.
Pastor Paul Nyende, founder of ROWAN, dreamed of this day and believed that God could accomplish the task of raising enough support to purchase a goat for every orphan and every widow in our programs. And I am pleased to report that not only were we able to give each member of ROWAN a goat, we also blessed the staff and board members with a goat of their own as well.
There were over 1,000 attendees at this celebration, and there was enough food for everyone – a miracle considering the damage to crops in recent months. One of the honored guests attending was the Speaker of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, along with 30 security guards. She was amazed at all that ROWAN is doing and wants to bring ROWAN to her village! This campaign has attracted national attention and ROWAN is gaining an opportunity to share their mission and vision with many across the country.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this celebration is the potential to multiply the effect. Each individual that received a goat pledged to bring a baby goat next year to bless another family with the gift of sustainability.
That means by this time next year, 230 goats could become 460 and the following year the number could be as great as 920! That is nearly one thousand families that will gain a way to provide an income and support and feed themselves. If this trend continues it could impact Eastern Uganda in a huge way and the name of God will be glorified through it all.
On the behalf of our staff, board members and widows and orphans of ROWAN, I want to extend an extra special thank you to each person involved in bringing this dream to life. What might seem like a small sacrifice to some has now changed the life of another by bringing hope and joy to the villagers in Mawanga and surrounding communities.
Pastor Paul, the Founder and vision bearer of ROWAN said, “What once was a riddle in our minds has become reality.”
