Dr. Jim Blessman and Brett Hendrickson discuss how Blessman International is bringing lasting change to communities in South Africa through clean water initiatives, infrastructure, and programs supporting young women. They also share ways Iowans can get involved through upcoming events and mission opportunities.
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The Catholic morning show. Good morning once again here on Iowa Catholic Radio, sixteen minutes after the hour here on the Catholic Morning show. And we are grateful you are here with us. I'm Beau Bonner, your host. We got Alexia. She is helping us out by reading the news. Ayden Pugh and Brady Grimm producing all of us happy you are here listening on Iowa Catholic radio. Second half of the show, we'll have a chance to speak with Sister Nancy Rose of Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration since two thousand and six. But right now, let's turn to our first guests of the day with me in studio, I have Doctor Jim Blessman of Blessman International. Uh, when your name's in the title of the thing you're doing, you know how elemental you are to the practice. Also, we have Brett Hendrickson, the executive director. Both of you welcome and thank you for coming on the Catholic Morning Show. It's my pleasure. It's great to be back here with you in person. Thank you. Yes. Thanks for the opportunity. And I should point this out. Right. That's a good segue into what we can talk about first is oftentimes one of the delightful things we get to do when we talk with your doctor is we're figuring out how to connect all the way from the northern hemisphere over to Africa and the different times of days and coordinating. So wonderful to have you here in studio, but let's talk about that a bit in January, a wonderful and successful trip that you had with many folks here from the Diocese of Des Moines. So if you don't mind sharing about what that trip was and why it was so successful, well, it was successful because the Lord was with us. Uh, father Ray has done, uh, father Ray McHenry. He has done led mission teams to South Africa every year, I think now for eleven years. And he has quite a following, mostly from Saint Francis of Assisi. And they come every year in January. He always asks for our first team. We have ten mission teams a year, and father Ray likes to come every January, and it's gotten better and better every year. A year ago, uh, Bishop Johnson was with us and, uh, we created stations of the cross up maitre de mountain. This year we were celebrating the completion of a beautiful chapel en maitre de property, and it was just such a joy to be there and see the beautiful church that our son Dustin constructed, along with the priest at maitre d. So it was really fun. And the exciting thing is there were thirty four people with us. It was the largest team we've had in several years, and KCCI here in Iowa was there to document what was going on, and they created a forty minute documentary that I hope many of your listeners were able to see. And if not, it's still available on YouTube. It's Iowa to Africa on KCCI. Beautiful thing. And once you see that, you get a better understanding of what we do year round and all the Iowans that are coming to South Africa to help us do the work that God has called us to do. Well, so obviously, as you said, we've had this long connection with Catholics here in Iowa going in every January. But if you don't mind expanding on what you and bless mean, if people haven't heard, for instance, of Blessman International, what all have you been doing for how long? Just to catch people up, maybe on if they haven't heard that part. Well, this year we're celebrating our twenty fifth year in ministry. As our country celebrates two hundred and fifty years, we celebrate our twenty fifth year. We just completed an amazing gala. We were at Hy-Vee, Ron Pearson Hall and had over, I think, about three hundred and sixty people come. And the generosity and the philanthropy was just amazing. We raised more money than we ever have, and it's helping us to feed kids and, uh, just do what we do. We drill wells, build toilets in South Africa. Obviously, we build churches. Uh, and we're just there to minister to the children of South Africa. We had a chance. We I was talking to my son. So it was we I was talking to my kid and we were talking about how easy it is to live in a first world country and just assume you wake up every day with water, clean enough to trust with plumbing, where you don't have to worry about things like sanitation and the removal of waste, and that if maybe people could, could, could even begin to glimpse about the near miracle that all of this is not only possible, but just presumed that they would start to be able to have a sort of thankfulness that, or maybe just a smile on their face every time they wake up and go to the to get a glass of water. When it comes to your work where people have been given wells, when you've when you've worked to do exactly those sort of basic infrastructure things, can you try to, to let our listeners know, like how pivotal and how revolutionary of a change happens when you're able to do something like that on the ground in South Africa? It's, it's absolutely amazing. While Father Ray's team was there, we drilled our hundredth well. And my son, when he travels around the villages looking for places that we want to drill a well. Next he'll run into people, mostly ladies, and they're carrying large water containers in wheelbarrows to go fetch water for their needs. And they may push these heavy, heavy containers of water for half an hour, sometimes even an hour each way. And then tragically, occasionally they'll get to the water tap and it's not even working. So it's just an incredible tragedy. And, uh, my son got the vision that we could connect these people to some of the wells that we're drilling. And, uh, he calls that saving footsteps. Hy-Vee has been an incredible partner helping us. They've helped us drill about fifty wells now. And so we're just incredibly blessed to be missionaries from Iowa. We have incredible support from the church communities and the corporate community and lots and lots of individuals. So it's just been an absolute pleasure to work in the mission field in Africa with the support that all of you guys give us. Well, so a sort of new well, not new, but a new focus. Maybe you've been coming today to talk about working with girls empowerment, particularly, I'm recruiting women's group to help with