ADF Newsletter
A g r i c u l t u r a l D e v e l o p m e n t F o u n d a t i o n , L tVdO LU . ME 19 ISSUE 3
ADF Newsletter Volume 19 Issue 3
August 2014
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
FROM THE BACK 40 Thank you, Jim Didlake Our good friend, Jim Didlake, will be retiring from the Men’s Ministry Department of the Mississippi Baptist Convention at the end of July. Jim has faithfully served our state for the past 32 years. His department provides a number of ministries including: Men’s Ministry, Disaster Relief, Criminal Justice, Central Hills Baptist Retreat, and Chaplaincy. On top of all that, he and Paul Harrell (who was department leader at the time) encouraged some of us to develop the Mississippi Agricultural Fellowship in the mid 1980’s. They also encouraged us to become an active part of ADF. Jim’s ministry has blessed so many lives in our state and around the world. He has the gift of encouragement as he gently reminds laymen of their responsibility as believers. Thank you, Jim, for being my friend during all those 32 years. - Don Blasingame Editor SUMMER MEETING TO BE HELD AUGUST 16 The summer meeting of Agricultural Development Foundation is scheduled to meet on Saturday, August 16, at Central Hills Baptist Retreat Center near Kosciusko. The Board of Directors will meet at 9:00 a.m. with the ADF meeting beginning at 10:00 a.m. After lunch the Mississippi Agricultural Fellowship will convene their meeting at 1:00 p.m. Dan Watson, Director of Baptist Rural Life Ministries (BRLM), will be the missionary speaker at the ADF meeting. Watson, who now resides in ArkanContinued on page 2
Our time together is quickly approaching. We will be meeting at Central Hills on the 16th of August. A few years ago we decided the summer meeting would be held in conjunction with the Mississippi Ag Fellowship. This format has worked well. Please make plans to attend. Over the past several weeks we have lost some dedicated members of the ADF. These members were instrumental in the organization and success of the foundation. The loss of these members reiterates the importance of recruiting new members. I encourage you to “look around” and see if you know someone that would be interested in spreading the Gospel through agriculture. See you soon. Ben
MISSION REPORT Emmanuel Home of Protection Diriamba, Nicaragua (by Bobby Redding) Providing for needy children includes safe drinking water as well as adequate food. International relief agencies report that a child dies every 31 seconds from a water-related illness. In developing countries women and children spend many hours each day carrying dirty water from streams and ponds to their homes. Even when public water systems are installed they are often under-sized to meet the needs of people in rural areas. The Emmanuel Home of Protection near Diriamba, Nicaragua, is a case in point. This home for abanContinued on page 2
***SEE PAGE 3 FOR DIRECTIONS TO CENTRAL HILLS***
A D F NE WS LE T T E R
PAGE 2
Continued from SUMMER MEETING TO BE HELD...
sas, grew up in the Philippines where his father, Harold Watson, served as an agricultural missionary. Watson worked at Williams Baptist College for 21 years, serving as Vice President for Business Affairs from 2000 to 2011 before resigning to become director of the Chorti Baptist Development Project in Honduras. That project now comes under Baptist Rural Life Ministries, which is a non-profit agricultural based program designed to meet the physical and spiritual needs of mountain farmers in the Caribbean Basin. The program currently ministers in Honduras and Guatemala among the Chorti Indians. Watson also manages an agricultural program in a mountainous region of Haiti which is sponsored by the Arkansas Baptist Convention. Speakers for the Mississippi Fellowship meeting will be Dan May speaking about work being done in Haiti and Jim Watson on his work in Malawi. Everyone is invited to attend the ADF meeting and remain for the Mississippi Fellowship meeting in the afternoon. Come and be challenged to become more involved in agricultural missions.
V O LU M E 1 9 I S S U E 3
Continued from MISSION REPORT
doned and abused girls was constructed in 2008. It obtained a minimal supply of drinking water from the town’s system. The home is located on 10 acres of land, much of which can be used to produce food for the residents and staff. In 2011 the Agricultural Development Foundation helped the home to begin a pigraising operation. Corn and other food crops for the home, as well as animal feed, are grown on the land during the rainy season. If the land can be irrigated, crops can be grown year-round. The town of Diriamba gets its water from deep wells. After much prayer and investigation, it was decided that a deep well should be constructed to produce adequate water for the home and irrigate during the dry season. ADF gave a $5000 grant to get the project started. A major grant was obtained from Rotary International. In November 2013 the well was completed. The well is 850 ft. deep and produces safe water from the same geological formation that supplies the town. An elevated storage tank has been constructed to store water for irrigation and a smaller one to supply drinking water.
