The provincial women’s and men’s meeting was held the first weekend of July. This year it was at a church quite near our home so we didn’t have to make a long trip. Although the services were almost entirely in Zulu we were impressed that most of the speakers seemed well-prepared with messages and lessons. It is always good to see people who come from other congregations. The fellowship is encouraging for all of us.

We are making progress on the efforts to hand over the mission property to the local church. We offered it to them and they accepted. We just have to work out exactly how it will be done. We can donate the property, but we understand that the government will impose a donation tax so we are trying to find out how much it is and who is responsible for that.

We have been spending most of our days this month sorting through papers, teaching materials, books and photographs that we have collected over the past 48 years! We are donating some of it and destroying a lot of it! It is not an easy task!

We have approached a real estate agent in regard to selling our house, but have been advised to do a bit of “de-cluttering” before we put the house on the market. We have been in the house for 35 years so there is a lot of accumulation to go through! We would need to sell our house before we could move, but we have looked at some houses in gated complexes that we would consider as a possible new home for us. Pray for the right buyer for our house and for us to find a home we can buy.

We have decided to make a short personal trip to the US from mid-August to mid-September. Michael’s niece, Amber, Duane and Kathy’s daughter, passed away in early July from complications from muscular dystrophy and an operation. Michael’s sister, Debbie, who lives in South Africa, decided to go to the US in mid-August. It is not often that all four siblings are on one side of the ocean so we decided that we will also go for a visit at the same time.

Pray for us as we make some huge transitions in our lives here and as we travel to the US next month.

For the third year in a row, we've expanded the Mobile Lunch Box program. As of this week, our Mobile Lunch Box has already served more free, fresh and healthy meals to kids than we did all of last summer - and there are still five weeks to go! 
 
With your help, we've invested in this program because we know our community leads the state* in the number of missed meals among children during the summer months, when they're unable to access free and reduced cost meal programs. In response, we're working hand in hand with ISD 196 and ISD 191 to identify the neighborhoods with greatest need and take food directly to the kids who need it most.
 
Our volunteers are on the road five days a week, making sure our kids have access to the fresh and healthy foods they need.
 
Please give now to support our important programs like the Mobile Lunch Box and help us raise $25,000 to finish our Summer Campaign strong!
 
Give before July 31 and your dollar goes further! Your generosity will be proportionally matched up to $4,000 by a grant from Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless. Every $1 you give stays here in our community.
 
We need your help right now.  With your support, we can keep our innovative programs running and continue to fight hunger through access to healthy food.
 
With gratitude,
 
Jason Viana
Executive Director

"With constant streams of bills, my husband and I have found it difficult and frivolous to spend money on outings for the five of us. Even going to a movie would be more than we would want to spend. We also are concerned with germs and crowds. Most [HopeKids] events have sanitary precautions in place to keep all of our kiddos safe. It is so nice to meet other families who, although do not share the same medical condition, share a common understanding and certainly respect." -Melinda, Hanna’s mom
 
For families who have a child with a life-threatening medical condition, simply leaving the house can be a challange for a number of reasons. Aside from financial concerns, immunocompromised children have to take extra precautions to ensure they avoid illnesses which can delay vital treatments or worsen their condition. Many HopeKids events are private to provide a safer environment for families, like Hanna's.
 
Your support alleviates some of the challenges that these families face. Thank you for providing a safe environment through an ongoing calendar of free events!
 
With Hope,
Brian Anderson, Executive Director
HopeKids Minnesota
 
P.S. Join us on August 5th for The Coleberry Tournament. Sponsorship opportunities are available as well as foursomes. Register now!