Note from the Board – Rod Robison

Note from the Board: Rod Robison

Here’s a word association game for you.  When you hear the name “Unite 4 Africa” what images pop into your head?  Let me guess….

• An Ethiopian orphan united at last with the forever family she’s been praying God would send her.
• Scores of new believers stand on the bank of a river in Kenya eagerly waiting to profess their faith in Christ through baptism.
• A little girl lovingly embraces a baby goat she will raise to milk and provide some sustainable income for her family.
• Men and women gather to soak in God’s Word and learn strategies to share Christ with villages across Africa.
• Members of a Maasai community welcome the arrival of a Unite 4 Africa leader bringing sanitation buckets and soap along with hygiene training and safety measures to help protect them from the Covid 19 virus.
• Fresh, clean water flows over the hands of a grateful woman who used to have to haul water from miles away…every day.

Maybe you thought of a few others too.  The list could go on and on, for sure. And it’s likely that whatever images popped into your head were those of Africa.   But did you know that the work of Unite 4 Africa stretches beyond the borders of the continent for which this ministry is named?

As a new Board Member about a year ago, I’ll confess that my understanding of the breadth of what God was doing through Unite 4 Africa was a bit limited. But the more involved I’ve become, the more in awe I am of the expansiveness and depth of the ministry He continues to grow.

A few Sundays ago I attended a service in Tucson AZ where I witnessed one of many new Middle Eastern believers of another faith background joyously declare their faith in Jesus as a Unite 4 Africa leader baptized them. They are being nurtured and discipled by ministry leaders, daily growing in their relationship with Jesus.  I got to meet one of those new believers not long ago.  His enthusiasm and passion for Jesus, I’ll admit, challenged my own. Now entire families are coming to Christ through the witness of their family members.

Marriages, some seemingly hopelessly broken, not only in Africa but across the United States and other countries, are being reconciled as Unite 4 Africa leaders provide Christ-centered counseling. Okongo Samson, founder of Unite 4 Africa, and his wife Shyla are only two of those counselors who have learned invaluable lessons through their own hurt and healing and are now generously and lovingly sharing those lessons with others who are hurting and in need of healing.  Many evenings I’ve chatted with Okongo by phone about ministry business while he and Shyla were driving to or from another counseling session with a couple or family in desperate need of reconciliation.

And it’s not only marriages and families who are benefiting from the rich reconciliation ministry Unite 4 Africa workers provide.  Churches and communities across the United States and in other countries faced with what seem like insurmountable conflicts are finding hope and healing. The resulting unity then spreads among church and community members, strengthening others in their faith.

You are a part of all of this.  Your support of Unite 4 Africa is seed in the hands of the Sower. Each seed you place in His hands He lovingly plants in fertile soil whether in Africa or other parts of the globe.  And, as He waters and cultivates each seed sown, spiritually nutritious fruit will result from your faithful giving. 

Rod Robison
Board Vice Chairman
Unite for Africa