South Africa update week 2

Greetings from Mahvuza!

Thank you for all of your prayers of support, everything is going amazing here.  God is working tremendiously not only through the team in the community but within the team as well.  Today we met with the Chief of the region.  He oversees four or five different villages, and is a courageous man of God.  We actually got to interview him and we can’t wait to share it with everyone.  Coming up at four o’clock today is a soccer game between the village locals and the JAM team.  The walls are coming up and we’re getting the roofing done on the bathroom facility in the base camp.  This bathroom will have showers, toilets and sinks with running water for all future missionary stays.  It’s amazing how quickly the last week and a half has gone by.  God has become so much bigger in all of our lives.  We miss you and love you.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to update you again very soon. 

The Well South Africa Team

D, J, T, B, C, K, N & M

Ecuador

Hello everyone, just a quick update on the former Honduras team…we are now the Ecuador team. One thing we’ve learned about missions is that you have to be flexible, and trust in the Lord. After a FULL day of being on the phone and a lot of scrambling, we are now headed to Latacunga, Ecuador this Friday. The Well staff has been great and has shown us total commitment which we are very grateful for. We really feel supported, and it is a privelage to be able to represent The Well down there. Thanks to everyone who is supporting us, and keep the prayers coming…the next time we update should be this weekend from Ecuador.

Joel

Costa Rica Update

We arrived safely yesterday evening and woke up to an authentic breakfast at the hostile/bed and breakfast/home (whatever!). Had a chance to walk around the city and get familiar with some of our suroundings. Spent the day doing an orientation with the host missionary family…learned about the culture, ministry, etc.. spent some time in worship too!

Best part…we were taught how to cook an authentic costa rican meal with a local woman named anna who is friends with the missionaries here. It was great! Made homemade tortillas, chimi churi (pica de gallo), and rice and beans.

tomorrow we start working at the various ministry sites and will give you another update in a few days (hopefully a better one if i’m not pressed for time!)

Jane and the Girls.

The Drama Continues… Honduras

Well Family.

Good News. Bad News.
Bad News: We have offically cancelled the trip to Honduras with MMI.
Good News: The trip is being relocated to Equador.

We are working on flights and costs and all that, but pray for the team as we get things going.

The Well Missions Staff.

Honduras Update

Hey everybody…I just got off the phone with Andrew after speaking with Lisa at MMI. They are expressing some concern with the situation as I think we all are. Please be patient as we are trying to make the best decision possible and are also considering options that may or may not work as well. It seems the situation in Honduras is still relatively stable, however that could change quickly. The reports are that most protests are still peaceful, and no major incidents are occurring. That being said, the bus service in the country has recently shut down due to multiple roadblocks around the country. The US Embassy there recommends that US Citizens remain home and not to travel there unless it is absolutely necessary. We are going to wait until Monday or Tuesday to make the final call and will let you all know ASAP. In the meantime I just spoke with MMI (Lori) and we are exploring several options. There happen to be three different trips all occuring at the same time as our Honduras trip (same dates, medical in nature). We are going to see if it is possible to change our flights and what the cost would be. Of the three available trips, two are in Ecuador and one is in the Dominican Republic. As soon as we have information on flight availability and $$$ I will be happy to shoot out another e-mail ASAP to keep you all informed. Please continue to
pray for our team and for Honduras.

Joel

South Africa Team Update

Aye!! (Hi in Tsongani)

Greetings from Mahvusa!!

All of us from the South Africa team wanted to say hello and let everyone know that we are all doing well and have pretty much recovered from the jet lag after traveling on the longest scheduled flight available on the planet. We have safely made it to Mahvusa and are working well with the group from JAM. To our amazement we joined a group of 26 JAM members and have been making incredible progress on the camp. In the first few days we have been focusing on the base camp to build a bathroom with running water, showers and sinks to make future stays to the camp just a bit easier. We are digging the dirt out for the foundation currently and expect to lay the cement within a day or so. Once a proper foundation has been laid, the building progress will increase exponentially. We have also made a visit to the donated land and are excited with the prospects of the camp for the children. We are going to be starting to clear the land and hope to break ground very soon. Most of the team has visited Zone 2 and have come back with amazing reports of the beautiful children and incredible opportunities to serve the kids and minister to people who have never even heard the name of Jesus. Due to the sheer number of us, the Well Africa team has had to visit Zone 2 in smaller teams of 3 to 4 people at a time, but are looking forward to visiting again as a complete group on Friday. The whole team wants to send out their thanks to everyone who has helped financially and/or in prayer to make this trip possible and an incredible success. We love you all and hope to add again to the blog soon.

