The Next Most Good & Reasonable Thing. . .
In college, in the mountain valley of the great San Juans, I joined a young adult community through my church. We met Monday evenings for a few hours, taking over the living space of our pastors' quaint house. We met for nearly a year, then the bustle of life and the magnetic pull of people elsewhere dissolved our group. But it was there that I unearthed my deepest friendships. And it was there that a kind girl, wholly invested in ministry and youth, spoke words shared by her hometown pastor – the words were simple, a daily encouragement for the unknown and a practical application for ministry:
Do the next most good and reasonable thing.
AUGUST UPDATE
Good morning my beloved friends and family! It is in the coolness of a misty morning that I sit to write an update of August to you. The months have been savory. The rain has arrived, the land has revived, and our laundry has failed to dry for the past three days. We chuckle at our rain-soaked clothes because we know, even still, this is God’s sweet mercy. In the middle of August, all schools throughout Uganda began a three-week break between terms. With the children out of school and the arrival of rain, our weeks have been filled with sowing. It is a gift to walk and work alongside one another, a family hand in hand, all holding value and purpose. As some dig the small holes, the others drop seedlings – three, four, five at a time. Without the work of one, the work of the other fails. My daily joy in planting season, as I walk through the hills of gardens to sow the maize and the beans, is to throw a few extra seeds in the most peculiar places. My curiosity wins when I wonder if the tiniest seed of them all will root and grow. And my innocence prays that each one lands on fertile soil, yet the unknown prevails: I will never know for certain which of the seeds I have sown will root and grow. But my hope remains in the One who knows. Jesus speaks of the parable of seeds sown – some by the wayside, some on the stony places, some among the thorns, and some on good ground which yield crop. Jesus explains the parable to His disciples and Matthew 13:23 says, “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” And so often we read the parable as it relates to the seed – where it was dropped and if it will be fruitful, but what about the One who sows? “So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7), for we know salvation belongs to the LORD. And even as workers of the harvest, in the places and people and conversations that plant and sow seeds, we will never know of that which falls on the good ground. But we need not ask the question, for our hope is well kept in the Gardener of our souls.
As November approaches and Acram and I continue to prepare our hearts and minds to transition, new leaders are being equipped to fill the gaps and ensure a smooth shift in responsibilities and roles.
Mrs. Elizabeth Kyasmire Kosa, the wife to Pastor Micheal and previously the school accountant, is stepping into Acram's role as the Managing Director on ground in Uganda. She is working tirelessly to learn and manage the systems in place, the paperwork and documentation for local and national government accountability and partnership, and to lead the team of workers here at F2F. All that and being a full-time mama to her (almost) three-month-old!
Ms. Faith Kyamagero, also known as Maama Gloria, previously worked as the primary school tailor and vocational school head teacher, has now taken on my role within Paradise Vocational Training Centre as the Director and Program Coordinator. She is eager to learn and lead with an attitude of humility and grace and continues to give all her time and energy into the school seeing that it, and all the students, succeed.
And Ms. Doreen Nyemela, a P-2 teacher at Paradise Hill Primary and Nursery School, is taking on the additional responsibility of leading the women’s crafting and empowerment group. She is faithfully committed to the women as she’s seen the beautiful disposition of the group and the indwelling influences of unity and empowerment.
Acram and I have been abundantly blessed with the support of our friends and fellow workers to make the transition as smooth and easy as possible – for the benefit of the organization and everyone involved.
For the last month, Teacher Doreen and I have also conducted home visits to all the women in the women’s group to offer support, counseling, and encouragement. At the beginning of the month, we took a two-week break from meeting as a group to reset and offer time to the women to prepare their gardens. During the break, we visited a woman called Maama Joan. We sat in her two-room brick house as she testified about the impact of the women’s group. Here are her words: "During this two week break I decided to buy my own material and sell my own baskets. I made two baskets and when I finished them, they were bought. People started coming to make orders for baskets and that is what I am working on now. I hardly recognize myself anymore. I no longer have any lack – I can buy sugar, I am always having soap, and I even bought schoolbooks for my kids with the baskets I sold." My heart welled with gratitude and humility as we sat and listened to her testimony. I never knew the seed that was sown through the women’s group, yet God in His mercy used unexpected circumstances to grow and cultivate it. During our first meeting back from our two-week break, the women participated in learning to craft earrings – a new skill to them all that was welcomed with joy. The lists of joys could go on and on and on. We spent the month painting toenails, going on evening walks, playing football matches, hugging puppies, snuggling babies, running, playing, and dancing. Always dancing.
As the months continue to pass by and November creeps up, I wanted to share more information and offer some clarification. First, there may have been some questions with why I waited to write about Acram and I’s marriage in my email updates. It was an intentional decision to wait as we felt is most appropriate to separate our work within the organization from our personal endeavors. Although naturally they are intertwined, we sought that no distractions took us from our pursuit of intentionally serving and walking with the utmost respect for the organization and the responsibilities we have been given. I hope this clarification offers insight and fosters empathy; the line is slightly gray about personal privacy within ministry, but I understand the questions and wanted to address them forwardly. For those of you who want to see more intimately into my personal life and endeavors, I encourage you to friend me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, or click below to read my personal blog Loving the Little Children of the World. Secondly, I want to inform you all that every one of your donations have gone directly to my service in Uganda. It was and is my hope to steward your gifts and giving well, and with the donations given they have sustained my time here and provided for me and those around me. A portion of all monthly donations are returned to the organization for upkeep and maintenance, while the rest are distributed to me for food and personal expenses, ministry expenses, insurances and medical care, transportation and facilitation, savings and emergency funds, and other miscellaneous expenses. As the two-year mark approaches, I want to again thank each of you with my humblest gratitude – it is because of you and your support through your partnership of praying and giving that I was able to come to Uganda to serve for these past two years. Thank you. Thirdly, Acram and I want to invite you to partner with us as we take this next step in ministry to continue to love and serve the children and people of Uganda. For those who wish to continue partnering with us in prayer and giving, or for those who want to begin afresh, we are transitioning away from receiving donations through Father to the Fatherless. If it is on your heart to give and you want to walk with us in this journey, please consider donating through our Abaana Photos Donorbox site.
Please note, as Abaana Photos works towards 501(c)(3) status, all donations are not yet tax deductible. We kindly request your patience as we work towards registering and achieving tax exemption. There is a small processing fee for all donations through the Donorbox platform, but the fee varies depending on payment via card or direct bank transfer. There are many other donation options available including check, PayPal, Venmo, and money transfer services such as Remitly, WorldRemit, and Sendwave. There are many options for donating and we want to help you choose the option that works best for you. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us directly if you have questions! Fourthly, it is our greatest joy and honor to share with you some big achievements! Abaana Photos website is LIVE – check it out at www.abaanaphotos.org. We hope it will answer all your questions and give insight into what the Lord has put on our hearts as we seek to love the little children of the world. The first step in registration within Uganda is complete. We reserved the right to the name Abaana Photos and the next step is to process company registration. After Abaana Photos is recognized as a formal company, we can begin working towards NGO status as a not-for-profit organization in Uganda. With schools out, rainy days, and mornings spent in the garden, I have had ample time to write and share more stories! Please click above to read more of what is happening here in Uganda and in my life. Thank you for walking with me in this journey to love and serve the people of Uganda. And for reading this lengthy update!
With love, grace & gratitude, Nicole Harkreader Katongole
* Please note, since this update in August 2022, Africa Shades of Light (SOL) Ministries has been registered as the organizational name, while Abaana Photos functions as a program of Africa SOL and an independent business.
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