You are friends sharing life's struggles - Church Mission Society (CMS)

You are friends sharing life’s struggles

This month, we meet a first year undergraduate student from Africa, who lives and works in a minority context, so they remain anonymous.

by Helen Harwood,

12 May 2026

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed, could you tell me more about your calling to work on an island?

The call wasn’t a single moment, but a growing “burden of love”. While serving on the mainland in my home town, reaching out to the Masai people in a remote area in a bush village, my wife and I felt a persistent pull toward the unreached coastal communities. We spent months in prayer with our local church, and the more we looked at the spiritual and social needs of the island, the more we realised we couldn’t just visit; we had to move our lives there to truly be a “faithful presence”.

I think it is right to say your work is in education and skills. I understand, for example, that you help people to make shoes and support themselves through workshops. Please could do tell us about the friendships formed and your achievements?

The real achievement isn’t just a finished pair of shoes; it’s the dignity in a student’s eyes when they realise they can provide for their own family. These workshops create a “neutral ground” where barriers drop. I’ve found that when you sit together over a sewing machine, you aren’t strangers anymore – you are friends sharing life’s struggles. Those friendships have become the bedrock of everything we do.

And now you have developed this work and have started a foundation. Could you tell us more?

We are now in the process of registering the foundation and it has not been launched yet. By moving from an informal mission to a registered foundation, we will gain “institutional trust” with the government. This will allow us to own property, hire staff legally and show the community that we aren’t just passing through – we are committed to the long-term flourishing of the island.

What exciting fruits have come from this venture?

The most encouraging “fruit” is seeing local people take ownership of their new life in Christ through faith. For example, seeing a leader from a local village choose to follow this path and then open his home for others to learn is incredible. Also, seeing our local young student from this island finish his studies to come back and lead is a huge milestone for us. It means the work is becoming truly indigenous.

That’s wonderful, people coming back to lead. Please do tell us other ways that your work is indigenous?

I do this by looking at our ‘local ways of doing things’ and asking how we can mature them into lasting spiritual and operational health. Through the CMS training, I am learning to move beyond just ‘pioneering’ into a season of rebuilding and reform. By establishing the new foundation, we are creating professional management structures that don’t stifle the Spirit, but rather provide a strong ‘trellis’ for the vine of our local community to grow on sustainably.

That is great. How can we pray for you?

You can pray for us:

For the homecoming:

Pray for our local Muslim background believer, a disciple who went to theological studies in mainland, returned from Bible school in Dar es salaam; that he would integrate well and lead with wisdom as he joins our team full-time.

For the foundation and future island empowerment centre:

Pray for the final registration steps of the foundation. Once this is complete, it will allow us to legally own the land for our permanent Community Empowerment Centre – a huge step for our sustainability.

For protection and provision:

For continued favour with our neighbours and peace in our community. Specifically, pray for our family as we parent our young children in this context, and for provision regarding their school fees for the coming term.

You are friends sharing life’s struggles