Henry, his wife Sarah, and their kids will be moving to Jinja soon to join the Kibo staff. He wrote an introduction so you can all get to know him:

My name is Henry Oyier and as some of you know, I am originally from Kisumu, Kenya. I came to the United States for college and graduated from Rochester College in December 2005, with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. It’s hard to believe I have been in America for 13 years now. You have stood by me through all these years. There is no word that can explain how to describe the love I have been shown here in the United States. Throughout this time, I have been blessed so much with your friendship and generosity. From families who welcomed me into their homes, to brother and sisters who invited me to their churches, and friends who took me shopping for warm clothing. Im am thankful for their friendship!

My life has never been the same since I came there. Getting a degree was a dream come true. I was also fortunate to go back to Kenya with students from Rochester and serve the people at Made in the Streets Ministries and Ring Road Orphanage. I have been able to do short term mission trips back in Kenya through Rochester Church of Christ, with the hope that someday I can return to Africa and work there. When I was younger, my prayer was that I would meet a woman who would share the same dream, and God blessed me with Sarah (“Lenny”) in 2004. She realized that returning to my homeland someday was very important, so she went to Jinja through a summer internship program at Rochester College. This experience helped her realize that she was deeply interested in working in Africa alongside me.

Sarah and I got married six years ago, and our family has grown in the best way. We are blessed with two wonderful children. Zander was born in January of this year, and Mia will be turning 4 years old this summer. After college, we sought many opportunities to return to Africa. Even though plane tickets were expensive and school loans were adding up, we never lost track of our vision for Africa. In 2011, John and Sara Barton approached us about working with the Kibo Group in Jinja, Uganda, and I wanted to physically see what Kibo is all about. In the Spring of 2012, while on a short term mission to Ring Road in Kenya, I went to Jinja and spent some time with Ronald, Lazarus, Abraham, and Ida who are currently working with Kibo Group and leading various projects including: Well Water Project, Source Café, Tree planting, and Women Empowerment Projects. Seeing these successful outreach projects made it clear that this is something that we would like to join. We realize that it’s not going to be easy, but there is an opportunity to serve, be faithful, and give back the blessing we have received.

We are excited Henry and his family will be joining us! This is a big step for Kibo as we add a new postion, so we are actively seeking people to help fund Henry’s salary, pray for him and his family, and support them in this new adventure!  If you are interested in supporting the Oyier family head on over to the give page, or email us at info@kibogroup.org for more info.

Everybody give a big welcome to the Oyiers!

Thinking about Kibo being 10 years old made us wonder what a few of the people who have been involved in Kibo would say if we just asked them to reflect on why Kibo is important to them, or why they have been part of Kibo. So we asked 10 people to give us a short reflection about Kibo. We will post these during the next few months.

Up today: Bobby. Bobby is the Kibo Country Director in Uganda. He works daily to make sure that Kibo’s work in Uganda is effective. – Ben

Ask 10 people to tell the story of Kibo and you will get 10 different stories. All of them true, all unique, all impactful.

My story of Kibo is one of tragedy. In some ways Kibo began in the mid-90s. Legally, it began in 2004. But it didn’t become something real and fleshy until the fall of 2006. The first project was a simple idea: get Americans to fund a tree-planting project in a deforested Uganda. Mark Moore had the idea years earlier, but it was Adam Langford and Abraham Mulongo that were going to make the project a reality. Mark and Matt West built a website for collecting cash before Adam and Abraham had even worked out the details.

Within a week of the website’s launch, I saw a link to the idea on a friend’s blog, clicked through, and bought two trees. I wasn’t the only one—about 400 others also bought trees for the Christmas of 2006. We expected the trees to be planted in the next few months, but it didn’t happen.

Moses Kimeze, the manager of the Source Café, was showing Adam the coffee business. They purchased and loaded fresh coffee and began their decent down Mt. Elgon. They never made it off the mountain. Their 4-ton lorry tumbled down the slopes, spilling coffee and life.

Adam and Moses’ loss was shocking and unimaginable. I never met either of them, but I still get angry if I dwell on it very long. Death is a frustrating thing. There are moments when even remembering the loss of life can snuff out your day.

Abraham has honored his lost coworker with over six years of dedication to the project they were to begin together. In that time, he doubled the expected outcomes and worked patiently with dozens of communities. Along the way he met with kings, military generals, and foreigners with whom he explained and promoted the project.

My wife and I moved to Uganda in reaction to the tragedy. Adam and Moses are irreplaceable, but the world cruelly and graciously continues. And Adam’s work needed to carry on. In the fall of 2007, I planted the trees I had purchased on the Kibo website with my own hands.

Two mvule trees grow from the place where the world lost Adam and Moses. Their roots push deep into the soil with an expectation of a long and fruitful life. And this is how we now live as well.

Adam lived with a particular keenness. His days were rich with experience—not only for him but for those with whom he engaged. He embodied sacrifice as he left an American career and plunged into a life that was foreign, full, and increasingly involute.

I came to know Adam through the stories of people who loved him. And even without ever meeting him, I have been profoundly impacted by him. So how do I honor Adam’s legacy even though I never knew him? The answer, it seems to me, is both simple and difficult.

I believe we honor him in continuing to grow in our understanding of the issues of East Africa. We must continue to transform ourselves as we bring about a transformation in society that honors God, serves others, and cares for the earth.