It’s a strange day to be halfway around the world.

I woke up feeling the familiar ache of homesickness, but it's a bit extra, missing both my mom and my girls on Mothers' Day.  At the same time, I celebrate that the work of FARM STEW is improving the lives of MANY mothers and children who are in desperate need.

I’m not here only because I care, but because you care! You care about mothers and kids that you will never meet until, we pray, we get to heaven. I pray that you can continue to show how much you care!

Remember that those that have faith even though they have not seen are rewarded even more! (John 20:29)

Remember the promise that God made to Ebed Melech, found in Jeremiah 39:15-18, the brave servant of the king that saw the Prophet Jeremiah in the miry pit and got him out before he died of hunger?  That is what you and your generous gifts (https://www.farmstew.org/donate) are doing for thousands of people, 2400 households specifically targeting FARM STEW intervention in South Sudan alone.

South Sudan was intense. Your prayers got Sherry and I in, through, and out of the country safely, and your ongoing prayers will keep our FARM STEW staff safe.  It is an intensely poor country, the most food insecure in the world besides Yemen.

We drove through vast areas where everything had been destroyed by war.  We drove on “roads” that did not merit the word, where without your generous support for transportation, we could have never reached. FARM STEW groups and volunteers greeted us at each destination, and each had their own story to tell.  

You can watch the virtual vespers video that summarizes the activities here.  Virtual Vespers Live from Africa!

The stories of the mothers who have struggled to support their families and have found hope and a future in FARM STEW were the ones that touched my heart the most. Mary, (below) a beautiful FARM STEW Volunteer in Magwi, South Sudan told me that her children's faces are now "shining" since she has been practicing FARM STEW lessons at home.

There are so many challenges, such profound poverty, tear-jerking stories, yet the word I heard over and over again to describe the impact of our FARM STEW training was RESILIENCE!!  

I look forward to sharing more with you in a future letter and newsletter, but for now, my Board Meeting with the new team of FARM STEW Malawi will be starting in about an hour.  There are leaders from across the country on their way to launch this effort in this desperately poor land.

There is no explanatory power in me for why God is opening so many doors for FARM STEW.  Your continued support is what is making it possible to walk through them. Thank you for being here with me in spirit!  

Happy Mothers’ Day to all!

Joy

PS:  I ask you to prayerfully consider a gift to help mothers today: https://www.farmstew.org/donate Monthly or other re-occurring gifts especially help to sustain and expand the work.

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