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It has been a busy first quarter with OH3 and we have a few things to share with you in this message. Before anything else though, let me say… All Glory to God... When Mike Divis and Mac Payne and myself visited Zimbabwe in September and saw the bad conditions in that country worsening, and witnessed the effect that it was having on brethren there, we were saddened and dismayed. As the idea for OH3 took shape over the weeks we were there, we knew that the success or failure of such an effort woul The Good News... After returning from Africa we set to work initiating OH3. During October and part of November we were setting up business accounts, printing up letterhead, and filling out forms for tax deductible status with the IRS and State of Indiana. We actually date November 08 as our beginning which makes the end of January the end of our first quarter. Sooo, for the first quarter those of you who are reading this report took part in five food shipments. The amounts were as follows, $5760, $4500, $7300, plus two quick emergency shi Not So Good News... Now don’t panic. It’s not bad, it’s just not great. OH3 has its own PAYPAL account that folks can use to send money via VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER, etc. It is safe and secure and online at www.PayPal.com. The problem is that they have very strict accounting procedures for non-profits. Basically the account is on hold until the “letter of intent” comes in from the IRS. The money is there (a little over $6000) and collecting interest but to avoid any problems with Paypal we’re just letting it sit until that letter comes in. Donations can still be made that w One other problem that we have run into is our thank you cards from recipients of help. Some have been asking about these since that was a major part of our original plan. We had hoped that by receiving and posting those cards in Botswana we would avoid the obvious postal problems that were being encountered in Zimbabwe as President Mugabe was not allowing news of the problems in his country to get out. Well it’s not working. The postal system in Botwana seems to be as problem riddled as Zim so our cards and some seed has simply not been getting through. Our traffic director, Mike Divis, is on the problem however. We’ve got a plan “B” in the works that we hope will be able to pick up the slack on getting those thank you notes out with no extra cost. We hope you will bear with us as we try to make good on those intentions.
A Final Note... Several have asked about tracts or material to use as handouts to advertise OH3 and this need. At this moment we don’t have tracts available to hand out although we think that is a great idea and as time permits we would love to move in that direction. One idea that we think we can get up sooner is a flyer that can be printed right off the website. This would be a PDF formatted informational sheet that can be printed right off the website and either handed out or posted on church bulletin boards if you wish. That is already in the works and should be available on the website soon. If you have ideas that you think would help or you require more information about Open H Visit our website at: http://www.openheartshelpinghands.com/ |
d really rest in the hands of God and compassionate brothers and sisters rather than with us. We have been excited and encouraged to see God working through so many of His children from one end of this country to the other to assist New Testament Christians who are in trouble. May we humbly say thank you to you, helpers, partners, and volunteers who have given so much in Christ’s name, for His people. We receive messages weekly, and sometimes daily, thanking us for our efforts in setting this up. And although that is very kind, Mike and I simply could not have done this without the efforts of a volunteer team behind us in Alayne Hunt (our webgal), Jeanne Sullivan (in charge of the food account), and Brooke Thomas (our accountant and advisor). All of these are faithful Christians. You can learn more about each on our 
pments when we received reports of imminent starvation of $1040 and $400. All total $19,000 was dedicated to food and transport. Not included in this figure was approximately another $1,000 in wire fees. And every dime was from individuals. A couple of checks from churches were received and returned. We hope our appreciation was evident even though we don't accept congregational funds. These funds came from Christians giving up lunches, afternoon cokes, holding pizza parties, children’s chore money, and just plain finding room in the family budget to help. Every dime was a sacrifice and was appreciated so much. The price keeps changing so fast that it is hard to keep up, but somewhere between 20 and 30 tons of meal and vegetables were delivered so that our brothers and sisters had food in their huts last quarter. I am simply in awe of your love and compassion.
ay and then it will still be used for food and transport as contributors desire. It will just be for a future shipment.
earts Helping Hands or this effort to assist New Testament Christians in Zimbabwe, please feel free to contact Mike Divis at