The harvest process is now in FULL swing in the region of Mambwe and Mfuwe. Today's cover photo is of a group of growers, including one of our pastor partners, gathering to hear about the process and actually sell us some of the maize they have just harvested. Also, in case you were wondering - YES, that is one of their local churches where they were having that meeting.
The pic is very fun, but not quite as fun as the opportunity IĀ had this morning to be on a video call with brothers Nguni, Thomas and Mathews as they allowed me to say "hi" to a handful of the Mambwe pastors who were gathered to discuss the process ahead. It was great to see those IĀ have met in person a couple times, and also wonderful to meet a few pastors IĀ hadn't had a chance to greet before, along with a terrific crowd of men and women leaders who will be involved in the process ahead. Thanks guys!
All our guys are busy at some phase of the harvest process, with Josh closer to the finish line in Solwezi because he got a head start. Lamec is busy in the southern part of the country near his residence in Chikankata and the tourist destination of Livingstone, and Isaac is waiting on the shelling process in Chongwe. We also partner with some of our most trusted pastor partners to help us with the purchasing, as our brother Vincent is currently doing in Petauke. It is by far the most challenging process we do each year, but possibly the most rewarding. When we are done, I will certainly share the new opportunities set by the maize stored at the churches.
As for me, IĀ have a handful of responsibilities related to the harvest acquiring. First of all, along with brother Rog, IĀ get to pester my friends to see if they want to be involved. There have been 26 of us that contributed this year, and we wound up with just under $130,000. I sent some of that in the May wire to get started and sent another $80,000 last week. That is a LOT of money. And we continue to learn the best ways keep control of those funds, as the guys are asking recipients and pastors to sign papers documenting the entire process this year. Secondly, I am the one that gets to see the big picture from start to finish. When we started, we didn't know if we would raise $50,000 or $200,000, so I had to build a spreadsheet that could be flexible enough to build an "expected" outcome and then shift as the funds got closer and closer to that final amount allocated to the harvest. Those that know me know how much I like my spreadsheets, so even though it is challenging, I truly enjoy that part of the process.
At the end of the process, it will likely look different than I had anticipated, and someone will receive more and another less than planned. But next month a LOTĀ of families are going to be impacted by the generosity of our donors and the efforts of our team. And that will be very exciting to be a part of once again.
Another big THANKĀ YOUĀ to all who contributed to the harvest effort, and to the many that are now donating every month, and finally to any that have been one of the 150 total donors we have had contribute over the last five plus years.
