End of July 2017 Maynard Mission Report

Horton Chapel Church of Christ

Farming:

With ACSOP starting back on the 6th of August we have been busy on the farm. After 5 days of cutting the corn stalks, our crop of corn has been cut and stacked. The weekend after the students return they will be helping us on the farm for two days. With the extra help the corn will be removed from the stalks and layer out on tarp to continue to dry. The stalks will be used for silage to feed the cows through the dry season. Once the corn has been dried the shucked we will let you know how much we were able to yield in comparison to last year.

We have a story for all of you:

One of the teachers at ACSOP, Godfrey, asked if I would teach him how to grow corn the way we do on his less than an acre plot in his village. I was happy to share this knowledge. In Tanzania they plant the corn 12 inches apart and very shallow. They are also very fearful of fertilizer because their department of Agriculture tells them it will burn their crops. When Godfrey came to me I told him I would love to help him but he would need to do exactly what I said and how I said it. He agreed.

So, Godfrey went home and prepared his land like I told him. He planted his corn 6 inches apart and about 2 inches deep. He said that his neighbors came by and mocked him and told him his corn would not grow. I reassured him that it would and not to listen. One man came to him and offered his acre to Godfrey to plant. The man said the corn would not grow and he wanted the stalks for his cows. Again, more mocking. When the time came for nitrogen (one of Tanzania’s big problems is they are nitrogen deficient) I told Godfrey what to buy, where, and how much. I showed him on our land how and where to place the nitrogen. And then the waiting game began. It was all up to the rains and our Lord.

Last year Godfrey harvested 3 buckets of corn from his land. That is approx. 1/2 a bag of corn.

This year he harvested 24 buckets of corn from the SAME land. That is approx. 4 bags of corn.

Needless to say, Godfrey is very happy and so are we. His neighbors are now asking what it is he did and as a result, the door has been opened for us to possibly hold a farming seminar in his village.

Evangelism:

As you all know, we had our family here until the 22nd. We were able to do so much in the time they were here!

Lee and Anna taught a children’s seminar at the Kioga Church of Christ. Around 80 children came and a great time was had by all.

Lee also shared her amazing talents while she was here. Anna has been wanting to have the children’s room at Kisongo painted for the kids. Specifically, she wanted the books of the Bible, the Apostles, and the sons of Jacob painted so the kids could learn them. Lee was able to do this AND paint for the women’s classroom. This is such a huge blessing to the church here. Everyone, children and adults, were so excited to see the rooms.

We have another story for you concerning the local school Anna and Paulina teach Bible at on Friday’s. Friday before last, Anna and Paulina showed up to a full class (close to 120 kids). Not too long after they began a teacher came in and said two local denominations had showed up to teach and if any of the kids went to these churches they should come and go to their class. The teacher left, no one moved, and so they continued. About 10 mins later the teacher came back and said the same thing again… no one moved. She then said, “I know some of you are ____ and _____.” And the kids just sat there. The teacher burst out laughing, shrugged her shoulders, and went on. After class Anna asked Paulina for clarification on what was going on and she said none of the children would admit they went to the local denominations because they wanted to stay in Anna’s class! The following Friday (this last week) the other local denominations did not show back up and Anna’s class was so full they brought in extra desks. We are grateful to be having an impact in our local community.

Here are pictures of some of the work Lee Sentell did while she was here.

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