Farming God's Way

Week 10

Week 10                                                                                                          November 15, 2001

I took Eddy, David and Elvis, the boys I am discipling, to go camping on Kira Higland Island. I knew the boys would not have sleeping bags or a tarp, so I borrowed a tarp from Chris, and decided not to bring my own sleeping bag. We arrived late to the island and so we were rounded on by the island population’s chair person, who was adamant that "munzungus" or white people don't sleep in the woods for fun. He was convinced that we were not who we said we were. He imposed that a sum of money must be given for protection and was very rude to the boys, while still being quite scared to look me in the eyes. But eventually we got out of it and got to set up our camp. The boys stated over and over they could not believe they were in the middle of a lake, nor had they ever been camping. We had a great night, playing cards, telling stories, and sheltering from a thunderstorm. You can’t beat a first camping experience like that.

I just turned down a Ugandan girl who has been coming to Chris's house to find me to ask me to marry her. I have been back to the Sifa house, but not to prison this week or to the orphanage. This week has been mostly Christian study and inward disciplines. I have finished reading the Adventures of Tom Sawyer to the kids. Now we are a good portion into 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. I have explored the railroad track from town to Chris's house, a few hours’ walk, several times. I have found walking to be an excellent ministry opportunity, not to mention, it was the preferred method Jesus used. You get those interesting run-ins.

Like at village of hope I got to know two boys, Sam and Paul, very well and shared the gospel with them. And whilst I was walking in Massese 3, I met a woman called Julia. After some talk I discovered that she was their mother, but too poor to support them. We had a Bible study at their house in Deneda or Massese 2 and she showed me their pictures in her album. Then it came, the inevitable question, "Can I have money?" Do you give money and hurt the oppressed by just giving, expanding an already prevalent dependency syndrome on white people, NGOs (Non-government Organizations) and the government? What could this woman do for money? Then I thought of the terrain ropes I need to make for my garden in Black Mountain. The ropes require bottle caps to make measured markers and we just don’t have too many bottle caps at home, unless we lived near a Cracker Barrel, so I proposed to her that I would pay 50 shillings per bottle cap. She could collect the caps, ending the deal at 400, that would give her the amount she had requested to pay her hospital bills. Whether her story is true or not, the need is real and we are to "Give to everyone who asks of you." Within a few hours the lady had all that I wanted and the deed was done. I invited her to CHE, but we did not have a meeting today, so I never saw her. 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth."
Praying for you all,

 In Christ,

David Greene

 

Week 9

This time I am just plain late. I have been fishing with the Zema boys. They have never been on a boat before. On Saturday we are going camping on an Isle out on Lake Victoria. Chris took his family, Chelsea and me to Sipi Falls at the base of Mt Elgon near Kenya. We brought home two chameleons, who are now eating all the flies on my window to their hearts’ content. The hike was dangerous and it had just rained, so extreme caution was used with the smaller boys and those (Chelsea) who are not used to mountain terrain. I can proudly say my feet have been tested by four years of mountain XC and the black clay of Sipi Falls both without falling once.

The Village of Hope is doing well; a lady had a baby this week and named it after my friend Ann-Marie. David and Farook Zema and I hiked a nearby ridgeline and came down in a neighboring town of Kakira, known as the largest sugar producer in Uganda - fields and fields of sugar cane as far as one can see from the mountain tops. We passed groups of twenty or more men sitting around a five gallon bucket, each with hoses in their mouths. I assume they are drinking alcohol from all the sugar production. Our venture was awesome and I was able to share some of the wonders of science that I knew. We talked of atmosphere and ozone, of light and radio waves and I was able to show them the trick, that if you hold a camera screen between you and a TV remote you can see ultraviolet rays as they are seen through a phone camera. Try it.