Hunger statistics from UN World Food Program:
- 870 million people in the world do not have enough to eat. - The vast majority of hungry people (98 percent) live in developing countries, where almost 15% of the population is undernourished. - Poor nutrition causes nearly half (45%) of deaths in children under five (3.1 million children each year) - One out of six children (roughly 100 million) in developing countries is underweight.
- CONTACT INFORMATION— Communications for the newsletter may be emailed to the editor at [email protected]. Information about mission activities for inclusion in the newsletter is welcomed. Telephone communication may be made to Don Blasingame at 662-323-5646. ADF Office address: 1153 Owens Road Telephone: 601-857-8544 Terry, MS 39170 Website: www.adfmissions.org
PAGE 3
A D F N E WS LE T T E R
V O LU M E 1 9 I S S U E 3
DIRECTIONS TO CENTRAL HILLS From I-55: take exit 164 and tr avel due east into West, MS. Take a left on Hwy 51. Tr avel north about 50 feet and then turn right onto Hwy 19 South. Go about 10 miles south and turn left onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on your left. Also, you may take exit 156 into Durant. Get on Hwy 12 East and travel 19 miles to Kosciusko. Take a left onto Hwy 35 North. Go about 200 feet north and make a left onto Hwy 19 North. Go about 8 miles north and turn right at County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on the left. From Natchez Trace: If you ar e heading south to Kosciusko, get on Hwy 12 at Ethel and tr avel west on Hwy 12 for about 8 miles. Turn right onto Hwy 35 North. Travel 200 feet north and then turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Go about 8 miles and turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on the left. If you are heading north to Kosciusko, get off the Trace at the Kosciusko Visitors Center. This will put you on the Hwy 35 North Bypass, which loops around town. It will converge with Hwy 12 at a 3-way stop. Turn left at the 3-way stop and travel west on Hwy 12 for a mile or so. Turn right onto Hwy 35 North. Travel north about 200 feet and then turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Travel north about 8 miles and then turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on your left. From Hwy 35: If you are heading south, tur n r ight onto Hwy 19 Nor th. This tur n will occur just before you hit Hwy 12 in Kosciusko. Go 8 miles north on Hwy 19. Turn right onto County Road 4227 and go 1 mile. The entrance will be on your left. If you are heading north to Kosciusko, stay on Hwy 35 as it loops around the eastern side of town. You will converge with Hwy 12 at a 3-way stop. Turn left at the 3-way stop and travel west on Hwy 12 for about a mile. Make a right turn onto Hwy 35 North. Go 200 feet and turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Go 8 miles and turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on your left. From Hwy 14: If you are coming west on Hwy 14, stay on Hwy 14 until it conver ges with Hwy 19. Continue on both until you come to a stop sign on Hwy 35 just south of town. Turn right and go north on Hwy 35 as it loops around town. Hwy 35 converges with Hwy 12 at a 3-way stop. Turn left at the 3-way stop and go about a mile. Turn right onto Hwy 35 North. Go 200 feet north and then turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Go 8 miles and turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on the left. If you are traveling east toward Kosciusko, take Hwy 14 until it intersects with Hwy 35 just south of Kosciusko. Make a left onto Hwy 35 and travel north on Hwy 35 as it loops around town. Hwy 35 will converge with Hwy 12 at a 3-way stop. Turn left here and travel west for about a mile. Make a right turn onto Hwy 35 North. Go 200 feet and turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Go 8 miles and turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on your left. From Hwy 19: Coming fr om the south, you should come to a stop sign at the inter section of Hwys. 19, 14, and 35. Take a right and go north. Hwy 35 converges with Hwy 12 at a 3-way stop. Turn left here and go about a mile. Make a right turn onto Hwy 35 North, go 200 feet, and then turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Go 8 miles, turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on the left.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, LTD. 1153 Owens Road Terry, MS 39170
To: Agricultural Development Foundation, Ltd. 1153 Owens Road Terry, MS 39170
I would like to :
Please accept my:
___renew my membership
___membership contribution of $50
___become a member
___gift in the amount of $__________
Name____________________________________________________________________________ Address__________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip____________________________________________________________________ Phone_______________________________ Email______________________________________
ADF Newsletter Volume 19 Issue 3
August 2014
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
