October 27, 2012

  • Class

     

    Surprises

    October 24, 2012

     

    This walk with God is truly amazing! One “coincidence” (I am laughing as I facetiously write that) after another…..uninvited, unplanned and totally unexpected! I have already shared in my last update the story of the 300 fruit trees for the new orchard and the 500 albeta trees for the 5 hectors of maize fields. A true God story that still has me smiling and I hope lets you see the unquestionable working power of God here at Sons of Thunder. I pray that as you read these updates you not only see the hand of God on this incredible ministry, but you are inspired to seek Him right where you are for He is no respecter of persons.  He is in the business of being our ALL in ALL!  If the story ended there, it would be considered an awesome story……but my friends the story does not end there.  In fact, each day brings additional surprises. Let me continue to wow you…..When the people from Greenpop returned to South Africa, they left behind not only the planted 800 trees, but also a nursery of 30 albeta trees to be used as replacements if needed and additional seeds to be planted.  Along with the albeta, they left approximately 200 seedlings of moringa trees as well as a bag of 1000 moringa seeds. Now during their meetings with us, no one ever spoke about the moringa tree, but I had heard of it back in 2009 from the woman I accompanied to Swaziland in order to attend her workshop on Community Health Evangelism.  She told me very briefly the benefits of the moringa tree and how she was hoping to be a part of encouraging its use in Zambia. As I think back on it, she is the very first person who mentioned Farming God’s Way to me also! Go figure how God uses people! Well anyway, the moringa tree is nicknamed among others: “the Miracle Tree,”  “the Tree of Life,” and “the Blessed Tree” because it provides nutrition….basically everything one needs to supplement a protein deficient diet and it is a great source of antioxidants.  The leaves themselves can be used as a side dish or they can be pounded into a powder, easy to be packaged and transported.  (see Benefits of Moringa attached).The daily dose needed for nutritional value is one spoon (sorry..Right off hand I can’t remember if it’s a teaspoon or tablespoon).  So Greenpop left us with both seeds and seedlings and told us they would email us instructions. Six weeks later following germination of the seedlings, we emailed them for the instructions, but they did not have any written information to send us. Instead they sent two young men from South Africa who had started a business with moringa and were very knowledgeable on the subject. We thought they came to teach us about the planting and care of the moringa which indeed they did….but they also talked with us about their desire for us to be suppliers of moringa for them in South Africa!!!! We were excited!!! Throughout the week, we prepared the land and planted 2850 trees, mostly seeds.  We did have about 200 of seedlings already germinated also.  The two men (Ricky and Graham), met with the farmers and had both classroom and practical sessions. When they left, they gave instructions for continued planting and told us they would be returning in December. Mesha from Greenpop also visited during that week to check on the albeta and told us we were their best site!! They will also be returning in December with the moringa guys for another visit. He told us he was looking for orange trees for us for next July. He also said that behind the house was a perfect landscape for a “food forest”!!!!  I don’t know what that is, but it sounded like something we should have here in order to carry out our commission to “Feed Africa!” :)

     

    “What a whirlwind!!!!” That’s what I thought when we put them on a plane for SA on a Sunday afternoon.  As my mind was still spinning from the possibilities God was presenting to us here at Sons of Thunder, Alexander received a phone call on Monday from another nonprofit organization here in Livingstone to ask us if we would like some banana trees!! We invited them to visit Monday afternoon and they proceeded to tell us they had 2000 banana trees that needed transplanted from an area in town due to improper soil and growing conditions.  Did we want them and could we get them and transplant them here????  Oh my….everyone likes bananas and how could we pass up such an offer!!!  So we are busy clearing the old orchard and making room for banana trees!!!  I don’t know if we will take 2000, but we are going to take whatever fits in the area we can quickly clear!!

    So…..lemon, mango, papaya, moringa, albeta and now banana…..and possible orange trees next year with a food forest!!!! I wish we had a work team here right now for all this digging, planting, transplanting, making fence posts etc!!!! 

    I have never asked for a donation for anything in particular before, but we could use some funds for seed and fertilizer for the 5 hectors of maize fields that have the new albeta trees and money for new irrigation pipes and sprinklers and even a large scale drip system. We also need money to properly fence all the areas to keep out oxen, elephants and now bush pigs!! So if you see God moving as I do, please let the Holy Spirit be your guide and give generously!!  Thanking you in advance and will keep you posted!!

     

    Conference Center is open and holding community workshops for CARE International, Abson’s working hard on chickens (on his second batch since September), Godfrey using his new tools and building furniture…he’s also building a house for someone in Zimba, Eunice sewing dolls and aprons and uniforms for school and the clinic and the conference center workers, Graham just harvested his dried maize and he and Alexander joined the local co-op, Alexander and Tyson planting their commercial garden now that Alex is back from FGW in South Africa, Chrispine’s dairy is up and running with two cows, and Collin and Janet are starting a piggery!!  Preschool had their first field trip to the airport to see planes!!  We are working on grant-aided status for the school so that the Ministry of Education will pay the teachers. Probably will have to move forward with legal action to get the Makoli well completed….but it will be done! Guys killed a black mamba the other day. Clinic never stops….babies and HIV…..looking for funds for a new maternity center, all in God’s time. Terry is trying hard to keep everything with a motor running well, but again limited by funds.  Everyone is getting ready for rainy season and maize planting.

    I will end here, but know that things here are FULL OF HOPE!!