OGT Convention Final Thoughts

Highlights of OGT 25th Anniversary Convention + Sep 15-16

  

Who Attended This Convention

• Over 400 individuals who participate in the OGT mission by their prayers, donations, & volunteer service, not only at our headquarters in Norfolk but at OGT collection centers, located across the country, stretching from New England to California. 
• OGT board members & branch managers & other branch officers.
• These partners come to support the mission of OGT, receive inspiration from speakers, & gain a sense of the scope national & international & services via partnerships w/OGT.
• Our collection centers receive donations & pack them for shipping, some directly to recipients in both domestic & international locations. 
• Some are shipped to OGT headquarters in Norfolk, the location of a warehouse & our international headquarters.
• OGT provides logistical services to sort, pack, & load shipping containers.
• Our headquarters also serves as a collection center for relief supplies.

WHAT DO WE COLLECT?

Clothing, blankets, quilts

Food, much of it in the form of Mercy Meals. [SEE previous blog.]

Buckets & cleaning supplies

Building supplies

Hygiene kits

Baby formula

School supplies, including student desks & educational materials

Medical equipment & supplies

Generators

Christmas toys

Monetary donations

A SPECIAL NOTE

For every dollar received from donors, 97% finds its way directly for relief efforts. Very few major relief organizations can make this claim.

HOW DO WE DISTRIBUTE WHAT WE COLLECT?

Containers are shipped to major ports by semi-trailers; also to the sites of major disasters & other relief needs domestically.

Shipments arrive at collection centers, where volunteers distribute the supplies that have been donated.
Domestic items are shipped where needed by a fleet of trucks.

WHAT OTHER RELIEF SERVICES DO WE SUPPLY?

• We send portable facilities to areas devastated by domestic disasters.
• These include potable water tankers, a mobile  kitchen, mobile sleeping quarters, a mobile shower house, a chapel.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

• OGT would not be able to function without the many donations of labor, expertise, & funds.
• Check out our website:  www.ogt.org or call 877-371-7393.
• You will also find information about our 20+ collection centers.

More on the scene reporting from the OGT convention

Highlights of OGT 25th Anniversary Convention SAT 9/16

MORNING SESSION

• Opening Devotion, led by Rev. Ray Wilke. His homily focused on this year’s convention theme:  Servants of the Servant King. He explained how our model for Christian service is Jesus Christ Himself. He talked about how Jesus washed His disciples feet at the Last Supper, the night before He was crucified. He spoke of our commission to share Christ’s mercy around the world, meeting both spiritual & material needs to thousands.
• Presentation by Pastor John & Sandra Koch, President of Help for Haiti. This organization serves as a collection & distribution center for food, clothing, water, hygiene kits, medical supplies, blankets, generators, & much more. To date this organization has received 144 containers from OGT. Major relief was provided following the hurricanes in & a devastating earthquakes.  MORE INFORMATION to follow re:  meeting every-day needs.
• Presentation by Joe Bowa from The Liberian Children Ministry, which focuses on meeting the physical, educational & spiritual needs of the children order to give them res hope for the future—hope only in Christ Jesus. 
• This organization works to build schools in rural Liberia. 
• Over 5,000 children receive a Lutheran education in 14 schools. Schools are badly needed in Liberia. Hundreds of children have received Jesus & have been baptized into God’s Kingdom.
• LCM partners with OGT, looking to the future, realizing that Liberia’s greatest hope & treasure in her children.
• Live quilt auction:  7 hand-made quilts were auctioned, raising several thousand dollars for OGT.

LUNCHEON BANQUET & AFTERNOON SESSION

• After a chicken croissant banquet meal, Dr. Dale Meyer, former Lutheran Hour speaker & current President of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis delivered the keynote address. 
• His powerful message focused on the challenges facing the Christian Church today, but also dealt with the power of our Lord Jesus & His blessings to help us strive to meet the needs of a culture that has become totally secularized. A fundamental truth that still holds true today:  Let Your Light Shine!
• Presentation by Made Bennett who works with Kids  International Ministries in the Philippines, another OGT partner.
• As Home Life Manager in Manila, she orientates & schedules volunteers & teams, helps with staff development & training, develops programs to enrich the children’s lives, communicates & updates supporters, & helps w/whatever is needed at the moment, like driving kids to church, which includes teaching & practicing letters & numbers to the little ones.
• Presentation by Ruta Kornete, Juris Kornets, &. Pastor Artis Eglitis from Latvia. Rev. Eglitis serves in 2 missionary churches in Northern Latvia. He & his wife founded NGO “Gaujasliei,” which organizes camps & delivers social support to the poor in Latvia, including donated materials & services from OGT.
• Ruta is the OGT assistant for 7 orphanages & social centers in Latvia & Lithuania, providing medicine, hygiene supplies, fruit, as well as boxes from OGT containers.
• Juris & his wife provides many voluteer services, including driving missionaries w/his van all across the Baltic States. They have opened their house for missionaries during their stay in Latvia, providing accommodations & serving “delicious” Latvian traditional meals.
• A silent quilt auction, featuring 17 additional, hand-made quilts, raising  additional funds for OGT.
• Closing devotion led by Pastor Ray Wilke.

