What You Sow...

Freshly dug holes where the maize (corn) will be planted as soon as the first good rain falls.

I felt like Noah yesterday. The land was dry; there has been no rain for months. Yet a few colleagues, four local widows and I were preparing the land for planting. People walked by on the path above us and gawked, chattered curiously, or laughed. (Granted, the laughter mostly stemmed from seeing white women wielding a hoe.) Not only were we working the land before they usually do, but we were doing strange things with it. I can imagine what they were saying: “What are those rows of holes, pegs in the ground, and the red rope strung across the soil? Why aren’t they turning over all the soil?” I was not bothered by the onlookers. Instead, I wanted them to watch – not only now, but as the crops in our plot grow.

Me unleashing the pick ax on a stubborn root clump of elephant grass.

We are teaching a method of conservation farming that has the potential to produce yields which will boost struggling to subsistence farmers to those whose families are well-fed with extra money for education and health care. The method is not magical, but works on a few technical principles: do not burn, do not plough, and practice crop rotations. Additionally we teach management principles of doing everything on time, to a high standard and with minimal wastage. Applying these standards and maintaining a constant mulch cover preserves and enriches the precious top soil, holds moisture, and reduces crop diseases and pests, all of which produce healthy, plentiful crops.

Demonstrating how to place the fertilizer and bean seeds in the furrows.

Our fertilizer - cow manure! (Don't worry. It's sat a long time, so it's just like rich soil now.)

I was excited to see the eagerness of the widows to implement this method, and I am praying that it will spread throughout Bwesumbu and beyond. And as a Christian I pray that it is not only the farming practices that will change, but that Christ will transform hearts and minds and communities. I long to see the poor recover their identity as deeply loved and highly valued sons and daughters of the King, and for farmers to discover the dignity of their vocation. Because of ACTS’ funding sources I am not as free to speak of Christ as I would like to be. Please pray for wisdom and opportunities despite the restrictions I work under. Pray that there will be a rich harvest from the land and the hearts of people.

Me with the four widows in the farming cooperative. The height difference is not an optical illusion. I'm pretty much a giant in these lands.

Doggy Tricks

I'm peacefully minding my supper of rice, potatoes and beans when I realize one of my colleagues at the table is talking to me: "Nokorera nkahi?" (Where are you working?) I answer "Ninkorera Bwesumbu na ACTS." (I'm working in Bwesumbu with ACTS.) My colleagues all laugh, mostly out of pleasure and amusement of a mzungu speaking their language. Then other questions start to come in Runyankore (the local language): Do you have a husband? What are your parents' names? Do you have children? Fortunately these are all questions I learned from my language tutors the night before, so I mostly answer correctly. As each new question comes, I can’t help feeling like a dog being taught new tricks. It’s if they throw a stick and think, "Let's see if she can catch this one." Then, my colleagues realize that I am only answering questions so they inquire of my tutor, "Can she ask questions too?" Yes, it turns out that I can! I say, “Oine emyaka ngahi?” (How old are you?) “Abamuka nibarara bata?” (How is your family at home?) They all laugh – another trick learned! This is all in good humor, and their fascination only helps me learn more because as they throw new phrases at me, I either surprise them with my knowledge or learn new words.

My colleagues Rachel, Yorokum and DJ. Rachel and Yorokum have been my language tutors for the past few months.

Although language study has sadly gotten pushed to the side too often during the past nine months, I’ve made some progress. I can now often catch the basic jist of a conversation. One language highlight was last Sunday when for the first five minutes of my colleague’s sermon I could understand everything he said! It was awesome! I’ve found knowledge of the language quite practically useful too. One day I was driving a truck full of people and overhead a young man in the back asking one of my colleagues in Runyankore if I was a “woman” (i.e. married) or a “girl” (i.e. single). I spoke up, saying I had heard what he said, and we all laughed. Oh, what a life... :-)

Caught on Film

During the past few months I've been joined by three volunteers from Canada - Steve, Brittany, and John. Since foreigners are more likely to have cameras easily accessible during our work days, they've managed to capture me in action a few times.

Here are a couple glimpses into my recent days:

Me teaching the children their ABC's. (I had a video, but it's not working.
I'll post it later if I can.)

Spontaneous lessons. While waiting for a meeting with the ACTS widows group (an agricultural cooperative), the typical crowd of children gathered. I've found school children to be the most pesty, forward and sometimes rude. They stare, make comments and don't go away. This time I was determined not be passively swept into their schemes, so I took action. I thought, "They are supposed to be in school, so I'll make sure they keep learning." I got up, found a small stick and a patch of dirt. I had small children so I started with the basics: writing letters in the sand. Then it progressed to the ABC's song, and spelling words for the older students. The children got a kick out of it, and I much preferred this interaction to simply being stared at.

Surprise! Mzungu (white) women actually know how to use a shovel!

Ugandan Citizen. My colleagues have been quite surprised that I know how to use a shovel and hoe, and they are amused when I get all dirty working in the gardens. As much as I try to explain that I grew up in the country, so I know how to work the land, it still stretches their imaginations. After seeing me work tirelessly clearing large piles of weeds from a soon-to-be garden and shoveling sand into the back of a pickup, my colleague Johnson decided that I should become a Ugandan citizen because I know how to work hard!

One of my favorite days here because I got to work alongside the widows and get dirty!