Farming God's Way Update

Tukwatanize women weeding the beans in the extended Well Watered garden
at the Shalom Primary School.  The original Well Watered garden
 is shown at the top of the picture. 

The women have really embraced Farming God’s Way (FGW) by applying what they have learned in their own gardens and by extending the Well Watered garden at the Shalom Primary School.  They have continued to diligently and faithfully weed their gardens and pray that the Lord will bless the work of their hands with an abundant harvest soon.

Although the ladies are seeing the blessing practically in applying God’s ways to farming, I think the greatest blessing that has taken place is in their attitude toward farming. Farming is no longer considered a less worthy kind of labor. One of the biggest issues that came through during the initial training was the shame that is attached to being a farmer in this culture, even though greater than 70% of the population are farmers.  FGW has really encouraged them to bring the Lord into every area of their life and that farming can be used as one way to bear much fruit that will glorify their Father.  FGW has also helped them to realize that God was the original Gardner and that farming was part of God’s original plan for man. In the beginning, God placed man in the garden and gave him the responsibility to tend and care for it.  More importantly it was a place where God chose to fellowship with man. We have continued to encourage the ladies to use farming as a way to honor God with their hands and to use their time in the garden as an opportunity to fellowship with Him.  This has greatly changed their attitude toward farming and the importance of glorifying God in every area of their lives.

I have included more pictures below of several women who have applied FGW to their gardens. Please continue to pray for an abundant harvest.  We look forward to sharing more praise reports with you soon!  Agape, Luan

Glady's proudly showing off her garden on our property.
She has planted maize and ground nuts using FGW methods.

Glady's maize is significantly taller and is
yielding much larger ears than ever before.

Zoe was excited for to show me her garden during a recent visit.
She applied what she learned from attending the FGW training.

Finished!

Diana, Irene, Maggie and Susan enjoying pizza and soda as we celebrated
 the completion of their discipleship and skills training program. 

After fourteen weeks of intense discipleship and skills training, three of the four young women successfully completed the first Sewing Seeds discipleship and skills program. We celebrated by going out for pizza and soda. Each one of them have professed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and have a desire to follow Him. It has been a blessing for me to be able to see the transformation in their lives through the daily reading, studying, journaling and sharing of the Word of God.   

Susan's son, Fenuel, modeling
our sweater hoodie design.

On the more practical side, the girls have become very proficient in knitting. They have expanded beyond just making the traditional school sweaters, using their new skills to generate new clothing items that are unique and can be marketed locally. We have successfully sold all of the items that we have made as part of the training. The sales of the items has provided for our daily training expenses and for purchase of additional yarn needed to sustain the training program. In fact, our sweaters are being sought out due to the quality of our work and our fair pricing.  Please pray as we are currently struggling to find the yarn in the local markets that are needed to match the school colors in our area. This is currently one of our biggest challenges to growing our businesses right now.

Fenuel modeling our zip-up
collared sweater design.

Moving forward, I have agreed to give the girls access to our place and the knitting machines to begin building their business for a small percentage of each item they make. This will enable them to build their customer base and business without having the initial debt or overhead cost of a startup. The small fee collected will be used sustain and expand the ministry in the future. Please pray for good stewardship and diligence as we have also introduced a way of keeping records of our sales transactions and expenses as they begin to build their businesses.

Prayer Requests

Diana, her baby Wilson (8mo) and me.

• Please pray for Diana, Irene and Maggie who have finished the program as they have many challenges ahead. Diana and Irene are single mothers already. Please pray that they would continue to have a hunger and thirst for the Word of God and that they would be salt and light to their children, in their families to those around them.

• Please pray for Christine who began the program with us and has failed to finish. We have reached out to her and her family but she has refused us. She is working in a bar, drinking and participating in the lifestyle that is worldly and unhealthy.
  

Visiting Irene's home to bring her new
daughter, Dolra a knitted baby outfit as a gift.

