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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Count Your Blessings! All Year!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!




My latest blog post!


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  A 15 minute video by Francis Chan

 

 

 

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Interested in transforming your neighborhood? In Milwaukee?

 Some "old" news, but updating from my LINKEDIN Profile.

Training of Trainers Neighborhood Transformation (NT) or CHE Seminar in Milwaukee, Feb. 23-25th. 2012. Yes, we had over 30 attendees, but we were not able to get inner city pastors to attend.  ?????????

Interested in having Neighborhood Transformation training, and having this training in Milwaukee in 2015?
Keep reading for an update. Let  me know if you are interested!  

Our involvement as volunteers with the American Red Cross in Milwaukee and seeing first hand the needs renewed my interest in Neighborhood Transformation and the possibility of having Stan Rowland (founder of N.T. ) come back to Milwaukee in 2015 for a Seminar/Workshop.

Let me help your church learn more about this ministry and get involved!

My interest in Milwaukee and poverty led me to: Neighborhood Transformation, a strategy which helps churches minister in a wholistic manner to people in urban poor neighborhoods. It empowers people to take responsibility for their own lives. Helps neighbors to help their neighbors and moves them from welfare and relief to empowerment. Focuses on assets found in the neighborhood which fosters local ownership instead of being based on problems which they expect outsiders to fix for them.

Neighborhood Transformation (NT) trains church lay-people how to enter a nearby poor neighborhood, develop relationships, identify assets already found in the neighborhood in individuals and groups. Then, by working with the local people, this information is used to improve the living conditions.

Videos on steps to implement 


Please check out the Neighborhood Transformation website

http://neighborhoodtransformation.net/

 

Some other great videos on Neighborhing. 


Founder of Neighborhood Transformation, Stan Rowland has a BLOG:  http://urbancheguy.wordpress.com/


Sunday, December 7, 2014

What is your mission in life?

Read an interesting article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this morning: "Spiritual Inspiration". About Roma Downey and the new film she is in, "Women of the Bible".

She also runs an organization to help displaced Christians in Syria, Iraq and neighboring areas called "The Cradle of Christianity Fund."

She feels fortunate that she has been able to combine what she believes in with what she loves to do. Not everyone gets to do that.


"We must have clarity about the mission. I look for people I respect who are practical-minded. I want to be sure it's the sort of project that I can bring something of value to, and in which I'm being involved in a meaningful way. So I always ask myself: Is it a mission I believe in? Do I believe in the people who are in it? and Does it use my talents and gifts in a way that engage me?"

There's a lot of noise going on in the world. We need to listen to God speaking to us and that it is God that is speaking.

Maybe the real question should be, "What is your vision for your life?"  Or "What is your vision for your city or neighborhood?"

When I stand before Jesus one day, I want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant". Isn't that what you want to hear?

Are you using your "Strengths" and "Abilities" in what you are doing or volunteering in?  

 


Thursday, December 4, 2014

Agricultural missions in action


We will be presenting a variety of faith based organizations who are actively using agricultural as a means of ministry.

This is the first of many:

ECHO exists to reduce hunger and improve lives through agricultural training and resources. A non-denominational Christian organization, its international headquarters is located on a tropical agriculture demonstration farm in North Fort Myers, Florida.
ECHO 




 

Chapin Living Waters exists to help poor people in developing countries grow vegetables when there is insufficient rain. We offer simple, sustainable technologies for subsistence farming, bringing hope to the poorest people and the opportunity to solve their own problems.

_http://www.chapinlivingwaters.org

 

 

   Videos on Chapin Living Waters site 

 

http://www.chapinlivingwaters.org/#!video-demos/c1br5


 /___________________________________________
Man of Peace Development




Chapin Living Waters


JL, Patt & Friends is working with Double Harvest and other partners to develop an agricultural project to assist Haitian and Bahamian families with food to eat and jobs.


J L Williams

Double Harvest

Chapin Living Waters

Fellowship of Christian Farmers
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Samaritan's Purse



Samaritan's Purse

 Agricultural projects

If you got down this far...you may be interested in my agricultural background:

Part of my Linkedin Profile.:


●   With the perfection of the art and science of lettuce growing, we became the     grower/supplier of choice for both Kohl’s and Sentry (Godfrey Co/Flemming Co.), the two top food chain stores in Wisconsin at the time. Marketing was not a challenge.

●   Had a high tech irrigated lettuce farm in the City of Glendale (Suburb now of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

●   Specialized in growing Bibb, Romaine, Boston and Leaf lettuce. Had the highest quality lettuce by applying foliar applications of key minor elements as needed and keeping soil nutrients and PH at optimum levels.

Attended the first Ag Expo in Tulare California in Feb 1968 to see and learn about the latest technology for growing lettuce. Also toured the lettuce growing areas from San Diego to San Francisco. Many years later attended the same event as a volunteer for Chapin Living Waters manning their booth...shared with Jain Irrigation Co. 

www.chapinlivingwaters.org   
Also, maintained Chapin's website from 2006-2014 as a volunteer and represented them at several conferences.

   Two challenges to a profitable crop were too much or too little water.

●    As a result we designed and implemented a drainage system that drained the excess water from the soil in early spring at least 2 weeks earlier than without the system, thereby drying and warming up the soil early and producing our first crop while supplies from the South and West still had a high price.

●   For lack of rain, we had an irrigation system that supplied water when and where we needed it.

●   Designed and built 3 “Plastic Houses” so we could get a head start on the season by transplanting lettuce into the field in mid April and thereby harvesting our first crop by June 1st, favorably competing with higher priced lettuce from “warmer” climates.

●   As a result of the above, we produced two and sometimes three crops of lettuce a year!

●   As a result of economic expansion of the City of Glendale, and installation of sewer and water to our property, and with high taxes, we were forced out of business.  Developed farm into Industrial Park.


More on my early lettuce business 

 

                                             Plastic Houses
Add caption


Boston Lettuce