A great big shout out to the many Westwind folks that went the extra mile in making this happen (you know who you are!), as well as the family and friends of Ben and Meredith Cadwell who came along for the ride and ended up doing a lot of the work. We so appreciate you all!

And the best part…the party is never really over because our Nepali friends live here in Des Moines. So we’ll always look for ways to be involved in their lives, to show them the love of Christ. And you’re always invited to join us in that.

A “Bucket of Hope” consists of a plastic five-gallon bucket packed with selected non-perishable food items. For approximately $30 you can purchase the materials and assemble a bucket. Donors are then requested to attach a $10 cash contribution to offset the cost of transporting the relief buckets to Haiti.

If you’re interested in participating, the detailed explanation on packing the bucket can be found here (CLICK HERE). Assembled buckets need to be dropped off at the church office on March 12.

In November (8-15) we will be joining up with the Waukee Food Pantry and collecting food for their shelves. You can give food gifts or gift cards which will be used to buy food items for the pantry. The list of food items they are looking can be found here.

In December we will be partnering with the Angel Tree Ministry and collecting clothing and gifts for children with a parent(s) who are in prison. Families at Westwind will be able to choose an item from our Angel Tree display in the lobby and provide a present for a child in need. You can bring a present from November 15-December 9 to Westwind or our office.

We hope you will take part in both of these initiatives and shine God’s light on the community around us.

In 2006 we held the first annual Reggie’s Sleepout to help raise awareness and money to address the critical problem of Youth Homelessness in central Iowa.

In 2008, over 1000 individuals contributed to the cause by sleeping out and/or fundraising. The event was a huge success with over $156,000, including a generous $50,000 match from the Richard O. Jacobson Foundation.

Help us make 2009 an even bigger success!

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

A friend of mine recently told me that in Sunday School they’ve been going through a series on “How to Manage Your Money.” Throughout the term, their teacher has repeated this statement…“It’s about the money, but it’s not.” As I was thinking about what to write here that idea kept coming to mind. “It is, but it isn’t.” Right now, I have the privilege of doing what is called “pre-field ministry”. While one of the main goals of this time is to raise prayer and financial support that will allow me to move to Brazil as a missionary…“it is, but it isn’t.” In the past few months I gained a few new prayer supporters, and my financial support level jumped up to 27%.

I’m thankful for the numerous opportunities I’ve had at work to talk about God and what I’ll be doing in South Brazil. And also the times spent with friends encouraging and challenging each other with truth from God’s Word. I’ve had the privilege of sharing with believer and unbeliever, by mail or visit, both day and night. I still fervently pray for new financial and prayer partners and the needed funds to attend my last week of training, Pre-Field Connection, in March. And I am thankful for several very promising church and individual commitments in progress. Nevertheless, I constantly need to remind myself… “it is, but it isn’t.” When I was thinking about what to write here, the Lord reminded me that while this post is about me…“it is, but it isn’t.” I write, not for my own good, but for the Brazilians, for my teammates, and for you – the reader. I want to encourage all of these people. Ultimately, the best way to do that is to lift high the One who should always be the focus of my updates – Jesus Christ, my Savior, Redeemer, and Friend. May everything I say and do be the result of Christ living in me.

Thank you so much for your prayers. Ben has recovered from being sick and is back here in Kathmandu. We are excited about all that God is doing in our hearts. There have been many things impacting our lives daily from poverty to the bondage of religion, and we are encouraged that God is at work. We are feeling more and more called to reaching the Nepali’s that are in Des Moines.

In addition to that, we are feeling God encouraging us to simplify our lives. To look at all that we have and consider it not only a blessing from Him, but His. We desire for God to be in complete control- whether it be our house, our cars, our money, or our time, it all belongs to Him. I am reminded that our time on earth is but a mist. So let’s make the most of the time and resources we are given!!

This weekend we are attending a Nepali church. Please pray that we will take away much from this experience. Our heart is to start a church for our Nepali friends in Des Moines! We are excited to go and observe what a Nepali church looks like. We also will be going to a feast for a Nepali holiday that is taking place for the next week. So, please pray for connections with other Nepali believers in order that we may hear their God story!

Thanks again for your support! We are blessed!
Ben & Meredith

Hey,
I just wanted to let you know that we arrived safely into Kathmandu, Nepal! We are excited to be here and have felt blessed by the Lord to feel somewhat adjusted to the time difference. I believe Nepal is about 11 hours ahead of you.
Ben will be leaving next Wednesday to go up into the mountains. Please pray for safe and successful travel. Travel in Nepal is very difficult and at times dangerous. There are really no road rules that anyone follows, so it can be either really terrifying or exciting depending on the view you want to have! =) Also, please pray for someone for me to connect with that were Hindu but are now Christian. We are staying in a predominantly Tibetan area and the church our friends go to is actually a Tibetan Church- different from what we thought. I am still excited to see what I can find out about the Hindu religion, but also to hear God stories from whomever God gives us an opportunity to hear from.  

Thanks for your prayers! We are so thankful to have you behind us!
Love,
Ben & Meredith  

Be sure to check back to find out how you can partner with them in prayer.

Our first update from Ben and Meredith shows the importance of prayer and patience as we seek to be missional.

Thought I would email and update you on our travels. Well, today we were delayed on two of our national flights, therefore causing us to miss our international flight to Singapore. So, our only option was to spend 2 nights in L.A. This happened b/c Nepal does not have daily flights that come into Kathmandu from Singapore. So the next time there is a flight is this Friday, which would be Thursday night in Iowa. There’s about an 11 hour time difference. So, please continue to pray for our travels this week! We trust that God has purpose even in this time of waiting.

Thanks!
Meredith & Ben

Please continue to pray for them both.