• Please pray as I have asked Susan, who co-labored with me in the ministry, and Maggie, one of the students, to consider leading the next group of young women through the discipleship and knitting program. 

• Pray as we are desiring to begin training up another group of young women through the Sewing Seeds Ministry in August. Pray for wisdom and discernment as we begin seeking the girls to participate in the program.

In His Grip,
Luan

Tukwatanize Women, Farming God's Way

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”  (2 Cor 9:8)

We are God’s people who are called to improve, not maintain; to develop, not sustain in all areas of our lives.  God’s ways are not in keeping the status quo; it is not part of His nature.  He is progressive, creative and His kingdom is advancing all the time.

Our greatest challenge is to bring God and His all sufficiency into every area of our lives.  One of our greatest opportunities is to bring the Lord and His all sufficiency into our farming and agricultural practices.  

The majority of the people here are subsistence farming, with yields well below that of which is required to meet their own family needs.  Lack of knowledge, poor farming practices, unfaithfulness and laziness have contributed and often led to poor yields.  Most farmers have little land in which to meet their needs, making efforts to more effectively tend and care for their small pieces of land to produce the highest yields even that much more critical.

 “My people perish for a lack of knowledge…”  (Hosea 4:6)

Sharing Farming God’s Way (FGW) is a way to bring the Lord and His all sufficiency into our greatest inheritance what have here, the land and the soil.  Farming God’s Way advocates bringing God into all areas of our lives, including agriculture.

The goal of FGW promotes sustainable profitability through good, proven farming practices such as no burning, no ploughing and rotation of crops.  Such practices are often contrary to the traditional and cultural farming practices and ways of thinking.  But, farming practices alone do not lead to sustainable profitability.  FGW also promotes the importance of good management such as being on-time, working to high standards and minimal wastage.  

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…”  (Zech 4:10)

As the rainy season was nearing, an opportunity presented itself for me to share Farming God’s Way with the Tukwatanize Women’s group. 

Area to be used for our "Well Watered Garden"

In our first meeting we learned how to prepare our well watered gardens for planting.   Instead of clearing out a large amount of land, we start by clearing a small 6 meter x 6 meter area, allowing our available inputs such as compost, seeds and mulch to determine the land area we prepare as we strive to do everything to high standards.  After completing our maize planting stations and furrows for beans was properly laid out, we waited for the rains to begin before planting.

The following week the long rains arrived, so we once again met together to share from God’s Word and to learn how to properly plant our maize seeds in our planting stations and to properly place our bean seeds in the prepared furrows. Before leaving we completely covered the surface of our well watered garden with mulch, which we refer to as God’s blanket.   Incorporating God’s blanket is crucial to providing and ideal environment to promote seedling growth, minimize runoff and erosion, improve water infiltration, decrease evaporation from soil, improve soil fertility and weed control.    

Learning together how to dig holes properly for maize seed

Although this is a small beginning, the women’s desire is to work together to cooperatively farm the remaining available land at the primary school where their children and/or grandchildren attend with the blessing of the owner.  The fruit of the harvest will be used to help meet the needs of their children’s meals while attending school.  We look forward to the harvest both spiritually and physically as we apply biblical principles in our agricultural practices and in every area of our lives.

Preparations completed of "Well Watered Garden"

Please join us in prayer for:

- Acceptance and application of FGW individually and corporately.

- A willingness to challenge the cultural norms and traditional farming practices.  

- Our minds to be renewed as doing things differently requires different thinking.  To seek God's wisdom not our own.  To consider our ways and turn to God's ways in our farming practices.

Using measuring stick to proper space the bean seeds in furrow

- God to be glorified in all areas of our lives including agriculture.

- An abundant harvest as we are faithful in applying God's ways and depending upon His all sufficiency in the stewardship of the land He has blessed us with.

- Tukwatanize to be a light to our communities through applying FGW.

Adding "God's Blanket" over our garden

Completed "Well Water Garden"