I have been back to Massese with Luke several times. I have been attending the CHE meetings, seeing what I was taught at Equip in action. I taught at the prison ministry with Jane, Ann-Marie, and Chelsea and three men came to the Lord. Pray for Kibaluma Dohm, Oporoti Simon, Balyavish Devis. Pray for their growth and development, that they be given joy in Christ, that they are discipled and given guidance in critical times, for absolute assurance of salvation, that they grow and develop as Christians. I can’t remember what happened before Monday and neither can anyone here. Oh well, couldn’t have been anything more than the usual Sifa house disipleship, Village of Hope visits, and shenanigans that come with life here.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3: 5

In Christ,

David Greene

Week 8

11/3/12 

I apologize for my lateness with this report. This house runs on solar and it has rained for the past three or four days.

My ministry with the Zema boys is going well. I have done some ministry on an island in Lake Victoria with Andrew’s and Micha's pastor training organization. For lunch we ate small silver fish that were dipped in some sort of cooking oil. I did not bring my camera for this as the boats have a reputation for being less than quality. Even, I had to bail out water the whole trip when it was not my turn to paddle. It was beautiful though. The island was not very big, but its inhabitants were fishermen, casting nets in much the same way, as I figure, they did in Jesus’ day. This inspired me to tell one of the parables Jesus told from a boat. It was a lot of fun.

I was asked to look at a sick baby at the Sefa house, where the Zema boys live. The child’s name was Daniel and he had cauliflower sores coming from his ears, a runny nose, and high fevers. He was in pain and on medication. I took the Village Medical Manual that I had brought from Equip. It is used in Equip's Mission Medical Intensive course, a class designed to train laymen and those with a formidable background in the medical field at the same time. I am told it is like trying to drink water from a fire hydrant. I will be taking this two week course when I return.

I was able to enter Masese with Luke Anderson, another Equip Missionary I got to meet, and select members of CHE (Community Health Evangelism).  I saw all the impact Jeremy, Tamera, Anna, Luke and Katie Davis have made. Luke tells me of significant improvements and I believe him. My mind wonders to what I may be able to join the Lord in doing in my future. We were brought to another sick infant and Luke let them purchase a Clinic Ticket that costs 500 shillings (2500 Shillings is 1 US Dollar). With this ticket Equip picks up the clinic bills. The tickets used to be free, but they often found them wasted.  When an impoverished parent is willing to purchase this for someone, it means they will more than likely also take the responsibility of actually using it.

After this I was brought into the hut of a lady whose name was Lillian. She even fed us and gave us sodas. “Give and you shall receive.” When an impoverished person gives, God’s irrevocable laws of the universe come into place. The way to escape poverty is to give your way out of it. (In the hut I noticed a picture hanging on the wall of Black Mountain in the fall, with my parents’ church’s steeple, white and raising above the trees. My hometown! I bet it was even bought out of the Black Mountain Hardware store.) I was led and guided by a resident of Masese, a man named Elijah, whom I really like and was able to meet his family and enter his hut as well. There were lots of bead and necklace making ladies all throughout Masese, some former prostitutes. God is at work here!

In other news, Andrew Olson, a friend of mine here, received a Dear John phone call and was incredibly distraught.  I went that day to share his sadness, but arrived only to find his roommate and partner in missions picking up his disheveled room. “Where is Andrew?” I said to Micha. “He's gone.” ”Gone where?” I asked. “Gone back to America,” said he. That night Andrew was in the air flying home. I wish the best for him, but it still doesn’t seem his lady is going to take him back.

With the rain I have been held at the house and have been reading To Kill a Mockingbird to the older children. I found that when you read a book out loud to someone you can get pretty emotional, more so than reading in quiet alone.

I went back to the prison ministry. It happens on Thursdays, but as that’s Chris' day to go to CLD he has not allowed me to stay, until now, when he is on vacation. Many of the prisoners had been shipped to other prisons and so, only half of the faces I knew were there, but new members were present. I shared on hearing and obeying God and the necessity to seek him in quiet alone.

As well, the Zema boys, Ann-Marie and I went to the top of Monkey Mountain Thursday evening. This was the most beautiful sight I have seen since I came here: the setting sun over Lake Victoria, rain sweeping across green fields, the sunset, the stars, and a lightning storm to finish it off, and of course, monkeys, lots of them. But after just coming from the prison, I did not bring my camera. Sorry.

Best wishes, praying for all of you.

