Urgent Prayer Request and Financial Giving Opportunity

Folks, we are in need of some prayer.

The rains in this area stopped a few months ago during the most critical point in the growing season.  The lack of rain and the heat has led to most crops failing.  About two months ago Colin sat down with our pastors and they talked about what we were facing given that folks lost their crops.  At that time Pastor Robert said that families were already down to eating just one meal a day.  Things have gotten worse since that time.

Most everyone in our village supports their family through agriculture. No one is a large-scale farmer, but has several small gardens of .25 to 1 acres in size. Families work together to care for and tend the gardens. There are very few "cash crops", so people grow "food" crops. These food crops are eaten and if there is enough left over it is sold for money, and that money goes to pay for medical care, school fees, expenses, buying other foodstuffs, clothes, and household items. In a year of drought like we are currently facing, none of the crops produce so people must resort to buying food. There is very little money to buy food, and when the little money you have must go towards food it cannot be spent on medical care and school fees - so other areas suffer. Food is expensive to buy and money is limited, so most homes are down to eating one meal per day. Things will only worsen if the drought continues and we experience more severe famine. Keep in mind that this is the final growing season before our extended dry season from Dec.-April.

The church decided that we should help the 600 families in this village. We figured that each family has on average 6 children plus at least 2 adults.  So with the number of families, we are looking at around 4800 people that are needing help. It was decried that the church should try to distribute food to each of the homes in this village. The food distributed should be enough to last the average-sized family for a month. There have been many meetings and lots of prayer over the best plan of action.  We contacted our pastor in the U.S. along with some others and told them about what was going on and what we were thinking about doing.

The response we received was great.  However, Colin and I quickly started thinking of all that could go wrong with a major food distribution.  But again, we were reminded by a couple that we admire and respect that fear is not from God.  That even though this is a huge task, God is much bigger than all of it.

So we kept moving forward.  From the financial support that we have received thus far, we had enough to buy four hundred 100kg bags of posho (maize) flour.  We are so thankful for that.  But we are lacking the funds to buy the last 200 bags.

Would you please join us in prayer for the the following:

• The families in the area that are suffering due to the failed crops.  They might be able to plant for the second rainy season, but it will be at least three months until they can harvest.  Folks here are just one or two missed rains away from losing their crops.  Almost everyone is a subsistence farmer. It leads to a sense of hopelessness and you can see it on the faces of folks.
• For the handing out of the 400 bags that we already have.  Colin and I will not be the face of the distribution, but will allow the church to handle it.  However, jealousy is a HUGE problem here.
• For the funds to come in so we can buy the last 200 bags of posho flour.  Each bag cost $40.00 USD.  
• And that God to be glorified through the whole process.  

Colin and I are so thankful for all the support we have received over the 4 + years that we have been here.  We realize that as much as we would have liked to have been stateside at this time, we know that God has kept us here for such a time as this.  And for that we are happy to serve.