Orphan Grain Train Convention, Day 1, FRI 9/15

FRI 9/15 . . . Reporting from Norfolk, Nebraska

What a privilege to join with over 400 people at the DeVent Center in Norfolk, NE, gathered to celebrate 25 years of serving those in need worldwide the 25th Anniversary Convention of Orphan Grain Train. The theme of this year's convention reflects the mission of OGT:  Servants of the Servant King.

"In loving response to Christ, the Servant, the Orphan Grain Train movement encourages & enables God's people to share personal & material resources in bringing Christ's name & character to needy people, both far & near. Sometimes that character expresses itself as a word well spoken, sometimes as a bandage well applied, & sometimes as a child well fed."

Our Mission is Rooted in Scripture:  John 13:3-5, 12-15

"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God, so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him . . . When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. 'Do you understand what I have done for you?', He asked them. 'You call me 'Teacher and Lord', and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet. you also should wash one another's feet. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Highlights of the Opening Session

• Rev. Ray Wilke, Founder & President of OGT, spoke about the origins of this Christian humanitarian organization, dating back to a 1992 trip to Latvia. The overwhelming poverty touched him deeply, & when he returned to Nebraska the idea germinated. His vision was to have a train travel across the United States, gathering grain for the impoverished people in Russian & eastern Europe. 
• Although this couldn't be done, efforts were begun to collect food, clothing, medical supplies, hygiene kits; & to develop mobile relief facilities that could be moved on-site. 
• The foundation of OGT is hundreds of people who donate material resources, labor, & expertise.
• A presentation by a representative from Thrivent Financials explained how this fraternal organization & its members have contributed greatly to the OGT over the years. Most recently Thrivent funded a remodeling & renovation at the international headquarters office building in Norfolk. Thrivent members have designated Choice Dollars for OGT, & Thrivent has donated seed money & other special gifts to help fund OGT projects.
• A presentation by a representative of Lutheran Hour Ministries traced the history of the strong partnership between these organizations.

Did You Know?

• Only 3% of donations are used to cover administrative costs. 
• That means that for every donation received by OGT, 97 cents finds itself providing direct relief supplies & efforts.
• This, along with spreading the Gospel, is one of the most distinguishing features that sets OGT apart from many well-known relief agencies.

Special Recognition

• Participants watched a video which explained both verbally & visually the heart of OGT & its volunteers.
• A video greeting was delivered by President Matthew Harrison of the LCMS. A representative of the Nebraska District LCMS read a letter of greeting & appreciation from Rev. Richard Snow, District President.
• Special recognition was given to Rev. Wilke & the late Clayton Andrews, who was instrumental in helping organize the logistics of shipping food, clothing, medical supplies & other relief materials. His two daughters represented Mr. Andrews, who operated an international moving country, also headquartered in Norfolk.]

Evening Dinner & Presentations

• Ross Petersen, Facilitator of Hope for the Starving, explained how he & his wife developed an initiative called Hope for the Hungry in 2009. This initiative helped the then called Kids Against Hunger locations to purchase their needed materials for packing food at a fraction of the cost that they were currently expending.
• In 2001, with the help of OGT & Clayton Andrews, Hope for the Starving was created. 
• Ross is the volunteer facilitator for buying & selling materials needed for Mercy Meals & other packaging. Purchasing in bulk from major supplies enables Mercy Meals to produce servings of a highly nutritious meal to reverse the effects of malnutrition. For the cost of 10 cents per serving, Mercy Meals can put together a meal capable of feeding 4 children, which begins to reverse the effects of malnutrition. Thousands of starving children & others have benefited from these meals.
• Dr. Marjie Heier, who works as a family physician in the Chifundo Rural Health Center in Zambia. This clinic is an acute care propriety clinic operated by Gospelink, Inc., whose mission is to show the love of Jesus in their ministry, share the Gospel, & also actively work with 4 local schools in a comprehensive discipleship program for those who have accepted Christ. Participants are taught a trade to help them escape their crushing poverty. Young girls are educated about special women's health issues, & resources are provided to enable them to learn about hygiene practices that can't be funded any other way.

