Greetings Saints!
What a beautiful day as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior; Jesus!
Just a few quick FYI's here.
We are finishing up on the collecting for the container but are still taking donations, also can use hands to help sort things. If available to sort please contact me. As far as I know we'll be there every day from Tuesday to Friday 9:30-2:30, but please check first. (By presorting and condensing, we estimate we are freeing up as much as 20% more space for supplies.)
Also welcome to come during these times and we'll be glad to take you to the garage and show you what God is doing. What you will see is not including the 12 foot trailer of supplies coming and the 2 pallets coming form Messiah College for another ministry in Zambia.
One really big need still is technical books, books, Bibles, shoes and as you'll see below even more clothing (18 gallon totes to pack in also). Goal is to fill the container to the doors and have to force them shut. These things are so precious and bless so many want to pack as full as possible.
Bikes can still be dropped at Wooden Wheels. Owner there, Tom, has a passion for missions and has been a huge blessing. Is even considering going with us on a future trip.
Tomorrow as we celebrate Easter, if weather is dry, I'll be taking our Kidz Klubs Kids over to our church garage to see what God is doing as they have prayed.
Please also continue to pray for the funding of the container; still need app. $12,000 and will let you know how God does that!
I should be hearing back from our good friends at CMTS (Christian Missionary Technical Services) about costs and whether it is better to ship from Newark or there in Bernville.
Thank you for your generous gifts and especially for your prayers for our children there in Zambia.
Below is an E-mail from All Kids Can Learn about the container; what a joy to be a part of God's Forever Family.
Until Every Child Knows,
Big Jim
Matt. 19:14
James 1:27
Hey Jim,
Blessings on this Easter weekend. I hope you are taking a moment to enjoy the weather the Lord is giving us right now.
Talking with Benedict during this past week, the importance of our container business has come to the fore. While we are experiencing a time of diminished giving during the beginning of the year, the sale of books and clothing combined with growth in sales of chickens and other food products from our fields is contributing significantly to covering regular costs at Villages of Hope--diesel, payroll, taxes, etc. We have opened a "boutique" for clothing from the containers and set up a "bookstore" in the community center.
Our conclusion is that making clothing available in our local rural area at low prices makes a big difference to lots of people and children living at a subsistence around us.
There is a wonderful project begun by a man named Pastor Joseph and his wife in a town in the north of Zambia on the border with Congo. They began to feed orphans in their town of 20,000 in 1997 on their own. They are not backed by any Zambian or international organizations other than a family from Florida that comes once a year to teach AIDS classes in the local community. They currently raise enough food to feed about 250 orphans daily and to support their school uniforms and fees. Pastor Joseph has been making the 6 hour bus trip to us to take clothes and books on consignment up to their location for sales. He manages to triple the cost of books and clothes from us (If he buys a book from us for $1, he sells it for $3) Since I was there in January he has managed to buy the uniforms and pay the school fees for 8 teenaged orphans for this next year in school at the high school level. These school fees are pretty hefty. At the same time, Pastor Joseph's purchases have contributed about 10 million kwacha to our daily needs.
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Delaware container to augment our inventory of clothes in particular right now.
Blessings,
Terry Brandon
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