Our Malawian Mother Passed Away

This past week while I was in Colorado Springs, Debbie received a phone call from Malawi. Theresa Malila, the Founder and Director of Somebody Cares (a Visionledd partner ministry) called to let us know that Harriet, our Malawian mother, had passed away.

I clearly remember the day I first met Harriet. We were coming back from a village we had visited and stopped on the side of the dirt road. Suddenly a short, stocky woman came running across the field towards us. She was excited to see Theresa Malila, and as we got out of the van she looked at me and said "you are my first-born son". For some reason God gave us a connection, and from that day forward, she was my Malawian mother. Debbie met her a few months later, and became her daughter-in-law.

The day Harriet died she was working in her garden. She began to feel ill, was taken to her small home, and died there later that day. We were really sad when we heard the news, because even though we had only known Harriet for about two years, she had a special place in our heart.

Harriet was a "go-go", a grandmother who took care of 16 children. She was 70+ years old (having lived almost twice as long as the average Malawian) when she passed away. Harriet took care of her grandchildren in a small group of one room houses near a community called Mvunguti. Like the great majority of Malawians, Harriet lived on less than US$1 a day. She worked hard in her garden to grow maize and other vegetables. She raised a few chickens for food. Harriet's home had no electricity, and the nearest well was more than 1/2 mile from her home.

Harriet loved God. She believed in His faithfulness and goodness. She worshiped Him when life was hard and when she experienced His blessing. Debbie and I last saw Harriet last October. We spent about an hour with her and it was a wonderful time. As we left, Harriet gave us a chicken to say thank you for visiting her again. We told her we would visit again the next time we were in Malawi. But now, we'll see Harriet again in heaven.

We are telling you about Harriet because her life tells the story of literally millions of "go-go's" throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Everywhere we go we find grandmothers and widows struggling to take care of five, ten, fifteen or more children who have been orphaned by AIDS. All go-go's like Harriet need is a bit of help -- help learning a skill so they can become involved in an income-generating activity like making soap, raising chickens or pigs, or sewing school uniforms. Help with some fertilizer and seed for their gardens. Or help with some clothes or shoes for them and the children they are taking care of.

Debbie and I are committed to helping go-go's like Harriet. If you would like to join us, send us an email. We can help you make a big difference in the lives of go-go's and orphans.

Thank you so much for your prayer and support.

Karl and Debbie

2009 Is Starting Out With A Bang

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas season. Our Christmas this year was a bit different. Our son Donovan's future in-laws from Korea started their visit with us on December 22. In the two weeks they were with us, we celebrated Christmas and logged more than 2,000 miles around Arizona and Southern California. I think we were all tired at the end of our time together. The picture to the left is the group of us at the Grand Canyon on December 27.

Despite the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Cho couldn't speak English, and we can't speak Korean, we managed to build the beginnings of a good relationship. As we dropped the Cho's off at Los Angeles International Airport on January 3, we knew that despite our cultural and language differences we had begun the process of becoming a family. That process will deepen as Donovan and Hyesun get married in Korea in June! We are excited about what God has done! I think the picture on the left gives you an indication that Donovan and Hyesun are a happy couple!

On The Ministry Front

The first few weeks of our launch into our new ministry has been very encouraging. God has blessed in so many ways -- words of encouragement, divine appointments and financial blessing. We have been amazed by how God has brought old and new friends to us who have have already given over $30,000 to provide wells in Malawi, support the work of Home-Based care volunteers in Malawian communities and provide for the ministry needs of Visionledd and Somebody Cares in Malawi and here in the USA.

We are so very grateful for God's blessing and encouragement. But, we've only just begun!

Coming Up!

The next few weeks are busy and we need your prayer. Here are some of the things you can pray for:

• January 13-16 Karl is in Toronto for strategic prayer and planning meetings with the leadership of Visionledd.
• January 19-22 Karl is in Colorado Springs to meet with potential ministry partners as well as attend meetings in his role as the Chairman of the Board of Youth With A Mission's International Communications Network.
• February 8-12 We are driving to Baylor University in Waco, Texas to participate in workshops and meetings dealing with church and ministry partnerships between North Americans and Africans and how that together we can do an increasingly effective job of caring for the more than 25 million orphans and vulnerable children in Africa.
• Church Relationships. In the next few weeks we will be in contact with churches in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland and North Carolina about becoming part of a movement to walk alongside African churches doing HIV/AIDS ministry. Pray for wisdom and favor.
• Finances. Pray that God will continue to provide the financial resources for the work of Somebody Cares and Visionledd in Africa and in North America.

Thank you so very much for standing with us. We appreciate your prayer, encouragement and support. Feel free to send an email to Karl if you want more information about how to walk with us on this excellent adventure.

Refreshing Water for The People of Malawi

Today was a great day! Today actually started out last night when my friend and ministry partner Al Anderman told me that a friend of his was interested in making a donation towards building wells in Malawi. We called his friend and agreed to meet for lunch today.

It was a great lunch as we talked about Malawi and the needs and ministry opportunities in this small African nation. It became clear that this businessman was interested in providing clean water to the more than 7 million Malawians who do not have access to safe drinking water. By the end of our lunch, I was holding a check in my hands that was enough to drill 2 -- maybe 3 wells! While the amount on the check was large -- that wasn't the primary source of the smile on our faces. Rather, it was the fact that early next year another 5,000 - 10,000 people in Malawi will have access to clean, safe water!

While safe, clean water is something you and I take for granted, it is considered out of reach by more than 50% of Malawians. We know that access to clean water stops disease, encourages good health and makes the life of women and children much easier -- since it is primarily their responsibility to get water for their families.

