What's New{s}letter
The Downs family has returned from a six-month stay in Uganda. Although leaving was bittersweet, we are happy to have a qualified team on board to manage the day to day operations of IKOOVA. Families sent us off with a veritable feast, and the best gift a person can get in the Busoga region, a chicken! We were the grateful recipients of 5 live chickens in the days before our departure
(yes, we ate them all)!
Here we are on our layover in Amsterdam, where we got to spend a few rainy hours on a canal boat tour and warming up to a cup of coffee and Dutch pancakes!
The first class of 5 mothers and grandmothers graduated from a week-long course called Work For a Living (the urban counterpart to Farming God's Way). This course teaches business principles like record keeping, customer retention, and marketing. Most importantly, it educates people to overcome the detrimental mindsets involved in poverty, dependency, and entitlement. Students are also taught how to apply Biblical principles of excellency, honesty, integrity, and industriousness to whatever business or job they are involved in. This course marks the first step in empowering women to become self-sufficient. Taught by our friend, Jennifer, from our home church in Jinja, (Jinja Town Church-Arise Africa), students gained many new insights and ideas to apply towards their own businesses.
Bible studies have been meeting weekly. We are using the curriculum Building on Firm Foundations, created by cross-cultural missionary Trevor McIlwain, which effectively teaches God's Word through a historical and chronological approach. Not only is this curriculum practical and proven means of evangelism, it also grounds new and maturing believers in the Scriptures. As we build a good, Biblical base for how God has purposed throughout history to show us His character, His will, and His love, we pray that attendees will have ears to hear and that the Word will reap a harvest of righteousness in their lives!
Thank you so much for your continued support and your prayers! There is still much work to be done and sometimes it feels like change will never happen. But, one thing we are sure of: God called us to this work, and He certainly has a greater plan to transform the lives of the people in this community for the glory of His Name!