Meet the Opeduns
Later this summer City Church will receive some visitors from halfway around the globe: the Opedun family, one of our ministry partners. If you haven’t met the Opeduns yet, their time in Richmond will be a great opportunity to connect with Boas, Jenna, and their four cute kiddos face-to-face. But before they land stateside, here’s a brief intro to the Opeduns, their ministry work, and how you can support and pray for them.
Boas and Jenna Opedun and their four children (Theo, 7; Nile, 4; Louise, 2; and Zemirah, 4 months) live in Fort Portal, Uganda. Boas grew up in Soroti, Uganda, and serves the East Africa Serge teams as a media specialist. Jenna, a longtime City Church member, moved from Richmond to Uganda in 2017 and serves at Green Leaf Crafts and Women of the Proverbs, which are both ministries of Serge, a global missions organization based in Reformed theological tradition and formerly known as World Harvest Mission. Boas and Jenna married in 2019.
Life in Uganda
As a media specialist with SEAM (Serge East Africa Media), Boas has the flexibility to spend his days with his family, with some occasional travel for media projects. At home, most mornings he cares for the kids (this often looks like keeping Louise safe while she tries to keep up with big brother Nile, who loves riding his bike, digging in the dirt, climbing anything, and chasing their dog Shadow) while Jenna is working with Women of the Proverbs or Green Leaf Crafts.
Afternoons are spent on post production on SEAM projects as well as building relationships in the community. Boas works with young people through the worship team at their church and sometimes preaches in Sunday service. He also leads a weekly men’s Bible study. Boas says he is grateful for the opportunity to serve and live with his family, especially for the ways it allows him to “grow together with Jenna and to witness on a daily basis the blessing of children.”
God is at work through the relatively young ministry of SEAM. In documenting different projects and ministries of Serge East Africa, Boas gets to collaborate with other missionaries, and tell the story of what God is doing in East Africa—and foster greater appreciation for the beauty and diversity of this region. “Although SEAM is not yet a complete visual and audio production house, God is using our limitations in terms of resources,” Boas says. “He is using this time to teach me practically to trust him. He makes the impossible to be possible.”
Jenna splits her work time between two ministries, along with parenting and homemaking. Three days a week she drives to a nearby trading center, Kabegera, to lead Bible studies and spend time discipling and mentoring local women through Women of the Proverbs. At Green Leaf Crafts, which helps local women build skills in sewing and crafting so they can earn money for their families, Jenna heads up tasks like prototyping, product development, and drafting micro-business plans for the artisans.
Turnover is a big challenge for Green Leaf Crafts, Jenna says. “Women in Uganda are often sent away from their homes to care for sick family members, work as house maids, care for children or other family members and that makes it hard for women to make long term commitments. Women can come for months and then the next day we never see them again,” she explains. While this can make it hard to continually invest in, train, and mentor women who may not return to the ministry, Jenna trusts that any amount of time spent with the women is a kingdom investment: “This side of heaven I may not see the impact, but I’ve seen God move in conversations and break down cultural barriers that cultivate spiritual growth.”
In addition to this ministry work, Jenna’s days are filled with the work of caring for four children—plus homeschooling Nile and Louise, visiting the community, going to the market, and homemaking. The kids lead active lives with lots of outdoor time. Theo loves climbing their mango tree after school, Nile “spends 90% of his time outside,” and Louise’s favorite things are hunting for chameleons and swinging on their tree swing.
Expressing a tension we can all relate to, Jenna says she often feels there aren’t enough hours in a day to meet all the needs she is responsible for. Yet, she says, “It always amazes me that God uses my weakness to glorify Him. I am in no way equipped to serve my community, church and family all at the same time. It's impossible. But when I find myself overwhelmed and faced with the great needs of my children, friends, poor, hungry, sick and lost I have to invite the Lord into their relationships, asking Him to speak through me to all the needs.”
How to Connect
The Opeduns will be in the U.S. for about six months. During that time there will be several opportunities to get to know them and hear about what God is doing in Uganda through their work. The Opeduns will visit City Groups, and we are also organizing hands-on opportunities to experience the work being done by Green Leaf Crafts and SEAM, such as a craft night where you can purchase goods handmade by Ugandan women, or a media presentation showcasing some of Boas’ film and photography work. Stay tuned for more details about those events.
Current Needs
Even in a developing country, financially supporting a family of six is no small task. With the birth of Zemirah in March, the Opeduns’ monthly support needs increased and they are urgently seeking to secure commitments of $3000 per month to fully fund their ministry. As full-time missionaries, Boas and Jenna rely on giving from church partners like City Church, but also from individual donors. You can become a monthly partner and support their work in Uganda with an easy, automatic recurring gift by clicking here.
As Harrison and Erik reminded us in our spring sermon series on stewardship, everything we have belongs to God, and faithful stewardship flows out of a heart transformed by Christ’s sacrifice for us. What a privilege to share from our financial abundance to partner in the work of spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth. We are blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:1-3).
The Opeduns will also need support during their time in the States this summer/fall. While stateside their primary goal is fundraising (along with enjoying American food, worshiping in English, and spending time with supporters, family, and friends). City Church is working to help provide housing, transportation and other practical needs so Boas and Jenna can focus on raising support as well as find ways to recharge and be refreshed during this trip. If you have a rental property, a spare vehicle (that can fit a family of six), a vacation home, or other resources that would bless the Opeduns, please reach out to Liz Rohde (lizgrohde@gmail.com).
How to Pray
Pray for safe travels to the U.S.
Pray for the Opeduns’ practical needs to be met during their time in the U.S.
Pray for additional monthly support totalling $3000 per month
Pray for one-time donations for Serge East Africa Media (SEAM) and Women of the Proverbs
Pray for volunteers who will serve with the Opeduns through internships or short- or long-term missions to Uganda