When the social workers and psychological counselors from Midwife-Led Community Transformation (MILCOT) organization did an assessment of the young women in their community of Nansana Municipality, Uganda, they found an alarming number of girls who were in violent relationships and experiencing forms of sexual coercion. MILCOT is a SIA partner and community-based organization with the mission to take midwifery services out of the clinic setting and bring it direct to the comm

This post is adapted and excerpted from my recent sermon at First United Methodist Church of Point Richmond in California. You’ve heard that Chinese proverb that says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” We tend to use the quote as a way to encourage people to focus on the first step rather than the whole huge length of the journey ahead of them. Just take this step and then this step, and then another step. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you

Last week I wrote about Denis Kasambala, a sixteen year old boy who received the gift of a piglet from his community in Manyamula, Malawi in May 2017. (Read the story of the gift-giving here.) The members of the local Manyamula COMSIP Cooperative wanted to encourage and support Denis in making a better life for himself. His mother died when he was 9 years old and his father is often missing due to alcoholism. So Denis and his five siblings live with their uncle, who also has

Prayers means to me the practice of being aware of God, consciously choosing to commune and respond to God, and act as directed by God. Responding to the Activity of God requires that I give God my attention, and recognize that as I live out my life in unity with God, this divine activity can be brought forth through me. My intent is to disciple myself in the practice of the awareness of God’s All-Presence and All-Power. Though my efforts are often faltering, I keep on keepin

By Del Anderson, August 15, 2000, Age 94 “The kingdom of God is within you.” Focus upon it, recognize it, assimilate and experience it; that we may have a conscious realization of our unity and oneness with God and the All Presence and Allness of the God consciousness and actuality. We need to remind ourselves, don’t be satisfied with half a life, focus on a life of wholeness and beauty the totality and fulfillment of God’s purpose and good for us. Life is a growth process, n

I was so encouraged by this letter from SIA partner, Samson Turinawe. Samson is the Director of Universal Love Ministries, which works to promote an inclusive and diverse society in Uganda, free from gender- and sexuality-based violence. May we follow his call to stay hopeful in our work for justice. 2017 is coming to a close and it is a good time to take measure of what we’ve accomplished together this past year. I want to recognize your good efforts on behalf of Universal L

At the blessing of the piglet ceremony in Malawi in May, all the guests were invited to share some words of inspiration and encouragement. The assembled group included members of the Manyamula COMSIP Cooperative where were gifting the pig, the boy receiving the gift, and Spirit in Action Small Business Fund Coordinators from Kenya, Uganda, and other parts of Malawi. In turn, each offered prayers, words of gratitude, or Bible passages. This piglet was given by the community or

How are Ugandans fostering a more loving and inclusive society? Universal Love Ministries (ULM) is hosting a series of workshops, supported in part by Spirit in Action, at schools in Uganda. Their team talks with students and teachers about life planning skills and human rights, particularly the rights of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) people. At the end of the workshop, students are encouraged to form “inclusive clubs” to defend human rights in their s

Del used to say that in times of uncertainty, or of challenge, or when he wasn’t sure what the right choice among many might be, that he would pray, “Father*, I’m trusting.” And by pray, I mean focus one-pointedly in it, so that you embody the intention, you become the prayer, which is another way of talking about praying without ceasing. FATHER, I’M TRUSTING Simplest prayer in the world. And perhaps the most powerful. Not, “I’m trusting about tomorrow.” Not. “I trust You i

Spirit in Action’s Founder, Del Anderson, was 90 years old when he formed SIA. He lived with a clear mind and loving heart until the age of 102! Reverse the Trend! Grow Younger 1. Keep before you the simple truth that you were given life by the Creative Spirit we call God. Your brain – your entire body – was formed and is being sustained by this Creative Spirit. 2. Present with you all the time, the Creative Spirit keeps your heart beating and does the countless things for yo

