October 25, 2006

•  September 30, 2006

   

  Well, there are lots of good things happening at Sons of Thunder farm these days.  God is on the move and the four of us have been very busy….Let me tell you some of the happenings.

   

  First of all, the four of us (Sal and I, Jacob and Jessie) are working together to seek God’s direction and are prayerfully instituting changes under the authority of Pastor Jerry as God directs.

   

  • 7 villages are being formed among the families on the farm with 7 headmen : Abson, Passmore, Padmore, Peter, Graham, Terry, and Doubt.  They have weekly meetings with Sal and Jake right here in the house.
  • Alexander has been made Village Supervisor with responsibilities of everything off of farm proper...he is also over the village headmen.
  • Abson has been made Farm Supervisor with responsibilities of everything on farm proper.
  • People all over the farm are shifting locations and are building new huts...into their respective new villages.  They even have names for their villages. 

   

  One of the new Village Homesites

   

  • Each family has been given a field in or near their village along with a community field (the entire village to work this one together) for maize for the farm....At the end of harvest, we will have 7 hectors of maize from each of the community fields to be given to the farm for famine relief wherever needed. 
  • Each family who lives on the farm and those who work on the farm were given land right here on the farm proper for gardens....there are plots for 61 gardens on the left side of the driveway as you pull in....you will actually be able to see gardens as you come onto the farm.

            Gardens

  

                                                                                                    School Children even have a Garden

   

  • The plan is for each village to be given 4 oxen, 2 plows, 1 oxcart and 2 bicycles....they will be responsible for security, storage, allocation or use, and repairs and or maintenance.
  • Two of the villages are far from water supply, so two plastic drums have been purchased, one for each to be placed in their village on a stand which each headman has already made.  The containers will be filled once or twice a week using an oxcart to transport a larger drum to fill them. Found a water tankard in the junkyard of the farm.
  • Storage units everywhere have been cleaned out and junk gotten rid of or things used or given away. 

  a.       red shed next to house cleaned out by Abson and a crew, rats killed, things

                          to be kept organized and junk discarded

  b.      very large room inside church cleaned out by Abson and a crew, junk

          discarded or given away, things to be kept relocated into their proper areas.  This area will be

          used for the orphanage children to play during rainy    season. It's actually closed in with roof and

          windows!!

  c.       Storage room in tobacco barn cleaned out by Jessie and a crew of women and clothes distributed in a farm giveaway last Saturday

   

   

                          Giveaway

   

  d.      One room on first floor of tobacco barn made into an apartment (for Zambians) sitting room and two bedrooms with electricity, block walls and ceiling boards.  Has main door and windows.....will be used by a woman named Janice and her family who is Rev. Mwikkesa's daughter and who was hired to be supervisor of house and work teams. She will oversee workers in the house and yard, assist with cleaning and laundry, and will be taught how to shop for, plan and prepare meals for the work teams.

   

   

                       Janice and Rev Mwiikisa

   

  e.       Strong Room next to classroom on corner of tobacco barn ground floor made into an efficiency apt for Rev Mwikessa so he can be away from the stairs. His classroom will also move downstairs and will be right next to his apartment.  

  f.        All Construction work being done by skilled Zambians…Gibson and Teddy on Saturdays, Godfrey, Comrade and Eugene during week…electrical, block and cement, plumbing, ceiling tiles, doors, windows etc. Godfrey and Gibson can do almost everything…Eugene and Comrade are cement workers and Teddy is the plumber.

  g.       The old Bible classroom upstairs will be used as a study room for the 7th graders in preparation for their seventh grade exam and will be used by Vundukai for classes/support group for HIV patients on Fridays from 2-4pm.

  h.       Rev. Mwikessa's old apt will be cleaned and given to Chanda, a single man who Jake brought onto the farm to be his interpreter for all ministry.

  i.         Chicken coop cleaned out by Abson and a crew and all materials and supplies moved to dairy.  Instead of things being all over farm, they are now right at the dairy where they are easily accessible and where security is greatest.

  j.        All heavy equipment vehicles moved out of dairy....one working tractor operational and Zambian taught to drive it...Marvin.  It is being used for firewood collection, shifting people, rescue when lorry is stuck, collecting grass and logs cut for houses and fencing.

              

  ·                          Logs being cut for fencing along the property line to keep cattle from next farm from destroying

                 gardens, etc.

  ·                          Windows being completed in the school All glass now in place…still need to put in handles and arms in each window.

  ·                          Handles and arms for windows in Howard's house (one of teachers) put in

  ·                          Working toward becoming a grant-aided school.  Owen is now headmaster

  ·                          Game Viewer ordered from Land Rover dealer

  ·                          Motorcycle for Jake and Jessie purchased in Lusaka

  ·                          Plumbing repairs made by Teddy (a Zambian) in both orphanage and guest house....toilet and sink in orphanage....women had been turning off sink with a rubber glove tied tight and it continuously leaked.  He replaced one sink in guest house, fixed one tap in another Bathroom, changed shower head and fixed leak in kitchen sink.

  ·                          Back bedroom and bath next to kitchen in the guest house painted and fixed for Sal and I.

  ·                          Rest of guest house thoroughly cleaned.....from ceiling fans to floors....all linens, curtains etc. 

  ·                          Trellis outside cut down ...it was filled with snakes, rats, bugs etc.

  ·                          Plantars and fountain area in guest house filled with dirt and plants brought in

  ·                          2 large honeycombs and thousands of African killer bees removed from septic system of guest house (after killed) ...by Abson  

   

  

  African Bees!!!!!

   

  ·                          Let’s not forget the 9 snakes killed since we got back in July….1 black mamba, 1 green mamba, 2 puff adders, 1 spitting cobra, and 5 cobras!!!!

  ·                          All the Seed and fertilizer for this planting season already purchased and stored in the dairy

  ·                       Lena and Lois are doing a great job in the orphanage…they now do the shopping, make the

                 schedules and oversee all the workers.

   

  

   

   

   

                                        

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

              Lena with some of the children

  • Bible classes have started with Jake and Rev Mwikeesa teaching a curriculum they decided on.
  • Prayer has been established in the villages with the people getting together one night a week for prayer and sharing of the Word
  • Small dam found near one of the villages repaired and ready to hold water
  • Some of the buildings rewired by Gibson after sparking and fault wiring discovered.
  • Cistern drained, scubbed and refilled with chlorinated water for use with gardens and during water shortages. 

  

                        Cistern

   

  When I look at all that has been accomplished in the last six weeks, I can only remember the scripture that says..."Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord."....  I say Amen to that.

   

   

   

   

   

  • 10:33 am
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