We are trying to get the whole website updated before Thanksgiving, 2007. Our "What's New!" listings were terribly outdated and left up way, way too long. Sorry and we will try to do better next time. We have taken down all the old items but I thought it might be nice to just list what them here and give you the latest update on them.
Our Safari to Mikumi National Park recounted the adventures of three ladies who visited Joy in the Harvest and then went on to visit the game park. This story is still found under our menu item "Visitors" --> "Side Trips". They had a good time except for some terrible experiences with the ground transportation from Dar es Salaam to Mikumi and back. Based on their experiences, we have started using John Francis Van Service to provide ground transportation.
Our Representative in Indiana -- Rev. Glen Beck announced Glen's coming on board with JOY to provide services to churches in Indiana and surrounding States. In addition to the website announcement, we sent notices in the mail to all Indiana churches on our mailing list. The response has been weak to Glen's offer to assist local churches with their mission programs. Glen has been helping some churches in Indiana but not many invitations were received as I would have expected. We are disappointed as this is a wonderful opportunity for local churches to strengthen their missions involvement and programs. It is not too late! Check out our menu item "Resources" --> "Representative to Indiana". Glen won't be doing this forever so don't miss out on the chance to have a free mission consultant help your church!
First United Methodist Church Being Built in Dar es Salaam told how Joy in the Harvest was helping the United Methodist Church of Tanzania with the funding and construction of the very first UM church in the capital of Tanzania. Another success story! The church building was completed in March of 2007 and is being used by the congregation at this time.
New Land Cruiser Fund Started announced our need of a new vehicle to help with the work in Africa. The Lord provided for this need in a couple of ways. A very small number of individuals actually contributed to this fund but they made some major contributions. The fund never fully realized its goal, however. Our "general fund" made up the shortfall and the vehicle was purchased and on the job starting in the Spring of 2006. This vehicle has been a real blessing to the ministry and was urgently needed. We want to thank those who made contributions.
One side note: according to new Tanzania laws, we can only purchase one new Land Cruiser every three years and get it tax exempt. Since paying taxes would almost double the cost of a new vehicle, we need to do our purchasing of new vehicle in the most financially advantageous manner for the Lord's work.
Katherine Wertz Engaged to be Married let the world know of her engagement to a former missionary kid (MK) born in the Congo and raised in France. Katherine and her fiance were married in a wonderful service at the Gungu United Methodist Church in Kigoma, Tanzania on July 22, 2006.
How to Pack a Mission Box for Africa gives guidance on how to pack a box of mission supplies for transportation on the airlines to Kigoma, Tanzania as a piece of checked luggage. The weight limit of 70 pounds per piece (which has been the standard for over 40 years) has recently been reduced by British Air and most other airlines to 50 pounds per piece. This is a Major set-back for moving mission supplies to Africa. We will be doing a re-think of how to pack the boxes in the future and are planning on updating this page to reflect the current situation and airline limitations. Watch for an update, especially if you are planning a mission trip out to visit Tanzania.
Joy in the Harvest Website Getting An Update. Gulp. Yes, we are actually working on it now. Keeping the website updated has proven to be a real problem this past two years but we are hoping to do a better job in the future. The work in Africa is growing and time has been the problem. We will keep trying to keep you informed.
Support Group Helps Widows. This was an offshoot of our college intern program. It was a limited program and was ended at the time of the last posting. It was both fun and a huge success. Help for widows and orphans has continued through our Friday People in Crisis Program.
This concludes our mini-update of our old "What's New!" items.