The joy on Susan’s* face said it all! She was so excited to have received a sow; now, it had delivered seven babies. Susan showed Meseret, Regional Director of Africa for Advancing Native Missions, the sty where the pigs were kept. Susan exclaimed, “Now, I’m rich. Oh, I am very rich. I have not one now; I have eight pigs.”
She went on to explain, ”I can raise my children. I can help. Now, I can sell all six of them.” She could not keep all the pigs, which would require more land. Instead, she planned to just keep two of them. “I will sell the others and support my family,” she said as she thanked God for the small gift and how it greatly impacted her life in Rwanda.
Catalog Items Help Families
This story illustrates the difference a small gift from the ANM catalog can make in the life of a person. Meseret was pleased to learn that the new item of pigs in the ANM catalog was such a success. When Brother Rugubira Theophile had contacted her requesting funds to purchase a pig for a woman in need, she was delighted that pigs were available. Seeing the impact in person was an added joy.
Get a Goat, Give a Goat
Also, in Rwanda, Brother Theophile has a project where he gives a lady in need one goat. The agreement is that when the goat has the first female baby, she must give the kid to a neighbor in need. The neighbor can be a believer or a nonbeliever. The lady who receives the goat gets a blessing, and she has to bless others in turn as her “payment” for the goat.
Give today to impact a family.
Typically, in most African countries , no one gives random people a gift, such as a goat. Poor people giving gifts is so unusual. So, in many communities, people are being touched by the love of Jesus because of the gift of a kid. The love of those women touched Meseret because they were sharing their gifts. She explained, “It’s not like they have 10 goats, and they are sharing. They give the first baby away.”
Meseret shared that passing on the blessing of a goat has blessed the nation of Rwanda. The ladies were so thankful for their goats that they brought them to church and tied them outside so Meseret could see how God had blessed them!
The Blessing of Giving
Another way that the goats have impacted people is that the goat owners are helping their church. Each women’s group has been giving money from raising their goats to construct a nursery for the church. Meseret shared, “I was very touched to see how much they are giving to that church.”
The goat catalog project, with the support of ANM, is empowering women. Meseret shared, ‘Empowering women means empowering households and children. As this continues, it strengthens the community and, ultimately, the church. Women often use resources like these to support their families, but these women are especially eager to help their sisters in need. Witnessing this sacrificial giving is truly touching.
As she traveled to various other African countries, Meseret was encouraged to learn how the gift of catalog items made such a difference in the lives of people there.
Boats Help Refugees
In Uganda, George Byabagambi asked Meseret for money for boats. Meseret was unsure about purchasing boats and asked him to explain the need for them. She prayed and then noticed that boats were an item in the catalog. She then requested that funds be sent to George.
When he reported on the impact of the boats, along with pictures, Meseret noticed that the boats were different from what she expected. George said, “Guess what, Meseret. Instead of buying one [metal boat], we bought six [wooden boats for the same price]. He explained that six families are touched by the resources sent by ANM instead of just one family.
The boats were given to refugee families. They would need a small license to fish, to provide food for their family and sell some of the fish in the market. Those refugees were very happy to receive a boat to support their families.
Rice, Goats, Chickens, and Cassava Feed the Children
In Liberia, Timothy Holder asked for funds to purchase rice. Meseret was there when the rice was handed to the children. She said, “They were very excited to receive the rice. The children [at the school] were jumping, laughing with each other, and trying to make a fire so that they could boil and eat it.”
She asked Timothy if they had meat or vegetables to go with the rice. He laughed and said, “No, Meseret. We even struggle sometimes to have this plain rice.”
Meseret then asked ANM for funds to buy chickens, goats, and cassava plants to grow. She said, “We just thank God for the catalog funds. We could send them goats, chicken, cassava, and rice.” Timothy was very excited about having all three to go with the rice. Now, the children raise goats and chickens and grow the cassava on the school property.
What Will You Give?
These are just a few stories of how a small purchase from the ANM gift catalog can impact a family. Many ministries use these gifts as an initial contact to share the love of Jesus and open people’s hearts to hear and receive the Gospel.
*Name changed to protect the person.
