It’s Not All Good, But God Is
Jerry’s first trip blog from Zimbabwe
Training DMM in the new training center you built in Zimbabwe
Things don’t always go your way in life. You can do everything in your power to be successful and find that the things that are out of your control hinder your plan. So often, with Farming God’s Way, you hear incredible stories of increase, abundance, and an end to suffering. Not this time.
Zimbabwe has been experiencing a drought since 2019, but the last three years have been the worst. Despite that, FGW farmers have been able to harvest enough to provide food for the year, but that will not be the case this season.
We arrived in Mutare on April 3rd for our FGW Summit meeting. We brought together our lead trainers from Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Zim. We had the opportunity to stay at the new model farm and training center you built. It was impressive. It is solar-powered with ample room to temporarily house at-risk women like Sharon. The sewing center is up and running but the kitchen where these women will be trained is not.
After a tour of the center, we reviewed our progress over the past few years. Then we spent the next few days training Disciple Making Movement tools, strengthening God’s Love Groups, and learning about the work Joseph, Oni, and their wives have been doing.
Our new director of International development came along as well. Jai has done development work for 37 years. He wanted to see if FGW and GLG’s would live up to the hype. If so, how can we scale it to help more people?
Unfortunately, due to the drought, he didn’t hear the stories of abundant harvest in Zim. They had not received rain since February, so most crops were a write-off. However, our farmers shared that their neighbors will practice FGW next year. Why? Though our farmers will harvest less maize than usual, traditional farmers will harvest nothing. Joseph said, “This drought has caused FGW farmers to shine even brighter.”
But once again, the good news comes with a bitter pill. Jai asked our farmers in different villages, “What is your greatest need?” They all said, “Safe water.” Zimbabwe has dealt with recurring outbreaks of Cholera and Typhoid and some children are unable to attend school due to chronic health issues related to the water they drink.
Despite these challenges, these farmers continue to trust The Lord, share the Gospel, and the FGW message with their neighbors. Joseph and Oni said that this year, they have seen the highest demand for FGW training since they began training in 2008. Praise God!
Next, we headed to Malawi, where I gained a new first-time experience that was much more difficult than I expected. See you there.
Grace and Peace,
Stephen’s field of maize is a light that gives hope to the surrounding failed farmers.
These three women graduated from the 18-month program. Through their hard work and a savings program, they purchased their own industrial sewing machines.
Joseph and Aggie (matching red shirts) introduced us to some families of children with disabilities they visit and care for. This is another great need in their community. These mothers feel a deep bond with each other as they can relate to the struggles of caring for a disabled child.
Our team is growing.
This is part of the new training center. We were able to fit about 30 people into the main classroom area, which can also house up to 6 of the most vulnerable women going through the 18-month training.
The closer building is the sewing center, and the distant building is the kitchen.
