A Pre-Thanksgiving Letter

Three years ago IMFC worked in Natete. Last month Douglas revisited the area to see how some of the former Manna recipients are doing as we are planning on returning to Natete in February 2010.

Here is a report that he sent me. I thought you might enjoy reading it as well. It has certainly put me in the Thanksgiving mood. I believe it will do the same for you. Enjoy.

As we look back to see how and where we started from to gauge our impact in the communities we have worked in, the only valuable things we keep our eyes on are the people whose lives have been transformed through this ministry that God has given us and the open doors availed to us when we step into these slums with the Gospel.

Here is one of the people whose live has never been the same since we came into her neighborhood of Natete in 2006 with Manna. Her name is ‘Jaja’ Sarah Muyiiya. People here in Natete began to call her Muyiiya because of her creativity in doing small work like selling matooke peelings for market customers. Whatever they pay her for matooke peelings goes to raise a meal for the kids. She actually took potatoes and matooke for her pay.

When we came to Natete with Manna Ministry and found her, she had run out of any means to provide a meal. I visited with her last month to see how she was doing. Here she speaks out, even her words of thanks to you all for Manna.

“I never knew how life would look like. I am so glad that you people brought to us Manna. I was in such a desperate spot in my life. For I lost three daughters to AIDS/HIV and they left behind toddlers to look after. These girls of mine were not in any formal marriage relationships, so culturally and naturally the responsibility of caring for the children of the left behind is not for their biological dads.

“As a single mother of girls, it was very hard for me deal with this burden, for the needs of these kids grew every day. I needed someone to come alongside me. First to encourage me, and hold my hand and help me with feeding these kids. Food was the biggest physical need and when Manna came in, I was glad that I was found out, ministered to and helped! I even prayed to receive Jesus into my life and am born again.

“I thank you all for pointing me to Jesus; He is the one I needed all the time. Thus my spiritual need was supplied to. Many people here turn to anything including the witch doctors and there are very many here in Natete. Thank God I found Jesus! Well, He found me out and sent you to me!

“Manna has been a great blessing to my life personally and also for these kids that are left behind for me to care for.
And its a great joy in my heart to see you come back and visit me again, this tells me of how much you love us and this also confirms to me that you are really servants of God that He sent to us.

“You really prepared me well for life after the six months of food distribution. I saved money that I would have used to buy food and used it to build a toilet, which is one of those big needs. So I now have a toilet, which I am hoping will be finished soon to be useable. I also used the left over money to buy goats, which I am raising and so now we have two goats! And all these things I would never have gotten them if you had not come into Natete with Manna. Oh the kids love their goats and every time I see their smile, I give thanks to God for Manna Ministry and also my local council leader who allowed you to come and do what you did.”

Tagged as: Africa, feeding the poor, fighting hunger, fighting poverty, helping the poor, Kampala Uganda, Slums of Africa