More about Orphan Grain Train

• Over 20 branches & collection centers, reaching from New England to California, solicit, package, & ship containers of relief supplies under the guidance of OGT.
• Hundreds of volunteers provide donated time & expertise to put together these shipments.
• Some shipments originate directly from these centers, while others are shipped to Norfolk.
• Many supplies are sent to the International Headquarters in Norfolk, Nebraska. Volunteers & staff provide the logistics needed to package supplies, pack containers, & ship them to locations in both the USA & abroad.
• OGT not only gathers & provides relief materials, it also provides help to coordinate the shipping of these resources. 
• Mobile sleeping quarters, shower houses, kitchens, a chapel, & other facilities are also coordinated from Norfolk & moved on-site.

Examples of Relief Efforts Include Relief For:

• Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans
• Hurricane Harvey in Texas
• Pilger, NE,  which suffered the devastation of a tornado several years ago
• A hurricane which devastated Haiti
• Efforts in the Philippines to alleviate effects from a typhoon & famine
• Supplies for orphanages & prisons in eastern Europe & Russia
• Supplies for areas of Africa, suffering from the effects of severe poverty, famine, malnutrition, & a lack of potable drinking water
• Clothing shipped to various sites around the USA & abroad
• Medical equipment & supplies, also shipped to various sites both here & abroad. 
• These examples barely scratch the surface of what we do.

How to Help . . . How to Donate . . . How to Learn More

Visit the Orphan Grain Train web site: www.ogt.org

I serve as OGT correspondent. Most of my work involves writing devotions that are published in our weekly e-newsletter, "The Headliner," also used for weekly staff devotions. With help & guidance from many special people, we produced a devotional book distributed at the convention. 

A Preview of Day 2

• Morning devotions
• Presentations by Sandra Koch, Help for Haiti; Joe Boway, Liberia. Madi Bennett, Kids International Ministries in the Philippines; Juris Korneys O& Pastor Artis Eglitis from Latvia
• A luncheon banquet, featuring a keynote by Dr. Dale Meyer, former Lutheran Hour speaker & currently president of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis.
• Money will be raised through both silent & live quilt auctions.

OGT CONVENTION DAY 1

On the Scene Report Thursday 9/14

At least some of you know that I serve as "Orphan Grain Train Correspondent." As such, my main responsibility involves writing devotions. That includes devotions for the "Headliner," our weekly e-newsletter. With the help of many others, I put together a devotional booklet that is being distributed at our Orphan Grain Train Convention. I hope you get a chance to use it. It was a labor of love, focusing on our relationship w/Jesus & those whom He has called us to serve.

We are a world-wide relief organization, based in Norfolk, Nebraska. 

We gather & ship relief supplies to hundreds, perhaps thousands of needy people not only domestically, but also overseas. Besides shipping relief supplies, we also have a portable chapel, kitchen, modest living quarters, & a shower house for those providing relief relief services "on site" in the midst of natural disasters. We played a role in helping the residents of Pilger, NE, after a deadly tornado devastated the businesses & homes of this community several years ago. We provided both supplies & relief services in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. We've shipped supplies to Haiti, the Philippines, Africa. Even now we've already shipped supplies to Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey; we're exploring with our brothers & sisters in TX how we can deliver relief services. Despite the overwhelming needs, our people are meeting to discuss how we respond to victims of Hurricane Irma.

It's worth mentioning that about 97% of the funds that come to us are used to provide direct relief supplies & services to those we serve. You read that correctly . . . only about 3% of those donations are used for administrative costs. Compare that to %'s that are typical of other relief organizations.

OGT is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2017. We're hosting a convention @ the DeVent Center just outside Norfolk on W. US 275. That convention opens its doors at 3:00p this afternoon.

HIGHLIGHTS:  Thu 9/14

Although yesterday was not the official opening day of the convention, it also included some very special events & activities.