the sewing of bags for women in Africa for use in church and things like this. Tell us maybe a little bit more about that. Well, particularly the women in the audience will understand, uh, in Africa, uh, the products like menstrual pads and tampons, they're available. But the population that we work with cannot afford that. So the girls that come from these villages will end up even staying home from school during their menstrual period. And they get incredibly behind. And it's just a tragedy, uh, that they aren't supported. And some of the one of the ladies I work with in South Africa gets so frustrated that, uh, NGOs and governments have supplied condoms in bathrooms and everywhere, but they haven't helped the girls. There's no group that's giving out menstrual hygiene products to these girls. And so it's an incredible tragedy. And we're able to come in and give them a brand new washable, reusable menstrual hygiene kit that just changes their lives. And we have ladies here in America, especially here in Iowa, Saint Francis Church, they have a sewing group there. Cindy Pierce leads that. She instructs the ladies how to make a purse or a cloth bag that the women or the girls carry their menstrual products in. And then we asked the churches and the individuals that showed the bags to also donate twenty dollars. And that twenty dollars we fund to pay labor in South Africa. And that creates jobs for adult women who sew the kits. And we give them we fund them, give them sewing machines, train them how to do it, and then they give us the kits for free to give out to the girls. It's an amazing program. We've given out several thousand of the kits, and the women particularly enjoy being part of that. We have a similar program for boys where we talk to them about transition from being a boy to a man. Talk to them about promiscuity and pornography, and just be their parents and guide them. Well, I think that one of the things that people obviously, when someone is hungry and someone is thirsty, being there for them in that sort of abject need is something that comes natural to people's minds when it comes to charity. But being able to think about that first line of infrastructure, both, like we said, wells and bathrooms, but also things like hygiene and care, that that starts to be the practical way that so much that begins to change. And so I, you know, not only is this one from hard won experience, you guys have been doing this, uh, two decades and a half, but also just being there with skin in the game, with those people in their need and being able to learn what it is that they're in most need of is very impressive. And it's wonderful to be able to partner with you guys. Iowa Catholic Radio and more people besides. So wonderful work. A few things before we let you go. So on one hand, if people are excited about what they hear, where can they find out more? Where can they find out? Maybe that if they want to go, maybe the next time this happens, and then if you have any events coming up, especially when it comes to fundraising to make these things possible. Yeah, I would say that, um, we've, we've got a wonderful fundraising opportunity coming up in July. Monday, July thirteen. This is our, our first ever fundraising golf tournament. Uh, it's out at Beaver Creek golf course in Grimes. And the best way to register would be to go to our website, w w w dot international dot org slash golf. And there's opportunity to sponsor. There's opportunity to register as a team should be a great, great opportunity for people to get involved to help us raise funds. You don't even have to be good. No, of course not. That's that's why we have three other guys on the team, three other people on the team that you can, you know, lean on. Uh, secondly, we've we've got an opportunity to just do the use your hands basic stuff to help pack meals that will go to South Africa. Meals from the heartland is a great partner of ours. And they will have focused packing events starting May the eighteenth, the week of May eighteen, which is a Monday, uh, that particular week. The plan is all of those packing events will will pack food for South Africa. So that's a great opportunity to get involved. Absolutely wonderful. We have about a minute or so left. So, uh, doctor, before we let you go, um, when people start to think about how, how do I start to reimagine my life to be of help to people in the most need, you know, just from your experience, either twenty five years ago or along the way? you know, what would you tell people to, to have that heart that opens up to helping people like you guys do in South Africa with Blessmann International, one of the most powerful things I've seen all these years is when people actually come to the foreign mission field and they see it and they feel it. Uh, we can talk to you all day and tell you what it's like, but until you really go and see what it's like, uh, you don't quite understand, but almost everyone who comes just falls in love with serving and giving and helping Christ build his kingdom. Uh, it's just amazing what happens to Americans that come to Africa. And when we get to see the how, how far the American dollar will go in helping these children and the people there, it's just an incredible blessing. And I just personally want to invite everyone who has the capability of coming to Africa. Come with us. Absolutely wonderful. One more time. Uh, so if you just give the date again of the golf tournament and where people can find out more information. Yeah. Monday, July thirteen. And you can find information at w w w dot international dot org slash golf. Um, additionally, call the office five one five three four three five nine two zero. And you can ask questions about the upcoming trip in January. Um, as well as the golf tournament as well as the packing events coming up and meals from the heartland. Well, as always, it's so wonderful to have a partnership with you guys, Iowa Catholic Radio and Blessman International. It's been such a fruitful relationship and we always love it when you guys stop by to give us so much hope. Brett Hendrickson is the executive director, doctor Jim Blessman. He's the Blessman part of Blessman International. We are very happy that you guys stopped in once more. Thank you for coming on the Catholic Morning show. It's our pleasure. Thanks for having us. Listen to the Catholic Morning Show weekdays at seven a m central on the Iowa Catholic Radio Network, Iowa Catholic Radio dot com or the Iowa Catholic Radio app.