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Benon Kayanja
January 2026
Update from Benon Kayanja
Dear Friends
Christian Greetings and Happy New Year.
As we step into a new year, I send you my warmest greetings and heartfelt wishes for a blessed and hope-filled 2026. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas break and that the new year has begun in a refreshing and renewing way for you. I want to begin by expressing my deep gratitude to BMS and to each of our link churches for standing with us so faithfully in prayer throughout 2025. Your prayers have been a real source of strength and encouragement. We thank God for His gracious hand upon our lives—for the gift of life and health, for daily provision, and for His sustaining grace through every season. Truly, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Psalm 126:3). We have seen His faithfulness in very practical ways: prayers answered, protection granted, wisdom given, and guidance made clear, even in moments that felt uncertain or demanding.
Looking back over the year 2025, we praise God for the ministry opportunities He entrusted to us—the growth we have witnessed, the impact made in communities, and the challenges that, by His help, were overcome. We are especially thankful for the relationships He has nurtured: supportive church and community networks, faithful partners, and new connections that continue to enrich the work. In all things, God has been good, and we hold firmly to His promise that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). As we look ahead to 2026, we do so with hope and confidence, trusting that the One who has been faithful will continue to lead us with purpose, deepen His work among us, and use our shared prayers and obedience for His glory.
We closed the year with a joyful staff get-together in the beautiful hills of Fort Portal-Western Uganda, graciously hosted by Phionah and Jimmy, whose ancestral roots are in that area. It was a meaningful time of fellowship, reflection, and thanksgiving as we appreciated the Lord for the good work accomplished together during 2025. All JLH staff are now back from their holidays, refreshed and ready to serve with renewed energy and commitment as we seek to make the most of this new season. As we move into 2026, we also share that Pr. Jimmy Okello will not be continuing with JLH, as the part-time role of Church Community Mobilisation Process Coordinator for Northern Uganda has grown to require a full-time commitment, which is not possible alongside his full-time pastoral ministry at University Community Church. We kindly ask you to pray with us for God's guidance as we seek a suitable replacement, and also for Pr. Jimmy—that the Lord would strengthen him in his pastoral calling, renew his vision, and replenish every place where he has poured himself out in faithful service. May God's grace abound in his ministry, his family, and in all that has been entrusted to his care.
You will recal from my last prayer letter, I had mentioned about a JLH Medium term review process and with the support from BMS People Pool, we are able to work with a Baja Gunanta as Volunteer towards this process. We thank God for the outcomes of the medium-term strategic plan review, which provided a timely and prayerful space to reflect on JLH's growth and calling. Over recent years, as our programmes have expanded across livelihoods, health, justice, gender, safeguarding, child protection, church community mobilisation, and climate resilience, the review affirmed the genuine impact being seen at community level. At the same time, it helped us honestly recognise the increasing demands on organisational systems and coordination. This process went beyond measuring performance; it enabled us to discern, before the Lord, the next stage of organisational maturity needed to sustain transformation with integrity and faithfulness.
The review concluded that JLH is well positioned to enter its next strategic cycle as a systems-strengthening, church-honouring, community-empowering, and economically grounded Christian development organisation. Rather than recommending rapid expansion or major restructuring, it calls for clarity of roles, disciplined integration, and intentional investment in sustainability pathways already emerging. As we look ahead to the next 12–24 months, we are trusting God to establish the work of our hands and to guide each step with wisdom. We are encouraged by His promise: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3). Please continue to pray with us, that we may steward these review recommendations well and walk obediently into this next season of growth and strengthening.
We enjoyed the season together as a family, especially with Favour and Bright back home from school—it has been a joy to see how much they have grown. Looking ahead, 2026 will be an important year for them: Bright will be preparing for Primary 7, and Favour will be moving into Form 3. We would value your prayers for them as they study, mature, and continue to grow in faith and character.
Dorothy and I continue to see God's faithful leading in many aspects of our lives and ministry, and we are deeply grateful for your prayerful support, which has strengthened us greatly. As we step into the new year, our desire is that God would align our daily decisions with His will, take the talents and skills He has entrusted to us, and guide us in using them more effectively in serving Him and others—especially as our house fellowship continues to grow.
Please continue to pray for the national elections taking place in Uganda this January. We ask God for peace before, during, and after the elections—knowing that peace is essential for stability, unity, and sustainable community transformation. May leaders act with integrity, communities remain calm, and God's hand guard the nation.