Feedback from Champions in the Field

 

We continue to be amazed at the caliber of the men and women whom God is drawing to the vision and are teaching FGW throughout Africa.  We have been thoroughly blessed by many reports coming in and wanted to share some of them with you.  We pray that you will be encouraged to see the work going on and be inspired to carry on in your area of calling.  Please send us your feedback of your adventures with FGW to agriway@mweb.co.zw .

 

Scott Marques - [Extract from the Newfrontiers Zimbabwe ‘Go! Magazine’]

 

As a result of the progress of Farming God’s Way and REAP [Resourcing Entrepreneurs with Apostolic Passion] in Zimbabwe, Dave Devenish asked me if I could go on a small team to another continent to see if these principles would work in a different culture and context.  Andy Martin arranged a trip including time in Istanbul, Izmit and Yalova in Turkey and Sevastopol and Kiev in Ukraine…

 

We ran a two-day workshop on Personal and Small Business Finance in Sevastopol and left the group with our REAP training material to translate into Russian and to run in the spring of 2007.  Well Watered Gardens are a core part of the REAP curriculum because we are convinced that the essentials of character and management required for successful small business development are extremely well demonstrated in this micro-farming context.  We had great joy putting in a Well Watered Garden in front of the church offices in Sevastopol.  The people are excited about taking this far and wide through the Crimean peninsula, which is a largely poorer and agri-based region.

 

Carl Schmidt – Nov 2006

 

In the north of Namibia (Rundu area) I did training and one WWG in September. On my return last week I found three thriving gardens and a call for more seed and training.  It is wonderful to see that they understand the concept of FGW.

 

In Zambia (Sikuenzwa near Gazankula) where I did some training on my last visit, there was a land of about 130 x 30m fully planted in FGW principals. It was great to see again how God has inspired them to follow His pattern.

 

Back in Rundu on my way home, we had a terrible storm, washing all the nice plants of about 100mm right out of the ground. There was no way of protecting it in the monsoon type storm, but, this did not deter them.  They were adamant that they would plant again as soon as the weather allowed.

 

In Angola we are still waiting for the permission to occupy land. Thousands of hectares are lying unused, but you need permission from Luanda, then local men etc. As soon as we get the required stuff, we will do plantings there as well. The soil is great and manure plentiful.

 

There were some disappointing aspects to the trip.  In the south of Namibia where the population is mainly Nama, I was very disappointed in their lack of interest. After extensive training and doing a demo Well Watered Garden, I came back to see a well un-watered garden. These people are mainly herdsmen and I do not think that they are even remotely interested in crop farming. I re-did the garden before I left to go north and again on my return 10 days later there again was nothing to show for the efforts.

 

Johann van der Ham – March 2007

 

I did FGW training yesterday at the Zambezi Evangelical College in Blantyre.  There were 23 students and we had a great day together.  For the first time I was able to use the [FGW DVD training] series that I got from you.  What a blessing to have the technology.  The Lord blessed me recently with a video projector and I was able to project [Brian] bigger than life on the wall, teaching on being on time, with high standards and no wastage.   When we planted the Well Watered Garden at the college grounds we did not have to water the plot since the Lord Himself did it for us with water from above and a rainbow in the sky as a sign of his approval.  The director of the school is a keen farmer himself with 30 something ha of land in Ntcheu district.  He planted on flat land last year with much better results, so the training had him very excited.  

 

I went on the internet and found some wonderful things on micro organisms.  I was able to show pictures of nematodes, amoeba, mites, bacteria etc. to the students.  My dream of taking people on a visual journey under the soil is already taking shape.  I found an animated exercise for children developed by the University of Minnesota.  You get into an earth machine, dive into a moles hole, and explore!  Info is displayed on every organism found.  I was able to download it and used it during my presentation.  I had the class buzzing afterwards.  What made it even more exciting is that when I removed some of the already existing blanket at the designated plot for the WWG, I found an earth worm right there!”

 

Carl Schmidt – April 2007

 

I just got back from DRC (Lumbumbashi) and what a blast!  God really met with us and blessed us. It was at the invitation of some folk that have family in our church in Cape Town. We almost did not make it because at the border we encountered a 2 km, 3-truck wide row of trucks waiting to cross over. This was our first test of patience – a 3-hour wait. When we eventually got over, we were met by some lovely people.  Pastor Kelly Mpiana runs a local Pentecostal church and he was our host. I was also asked to share about FGW to a crowd who gathered specially for this when they heard that God has an interest in their agricultural well-being. Needless to say, afterwards I was bombarded with questions, which I could answer – thank you, Lord. They showed much interest and I am scheduled to return there for more practical training, which I could not do on this trip due to time limitations.

