Farming = Hard Work

When I was in primary school first I wanted to be a missionary and then I changed my mind and wanted to be a farmer. Funny how things turn out, I remember the day I realised I was a missionary here - it's not like I set out to be one, I just kind of fell into it when I fell in love with Tanzania and God hooked me up from there.

One day I was making bread from scratch or something else typically so missionary and I realised that I actually was a missionary, perhaps not the paddling down crocodile infested waters to some unreached cannibalistic tribe but more your garden variety working for God and depending on Him to prompt others to support you in this work.

Then the other day I realised that I am living out my second dream of being a farmer. Gody (my fiancee) and I bought two acres of land out in the village last year and as the rains have now set upon us we decided to do what all villagers do - plant maize. Last weekend saw us out in the field hoeing up the ground in preparation for the planting. Being in an organisation that promotes specific biblical farming principles known as 'Farming God's Way' meant that we couldn't just join the rest of the village and have cows do the majority of the work, we must get out there and in order to not disturb the soil so much we had to hoe up every hole and put into it some cow manure and ashes by hand. This proved to be very hard work and took most of the day by the end of which I had a sore back, sore hands and bleeding knuckles! Farming really is hard work! And to tell the truth, we are only doing 1/8 of an acre in this method and farming in the usual way for the rest of the land so that we can witness (along with the rest of the community) the difference that it makes.

I have so much respect for the Tanzanians who farm their land, year in, year out and depend almost entirely on the rains to be good so that they are able to feed their family for another year. Let's pray that the rains this year are good and that families are able to harvest abundantly from the seed they have sown. Lets also pray that they become more and more open to principles of farming that will enrich the soil and the harvest for generations to come.

Proverbs 14:23 "In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty."