2020. The words sounded nice. The symmetry of the words and the numbers made us look forward to leaving 2019 behind.
In the end, it taught us a lot.
It taught us that people will still choose to be generous, even as people are hoarding toilet paper and pasta. We exceeded $600,000 in gifts for the first time this year. We anticipated difficult cuts to our budget. We anticipated tough conversations about which vital programs in Uganda or Haiti needed to be sacrificed. But your support poured in unlike any year. Thank you!
It taught us again, in new ways, that the work of our partners in Uganda is saving lives. When the tables got flipped in March, RUHU didn’t shut down, it showed up. The staff started putting food bags together for community members who no longer had access to food. The Beautiful Response community raised over $80,000 in pandemic relief funds this year.
It taught us to prioritize the things that matter. We spent more time on the phone with Patrick and William, trouble-shooting problems and building processes and systems to make sure that RUHU has everything they need to carry out their vital work.
It’s easy to be resentful of a year that ushered in so much darkness. But it has never been a greater privilege to be in the business of shining light. Thank you for helping to shine a light in 2020.
Peace,
Caleb
