Focusing on Partners
September 1, 2023
It has been an interesting, and sometimes trying, month for me. My wife and best supporter in all that I do has been in South Africa working with a team in the area of our Girls’ Empowerment programs. I miss her a lot and life’s usual routines are just not flowing for me. On the positive side, I have had a bit of extra time for work and riding my bike, both of which I appreciate.
This month I would like to focus on some of our amazing partners who assist us in doing our child-feeding program with excellence:
Convoy of Hope has been our longest ministry partner in the 22 years that we have been serving on the mission field. COH does everything with excellence and manages all the logistics in getting 6 million meals shipped to Africa and through customs to our 10 feeding hubs spread throughout Southern Africa each year. In addition to their expertise, they have given significant assistance in funding our nutritional programs.
Meals from the Heartland has been an important partner since 2008. MFTH typically sends nearly 6 million meals to Africa via Blessman International each year. Blessman International recruits volunteers each month to help package and fund many of these meals at the MFTH West Des Moines headquarters. If any of you would like to volunteer to help with this, please let us know. Recently our entire staff volunteered at Hy-Vee Hall to assist them in packaging 4 million meals over Labor Day weekend at their annual Hunger Fight. Hy-Vee is a major donor of the food that MFTH packages. Hy-Vee is also one of the major funders for Blessman International’s water and sanitation projects through their One Step program.
Hy-Line International, a poultry breeding company in Dallas Center, Iowa, is one of our newer partners assisting us with an egg research project to document the benefits of adding one egg per day to our child-feeding program in Africa. Through our partnership with Hy-Line and Carver Medical School at the University of Iowa, we are conducting research to measure the benefits of adding egg protein to the diets of malnourished children in Africa. If indeed our research shows significant benefit, I am hopeful that this will assist us in securing funding to add an egg a day for 100,000 children.
In summary, many generous Americans, especially Americans from the Midwest, are volunteering with Meals from the Heartland to package and fund food packets that Convoy of Hope transports across the ocean to Africa where Blessman International feeds 60,000 children throughout Southern Africa 5 days per week. It is a massive program and requires all of us to work smoothly together. We have a goal to feed 100,000 children per day within the next few years.
Prayer request: Please pray for me and Beth as I do my best to keep the home fires burning while she is busy serving in South Africa without me.
Doc