Iowa Rotary Team

Maybe a strange title, but Jacinda, Stella, and I have been spending the last week with a short-term team from Iowa that was put together mainly around several Rotary chapters in Iowa.  They have been such a great group and they have really started this year out great for us here in SA.  Although it is not our main "job" to help with the teams that come over throughout the year, it is part of it.  It has been amazing to see this team come together, be challenged by what they see here in SA and to see them be challenged by God and grow stronger in their faith.

Rotary team playing with the kids at a local creche.

The team has been busy this week visiting several daycare centers (called a "creche" here), going on optical and shoe outreaches, helping out at the Del Cramer Children's Center, and meeting with South African Rotary groups.  An optical outreach consists of sitting down one on one with a child trying to determine if that child needs a pair of glasses or not.  Sounds simple, but try to do that when you and the child do not speak the same language!  The shoe outreaches are similar.  You sit down one on one with a child trying to fit them with the right pair of shoes.  Many of the kids have never had shoes before or are wearing the same pair that they have had for several years and outgrew years ago.  This shoe ministry was started by Emmanuel “Manny” Ohonme who now runs an organization called Samaritans Feet.  You can read Manny's story here.

The Del Cramer Center is the main hub of Blessman Ministries.  It is the home of Lighthouse Church, the after-school feeding program, the Farming God's Way farming project, and "The Bridge" computer lab and learning center (hope I did not miss anything).

Greenhouses, Lighthouse Church, and Meals from the Heartland Shipping Crate

I have been trying to soak up as much as possible this last week with meeting new people and seeing the new places where we will be working on a daily and weekly basis.  It has been quite an overload, but very exciting.

What is most exciting is seeing what God is doing through this ministry and getting to be a part of it.  Last night we were able to celebrate one of the most important workers here at Blessman Ministries, Maxwell. He is from Africa and has been working hard on the Blessman campus over the last few years.  He is the reason why the lodge, the houses, and the landscaping all look so beautiful.  His family is also wonderful. We have the privilege to live in the rondeval next to them.

Maxwell's Handiwork

Earlier this week I also had an opportunity to see the site of the future church that Blessman Ministries is going to plant near our farm.  The game farm where we live is about a half an hour to town where the Del Cramer Center is.  In this area there is an estimated 500 farm workers that usually live on the farms because they do not have enough money to make the trip back and forth from town each day.  We hope to reach out to these farm workers with the new church as an extension of Lighthouse Church.  This will be my (Matt) biggest "job."

Other than that not much going on!  Stella is doing great as usual.  She loves all the attention from her new "aunties."  She has braved the heat and withstood several outings well.  We wore her out so much yesterday that she slept all through the night, ten hours!  Jacinda was very thankful for the sleep.

Again thank you for all your prayers and support.  Please contact us any time.

Matt