 

Johann van der Ham – May 2007

 

Friday May 4

We did training and planted a Well Watered Garden with Henry Malili from Bvumbwe. Many widows, a local chief and others attended and it was a wonderful time with great conviction of the Holy Spirit.  Mark Beckett, a missionary from Lesotho who is moving to Malawi also attended and told me that he attended a training where he learned to use large basins – a technology with little spiritual impact.  He was surprised to see how small our planting stations were and I could see that he caught the fire.  He is planning to roll out FGW in the northern parts of Malawi and will settle in Mzuzu soon.  

 

Saturday May 12

I did training at Chintuli village in Mulanje district with Gracious and Piet Uys accompanying me again.  We used a hall where people pay to watch videos and the place was so packed that people were fighting for a seat.  We spent the entire morning laying spiritual foundations and praying for the baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The people caught the fire!  After the theory we planted a Well Watered Garden right next to the road and the rain came pouring down again.

 

Monday 14 May

We had training at Amalika for the staff to make sure they will proceed with the vision when I leave.  We planted a Well Watered Garden right at the entrance of Amalika. Mark Beckett linked up with the administrator of Cure Int. Hospital in Blantyre, and brought him with for the training.  The administrator came with a horticulturalist as his advisor.   The CURE hospital see many people passing through their wards and they want to make good use of the long hours patients are spending while recovering by training them Farming God's Way! 

 

Thursday 17 May

From 15 - 17 May we were at the lake (Cape Maclear) with the family from SA.  The local people were busy harvesting maize and rice.  When I saw how small the cobs were I felt impressed by the Lord to train the people.  I approached the chief and she welcomed the idea.  On Thursday 17 May we did the training in the evening.  I had my projector and laptop at hand and the chief arranged for electricity and a sound system.  There were about 300 children and 200 adults.  We had a few interruptions with vehicles passing through since the crowd stretched across the road going through the village, but there was a wonderful sense of awe about the greatness of God.  Many responded to the call to be reconciled to the Father and after that I showed them the ways of our Father concerning farming.  After 3 hours of speaking my voice gave in, but the message was delivered.  We were not able to plant a Well Watered Garden, but I left pamphlets in Chichewa.  Chief Chembwe wants the people to form a committee and us to do follow-up visits.  Maybe we will put in a Well Watered Garden at a later stage. 

 

Saturday 19 May

I did training at Domasi Secondary School at Zomba.  There were 150 students in attendance and we had a great time together.  There was such excellent worship and the Lord gave me grace to speak for another 3 hours without my voice giving in.  There were many questions and a lot of interaction.  The Student Christian Organisation of Malawi represented in the school gave me gifts afterwards as a sign of appreciation.    

 

Boet Pretorius – May 2007

 

I have just returned from Zambia where I have been involved in training.  It all went very well and have come back quite exhausted.  I always thought farming is hard work, but training is just as hard as we are constantly fighting old mindsets.

 

A strong group from DRC attended and we spent some quality time together. Jannie and I will be visiting them in October to see how their plots are doing and also to have a look at their soils and rainfall.

 

The vice chancellor (an American) of the Livingstonia University (Baptist) in the north of Malawi visited Masaiti and found us digging holes in straight lines.  Soon he also had a badza [hoe] and joined us. He was really touched by FGW and I will be visiting them at the University in August to establish a plot and also to train some students. We send students into that area for Muslim training so we can also constantly monitor the plot.

 

I will be visiting Namibia in June. FCE are opening a new training base in the North right on the Kunene River.  There are some students that have been trained in FGW in Masaiti  and we want to prepare some plots for the coming season.

 

Our plots in Masaiti did well in spite of all the rain, yielding just over 8 tons with fertilizer, and seven and a half tons with manure and urea topdressing.  Our plots in the Chinhoyi [Zimbabwe] area also look good and we will be reaping soon.

 

Thank you so much that we can be part of what God is doing through FGW, it really is a message that is lifting yokes and breaking chains so that the Church can rise to its true calling to be salt and light.

 

Compiled June 2007

 

Farming God’s Way Champs report

May 2007