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Grant Dryden Malawi Report October 2006
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This has been the most mature roll out of Farming God's Way that I have been involved in, as it was the 4th strike in the Lower Shire of Malawi & included encouragement into the trainers who have been involved in the roll out for several years now.
Objectives: a) To follow through with the 5/6 strikes that God spoke in the early envisioning stage of Farming God's Way in the areas of the Lower Shire namely Tsapa, Ngabu & Fatima. b) To spend quality relational times with the Farming God's Way trainers namely Henry Malili from Healing Hope Missions; Johan van der Ham from Amalika; Dixon Shuwali from New Life (COTN Malawi). c) To expose the farmers in the Lower Shire to a deeper level of Farming God's Way including the Business elements presented by Louwrens Boshoff.
Itinerary:
Wednesday – Arrival & prison ministry Thursday – Farm visits with Henry Malili Friday - Farm visits with Henry Malili & ministry to the Gogo’s Saturday – Farming God’s Way training at amalika childrens orphanage with Johan Sunday – Ministry at the church with Johan & departure to the Lower Shire Monday – Farming God’s Way conference in Tsapa & farm visits Tuesday - Farming God’s Way conference in Tsapa & farm visits Wednesday - Farming God’s Way conference in Tsapa & Well watered garden. Thursday – Farm visits with Dixon at Mapelera. Friday – Farming God’s Way training at Fatima Saturday – Farming God’s Way training at Tomali Sunday – Farming God’s Way training at Ngabu Monday - Farming God’s Way training at Goliat with Dan Gillespie of Miqlat Tuesday – Fellowship with Henry, Dan, Rob Brown at Mt Mulanje Wed - departure
Rather than a detailed day by day report I will report on the overall progress based on the clear objectives.
The value of the repeated strikes is really starting to show fruit in most of the areas. I really value the resourcing to fulfill God’s instruction in this regard & am more convinced than before to follow through with the strikes in order to see the yoke loosened, removed & broken according to the commissioning of Is 58. Clear evidence that some communities are tougher than others was exposed, where after 3 years there are now only 2 people in Fatima & 10 in Tomali after 2 years. Overall there are 60 farmers in the Lower Shire Farming God's Way, however the standards are still overall very poor & hence the need for the repeated strikes. It has been clearly stated to the respective areas that the principle of the 5/6 repeats exists & it in turn helps to create a sense of urgency which is very advantageous. The encouragement of trainers was especially effective this time & I feel it will probably become a much more dominant portion of my expression in the Farming God's Way thrust in the continent, whilst also maintaining “the consideration of the poor” principle through the farm visits.
Henry has been doing a noble work of training widows in his community to Farming God's Way with considerable success.
Dixon is doing incredibly well. He has got 20 farmers that he is mentoring both within his own church & including other churches. Dixon this season has gone from producing 5 bags – 45 bags. That is a 9 fold increase & this in just his 2nd year of Farming God's Way.
The deeper level training was done at Tsapa over 3 days of training. The end result of getting the farmers into groups which we can hold accountable proved to be very well received. These groups will be responsible to meet weekly at each others farms to pray & disciple one another both spiritually & in Farming God’s Way. I am trusting God that the existing 10 farmers are going to really come through strongly in both multiplication of numbers but also a marked improvement in standards. The added dimension that Louwrens Boshoff brought in his sessions on the business of agriculture proved to be highly beneficial.
During the week another 2 trainers seemed to come out of God’s supernatural tapestry. “Qumbus”, is working with Henry in the Bvumbwe highlands who really got Farming God's Way deep in his heart & the other was “Gift” who works with Lloyd. I am trusting God that this process of “considering the poor” will continue to yield these trainers who will be committed to the task of rolling out Farming God's Way through the continent.
Also the work at Goliat with Dan Gillespi of Miqlat is going well for one year of training with 6 people who have already begun & had good results. I praise God for men like Dan who have just gone ahead & climbed in to assist the poor through Farming God's Way & who have not stayed reliant on more qualified trainers. Louwrens was a real blessing on the trip & I felt if it was enough for him & I to be together & for him to catch the heart & technology of Farming God's Way it would have been enough. He put his first Well watered garden in Tomali & did a great job 1st time around.
Overall the work is going along slowly but increasing in critical mass yearly with over 100 farmers Farming God's Way in Malawi at the moment but we are trusting that that number will grow substantially in the short term after this strike. Some results are attached below.
Two significant breakthroughs are happening currently: A) The soil in the Well watered gardens is changing colour from a light depleted colouration to a dark well structured Texture. B) The decomposition rates of the Well watered gardens & Farming God’s Way lands’ blanket is slowing down. This is really a significant breakthrough as it has been discouraging for the poor to see their hard labour vanish before their eyes, due to the rapid decomposition by bacterial activity especially. What is taking place is that the organic life is rearranging itself through God’s wondrous creation. The bacteria are now being contained by their predators such as protozoa which are preventing their population explosions. This in turn is allowing for the fauna in the soil to get into balance & in turn the blanket to accumulate with all of it’s inherent benefits.
Both these are major mile stones in my view & although technical for most are significant in ways too numerous for discussion in this report.
Yours sincerely Grant
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