A long, long time ago...

We would like to take you back in time...say a year or so. We had just received word that a generous donor wanted to give 100+ school desks to the Wellington Primary School in Sierra Leone, West Africa. We had great volunteers that loaded the desks and transported them to a storage building donated to house the desks until we transported them to Oklahoma in a giant Penske truck the next month. And when we say giant, we mean GIANT!! Those desks have made quite the journey and have just now transferred into the hands of the school in Sierra Leone. They arrived at their destination in a container via ship months ago and have finally been released to serve their functional purpose!! Thanks to all who had a hand in getting those desks from one country to another. We are not sure exactly why but for some reason the Lord wanted those desks right where they ended up. We are excited to share the news with all of you!! Hopefully we will soon hear the reaction of the students and how the desks are being utilized. Until our next adventure together...

Supply Madness!!

We are overwhelmed with school supplies and the generosity of everyone involved in our 2nd Annual School Supply Drive for Sierra Leone. We have 4 bins overflowing with school supplies for the Orphanage Vocational Training Center with additional items to go to the Wellington Orphanage!!

We want to send out a BIG thank you to everyone who contributed!! A special thanks goes out to two very special girls who for their fourth birthday this year decided to have friends and family bring school supplies versus presents to donate to the students in Sierra Leone!! What amazing hearts for mission at such a young age. We LOVE to hear your stories of how you choose to partner with ministries such as ours!!

For those of you that maybe missed the deadline and still want to contribute you may contact us via email at info@banytradingcompany.com. We will be happy to take additional donations up until the items are sent. We are waiting to see how to logistically get the donated items to Sierra Leone the easiest and quickest route. We usually send items via container but we have had issues in the past with timing and may go a different route this time. We will let you know as soon as the items have left this country and are headed to Africa!!

Thanks again for partnering with us and we look forward to what the Lord has for the future of this ministry!!

It's that time again...

Bany Trading Company school supply drive blessing the men and women students at the Orphanage Vocational Training Centre in Sierra Leone, West Africa with excess benefiting the children at the Wellington Orphanage. Items needed are college supplies in nature such as spiral notebooks, pens/pencils, computer memory USB sticks, etc.

Collection Deadline: Sunday, September 5, 2010.

Location: Drop off supplies at Grace Community Church at each campus in designated containers or contact Stefani or Amanda for additional dropoff locations or for pickup.

Contact: Stefani Masten & Amanda Storer at info@banytradingcompany.com or via facebook. Look forward to seeing what God will do again this year!!!

If you would like to donate financially, donations can be made to Bany Trading Company.

World in Crisis

Here is the video that was shown at Grace Community back in March that highlights West Africa and our ministry!!



World in crisis
www.youtube.com

Fighting Poverty, One Purse at a Time

Bany Trading Company is featured in the Religious Section of the
Tyler Morning Telegraph.
Check it out!!

Fighting Poverty, One Purse At A Time

By GEORGE MONTALVO

Stefani Masten, 31, took her first trip to Africa on a six-month Mercy Ships mission to Sierra Leone in 2005. Her task, as a physical and occupational therapist, was to live among the poor of the community while providing medical assistance.

She said she had no idea the effect her short-term mission of mercy would have.

In Sierra Leone, a nation suffering from a nine-year civil war and subsequent corruption, she came across a 20-something paralytic victim of polio who handcrafted purses to support himself. She purchased a few purses as souvenirs.

"When I arrived home, everyone asked about the purses, said Ms. Masten, who attends Grace Community Church at the University Boulevard campus.

"All my friends wanted them. So I figured on my next trip I would pick up more of these beautiful handmade purses. That's when I first started having the idea of manufacturing the purses for sale stateside and using the proceeds to assist the impoverished of Sierra Leone."

"GOOD FRIENDS"

Ms. Masten's enthusiasm proved infectious. Amanda Storer, 28, a co-worker at a Tyler clinic, decided to get involved. The pair began praying and making plans. They shared their ideas with the Rev. Danny Loeffelholz, pastor of their church.

"Stefani and Amanda were good friends," Loeffelholz said, "and they had hopes of going where the Gospel was needed most -- a place where the message would most penetrate the darkness."

According to the Human Development Index, Sierra Leone is the third-lowest-ranked country when assessing the life expectancy, education, and gross domestic product of its citizens.

The Human Poverty Index measures its people as the seventh poorest in the world.

Visiting Sierra Leone in 2009 to scout potential business opportunities, the women visited a trade school that supported the Orphanage Vocational Training Center.

The school is attended by former sex slaves who are learning how to read, keep accounting books, cater food, tailor and practice cosmetology.

This was the place, Ms. Masten said, they thought provided a perfect venue to serve. But why would people in a country that is 70-percent Muslim accept help from two Christian women?

"TRULY CARE"

"We arrived to help meet a physical need," Ms. Masten said. "They listen to what we have to say because they know we truly care. The Gospel is so much more than telling someone, 'Be warm and well fed.' It is truly about providing a warm blanket and making someone a good meal."

The trade school committed to the idea manufacturing purses, but it needed sewing machines and desks first. Returning to Tyler, the pair began asking friends for help and speaking at churches. Suddenly, a source opened that would allow them to purchase old school desks at five cents apiece. They bought 110 desks -- then needed a way to ship them.

"We really had no idea what we were going to do," Ms. Masten said.

An anonymous supporter came to their aid and found a shipping company in Oklahoma City that would send the desks. The 110 desks are now being used by the Orphanage Vocational Training Center to make purses for about $6 each, Ms. Masten said.

In the U.S., finished purses can fetch a donation of about $20 to $30 for each purse, she said. All the funds go back to projects to help the trade school.

"In the future, we hope to take teams to Sierra Leone to serve and help the orphanage," Ms. Storer said. "We hope in the long-term, to even have a factory built for the production of purses. We hope to make this enterprise self-sustaining. Maybe we can even add jewelry and tops to the product line. Who knows?"

Added Ms. Masten: "People don't care how much we know until they know how much we care. Caring opens a door for us to share the manifold blessing of God. We're not about only meeting physical needs, but also nourishing souls. That's social justice. That's the heart of Jesus."

For more information about Ms. Masten and Ms. Storer's charity work, visit the Web at www.banytradingcompany.com, or call Grace Community Church at 903-593-3800.

http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20100320/RELIGION/3200309/-1/religion

Journey to the Motherland

A big thanks goes out to College Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas for a successful event this past weekend. Our friend, Emily, and the church hosted an event titled "Journey to the Motherland". The event consisted of a testimonial from Bany Trading Company, a slideshow and presentation from Emily, an African apparel fashion show, a fabulous youth dance team, great African music and a performance on the djembe drum from our Nigerian friend Isaac. It was exciting to see a church on fire for local and international ministries and missions!!

If you are interested in having Bany Trading Company visit your group please contact us via email at info@banytradingcompany.com!!

For more information on the ministries at College Hill Missionary Baptist Church please visit www.chmbctyler.com.

Africa T-shirts...

The t-shirts are here!!! They are awesome. They are a dark gray with distressed writing. The Africa in the picture is the design on the front with the verse on the back. They are $18 or 2 for $30. Email us if you want one - info@banytradingcompany.com. Thanks for your support!