S2S 11.30.25 Update

This week we sent our first INPUT funds out. We sent them only to Solwezi, as I have this stubborn belief that the rainfall averages indicate the rest of our coverage area should wait until December to plant. Maybe wrong, maybe right. The rain comes when it comes, and it is different each year, obviously.  I just believe the averages over a long period are the best information around which to build one's strategy. We will send more funding out in a couple weeks after we send our December wire.

That said, today's cover photo shows the emergence of some very nice-looking maize in the Mambwe area at one of the test plots, where ZIAP funded inputs in November for the training program. In order to account for the likelihood of dry times after planting, Tracy instructed the trainers to choose plots where water is accessible nearby in the form of a stream, shallow well, or borehole. Notice a few things in the photo: 1) the reddish color of the soil; our first time in Zambia we noticed the ground getting more and more red colored the further east we went; 2) the lovely green color of the maize - this looks like a very healthy start! 3) the lack of any weeds or grass surrounding the maize; you may have heard me emphasize the WEEDING part of the training in the past. Philemon, our trainer and pastor partner at this plot, has done a GREAT job with that part of the process; and, finally, 4) the trees growing in the fields; something we don't see in Iowa, but a very small issue when there is so much land to work with. Great work, Philemon, and all the trainees who helped get this beautiful start!!

We have now received just over $50,000 towards purchasing inputs for some of our brothers and sisters who otherwise would not be able to afford to put what they are learning into practice. The team in Zambia encouraged me to shrink the field size for our input recipients to be identical to the test plots on which they are being taught. That will allow us to send to more families. We believe we should be able to send to around 400 families should nothing more come in. Not exactly what we were hoping, but that is a LOT of people who will be able to put their training into practice and hopefully be a year ahead when next year comes around.

This week in America marks GIVING TUESDAY. Whether because we have been resistant to gimmicks or because we have been more comfortable with word of mouth than any sort of widespread campaign, we have never pushed the GIVING TUESDAY thing too much. I may post something on Facebook Tuesday for us to share - please feel free to share to your own pages as well; we never know who might be paying attention that has been thinking about feeding someone. The bottom line for me is this: GIVING is a beautiful thing. SHARING and LOVING go hand in hand in my book, and I want to be all about LOVING. Every day of the year, and not just one. And if people are GIVING on that day, it's beautiful, no matter who the beneficiaries are. But if you are looking for some truly needy people. People in a country with NO SNAP BENEFITS, NO MEDICAID, NO UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE... basically no safety nets at all... then we would certainly welcome your donations, which will be 100% passed along to our Zambian brothers and sisters since we have next to ZERO overhead here in America. S2S is a wonderfully efficient effort, and we intend to keep it that way.

Thanks for considering us this week, and always.