The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The hearts of two communities came together last summer on a small farm in Northern Uganda.

Kelly Moen and Eli Pyke of Sisters will share video and stories of their African experience at 6:30 p.m. on Monday December 18, at Sisters Coffee Company.

In the summer of 2006, the pair traveled to Uganda and Tanzania for locally sponsored mission work. After helping with medical and outreach ministry in the Kapchorwa region of eastern Uganda and Tanzania, they stayed on to visit Moen's friend Richard Angoma, who founded Families Empowerment Northern Uganda and the Canaan Farm.

"I just had always dreamt of traveling around the world, and I had always had a heart for Africa," said Moen.

Since her first trip to Africa, Moen received her EMT and has been teaching wilderness medicine and worked at Sisters Coffee Company while getting plugged into the Sisters community.

In that time, Richard worked to develop a farm for people affected by the war in Northern Uganda. Some 80 families, widows and orphans are supported by the Canaan Farm which consists of fish ponds, livestock and plantings of aloe, sunflowers, maize and sesame seeds which are used and sold at market.

According to Moen, the story goes that the former owner was told in a dream to go to Jinja, find Richard's mother Sarah and sell her his property. Richard's family didn't have much money at all, so the man who was to sell the property lowered the price to practically nothing at all to fulfill the dream. The Angolo family owned the property for over 10 years before Richard founded the farm three years ago.

"There is a lot of potential in the farm," said local filmmaker Eli Pyke whose documentaries will be shown December 18.

"My purpose of being there wasn't just to document. I was there to be with the people, and video was one way that I could use my gifts to help," said Pyke. "It was an honor to tell their story. People were really excited to be on video. They want help, and they know that by putting it in a video that people will see it."

Pyke, who had started competing professionally in kayaking, was drastically changed by the trip.

"I had my goal in sight. The pro kayak thing. Now I am ready to shift my focus to helping people with my time rather than pursuing my own dreams."

While in Uganda, Kelly and Eli helped purchase $1,000 worth of items for the farm, bikes for transportation, clothing and sponsorship for students among other things. Donations from Powell Butte residents helped purchase the farm's first milk cow.

While the event is not a fundraiser there will be opportunities on December 18 to donate to Canaan Farm and other ministries and needs.

For more information visit http://www.familiesempowerment.org and http://www.tenfriends.org.