Phil's ZMS Newsletter - January 2012

Covenant College Farm

In my last newsletter I mentioned a new ox-drawn sowing machine. This is the first one in Zambia which has three hoppers. The extra hopper is for lime which means we can now sow the seed, apply the base dressing and the lime all at the same time. For a quarter of a hectare when digging holes, applying the inputs and sowing the seed all by hand it takes around 45mlabour hours. Using this new machine we can do the same work in just 5 hours. The FGW land management principles remain the same so now we can demonstrate these principles on a larger scale. The cost of the machine is not within the means of a small scale farmer but maybe there are possibilities of sharing or hiring. We also need to practice using the machine to improve the seed depth application and then to monitor the harvest compared with doing the work by hand. But overall it looks encouraging and the crop is looking comparable at this stage.

Jackson and Grace

Jackson Kasolo finished his probation period at the end of November and it was good to be able to offer him a full contract as our Agricultural Missionary and to welcome his family to CC. His wife Grace and their two boys Asher and Nathan are now settling in. We hope that they will give a long term commitment to the Farm thereby continuing to develop this Ministry for many years to come. A requirement of our Zambian Work permits is to train a Zambian citizen to fill our positions. Therefore the future aim is for Jackson to take over my position as Farm Ministry Leader here at CC.

CC Dam Project

This one has been sleeping for too many years now! Back in 2005 we produced a full design report to construct an earth dam on the farm border which is a perennial stream. The report proved the long term viability of such a project but the development of the farm has taken up all our time and funds. The area is low lying, with a high water table and the stream bed carries a large volume of water during the rainy season. The potential of creating a large reservoir and the benefits of vegetable gardening and fish farming is proven. Pray that we may have the wisdom to know how to take this project forward if it is the Lord’s Will for us to do so.

Christmas in Zambia

Thursday before Christmas I went down to the Lower Zambezi, just a three hour drive from Lusaka to the Chirundu border. Before going into Zimbabwe you turn left off-road, take the pontoon over the Kafue River and then a dirt track drive along the mighty Zambezi River. I stayed at Kiambi Lodge for three nights and just relaxed! A good book, stunning sunsets, hippo’s snorting in the river, beautiful birds. Creation at its best. Wonderful!!

I pondered the truth that Africa has so much going for it, a continent full of incredible wildlife, stunning scenery, fertile land, rich in minerals. God has given Africa so much but man has not been faithful with His richest blessings and that is why there is poverty! And that is probably the shortest thesis ever written!!

Prayer Points

• Praise God for ‘countless’ blessings received during 2011
• Pray for Jackson and his family that they may settle well at CC.
• Pray for faithfulness in Africa

I wish you a Blessed New Year,
Love Phil

Phil's ZMS Newsletter - November 2011

Covenant College Farm

At the end of August we received our new Farming God’s Way shirts and caps. A friend in the UK organized these for us and at the same time designed a new logo for FGW. Looking smart from right is Bilison, Jackson, Samuel and myself. The FGW team!!

Violet Zulu a work placement student from one of the local agricultural colleges stands next to the new FGW logo. She is also seen below in our broiler chicken unit, these birds at 6 weeks old and 3kgs are ready for sale.

It’s a myth that farming in Zambia is just for the five months of the year when the rains are with us. The last seasons harvest was brought in during May, shelled and bagged in June, sold to the Food Relief Agency during July for which payment was received in August. A little time to rest? Just a few weeks! Early September we were back in the fields preparing the holes and by the end of the month putting in the lime and the fertilizer or one of the organic alternatives such as manure, compost, sunflower cake or maize bran.

The students that stay over for the weekends were busy helping in this preparation work. We have about 5 hectares to prepare and this has always been done by hand to provide work for the men and women in the villages around us. But things have changed, harvests in the area have improved and this year we have struggled to get enough people to come and help us. This is a good sign and we must adapt. We have therefore adjusted one of the ploughs to make a ‘ripper’ which rips open a furrow in the soil into which we place the fertilizer/lime etc. This is much quicker than digging holes as it is pulled behind the oxen but the important thing is the principle remains the same, we are NOT turning over the soil (as with ploughing) which damages the soil structure and layers within the soil which leads to killing off the living organisms and bacteria which God placed there to keep our soils healthy. The next step is to try out an ox-drawn sowing machine which has three hoppers, one each for the seed, fertiliser and lime which means we will be able to do the whole operation in one go when the big rains arrive.  More about that in the next newsletter!

Covenant College

September was the last month of lessons for this year, which culminated with the usual end of year graduation ceremony on Sept 29^th. I was able to complete the 2^nd year of my three year agricultural curriculum which included subjects such as ‘natural pest and disease control’, beneficial trees and Christian work ethics.  Seven more students completed their three years of Pastoral training and graduated with Diploma’s or Certificates depending on the level they reached. Details of all seven graduates are posted on the ZMS website. 

Taonga

Meet Taonga, a young girl of 9 who has cerebral palsy. She has a twin sister, Thandiwe who is fine and doing well in school. She is the daughter of one of our students, Kenneth Siwale and his wife Edah who has been carrying Taonga on her back everywhere since she was born. I heard of an organisation in Lusaka called Disacare who make wheelchairs specifically for the size and needs of the patient. Taonga was quite nervous about her new chair at first but has been getting used to it and now her mother’s back can be rested.

Prayer Points

• Pray for Bilison our farm manager who is very sick at the moment.
• Pray for a replacement CollegenPrincipal as Rev Heinrich Zwemstra has recently resigned this post.
• Pray for Taonga and her family.

Thank you for your continued support.

Love Phil