Heading Home

Since my last update there has been lots going on with little chance to connect to the internet and make additional updates. We had a great time up at YWAM Kruger and were able to help with a feeding program, assist in digging a trench and with building a home, and got to meet some great people.

We have now been in Cape Town for three days ministering at Kensington Worship Center. Friday night I taught at the youth service and today, Dave and I taught workshops focused on helping church leaders work with volunteers. Kim was sick on Friday but is feeling better now, and Dale has been sick today. Pray for both of them to get healthy for the 24 hour trip home, and pray that the rest of us stay healthy. Tomorrow Dave will preach at the morning services, we’ll have lunch with the pastors here, take the afternoon to visit Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner), then we catch an evening flight back home.

This will be my last chance to update you all before our departure so let me say thank you for your faithful prayers while our team has been here in South Africa. The trip has been outstanding.

Peace,
Joe

P.S. My back is almost fully better. Sleeping on a real bed the last few days has helped. Keep praying that it will improve in spite of the long flights ahead of us. Thanks!

South Africa Update #2

It's day 8 of the trip and things continue to go well. Thanks to all of you who are praying for us. Here is a quick recap of some of the things we've been up to...

Monday the team visited the Sisters of Charity home (a place for severely disabled kids). I missed that portion of the day as I was seeing a doctor about my back, but many of the team members were moved by what they experienced there. I met up with the team later at another children's home run by a woman called Mamma Mary. We served the kids lunch there, played with the kids, spent some time with Mamma Mary, and then headed home.

Tuesday we went to the prison in Pretoria and worked with the 13-17 year old kids in the morning. Dave gave a short message and then we just hung out, played games, and talked with the kids. In the afternoon we headed to Danville (an inner city area) and worked with an after-school program for a few hours. We also got a tour of one of the "apartment" buildings there. The living conditions were astonishing. In the evening we attended a bible study at 3rd Place (the small church plant that meets in a storefront down the road).

Wednesday we met some folks that wanted to talk to Dave about twitter/church, then we walked around downtown to meet the folks who run a ministry called PEN (Pretoria Evangelsim and Nurture) that runs down there, and to get a view of some of the inner city needs.

Today was a day off for the Pure Hope team (the group we have been working with each day) so we went hiking at Hartbeepoort Dam and had a picnic lunch up on a peak.

Tomorrow we head back to Mabopane to spend some more time with Mamma Mary and the kids at the children's home. We'll also go to Plasticview, a township (or shanti town) where Westwinds funded two shack builds in 2008. We hope to meet and spend some time with the people who recieved those homes and find out how their lives have been impacted.

Please keep praying for our team as we continue to serve alongside the Pure Hope team. And, keep praying for my back, I am finding some slow improvement. Thanks!

South Africa Update #1

Our team arrived safely here in South Africa on Friday evening. Saturday left us no room for jet-lag as we got up early and headed to Mabopane for our One Life shack-build day. We partnered with a team of folks called "Pure Hope" from Moreletta Park Church. Together we built two One Life shacks. One was for a young man named Sello, and the other was for an HIV+ widow mother of three (the youngest being a 10 month old baby). All were extremely grateful for the help we have provided for them. The Westwinds team paid for the building of one of the shacks and the Pure Hope team paid for the other. These were shacks number 6 & 7 for the One Life program that was started by Pure Hope with the intention of simply changing one life at a time.

Sunday (today) was a day off of the work for us. We attended church at 3rd Place this morning (with lots of our new shack-building friends), and Moreletta Park Church this evening. We've met lots of wonderful South African people along the way.

Tomorrow we head back to the community of Mabopane and will meet a woman named "Mamma Mary" who runs an orphanage there for neglected and disabled children. I anticipate it will be a pretty intense day.

The team is doing great. Everyone is enjoying the time here. Please continue to pray for us as we seek to minister the love of Jesus to all we meet. And please pray specifically for me. After the 16 hour plane ride my back began acting up. Some of you know that I have had recent issues with my back. Our whole time here my back has been in spazam and it has been difficult for me to do any work and ride in vehicles. I see a physiotherapist tomorrow. Pray that the kinks will get worked out and that I will be able to keep up with the activity planned for the team.

Thank you all for your love and prayers!