Reposting this post, originally posted January 20, 2015, to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. It is also renewing the call to stand up for the rights of the oppressed people in your country and around the world. ———————————— “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  -MLK, Jr. Yesterday, Boyd and I took our lunch break to read Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail aloud to each other. Reading it in its entirety, rather than in a series o

A family business in Eldoret, Kenya Purity and her son, Cyril, started a milk and doughnut business (a winning combination!) with a SIA Small Business Grant in 2015. This week, local coordinator Dennis Kiprop went to visit them and was pleased to see that Cyril had already sold out by 10am. Cyril shares his excitement, “I am grateful for SIA for coming to us in time, we have been so encouraged in our family and we have expanded the business.” Cyril with milk jugs attached to

I apologize that the music videos didn’t show up in the email last week. If you want to watch them, click here! “I believe that the whole world about me is full of beauty, joy and power, even as it is full of God, and that I can share it and enjoy it if I attune myself to my Divine Plan and am inwardly open toward God and outwardly helpful toward [others].”   ~ Glenn Clark, The Divine Plan I have a tendency to get caught up in the details of work. I’m an organizer and I like

Arsons have burned over 100 public high schools in Kenya this year, affecting over 6,000 students. These aren’t terrorist attacks. It seems to be the work of some of the students themselves. And speculation about possible motivations is flying around without any clear conclusions. What is clear is that this is very bad news for the government schools that are already underfunded and overcrowded. It also clearly highlights the value of supporting good schools like Samro School

Does it feel like it’s been a rough few weeks for the world? News of horrendous acts of violence. Lives suddenly ended. The terrible grief that is expressed when a loved one is taken away. In my email to the Small Business Fund Coordinators this week, I asked for prayers for peace justice, understanding, and overwhelming love. Usually I offer prayers for Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda. Yesterday I felt I needed prayers for my country as well. Many of you know that I regularly list

Paying-it-forward, positive change in a high-poverty neighborhood, knowledge sharing, local leadership, and savings group formation – this update from our local coordinator in Nairobi, Kenya highlights so many of the best part of Spirit in Action. Here is the exciting report directly from Wambui Nguyo: Spirit in Action still continues to be a beacon of hope for the Korogocho people. With SIA’s help of the Small Business Fund many families continue to experience a different po

“I won’t give up, no I won’t give in ’til I reach the end and then I’ll start again. No I won’t leave, I want to try everything, I want to try even though I could fail.” “Try Everything” by Shakira “I won’t give up, no I won’t give in,” proclaims Shakira in my current favorite you-can-do-it song, “Try Everything.” When we fall down, it usually helps when someone is there to pull us up again. In Malawi, COMSIP cooperatives are strong community organizations whose members pull

From the journal of SIA Founder, Del Anderson, Fall 2005. Even at 99 years old he was still learning, growing, and exploring. I certainly wouldn’t have desired to break my hip, but now six months later, I’m certain that I’ve learned a lot that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise. I think it’s a little easier now to understand that “I of myself can do nothing.” I couldn’t take the next breath without the Spirit there to keep me going. This experience has pointed me in the direct

In December, 200* girls from the Samburu tribe in Kenya celebrated an Alternative Rite of Passage, led by Pastoralist Child Foundation and witnessed by their parents and community members. The day-long celebration was an empowering ceremony of song, dance, and speeches, taking the place of the traditional genital cutting. Our partner Margaret Ikiara of CIFORD Kenya, who hold similar Alternative Rite of Passage celebrations in Meru (5 hours away), went to the event to represen

This has been a good year for Spirit in Action and our partners! It is so exciting to look back and see all that we have accomplished, and all that our amazing partners have done to bring more prosperity to families in their communities. New Small Business Fund Coordinator: This summer we added a new local coordinator to the Small Business Fund team! Hastings Phiri has already begun mentoring families in rural Malawi to start and run new businesses. Hastings is a dedicated co