Psalm 65:11. “You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.”
What I always knew but really didn’t and have learned to do better and to experience more, is that truth is not worth a whole lot until its is applied. As a rural non profit every year has began and ended in endurance fueled by much love. At the end of each year, we sigh at the reflection that love never fails. During this COVID-19 year, we were dismayed to learn that the COVID-19 virus shapes itself in the likeness of a crown.
As things got tougher all over the world, including our little corner of the world, opened the Book and got to studying. We learned about other crowns, real crowns, crowns we can celebrate like the one in Psalm 65:11. “You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.” So we agreed with, and were more excited about this kind of crown than the latter. We set our minds to believing that regardless of the limits set on our work and world during the pandemic, we would continue to draw from the inexhaustible wells of goodness, love and kindness.
A crowned year for us required taking a restful position in the midst of crisis, and and realizing that because there is no way of switching on or off darkness the way we switch on light, the answer to our ministry needs and resources lay in switching on an many lights of love, courage, hope, goodness, love, peace, patience … as we could. As a great preacher once taught, “darkness is a result of the absence of light.” (Pastor TD. Jakes)
From God’s wells of goodness deposited in every human heart, we have experienced some major turnarounds during this crisis.
- An increase in donor support
- An increase in in-kind support
- Enlargement in our agricultural capacity
- A multiplier effect in the dollar value of all monies for spent on medicines, nutritional supplements, and other aid and digital supplies to families in critical need.
Given how impossible it is to explain how a plate of shared cookies can bring more hope to a group of friends than all their money and material possessions combined, I will not go down that route.
What I can say with certainty, is this…. love is a “miracle cure” however it presents itself. For some of you this love and care presented as money, for others as medicine, food purchase, food delivery, food preparation, forwarding our fundraiser campaign to friends and family, a handmade quilt, a laptop, protective gear, blood pressure testing machines and I could go on and on. What am I trying to do here? I am trying to paint the picture of the abundant supply we have experienced this year 2020. Do you see it?
Instead of breaking ourselves with trying to fight and avert the negative threats and potential outcomes of COVID-19, we relied on your lighting a candle for those in our world.
Where panicked purchases and hoarding resulted in vicious cycles of shortages, we are grateful that your open hands and hearts not only kept the necessary resources in circulation, but also created the safety and security needed to stay afloat.
Yesterday December 30th, we began our first successful soybean harvest. In deed God has blessed us. Our farm carts are overflowing with abundance. There will be yet more food in the bowls of many families in 2021.
We hope you recognize the tremendous value of investing your charitable dollars with us.
With gratitude for your generous heart,
Pamela Mukaire