 

In Christ,

 

David Greene

Week 7

I have purchased four Bibles and the Jesus film, as well as, copied my Bible reading plan for the Zema boys, whom I am discipling. I have met with the present Equip Uganda personnel.

 

The majority of this week has been spent in thought, plan and study. Yet, I have kept up my duties with the Zema boys. Chris and I, while traveling in the east, came upon a head on collision in the road, which had happened just minutes before our arrival. We arrived ready to administer medical aid from a combination of medical supplies we each carried individually at all times. Yet, the severely injured left in a van as soon as we arrived. We placed branches on the road like traffic cones and I was able to give a bottle of hand sanitizer to an injured driver. Seat belts and air bags saved the lives of all. Prayer is needed for the critically injured. Chris and I returned to CLD as usual. All is quiet, all is well.

 

Ephesians 6:19-20 “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should. “

 

In Christ,

David Greene

 

Week 6

Well, I'm back in Jinja with Chris, Jane, Andrew, Tugume, Kenny, Albert, Isaiah,

Ezra, and Anna Sperling, Feonna, Jethro, and Chelsea Novakowski. The boys at the farm are doing well. They kept watch at nights until the murderers, all five of them, had been brought to bush justice. Not so good, but better than it was.

 

I have resumed my various ministries here in Jinja, after taking four solid days to write my various reports. I have taken the proclaimer (a small box with the audio Bible in Luganda) back to Village of Hope orphanage several times since I arrived on the fourth of September. The children enjoyed my visits and I have formed a strong relationship with a Christian lady named Mama Lois. I met her through my friend, Ann-Marie, an Australian missionary, here by her own money and strong will.  I tell you what, the Lord has showed me so, so many things in my time here. One of those things is the strength of women. There are so many female missionaries here. The only young male missionaries are Andrew Olson, Micah Burger and David Greene. Since I have been back, Chris and I have planted three well-watered gardens and three African farming style gardens, right next to them for comparison at Amazima Katie Davis's orphanage. We have been stuck in an amazing two hour traffic jam, where the main highway was rerouted to dirt bush roads, all while only zip ties held on the alternator and kept the belts from slipping off. This happened while coming back from Kampala. I have videos, these longer than five seconds.

 

Gloria

I was walking home one day and I came across a young girl outside a mud hut. “I am looking for esposer,” she said. After some what's, and say it again's, I found she wanted a sponsor for her school year. I told her I would think and pray on it. When I did, the Lord brought to mind “Give to everyone who asks of you.” I have purchased a year for Gloria and have gained a relationship.

 

Inward

I have spent a great amount of time journeying inward with the Lord. I am waking up at 5:30 now to go into a meditation, prayer and study time with God. It usually takes a few hours to get through the Celebration of Discipline, the Imitation of Christ, How Great is Our God, and my portion of the Bible, and a study in Ephesians, which I read through once a day. This has been fertilizer to my soul and I am experiencing God in new ways.

 

The Proclaimer

My plan was to take the proclaimer back to Village of Hope orphanage a few times a week until I leave, then I would give it to Mother Lois to run the listening group. I am immovably convinced this is God's will for this device; He has taken all the initiative of this ministry. As it happened on the second time I had been there this week, I told Mother Lois the plan of leaving the proclaimer in her care when I leave. The next time I brought the proclaimer I found I could not, not leave it... it is a new thing in my relationship with God, I can’t describe it. We will just call it a still, small voice. I obeyed and left it under Mother Lois's care, giving her the instructions and teaching her how to use it. After the listening group finished Revelation, we started on that day in Matthew, chapter one.  When I returned the following day, the entranced group was well into the book of John.

 

Good Friends and Beef Jerky

Andrew Olson and I have made some beef jerky.  The crew of Chelsea, Andrew, Micah, Ann-Marie, Joyce, and Melissa, me, as well as a new guy from Japan named Shitoshi, had a fun movie night. We played Dutch blitz, ate all the chocolates we could, and tried to eat wafers off our foreheads without hands, and watched Machine Gun Preacher.

