2. CONNECTED CHURCH
Thika Diocese

3. ‘My eyes have been opened’
April 2016

4. Have you ever not been able to see something that’s right under your nose?
Ask your congregation or group a question - feel free to use a different question that will relate to Jane’s story.

5. ‘Thanks to Umoja, my eyes have been opened’
Jane is from Mutihi Church. Her enthusiasm for the process of self discovery and transformation that are at the heart of Umoja have benefitted her church hugely.
She has experienced big changes in her own life and found herself challenged to step out of her comfort zone to use the resources around her to live a life that reflects God’s glory.
Jane says, ‘Thanks to Umoja, my eyes have been opened.’
Jane, Umoja Facilitator

6. Waste soil = sweet potatoes
and kitchen walls
When Jane’s family decided to develop more farmland around their home, they had lots of soil that they didn’t need. Waste soil would usually be seen as a nuisance and discarded, but Jane was able to see this soil as a resource from God that she could use to plant sweet potatoes.
The sweet potato harvest exceeded expectations and supplemented Jane’s income. It even saved her money that would have been spent on buying food. She also bought a goat to produce manure to improve the fertility of the soil.
This same soil was also good for using in construction, so she used some of it to plaster her kitchen. Not only did this improve the condition of the whole room but Jane quickly realised that God is interested in every part of her life and wants to see her living a comfortable and dignified life with her family.

7. Rocky ground = a business opportunity
On the family farm, Jane was very aware of the rocks that had previously hindered her family’s crop progress. But after the Umoja training, Jane no longer saw the rocks as a problem, but another resource waiting to be used!
Together with her five children they gathered the stones that were then broken down into small pieces of ballast. Altogether they had 47 buckets that she was able to sell to a nearby church.
Today, Jane continues to collect the rocks on her land and has them broken down into ballast to sell.
And she hasn’t stopped there! Jane also plans to plant trees around the farmland. These will provide shade that will reduce excess water loss and pruning them will provide firewood.

8. Pooling resources and kitchen gardens
Jane said that before Umoja, she wouldn’t have used this land to its full potential as she thought nothing of value could come of it. But Umoja has taught her she was not created to live and die in poverty and she believes God has given her all the resources that she needs to live well.
Jane sees her role as a facilitator as a key part in helping her church members to glorify God for what he has given them, recognising that they can use those things to improve their lives.
She has encouraged members to pool together their resources to start a viable and profitable income generation project.
Living in a semi-arid area, the supply of vegetables has been a challenge, so the church plans to start a savings initiative so that members can borrow money to buy the latest new grow bags for vegetable farming.
They have also set up a kitchen garden project and the first beneficiaries were Mr and Mrs Guchi who had vegetable growing sacks set up.
The Church are excited to join with Jane's enthusiasm for Umoja and see it as a great opportunity to engage all the members of their community.

9. PRAYER
Give thanks for Jane’s passion for Umoja and sharing it with others
Pray for Jane and her family, that they will continue to glorify God through all things
Pray for Jane’s church, that they will recognise all the good things they have been given and see their lives and community transformed