19 Mar A Cup of Hot Uji in Jesus’ Name

In western Tanzania, Rice & Beans Month donations are being poured out in the form of hot porridge, called “uji” (oo-jee), into the waiting cups of vulnerable children.

Children line up to receive porridge at the weekly sponsorship program

During a recent visit, our new friends and partners at Path of Hope took the Lahash team out to a rural village where they have been laboring to start a new church. In a region dominated by tribal beliefs and witchcraft, this is the first church to be planted in this area. In addition to preaching the gospel, Path of Hope has been seeking out ways to demonstrate their love by meeting the physical needs of this poor and isolated community.

Local volunteers help serve porridge to the children

In partnership with Lahash International, they recently began a sponsorship program to provide targeted, holistic care to vulnerable children in the village. Along with school fees and medical care, they identified nutrition as a critical need. In this rural area, many families eke out a living as subsistence level farmers or livestock herders, and their children often suffer the effects of seasonal hunger. Unfortunately, many of these children are still without sponsors to help provide the funding for their care, so the resources to meet these needs have remained limited.

In spite of these limitations, our partners clung to the truth that men (and women and children) do not live on bread alone, but on the word of God. They continued gathering the children together for worship and Bible lessons, all the while asking God to fill not only their spirits, but their stomachs as well.

Back in the United States, and in other parts of the world, prayers were also being lifted up on behalf of the hungry, as people fasted and shared their savings during Rice & Beans Month. Thanks to these donations all the kids at Path of Hope are now able to receive a cup of hot uji each time they gather together. Their colorful plastic cups are filled to the brim with nutritious porridge. Now when the kids come to sing and hear God’s word, they leave both spiritually and physically filled.

To share your Rice & Beans Month savings and help fund this and other nutrition focused projects, visit the donation page.

________________________________________________________________________
Article adapted from Hope Is Alive, a quarterly magazine publication of Lahash International. You can sign-up online to receive this free magazine.

Article by Casey Schilperoort
Photos by Will Campbell & Dan Holcomb