The Well South Africa Team

D, J, C, B, T, K, N & M

Honduras Coup…

Hello to those of you who are following our team. As you may or may not have heard, there has been a coup that threatens the ability of our team to participate. I’ll try to give you a brief synopsis of what exactly is going on and what it means to our team. The ousted Honduran President is Manuel Zelaya. He was removed last Sunday by the Honduran military because he overstayed his term. The Honduran constitution allows the President to serve one four year term. Mr. Zelaya has ignored the constitution with repeated calls from the Honduran congress and supreme court for him to step down and relinquish power. The Honduran military has exiled Mr. Zelaya to Costa Rica, however he has threatened to return to the country this Thursday with the help of the Venezuelan military, which is reportedly building up on the southern Honduras border in Nicaragua.
Now…what does that mean for our team?? To begin with, we are taking it day to day and getting updates both via the news and from Gustavo, our guide in Honduras. He tells us that it is very calm and quiet where we are going in Florida de Copan. However, with the threat of the return of Zeyala and the possible help of the Venezuelan military, things could degrade quickly. MMI has asked us to wait until next Monday to make a decision (talk about last minute!). The organization seems to be very concerned with our well being and we have no reason not to trust their judgement. The US State Department and the US Embassy in Honduras have warned US citizens not to travel to Honduras unless absolutely necessary at this point. No restrictions have yet been placed on travel and all airports are open.
As you can see, this is a tough situation to be in. At our team meeting last night, everyone was concerned, but we are still going ahead with plans until further notice. We are eager and willing to go, yet understand the priority of caution and safety in situations such as this. That being said, we also understand the nature of missionary work and the inherent risks associated with it. It is situations like this where we need the prayer of the church for wisdom and discernment on the part of the decision makers. Please pray for the country, our team, and for the people who are being affected by this. All we can do now is pray and know that God is in charge. It’s times like these that our need for reliance upon God and His sovereign authority are the most pronounced. We trust in the Lord no matter the decision, and will be content with the outcome. We ask again for your prayer as our trip departure date is 7/10. I’ll continue to post updates as information becomes available.

In Christ,

Joel

MAE Bags :: Dustin Woida

Dustin Woida, soon to be extended family at The Well, saw a need and created a unique way to fill that need in a way that empowers. Dustin created MAE Bags.

Prostitution is a problem world wide, but the issue of prostitution in Costa Rica captured our attention. Prostitution is legal in Costa Rica, and the legal age to work the streets is only 16. As tourism grows in this beautiful country so does the problem, as business men and travelers feed the industry. Prostitution has been watered down from taboo to culturally acceptable, and men flock to submit to their lust in a place where they can feel like it is okay.

we wanted to do something. that’s where mae-bags came from: recognizing so many beautiful people just needed hope; just needed something to help them Make An Escape from what’s increasingly becoming so common.

we started making bags in may 2009. each bag is hand-crafted and hand-numbered, constructed from recycled burlap coffee bags. made from coffee bags from all over the world, every single bag is unique – no two bags look the same.

joined with groups that already have a presence in Costa Rica like Students International and local churches, we’re giving support directly to the women who need it, not funneling it through giant corporate aid organizations. we plan on setting up a bag production studio in Costa Rica too, so the young women escaping prostitution will be able to learn skills to sustain a new lifestyle.

the goal is simple: to Make An Escape for these young women and their children. proceeds from these bags goes toward a safe work place and empowering young prostitutes with skills to become self sufficient. we only hope to give them options, to give them a choice other than selling their bodies. we want to love these women who have nothing to offer us. we want to give to them, give them opportunities to escape, to learn, and to better themselves, breaking the cycle that is so frequently passed down to kids. we hope to give to them rather than take from them as so many others have.

we are currently working on building our online shopping cart to make purchasing a bag easy. until then though, please check out the dates above to see where we’ll be, or send an email to contact us directly: maebags@gmail.com

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each bag is $40

that covers the cost per bag of $15 (materials, labor)

and sends $25 per bag directly to the young women escaping the streets of Costa Rica, supporting them with resources, encouragement, and very soon, the skills to make and sell their own bags to support themselves and their kids.