FROM THE BACK 40 Thank you, Jim Didlake Our good friend, Jim Didlake, will be retiring from the Men’s Ministry Department of the Mississippi Baptist Convention at the end of July. Jim has faithfully served our state for the past 32 years. His department provides a number of ministries including: Men’s Ministry, Disaster Relief, Criminal Justice, Central Hills Baptist Retreat, and Chaplaincy. On top of all that, he and Paul Harrell (who was department leader at the time) encouraged some of us to develop the Mississippi Agricultural Fellowship in the mid 1980’s. They also encouraged us to become an active part of ADF. Jim’s ministry has blessed so many lives in our state and around the world. He has the gift of encouragement as he gently reminds laymen of their responsibility as believers. Thank you, Jim, for being my friend during all those 32 years. - Don Blasingame Editor SUMMER MEETING TO BE HELD AUGUST 16 The summer meeting of Agricultural Development Foundation is scheduled to meet on Saturday, August 16, at Central Hills Baptist Retreat Center near Kosciusko. The Board of Directors will meet at 9:00 a.m. with the ADF meeting beginning at 10:00 a.m. After lunch the Mississippi Agricultural Fellowship will convene their meeting at 1:00 p.m. Dan Watson, Director of Baptist Rural Life Ministries (BRLM), will be the missionary speaker at the ADF meeting. Watson, who now resides in ArkanContinued on page 2
Our time together is quickly approaching. We will be meeting at Central Hills on the 16th of August. A few years ago we decided the summer meeting would be held in conjunction with the Mississippi Ag Fellowship. This format has worked well. Please make plans to attend. Over the past several weeks we have lost some dedicated members of the ADF. These members were instrumental in the organization and success of the foundation. The loss of these members reiterates the importance of recruiting new members. I encourage you to “look around” and see if you know someone that would be interested in spreading the Gospel through agriculture. See you soon. Ben
MISSION REPORT Emmanuel Home of Protection Diriamba, Nicaragua (by Bobby Redding) Providing for needy children includes safe drinking water as well as adequate food. International relief agencies report that a child dies every 31 seconds from a water-related illness. In developing countries women and children spend many hours each day carrying dirty water from streams and ponds to their homes. Even when public water systems are installed they are often under-sized to meet the needs of people in rural areas. The Emmanuel Home of Protection near Diriamba, Nicaragua, is a case in point. This home for abanContinued on page 2
***SEE PAGE 3 FOR DIRECTIONS TO CENTRAL HILLS***
A D F NE WS LE T T E R
PAGE 2
Continued from SUMMER MEETING TO BE HELD...
sas, grew up in the Philippines where his father, Harold Watson, served as an agricultural missionary. Watson worked at Williams Baptist College for 21 years, serving as Vice President for Business Affairs from 2000 to 2011 before resigning to become director of the Chorti Baptist Development Project in Honduras. That project now comes under Baptist Rural Life Ministries, which is a non-profit agricultural based program designed to meet the physical and spiritual needs of mountain farmers in the Caribbean Basin. The program currently ministers in Honduras and Guatemala among the Chorti Indians. Watson also manages an agricultural program in a mountainous region of Haiti which is sponsored by the Arkansas Baptist Convention. Speakers for the Mississippi Fellowship meeting will be Dan May speaking about work being done in Haiti and Jim Watson on his work in Malawi. Everyone is invited to attend the ADF meeting and remain for the Mississippi Fellowship meeting in the afternoon. Come and be challenged to become more involved in agricultural missions.
V O LU M E 1 9 I S S U E 3
Continued from MISSION REPORT
doned and abused girls was constructed in 2008. It obtained a minimal supply of drinking water from the town’s system. The home is located on 10 acres of land, much of which can be used to produce food for the residents and staff. In 2011 the Agricultural Development Foundation helped the home to begin a pigraising operation. Corn and other food crops for the home, as well as animal feed, are grown on the land during the rainy season. If the land can be irrigated, crops can be grown year-round. The town of Diriamba gets its water from deep wells. After much prayer and investigation, it was decided that a deep well should be constructed to produce adequate water for the home and irrigate during the dry season. ADF gave a $5000 grant to get the project started. A major grant was obtained from Rotary International. In November 2013 the well was completed. The well is 850 ft. deep and produces safe water from the same geological formation that supplies the town. An elevated storage tank has been constructed to store water for irrigation and a smaller one to supply drinking water.