• At 10:00a, we had a dedication of our new flagpoles & a marker celebrating the roles that Ray Wilke, my pastor, & the late Clayton Andrews played in the development of OGT. Expressions of celebration, appreciation, & a testimony to the blessings from Christ that enable us to be a blessing to others were all a part of the ceremony.
• From 10:00-1:00, we hosted an open house. We provided tours of the building, showcasing recent "renovations" made possible by a grant from Thrivent. I can only imagine that my office was a highlight for many people who browsed through our building. [OK, maybe "highlight" is used loosely in this case, but at least I had my office straightened up--INCLUDING my desk; & also displayed some new plaques & wall hangings.]
• Representative from our numerous branches across the country, along w/members of our Board of Directors, met later in the afternoon to receive an updated branch policy manual.
• A social hour was followed by an outstanding supper. Besides representatives from our many branches, OGT staff & Board members were also included. 

A special highlight

After supper we heard reports from our many branches. I don't have room to include all the examples of servanthood that overflow from our branches, which are shared w/the entire group. More on that later(?) This is a special highlight for me, & I know that it enervates all of our people, for these reasons.

1. An opportunity for our people to mix socially. [Never underestimate the benefits of "networking.]
2. Inspiring stories of the largesse that comes from many sources to our branches & collection centers, w/a focus on the work of our various branches, which stretch from New England to California. 
3. Perhaps most uplifting to me are the stories of how God has opened doors for our branches & our overall ministry in so many ways.

Once again, I don't have space to share examples, but I will try to write about at least some of them in a future post.

A Preview of FRI 9/15

Today marks the official, opening day of our 2-day convention. There will be much to celebrate. News about our relief efforts, including talks by missionaries, will be heard & seen. There will be good food & fellowship. Above all, we will hear many speakers testify about God's role in OGT's ministry that is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Our celebration will focus on the fact that God blesses His people so that they, in turn, may be a blessing to others.

Recent Road Trip + Mentoring a Grandchild + Beer

Road Trip Review

We left for the Twin Cities after Lois got off from school last FRI & made it to Nathan & Laura's by 10:00p. Lois, Nathan & Laura ran a 5K on Saturday morning while I [a.k.a. as Papa] watched Calvin. I pushed him around in his stroller, & we paused to cheer our intrepid trekkers on as they passed by. Nathan was happy, as he finished 1st overall. Lois was happy, since she finished the race. Laura was happy for a plethora of reasons.

Other highlights on SAT & SUN

• A visit to Country Day--Laura's place of work--to pet the animals [Calvin's dept.] & pick up some stuff for Lois.
• A trip to the Children's Museum for Laura, Nathan, Lois & Calvin. [I was a party pooper.]
• Chicken & steak kabobs, which Nathan grilled to perfection on SAT evening.
• Attending worship w/the kids, also on SAT & always a highlight.
• Attending a KC Royals-MN Twins game on SUN & seeing the Royals come from behind twice to win. [We also saw 2 home runs, 1 by each team; a triple off the center field wall that Lorenzo Cain tried to stretch into an inside-the-park home run only to be thrown out at home, {We found out later that he ran through the 3rd base coach's stop sign.} Two very uncharacteristic errors, 1 each by Lorenzo Cain & Alex Gordon, & several defensive gems.
• Supper w/Nathan & Laura on SUN night @ Union 32. * It was such a nice evening that we ate outside.

* And why is it named Union 32? Because there are 32 beers ** on tap, & you choose & pour your own beer into big mugs and/or "flight glasses." You get charged for the total ozs. of beer that you pour. {I think that's what you call them.} My choices were all winners:  Excelsior Big Island, Gull Dam Scotch Ale, Lake Superior for Kayak, & Mankato Leaf Raker.

** Truly a plethora

• Nathan & Laura treated us to dessert @ Cherry Berry after dinner. Did I eat w/restraint? That's for me to know & you to find out.
• Lots of quality time w/the grandson. [Just for the record, Calvin said "Papa" more than "Grandma," probably @ a 3:1 rate.] Among other things I was able to teach the little guy to say "Abracadabra" instead of "please" when he was asked to say the magic word. [Hopefully he'll still remember when we get together @ Thanksgiving.]
• An uneventful trip back to Norfolk unless you count the monster pecan, caramel cinnamon roll that I devoured between Worthington & Sibley.

There Is No Place Like . . . Vermont

From Norfolk Daily News (9/1):  Vermont State Police said a Maine woman & two goals that were riding in her car were unhurt when she crashed after falling asleep while traveling on an interstate to Guilford, VT. Police said the northbound car . . . drifted into the median & hit the beginning of a guardrail. The car got struck on the guardrail, & neither (the driver) nor her goats were injured." COMMENT:  Since the driver, Anne Mayer, was from Raymond, ME, perhaps this item is mislabeled . . . But it's still my blog.