GoDevelop Olmoran Update

At the end of 2008 we launched a campaign called “GoDevelop Olmoran” focused on developing a community in Kenya that was in dire need. In March of ’09, Bob Wielenga (President of Global Outreach Development) and I traveled to Olmoran, Kenya with a team of six students from Hope College in order to see first hand the issues that the people of central Kenya were facing. We spoke with the people of Olmoran and heard their stories. We found some wells in working order, and in high demand. Other wells we found were broken down and ususable. We also heard about other important issues like the need for agriculutural and economic development.

Since then we have learned about two trees that could make a difference in Kenya. The Moringa tree and the Muiri tree.

The Moringa tree:

It is said that the leaves of the Moringa tree prevent 300 diseases. Modern science seems to confirm the general idea. Scientific nutritional analysis has shown that Moringa leaves are extremely nutritious. In fact, they contain larger amounts of several important nutrients than the common foods often associated with these nutrients. These include vitamin C, which fights a host of illnesses including colds and flu; vitamin A, which acts as a shield against eye disease, skin disease, heart ailments, diarrhea, and many other diseases; Calcium, which builds strong bones and teeth and helps prevent osteoporosis; Potassium, which is essential for the functioning of the brain and nerves, and Proteins, the basic building blocks of all our body cells.

Studies show that, ounce for ounce, the Moringa tree leaves contain…

· 7 x the vitamin C in oranges

· 4 x the calcium in milk

· 4 x the vitamin A in carrots

· 2 x the protein in yougert

· 3 x the potassium in bananas

Another important point is that Moringa leaves contain all of the essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. It is very rare for a vegetable to contain all of these amino acids. And Moringa contains these amino acids in a good proportion, so that they are very useful to our bodies. These leaves could be a great boon to people who do not get protein from meat.

It is noteworthy that Moringa contains argenine and histidine, which are especially important for infants who are unable to make enough protein for their growth requirements. Experts tell us that 30% of children in sub-Saharan Africa are protein deficient. Moringa could be an extremely valuable food source. While native to the Indian sub-continent, Moringa has spread throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world.

Not only are the leaves highly nutritious, but every single part of the Moringa tree has been used for beneficial purposes. Here is a list of the many specific uses people have found for Moringa.

Nutrition • Disease Prevention • Ointment • Alley Cropping • Fertilizer • Erosion Control • Water Purification • Cosmetics • Textile Printing • Insecticide • Fungicide • Lubricants • Tanning Leather • Dye • Fiber Products • Fences • Ornamentation & Shade • Wind Barrier • Cane Juice Clarifier • Honey Production & Clarifier • Condiment • Cooking Oil • Food • Traditional medicine: Anemia • Anxiety • Asthma • Blackheads • Blood impurities • Blood pressure • Bronchitis • Catarrh • Chest congestion • Cholera • Colitis • Conjunctivitis • Cough • Diabetes • Diarrhea • Dropsy • Dysentery • Eye and ear infections • Fever • Glandular swelling • Gonorrhea • Headaches • Hysteria • Intestinal worms • Jaundice • Lactation • Malaria • Pain in joints • Pimples • Pregnancy • Psoriasis • Respiratory disorders • Scurvy • Semen deficiency • Skin infections • Sore throat • Sores • Sprain • Stomach ulcers • Tuberculosis • Tumor • Urinary disorders • Wounds

So, the Moringa tree not only functions as a source for nutritional value and health benefits, but it also has potential as a dietary supplement for livestock and can be used to help increase crop yields.

(The above data on the Moringa tree is from www.treesforlife.org)

The Muiri tree:

The Muiri tree (Prunus africanus) has been used for thousands of years by inhabitants of East Africa for treating various ailments. However, recently pharmaceutical companies have discovered its potential and have hired agents to harvest the tree by improper methods and to an unsustainable degree. Consequently, very few of the trees now remain and the species is considered endangered.

Read more about Africa's Medicine Tree Facing Extinction From Greed, Corruption

Bob recently returned to Kenya to begin investing some of our resources in these areas. Now, there are 5,000 Moringa tree seedlings and 1,000 Muiri tree seedlings growing on a plot of land that was donated to the cause. We also hired nursreymen to tend this farm while the trees grow.

In February 2010, Bob hopes to return to Kenya with a medical team that would host a free clinic in Olmoran in order to determine the key health issues facing that community. If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested in joining that team, please let us know. There is much work to be done in central Kenya and we need your help.