Dear friends,

 

It is with great delight that I am able to write the first of many fruitful newsletters about Farming God’s Way & I trust that they will be as fruitful for you to read as they are for me to reflect upon.

 

It is over a year that I have been involved in Farming God's Way (FGW) & it has been an incredible year indeed. The Lord said in June of 2003 that “it was about to take place & when it comes it will come fast”, & once again He has shown His faithfulness to His word. There have been many times in my life when I have questioned the worth of studying agriculture especially considering the praying & fasting which went into making the decision to study, as I had always wanted to be a marine biologist. It has been such a rewarding experience to couple the gospel to agriculture amongst the poor & FGW has met with so much favour from churches, pastors, missionaries, farmers & more importantly the rural poor.

 

I often stand amazed at how the Lord has brought so much increase & opportunity in just one year, with me getting to roll out FGW in 6 countries (RSA, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi & Kenya) & the training of 1434 people, with Brian Oldreive adding another 2 countries (Tanzania & Lesotho) & umpteen people trained to the list (i.e. 8 countries). These numbers are only included to demonstrate that we are very serious about taking FGW to the nations & are doing everything we can to ensure that happens.

 

Many testimonies are already streaming in of people whose harvest’s have multiplied not in the “worldly percentages” but in God’s multiples & that is considering that most are only doing FGW in part at this stage. Malawians have doubled their yields, Basotho’s have quadrupled their yields in the worst drought year in 100 years, people all over are getting enthused with farming again & pastors are starting to see some light at the end of what has been a dark lonely tunnel of poverty for their people. God is also about His own multiplication an example being of how Brian was proposing to a natural fertilizing company representative that they adopt FGW, to which he replied – “we are already doing it!!!” - I had trained a group of missionaries 500km away & one of the trainees had trained them in turn, so actually God alone knows the numbers & fruitfulness about to break forth into the nations.

 

It has also been a demanding year with 77 days away from home, several thousand air miles, lots of walking, 19 hours on a mono gear bike, searing heat, some horrendous food, but oh the joy of the journey surpasses them all. I want to thank Nicks for all the sending out with “tearful joy” she has done this year & the incredible support she is to me & our boys.

 

The year ahead is already jam packed & yet I know the Lord is in control & busy mobilizing His army for the unlocking of the potential of both His people who are called by His name as well as the potential of our African soil. The greatest ambition for me personally is equip the next generation of FGW trainers who are black Africans who will allow for the next phase of permanent presence on the ground which goes beyond having the Well Watered Gardens alone. Please pray into this with me so we can get these Christian leaders equipped to equip the poor.

 

Trust you all have a wonderful & exciting Christmas, full of the joy of the Lord & assured of the awesome gift of Life & light which has come that we all may have Moyo Uchuluka (Life & Life in Abundance for those that don’t understand Chichewa).

 

Lots of love & encouragement,

 

Yours in His service

 

Grant Dryden

 

Farming God’s Way Dec 2004