Dear Friends, March 31, 2022

Time is flying by the busier we get into the school.

The first few weeks are like breaking up concrete. Tiring and labor intensive. Getting through the barriers of introducing ideas and practices they have never heard of and the initial barriers of them understanding our American accents and us being able to catch their African lingo makes for some interesting times and laborious conversations. We now have our ear more tuned, and can translate in our minds some of the African phrases so we are having to use the staff less as our interpreters. Most of their tribal languages put the adjectives and verbs out of order in relation to English and some are really challenged with the English pronunciations and verbiage so it has taken time. For example this past week, Denis said “Gene, America I want farm you”. He was saying “Gene, I want to come farm with you in America.” Our brains never get to rest in conversations! This class has a lower educational level also, making their English much less learned. Even our African speaker this past week had difficulties understanding one of our students so we felt a bit better.

Since the last update:

• We had one student’s (Moses) wife get ‘knocked on the boda’ (a car ran into the boda (motorcycle) she was riding) and broke her collarbone. Actually it was a miracle that she is ok as she was thrown 15’ and the bike was crushed. The boda guy was banged up but is ok. Of course the car fled the scene, knocking another boda as he fled.
• Another student was called home because his wife’s demon surfaced and he is the only one who can handle her.
• Martin ( our staff with the sick little one from last update) returned but promptly started suffering with malaria symptoms. He kept working until the meds made him so sick he had to take some time off but appeared at our door yesterday ready to go again.
• Gene got into a nest of chiggers or mites and is covered with intensely itchy welts. One of our former students/staff that works in the area with an NGO farm saw him this morning and is bringing stuff to treat him that he makes from herbs and uses when he get into them. Hope it works!

The positive though is that we had an amazing week with Sam Mukabi Zema, our pastor friend who is gifted at speaking into the cultural things that keep the Africans in poverty. He has a gift of humor and hard hitting truth all wrapped in stories from his life. From a very hard, violent young man to learning his charisma would make him money as an ‘evangelist’, to having a real encounter with Jesus and having his world shifted through training with Disciple Nations Alliance, he has an authority with our students like no other. He has lived their life and has come through to a whole new life in Christ that has a completely different outcome than his former life. He knows the tribes and their beliefs that keep them held in poverty and has the ability to bring them out from the students and discuss them like no one we have ever been around. He approaches the tribal beliefs around women, marriage, family, work ethic, farming, business, money, personal responsibilities, etc and brings the counter Kingdom truths and then builds confidence and the skills to question these belief’s roots and provide life-giving alternatives. We literally see their minds shifting by their countenance, processing and questions. Sam focuses deeply on their view of women and marriage and held a special night class to dive into marriage deeper. During garden practicals on Friday afternoon, all the conversations were around what Sam had introduced during the week. We have heard him speak 4 times now and each time learn so much more about each of the tribes and their worldview. He has become a trusted and good friend.

The rain has come! Most of the large plot farm is planted with 8 different crops to give the experience of growing and managing more than corn which everyone plants. Many of the men are struggling with their personal gardens but Sam brought out and challenged African men’s work beliefs without us saying a word. We are hoping to see a commitment and work ethic change. Most of the women’s gardens are looking good.

This next week I teach IMO’s (Indigenous Micro Organisms) / Korean Natural Farming methods to speed up the healing of their soils, help with disease, grow healthier plants, etc. We will make IMO’s with different cultures and methods which is alway a fun class event.

We then dive into human nutrition. That is ALWAYS an emotional subject! Nothing dearer to every culture than food choices. Worldview comes out strong around food! Thankfully Sam already dealt with some of it, such as in the belief that women and children can’t eat eggs and chicken because it makes their blood weak. Eesshhh. It will be an interesting week. It will be hard following such a dynamic speaker, but hopefully the residue of the determination to change their mindsets will still be there. Just pray they don’t bring up the whole ‘roosters lay eggs when they get old’ debate! I’m still healing from that hour long yelling match between the tribes from 2017!

Thank you all for praying! It truly does make a difference and the students are humbled that we would ask you to pray for them and us as we work to affect hunger and poverty in lives here. This is a unique group, and it will be interesting to follow their stories. If it is like our former schools, their stories will shift and their lives will never be the same. Thank you for your investment in them!

Prayer points:

• Safety on our boda (motorcycle) rides. It is our only form of transport to town, and the dangers are real. There are hundreds of boda on the road with trucks, cars, people walking, bicycles, goats, dogs, chickens and an occasional cow. We have a list of trusted drivers we call to pick us who know we prefer the back roads and a slower ride to the highways, but have had our experiences where we knew it was only the protection of God that got us there. We do not take our safe arrivals anywhere for granted.
• Pray the shift that took place this week will continue! Our staff will be leading the conversation on many discussions as they meet with their teams, so they need much wisdom in the process.
• Julius’s back is improving with the back brace, but still has to take the pain meds at times. He has a large farm to return to so pray he heals so that he can rebuild his strength to go back.

Gretchen and Gene