Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

Peace be with you from our Lord Jesus Christ as we celebrate his resurrection! We, in Africa, are very grateful for your support to the ministry that we are doing together in a world torn by violence, insecurity and many more challenges. At some moments we felt shaken when we had to face challenges such as Covid-19, droughts in some parts of the continent. and now the ongoing wars in DR Congo and Sudan. Despite those moments of uncertainty, we are happy to declare: “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12)

We were almost in tears when our beneficiaries of the Embu Food Security project in Kenya had to face two consecutive dry seasons whereby, they didn’t harvest anything after using so much energy and all their seeds. This year, rain seems to be abundant and regular. The farmers are looking forward to a very fruitful harvest. To mitigate the effects of droughts, farmers have adopted the system of vertical gardens which use less water and a smaller space. For that purpose, they try to harvest every drop of water from the few rains that come during the short rainy season.

Our farmers from Edeni Yacu (Our Eden) food security in Rwanda have been making good progress since the project started. The only challenge they faced was the recent hurricane which destroyed many houses and damaged crops. Farmers have adopted the system of composting to prepare organic fertilizers under the supervision of lead farmers.

In South Sudan, farmers are always facing the challenges of floods during the rainy season. With the food security project, they have understood that they can also farm during the dry season provided that they select drought resistant crops or short-lasting crops that need little water such as tomatoes and vegetables.

Elizabeth and I are very grateful for the grace God continues to grant us. For the first time in many years, we were able to celebrate Christmas and New Year as a full family together with our children, their partners (wives/husband) and their children. Despite our growing age, Elisabeth and I are still very committed to our work, she with her patients and I with my farmers. Our first daughter, Zawadi, is currently specializing in paediatric surgery in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. As for the youngest one, Victor, he managed to get a job and he has whispered his wish to get married before the end of this year. That is the focus of our prayers for this year.

We need prayers for the prevailing situation of insecurity which affects our working areas in DR Congo. Some areas have been unreachable for almost one year. In other areas, churches have been closed since the war started. Thousands of people, including pastors and church members, had to leave their homes and fields on which they depended to seek refuge in IDP camps around Goma without assistance. Despite announcements about the withdrawal of rebels, Goma is still cut from other territories and rural areas which normally provide food for the city.

The outbreak of fighting in Sudan also affects our partners in South Sudan, some of whom have close relatives in Sudan. This instability affects the socio-economic life in South Sudan, whose economy still depends on exchange of commodities with Sudan.

Finally, on a personal note, I need prayer for my last son, who is engaging in the process of creating his own family so that he and his beloved future wife may be a source of blessing for the entire family.

Thank you very much for your support to our ministry. The support you are giving is bringing back smiles on people’s faces and hope in their hearts. Only God is able to pay you back according to His promise and for the glory of His name.