Returning to Africa

On October 27 I am traveling to Africa for the 3rd time in the last 12 months. This trip will include stops in Malawi, South Africa and Uganda.

In Malawi our team of 6 will be involved in four things. First we will be doing some training for 75-100 pastors and church leaders from communities surrounding the capital city of Lilongwe. Many of these pastors do not own Bibles and are only semi-literate. This will be the 2nd time with this group of pastors for us. Two of our team are nurses and will be involved in training Home-Based Care (HBC) workers. HBC workers are volunteers who regularly go into their neighborhoods and take care of individuals and families infected or affected by HIV/AIDS as well as helping child-led households. We will be training 85 HBC workers. Thirdly, some of our team members will be be profiling the HBC workers for sponsorship. We are hoping that small groups, families or individuals will "adopt" a HBC worker by sending $35 a month, praying for them and encouraging them. The funds will go into a "pot" that will go towards HBC supplies, medicines, food and "incentives" for these volunteers. Finally, we will be sitting down with our African ministry partners and looking at how we can effectively work together for the next 2 years -- in other words -- some strategic planning.

In South Africa our team will be spending time at the headquarters of Hands@Work, one of our key ministry partners in Malawi. Their model of Home-Based Care has won "best practice" awards, and we want to learn as much as possible from them. If you want to check out the people we are going to work with, visit:

Hands@Work

VisionLedd

From South Africa I am going to Uganda for the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Development Associates International (DAI). DAI trains many of the key Christian leaders in Africa and Asia. You can check them out at:

Development Associates International

I'll be back home on November 14. I will be posting pictures on my photoblog:

Karl Mueller's Photoblog

Talk to you in November.

Hockey Season Has Begun

IT'S JUST A WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

Hockey season has begun -- so the best time of the year has begun. Baseball is almost over (and we all know baseball is boring), so that is a GOOD thing. The Arizona Diamondbacks lost a ton of games again this year -- but that is nothing new.

It should be a good fall and winter for Phoenix. The Cardinals are playing the way they have for all but one year of their history -- that means they are losing. For some reason I get a perverted sense of pleasure watching them lose. I just feel sorry for Kurt Warner.

The Phoenix Suns will have another good year. Hopefully our favourite Canadian NBA player, Steve Nash, will play at the MVP level again.

AND, this year it looks like the Phoenix Coyotes have a decent shot at the playoffs, so, who could ask for anything more (other than the Stanley Cup -- but we are a few years away from that). I REALLY HOPE a Canadian team will bring back Lord Stanley's Cup this year. It's about time that happens.

HOCKEY -- THE GREATEST GAME ON EARTH