William's "boots on the ground"

The Foundations Eswatini station at Malkerns Research station has continued to attract many people. The man on the ground Sabelo has done well to make it shine in Eswatini. The first training at Malkerns was done in January where 25 youths were trained in farming and finance. They all marveled at the standards displayed at the demonstration field and the level of excellency. So, thankful that the minister of Finance paid a visit with the minister of Agriculture.

I was privileged to attend ECHO East Africa symposium in Bujumbura Burundi organized by ECHO and Hope International. Amongst many speakers and innovations, the sense of partnership and collaboration for God’s glory was my highlight. I was able to share the Pfumvudza concept in one of the breakout sessions and many could not believe some of my pictures from various stewardship centres as they thought I used AI. I was able to share my presentation with Murungwa who was able to share what they have done with Pfumvudza in Burundi and their hope for Burundi. After Murungwa spoke many were eager to hear their story.

I ended my Burundi trip with a visit to the families Donna and Murungwa serve. I was brought to tears as I heard testimonies of how God has transformed their lives, from being the forgotten people who relied on food aid, now they can feed themselves. One lady said with a big smile, “I could not think we could feed our families one day, I always thought we will be begging for the rest of our lives” Hope, dignity and self-worth has been restored. God has clothed them with a garment of praise instead of mourning. Seeing the joy during the Pfumvudza harvesting seems to dim all the challenges and problems Burundi is facing. I was so delighted. The fuel crises and other problems in Burundi fades away. I was reminded of the song turn your eyes upon Jesus…. Yes it is possible to be a well-watered garden in a sun scorched land and God gives peace that surpasses human understanding.

Darryl and I were privileged to visit and serve Father’s Heart Farming Foundation in Jinja, Uganda. Rene and Karine from the Netherlands have done well to support Jonathan and the team’s vision for their nation. Though small, they have a big vision for their community and nation. We were able to help them put their dreams on paper and help them design their demonstration training centre. We had an opportunity to play the Money map with their team and they were grateful for this opportunity. As we played the game one lady wished if her husband was there as she realize the importance of these financial principle she learnt during the game.