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Greg GriffinFrom:Sent:To:Subject:Greg Griffin [greg@griffins-ywam.com]Monday, March 30, 2009 8:04 AM'updates@griffins-ywam.com'; 'Greg Griffin'; gnjgriffin@aol.comGriffin Family Update: What does Africa REALLY need?• Greg is heading back to Africa for a monthstarting in mid-May.• Jan continues to reach out through her gift ofhospitality to about 2 new families per week.• Matthew and Natalie have begun training fortrack at their high school, but don’t knowwhat events they will do yet.• Heidi had her first official sleep-over with herfriends in our home. It was a smash!• You can see one of our projects for thisupcoming summer on YouTube (detailsbelow)Greg will be heading back to Africa to help more ministriesbecome more effective.Communication with Africa has been hampered over thepast few months. All of my attempts to get details on areturn trip were met with silence. We usually thinknothing about getting emails from our friends in theStates, but I have now found it more difficult to reliablyget email from people in Africa. Hmm? I wonder if ourSPAM filters in the US have anything to do with it?Media Village in Kalk Bay, South Africa. One of the ministriesGreg will be heading back to continue to help.Finally, the connection was made (outside of email) andthe urgent request came with a resounding “PleaseCome!!” A day later cheap tickets were found. I haveround trip tickets to South Africa that only cost $1,200.If you think that is a lot, it costs $600 to fly from SouthAfrica to Zambia (only a few hour flight). Most flightswithin Africa cost far more per mile than from the USAto Africa. This is our hope for the future--that regionscan be better served by short trips from the U.S. thanconstantly trying to hop around the continent.In May, Greg will be facilitating the YWAM ALT (AfricaLeadership Team) annual meeting. This team iscomprised of all of the regional leaders that oversee allof the country leaders that oversee all of the YWAM1

ases in Africa. (See www.ywamafrica.org to get anidea how large this mission movement is.) At thismeeting, Greg has been requested to help them workthrough a restructuring. They’ve had numerousproblems and struggles over the years, have seenGreg’s service in ministry, and know that heunderstands the African mindset and can help.Visit the ywamafrica.org website to see how vast theministry efforts across the continent. These efforts aremostly led by Africans for Africans.While in Africa, Greg desires to serve as many otherministries as possible in that month. The only thingthat can keep him from getting to more places will befinances. If you happen to find yourself with a taxrefund and a desire to tithe a portion to missions,please keep Greg in mind. The entire cost of the trip ison our dime and is a part of our ministry to missions.Most missions in Africa don’t have the money to pay forpeople to come help them.What does Africa need? Hope. Not charity. We mustmeet immediate needs when we can, but with theforesight of helping them gain dignity and hope throughthe process. This is key in Greg’s work with ministries.Progress continues to be made on the website that wehope will help so many efforts around the world.Even this past week, Greg met with a greenhousegrower in Kalispell that has been working on apackage that they desire distribute globally. It’s afamily food production greenhouse for third-worlduse. They really would love to export the technologyeven to missionaries and churches to help providethem a source of food and income.Some may not even know this, but Greg had workedon something similar years ago. He still has a lot ofknowledge gained from that experience and knows alltheir terms. Now there is the potential, through thisnew website, to help organizations like this gathersupport behind their efforts to help.This past week has also seen the birth the firstsuspension draw bridge. This bridge will be built by ateam of high school students will be coming up to asmall camp in the Blackfeet reservation. Gregdeveloped this design in order to meet someinteresting requirements: 1) must span about 70’, 2)cannot be permanent, 3) must be taken down eachFall. Greg spent days on the internet researching anddeveloping. He came up with a bridge that can easilybe set up and taken down each year. We are stilllooking for an engineer that would be willing toreview the designs and give suggestions. If you knowof any that might be willing to help, please let usknow.The greenhouse (GrowFrame) that Greg developed back in thelate 90’s.An exact 1”=1’ scale model of the bridge demonstrated onYouTube.com2

If you want to see the model in action (built to testthe design), you can see a video on YouTube.com bysearching for “suspension drawbridge footbridge”.It’s the only one! Feel free to leave comments on theYouTube page, if you like.We continue to get closer and closer to the day when ourfamily will have another driver. Matthew is less than twomonths from getting his license. In Montana, every newdriver must spend 6 months and 50 hours driving undersupervision before getting a license. A week after Gregleaves for Africa, Matthew will get his keys to freedom,but he is a very cautious driver. Especially in light of thenumerous fatalities that continue to make the newslocally in car accidents. One such event happened a fewweeks ago as a high school girl crossed a median whiletext messaging and killed a family, and she is fighting tosurvive severe injuries herself.Matthew and Natalie have both been experiencing thejoy of leg pain after running long distances. It must be arite of passage or something. Thankfully, they havebeen going through it together and can give each otheradditional sympathy.Natalie trying on Jan’s wedding dress. It fit pretty well. Thereal thrill was when Jan tried it on and it still fit her well, too!Heidi has been a little more lonely this year in herhomeschooling without her brother and sister in thenext room all day. Her friends have primarily been fromyouth group and the AWANA program at church. Tohelp her connect more, we helped her throw her firstsleep-over party. The group of young girls had a loudand crazy time together. It was everything she hadimagined it would be.Prayer requests:-Jan’s continued healing and restoration of walking anddriving.-Matthew and Natalie continue to make a difference atschool and avoid the traps.-Heidi to continue to develop and prepare for high school(in 3 years!).-Greg to have the finances to help as many ministries aspossible in May/June.Blessings,A continuous ‘THANK YOU’ to everyone that has helpedsupport us in our ministry efforts. So many of you continueto give special gifts and one-time donations so that we areable to continue our work.Greg and Jan Griffin(the kids Matthew, Natalie, and Heidi)2216 Ruddy Duck Dr.Kalispell, MT 59901Mission Builders InternationalNEW => ggriffin.mbi@gmail.com(www.griffins-ywam.com)3