Sauders
But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
A lone Brazilian Fig tree towers in brave defiance amongst an aging Banyan Grove in one of my favorite spots along Sarasota coastline. Many are the reasons I am drawn to the shade of this tree: over three years ago Paula and I exchanged marriage vows under the shadow of its foliage, and six months later we stood amongst its roots as we prepared to spend the next 12-14 months in Uganda, Africa. As we stroll through the Banyans once again (this time with a lumbering entourage of toddler accessories), I think back on the fruits of our shared labor over those 14 months in Uganda. This past May I toured the fully operational Hope Clinic - providing Maternity and AIDS services along with eternal Hope in the capital city of Kampala. I took the boat once again to a remote peninsula on Lake Victoria where Bethany Village provides for nearly 80 (and growing) orphaned street children in a familial village setting, now equipped with running water and solar electricity to each newly constructed home. The list goes on, Engineering Ministries Int. East Africa (EMI-EA) continues to grow from its humble beginnings in 2003 - and to serve ministries making a difference in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Rwanda.
The old fig tree is visible to us now at the edge of the grove. The impressive profile attracts from a great distance, but upon approach our eyes are immediately drawn to its base - a thick web of massive, sinewy roots arching and stretching up from the surrounding soil to firmly buttress the heavy trunks. The foundation of this tree alone tells the story of its strength; a story applicable to the next big step for us in Uganda: The Bukaleba Project. The seeds for this project were sown during our first tenure in Uganda in partnership with the local ministry of Arise Africa International. EMI provided assistance in master planning a 3000 acre parcel of virgin land acquired by AAI as a resource to meet the physical and spiritual needs of over 120 rural churches and their outreach to impoverished communities around the country. On the drawing board are plans for the phased construction of a Bible College, boarding and vocational schools, meeting/conference facilities, orphanages, and first-rate medical services subsidized through on-site agriculture, livestock, and agro-forestry projects.
Our vision over the next five years is to continue to work through EMI to serve the ministry of Arise Africa International and the Bukaleba Project. Our mission over the next two years is to work on the foundation, the root structure that will enable, equip, and empower Ugandan nationals working through AAI to manage a project of this magnitude. Building on the foundation of the one already laid (in Christ Jesus), our first objective is to strengthen core competencies within the ministry: business and resource management, organizational structuring, administrative and land planning, construction techniques and training, achieving the singular purpose of those who plant and those who water - preparation for God’s abundant growth.
Gazing skyward, shafts of sunlight puncture the vast canopy above us, spilling a dizzying array of light and shadows on the smooth, leathery skin of the tree’s base. Amongst dark root crevasses, the occasional scar is illuminated - memories of growing pains and struggles - indicative once again of the reality of what lies before us. We know that our part in this task will not be accomplished without struggle, and we know that our part in this task will not be accomplished without a deeply rooted network of support - providing nourishment, interceding for us, strengthening us, enabling us. Please prayerfully consider if God is calling you to join together with us in some way over the next two years as we commit to serving East Africa through EMI and the Bukaleba Project.
Much Love, in Christ,
John, Paula, and Zane Sauder
