When Mike Congrove was a kid, he loved the American television show The A-Team. The leader of the group, Hannibal, had a famous line he would say at the end of an episode:

“I love it when a plan comes together.”

That phrase recently came to mind as a series of unexpected connections began to unfold around Empower One’s work in South Sudan.

God Orchestrates the Connections

Over the past several months, God has woven together a number of relationships that led to a significant leadership and generosity training event.

David Kaya first connected Empower One with John. John then connected the team with Marvin, De Wet, and the ministry Generous Church. Through that partnership, Generous Church agreed to send Bob Nduvi and George Taban to Kajo Keji, South Sudan to facilitate their Stations of Generosity training.

Marvin and De Wet helped significantly underwrite the training, making the gathering possible.

In late February, pastors and ministry leaders gathered for the training — and the response was overwhelmingly encouraging.

Leaders from across the region explored what it means to cultivate biblical generosity within their churches and communities. Already, four regions have begun reproducing the training, sharing what they learned with other pastors and congregations.

The connections have continued to grow beyond the conference as well. Through Patrick Johnson at Generous Church, Empower One was introduced to Crown, which pointed the team toward a promising agricultural program in Rwanda. Conversations are also underway about deeper integration with Seed Effect in South Sudan.

A Simple Question

One moment during the training stood out above the rest.

During a session called “Handful of Rice” Bob and George divided the leaders into groups by geographic region and asked a simple question:

What could your churches give from what God has already placed in your community?

When the groups returned, leaders began sharing their responses one by one.

Malakal said they could give sugar.

Torit said simsim.

Yei said maize and sorghum.

Yambio said maize and groundnuts.

Nimule said firewood.

Each region identified resources that could be gathered locally, sold, and reinvested into ministry.

You can check out the “Handful of Rice” video here: https://generousgiving.org/video/handful-of-rice/

A Step Toward Local Sustainability

Listening to the responses, Congrove proposed a simple but significant next step. Empower One will begin tracking what each region contributes locally throughout the year and how much income is generated from those efforts.

Then came an unexpected commitment.

In January 2027, Empower One will match what the churches raise locally between now and December.

It was a small moment, but it represented something much larger.

One of Empower One’s long-term goals is to see South Sudan operations funded locally by 2032. It is an ambitious and challenging vision. Yet what unfolded in that room offered a glimpse of what may be possible.

Leaders were not talking about large budgets or outside funding. They were simply asking what they could give from what God had already placed in their communities.

Glimmers of Hope

Moments like these offer a quiet but powerful kind of hope.

Through the generosity of partners and the leadership of local pastors, the first steps toward long-term sustainability are beginning to take shape.

And as these plans continue to unfold, the team at Empower One is reminded of something simple and profound:

God is able.