We are rejoicing…about peanut butter! Harrah Free Baptist Church in Oklahoma in partnership with Wera CarePoint in Uganda has constructed the Peanut Butter House and produced the first batch of life-saving peanut butter paste. You are probably wondering, “What is peanut butter paste and why is it referred to as life-saving?” Allow me to explain.
Just over five years ago, through prayer and fasting, the Lord laid on our hearts to address the needs of starving children in Africa. We were led to HopeChest and the beautiful Wera CarePoint in Uganda. We have been blessed beyond measure in helping the school-aged children in this village; however, the needs of the starving little ones under the age of five years old continued to burn in our hearts.
Through research, we became familiar with peanut butter paste, which is a formula consisting of peanut butter, oils high in Omega 3 and 6, sugar, dry milk solids, and pre-mixed vitamins. We saw documentaries of small children with tiny arms and legs and big bellies transformed into healthy active children after consuming this product for only six to eight weeks.
Project Peanut Butter is based in St. Louis. Their goal is to set up facilities in developing countries to produce the peanut butter paste. Dr. Mark Manary, who developed the PB paste formula, and his staff graciously invited us to come meet with them. As a result of this meeting, Dr. Manary pledged his support and the HopeChest Uganda staff caught on to the vision, and supported us in our endeavor to decrease malnutrition in the community of Wera. One of his employees, Dessa Shuckerow, accompanied us to Wera last month and meticulously set up the Peanut Butter House. Dessa trained a staff from the Uganda Leadership Development Program students to comply with standards and actually produce the product.
Currently, 84 children in half the Wera district are identified as severely malnourished, so that is where we will start. The PB paste has a 95 percent success rate and after a child moves out of the malnourished state, they thrive and no longer need this product. Our vision is to help the Peanut Butter House project become an income-generating activity in the community of Wera as well as reach more and more children experiencing hunger in Uganda.
Please know that we give all glory to God in this endeavor and praise His name for carrying us over the rough spots. Join us in praying for the success of the Peanut Butter House. We are currently raising funds to support production, which includes drilling a well, installing electricity, and constructing a bathroom. In the words of Dr. Manary, “This is the work of our master. Jesus did not talk a good game, he lived one — healing, feeding, and restoring.”