Dogs + Dirt...Road Trips Redux...Tailgating...Badger Precautions

Canine Capers

After over 2 months of PT for my neck injury, I'm back to walking Sammy more often again. Hey! . . . He's developed a habit of nibbling on dirt. What's with that?! Anybody who can shed light on this, please let me know either via message or email (pleckband@hotmail.com). You'll get your name, along w/appropriate KUDO's, in a future blog. [As far as you know.]

Road Trips Redux

Today (FRI 9/1) Lois & I will be embarking on another road trip to, where else, Minnesota. Not that we have anything against MN! Among other things [OK, primarily about this one thing] we will get to visit Calvin, our "getting closer to 2-years-old grandson. And his parents. 

A rundown of MN road trips.

• Calvin's 1-year-old birthday party.
• Nevis, MN, for a funeral, which really didn't have the feel of a road trip.
• Our anniversary trek to N.E. MN, which included explorations in state & national forests, exploring quaint towns, like Grand Marais & Duluth.
• Back up to MN for time spent w/Lois' brother David--married to my cousin Carmen--at their fishing lodge on Little Island Lake near Park Rapids.
• This weekend trip, which has become an annual tradition, will be our 5th road trip to MN. *

* We actually made another road trip to MN late last fall, attending my aunt's funeral in Lakefield. That will make 6 trips in less than a year.

It's That Time of Year . . .                             There Truly Is No Place Like Nebraska

Our newspapers have supplied Cornhusker fans [& enemies] w/a constant stream of endlessly fascinating facts, even before the annual Omaha World Herald's 4-section, Sunday edition, published last SUN 8/26. I will regale you with some of the more nuanced details that I gleaned from this & other media sources.

From the OWH (8/27)

• "Tailgating Is the Tastiest Ritual of Fall. Hank Vice has "been tailgating next to near Morrill [Elephant] Hall for the past 4 years & in the loop next to Memorial Stadium for the 19 before that."
• (Over the 20 years Hank has tailgated), "things have changed at the Vice tailgate. There are 3 big tents . . . Two big TV sets w/a satellite dish . . . An industrial smoker . . . A beanbag toss game, no matter what, gets run over by a car at sone point during the season . . .Now the guest list can stretch on some SAT's to more than 200, & once, more than 450. to more than 450 . . .  He always serves burgers & Fairbury hot dogs . . . Brats are a staple, too . . . If it's a morning game, he makes breakfast burritos. If it's a cold game, chicken soup & chili. Sometimes he makes 50 racks of ribs in his smoker. ]Sometimes we might do steak sandwiches' . . . Early in the season guests bring jalapenos from their gardens, stuffed w/cream chesse. Lots of people bring desserts . . . "
• "Fans Flock to a Pair of Stadium Favorites . . . "Cold weather months, when the games are around lunch or dinner. Those are the days when the restaraunt will sell as many as 15,000 in Memorial Stadium . . . " 
• MY COMMENT:  That's approximately 7.5 Runzas for every person in my hometown of Concordia, MO.
• "The university invited Valentino's into the stadium later in 1993 . . . If it's lunch or dinner time, Val's an sell more than 20,000 slices in a game.
• MY COMMENT:  "Or, 10 slices for every man, woman, & child in my  home town.
• "A multitude of favorite dishes in NE's wild game cookbook . . . Mikale Wilson grew up on 'soul food . . . The standout eater on the team? Wilbon says it's Tanner Farmer, the 305-lb junior lineman. Wilbon has seen his teammate consume 3 6-finger combos in one sitting at Raising Cane's . . . "

Ditto, (9/1):   

"What's new, besides season . . . FB season has arrived & with it new things for Husker fans to consider:  Clear bags. Sweeter scoreboard images. Eight new honorees. Twitter captioning . . . The policy, for safety reasons prohibits carrying in coolers, backpacks, briefcases, fanny packs, computer bags, camera bags, binocular cases, diaper bags, umbrellas . . . With inspections, blankets carried on the shoulder will be allowed. Also allowed w/inspections:  hand-held G s & radios, binoculars (w/o cases), infant feeding supplies, empty cushions that are no bigger than 16x16" & don't ha e zippers or arms . . . "

MY COMMENT:  Everybody knows this stricter policy became necessary when WI fans started bringing beer cans hidden in fanny packs . . . & did I mention that it's CHEAP beer being smuggled?