An Old Well A New Well

Visionledd and Somebody Cares are partnering together in Malawi to make safe, clean water accessible to everyone in the communities they work in. What that means on the ground is that everyone in a community lives within about 1 kilometer of a well. That is a huge task when you are working in over 30 communities that are home to more than 500,000 people.

Karl Pumping Water Out of a New Well

In the last 3 years Visionledd and Somebody Cares were able to drill or repair over a dozen wells. With each well providing water to 2,000 - 5,000 people, that means at least 24,000 people now have safe, clean water. But there are a lot more wells to drill.

A Young Malawian Girl Learning to Carry Water

If you'd like to help provide safe, clean water to the people of Malawi, send us an email (karl@visionledd.com).

Thanks for praying for us and standing with us.

We hope you have a blessed Christmas and a new year that will be all that you desire it to be.

Karl and Debbie

The Times They Are A Changing

The words of this classic song by Bob Dylan are particularly true for the Mueller family right now. Change is in the air for all of us, and we are excited by the new journey of faith we are embarking on.

Donovan
Donovan is continuing his part-time studies in Software Engineering and is also working part-time as a web developer. He has a number of clients ranging from non-profit organizations to businesses. God seems to provide him the clients he needs just when he needs them. He is even supervising a project for someone who has outsourced the work to a programmer in Egypt! It's a different world than it was when we were 22!

Donovan is still in a relationship with his Korean girlfriend of more than 4 years. He was in Korea again this summer, and in about three weeks Hyesun and her parents will be visiting us. It will be the first time that her parents have been in the USA, and since they don't speak English, we should have an interesting 2+ weeks with them.

Karl and Debbie
When Karl boarded a plane bound for Africa in the fall of 2005 we never imagined how this trip would impact our lives. Between the two of us, we had been on over 50 short-term mission trips to Asia, Latin America, Europe and Africa, and while we were expecting God to speak to us about how City of Grace could become involved in HIV/AIDS ministry we never expected Karl's heart, mind and soul to be captured by what was happening in Africa and by what God was doing in this part of the world.

Since that first trip almost 3 years ago Karl has been back to South Africa and Malawi 8 times. Each trip resulted in his heart being knit closer to the people of Africa. When Debbie led a City of Grace team to Malawi in May of 2007, she too returned with a heart for the people of this nation. Debbie has been to Malawi 4 times -- each time deepening her relationships with ministry and community leaders and sensing an increasingly stronger desire to devote more of her time and energy into ministry there. We knew God was doing something in our lives

The last 18 months have been filled with new and expanding ministry opportunities for us as it relates to HIV/AIDS ministry and Africa. God has enabled us to introduce other churches across the United States to Somebody Cares and Visionledd in Malawi. We have also been the primary initiators of a partnership of churches and ministries in North America that are now working together in Malawi. Today, Somebody Cares and Visionledd are working with 1,200 pastors in 33 communities, helping to care for over 5,000 orphans and vulnerable children, providing clean drinking water to tens of thousands of people and assisting over 200 front-line workers in the battle against HIV/AIDS. It has been an exciting journey.

While we continue to be excited about what God is enabling City of Grace to do in HIV/AIDS related ministry, we strongly sensed that God is calling us to a more focused commitment to those infected and affected by AIDS around the world. Through a series of events over the past year the Lord has made it clear that we are to spend our time and resources on helping to build a movement of churches in North America to walk alongside churches and ministries in other parts of the world who are battling against the AIDS pandemic and for transformed communities. We knew that this may mean change in our lives and ministry. As a result I will be leaving my position as the Pastor of Outreach at City of Grace on December 18, 2008.

Our New Ministry
With our new ministry we'll be wearing several hats and doing a variety of things. Karl's business card is going to read "Visionledd" and our primary role will be one of catalyzing North American churches for the battle against the AIDS pandemic, connecting them to front-line ministries overseas doing community-based AIDS work, and then coaching them in the process. One of the key ways we'll be doing that, is by leading an initiative called City AIDS Summits which will be a joint effort of several Christian organizations to hold 2 days events in over 50 cities across Canada and the USA. Through the networks and partnerships that will result, we believe that literally thousands of North American churches and tens of thousands of Christians will become part of this movement seeing God's kingdom come and His will be done in communities across the globe.

Our second focus will be growing the existing partnership of churches and ministries here in North America that are working with Somebody Cares and Visionledd in Malawi. The opportunities that exist, and the doors that are opening, could lead to nation-wide influence at all levels of society for these two ministries. We want to do all we can to support and grow their work and invite churches, businesses and individuals to join us.

Karl will also be finishing a project he started 2 years ago called the 30 Days Global AIDS Prayer Guide. This prayer guide is designed to educate and engage individuals, families, small groups and churches in praying for, and getting involved with, those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

There is much more that we could say, but this post is long enough. Over the next couple of weeks we'll be adding to this blog with information about the things God is calling us to do. Please bookmark this page in your web-browser and keep in touch with us.

How You Can Get Involved
We would love for you to join us in our new calling. There are four things you can do. First, you can pray for us -- we are serious -- we need lots of prayer. Secondly, you could challenge your church to get involved in the battle against AIDS -- and open the door to enable us help your church get connected and engaged. Third, join us on a short-term trip to Africa. We'll be leading trips each year (including some in 2009). We'd love for you to be part of making a difference in the lives of those infected and affected by HIV AIDS.

Finally, you can help us financially. Whether you live in Canada or the USA, your gifts are tax-deductible. Make your checks (or cheques in Canada) out to "Visionledd" - and on a separate sheet of paper designate your gift to us -- and mail them to either:

Visionledd
PO Box 20158
Mesa, AZ 85277
USA

Visionledd
PO Box 460
Burlington, Ontario
Canada L7R 3Y3

Thanks so much, and let's keep in touch.

Karl and Debbie