On Sunday, Westwind Church celebrated the desire of Ben and Meredith Cadwell to reach the unreached people of of Nepal. For the next month they will be living in Nepal, Ben working with a tribe of people who live at 13,500 feet above sea level, and Meredith will be working with women in the city of Katmandu. Their work in Nepal will be able to help them reach Nepali refugees that are moving at a great rate to Des Moines’ east side. Please be in prayer for them, and check back to our website from time to time to read the latest update.

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.

Our last day of Kid’s Club had to be our best! With 50 kids there, we were told that the church had never had that many kids in one program since the pastor had been there. Out team was sad the see our kids club come to an end. Many beginning relationships were formed that we hope will continue on in the years to come.

One of the most memorable events of the day was the Waconi Walk. A 4.5 mile awareness walk for life. The 212 person Lakota Journey group (of which we were a part) and Native Americans from around the Rosebud Reservation joined forces to give attention to the cause of Christ. There were several guest speakers drawing attention to the need for a movement of God. Our team felt part of something bigger than themselves as they joined hundreds of others to this cause.

You could actually feel the difference as our team prepared for Tuesday’s VBS program. A sense of excitement filled the room as we welcomed another 45 kids to our Kid’s Club. Feeling more prepared than ever, our team made the kids a high priority and focused on “having fun”. And God smiled on our efforts. Three children dedicated their lives to follow Christ! Tears filled the eyes of one of the grandmothers who was told that their granddaughter is now a Christ follower.

In the evening our team had a unique opportunity to sit with older members of the Nazarene church that we are working with. We were given the opportunity to ask any questions we had about Native American culture. It was a sobering time as we heard about Native American children being taken from their parents in the 1950′s and placed into boarding schools. The eyes of the Westwind team were opened to the issues facing Native Americans, including substance abuse, suicide, and losing their culture. Many conversations took place after the meeting that will hopefully bring our team to our knees in prayer for this hurting people group.

With all the amazing things happening with our team at Rosebud, it is hard to believe that Monday could be even better, but it was. With almost twice as many kids as the first day of our Kid’s Club, our team led 47 kids in songs, skits, and in the theme “God is Bigger Than Our Fears”. With the leadership of team members, we were able to reach out to more neighboring communities, which allowed more kids to hear about Jesus.

Our team was also able to bless the pastor our hosting church. There were several projects accomplished that helped the pastor and his church. The hard work and effort of our team helped free up Pastor Jack to reach out to the community. In the evening a small team was invited back to the drug and alcohol abuse center at the request of the residents there. This time the emphasis turned toward building trust, and sharing testimonies. The director of the center said that no other team has ever been invited back. It was a very special opportunity.

The team’s spirits are high, and they look forward to two more days of Kid’s Club and more service opportunities. As you think of our team, be in prayer for the following issues:

• Energy level of team
• Open hearts of kids to receive Christ
• Pastor Jack and Nancy (leaders of the church)
• Continual reliance on God to lead this trip