Hunger statistics from UN World Food Program:
- 870 million people in the world do not have enough to eat. - The vast majority of hungry people (98 percent) live in developing countries, where almost 15% of the population is undernourished. - Poor nutrition causes nearly half (45%) of deaths in children under five (3.1 million children each year) - One out of six children (roughly 100 million) in developing countries is underweight.
- CONTACT INFORMATION— Communications for the newsletter may be emailed to the editor at [email protected]. Information about mission activities for inclusion in the newsletter is welcomed. Telephone communication may be made to Don Blasingame at 662-323-5646. ADF Office address: 1153 Owens Road Telephone: 601-857-8544 Terry, MS 39170 Website: www.adfmissions.org
PAGE 3
A D F N E WS LE T T E R
V O LU M E 1 9 I S S U E 3
DIRECTIONS TO CENTRAL HILLS From I-55: take exit 164 and tr avel due east into West, MS. Take a left on Hwy 51. Tr avel north about 50 feet and then turn right onto Hwy 19 South. Go about 10 miles south and turn left onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on your left. Also, you may take exit 156 into Durant. Get on Hwy 12 East and travel 19 miles to Kosciusko. Take a left onto Hwy 35 North. Go about 200 feet north and make a left onto Hwy 19 North. Go about 8 miles north and turn right at County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on the left. From Natchez Trace: If you ar e heading south to Kosciusko, get on Hwy 12 at Ethel and tr avel west on Hwy 12 for about 8 miles. Turn right onto Hwy 35 North. Travel 200 feet north and then turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Go about 8 miles and turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on the left. If you are heading north to Kosciusko, get off the Trace at the Kosciusko Visitors Center. This will put you on the Hwy 35 North Bypass, which loops around town. It will converge with Hwy 12 at a 3-way stop. Turn left at the 3-way stop and travel west on Hwy 12 for a mile or so. Turn right onto Hwy 35 North. Travel north about 200 feet and then turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Travel north about 8 miles and then turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on your left. From Hwy 35: If you are heading south, tur n r ight onto Hwy 19 Nor th. This tur n will occur just before you hit Hwy 12 in Kosciusko. Go 8 miles north on Hwy 19. Turn right onto County Road 4227 and go 1 mile. The entrance will be on your left. If you are heading north to Kosciusko, stay on Hwy 35 as it loops around the eastern side of town. You will converge with Hwy 12 at a 3-way stop. Turn left at the 3-way stop and travel west on Hwy 12 for about a mile. Make a right turn onto Hwy 35 North. Go 200 feet and turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Go 8 miles and turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on your left. From Hwy 14: If you are coming west on Hwy 14, stay on Hwy 14 until it conver ges with Hwy 19. Continue on both until you come to a stop sign on Hwy 35 just south of town. Turn right and go north on Hwy 35 as it loops around town. Hwy 35 converges with Hwy 12 at a 3-way stop. Turn left at the 3-way stop and go about a mile. Turn right onto Hwy 35 North. Go 200 feet north and then turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Go 8 miles and turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on the left. If you are traveling east toward Kosciusko, take Hwy 14 until it intersects with Hwy 35 just south of Kosciusko. Make a left onto Hwy 35 and travel north on Hwy 35 as it loops around town. Hwy 35 will converge with Hwy 12 at a 3-way stop. Turn left here and travel west for about a mile. Make a right turn onto Hwy 35 North. Go 200 feet and turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Go 8 miles and turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on your left. From Hwy 19: Coming fr om the south, you should come to a stop sign at the inter section of Hwys. 19, 14, and 35. Take a right and go north. Hwy 35 converges with Hwy 12 at a 3-way stop. Turn left here and go about a mile. Make a right turn onto Hwy 35 North, go 200 feet, and then turn left onto Hwy 19 North. Go 8 miles, turn right onto County Road 4227. Go 1 mile and the entrance will be on the left.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, LTD. 1153 Owens Road Terry, MS 39170
To: Agricultural Development Foundation, Ltd. 1153 Owens Road Terry, MS 39170
I would like to :
Please accept my:
___renew my membership
___membership contribution of $50
___become a member
___gift in the amount of $__________
Name____________________________________________________________________________ Address__________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip____________________________________________________________________ Phone_______________________________ Email______________________________________
