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.