 

Discipling Ministry

I have been praying that God would give me a young man around my age to disciple in Christ and give a skill to. Ask and you shall receive. There I was with Chelsea, Andrew, Micah, Ann-Marie and her two friends from Holland, Joyce and Melissa. We were playing Dutch Blitz, a Dutch card game, and Ann-Marie tells me of a group of young Christian men she spends nearly every day with. She said they were Farming God’s Way. She wanted me to meet them, so I did and discovered they were not Farming Gods Way. I offered to teach them and put in a well-watered garden with the boys. They agreed and plans were made to join on Saturday. Saturday came and I, with my FGW manual, went to the boys: Elvis, David, Eddy and Farook Zema. The men work hard, to high standards and are smarter than I am. They have proved it. I have been back several times since this Saturday.  They want me to teach them how to share the Gospel.

 

In Christ,

 

David Greene

The Journey to the Great Tree

The Murders of Mwera

Emma and Stephen wanted to go to Mwera to get a haircut, and I wanted to adjust my diet a little, so I asked to venture along. They said ‘yes’ and we started up the long dirt road to the village of Mwera next to the paved road leading to Nansana. We joked and became great friends. When we entered the town we noticed all of the shops were closed - every door, every hut, except one. We stopped there. Emma bought some airtime and learned that there had been a murder the night before. We ventured on and came to the Nansana road. Across the road from us were all the towns’ people gathered together. I saw there were police present and not wanting to be arrested for a bribe that I would not pay, I avoided the scene all together.  Emma went on ahead to listen to the meeting.

I was surprised at how many people lived in this one little town. Once the meeting ended Emma came back with the news. A girl had been killed in her sleep the previous night. She was a shopkeeper of the market and lived in the back of the shop. The shops are heavily guarded with bars between the customers and the merchandise and have the ability to close the shop with a metal door. There are no windows, and I do not know if a back door is present. In fact, now that I think on it there are some I do not remember ever seeing a door on at all, but I never ventured around to the back of the shops. The murderer had chloroformed the room, and had dug out the side of the house, removing bricks to enter, and then he slit the girl’s throat raising her head in such a way as to collect the blood running down her natural body cavities into a jerry can. The murderer then left a stick of sugar cane on the dead girl’s bed and exited.

 I bought the men a chapatti each and a soda, and Emma and I played pool at a bar while Stephen got a haircut. Then I waited outside the shop while Emma got his hair cut. As it was getting dark we could not play another round of pool. I talked with a Muslim man for a bit, when he asked me “Do you hate us?” referring to the fact that I am a Christian and he is a Muslim. “No, no that would be ridiculous.” I replied, we are not encouraged to hate, but to love. The verse of Christ saying” love your enemies” was on its way out when I realized that implied we were enemies. I was in a tender situation, but my answer had brought a smile to the man’s face and he jumped up to attend to the next customer now entering the barber shop. I waited there, then Emma was finished and I waved goodbye to the man and we headed off, racing the last rays of the sun.

The next night at devotional after much singing and praising of Jesus’ name, Josh, the manager, took charge of the devotional. He told of how he saw the young girl’s face. He had carried her out of her house himself. He ended with a warning against fear, and he prayed against the dark forces and for the capture of the murderer.

The next time I went to Mwera a few days later we, Emma, Stephen and I, passed a house with a large crowd around the open door. Men were working on the house. I assumed it was a construction project and I paid it no mind, but my companions lingered to hear the news - a second girl murdered in the exact same way, her blood stolen from her corpse, the sugar cane on the bed and the removed bricks.  (I would have you note this is the last concrete evidence I have to tell you, the rest of the information has come through from the manager, the town’s people and Chris.) Church that Sunday addressed the fear issue among the citizens of the town. An excitable man in a mustard-colored Dwight Shrute shirt stood up and spoke in Luganda, his head charging forward dragging his torso and with tugging on his thighs at the end of every shouted sentence, with wild hand gestures above his head. He, as it was translated to me, addressed the fact that the inhabitants had started to double up in housing. His advice was to trust in the Lord, for protection and not to fear evil. “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” comes to mind, even if it was not spoken. This was the end of the first week.

The blood was drained for the purpose of black magic. I am unfamiliar of the practices and hope to remain so; but animal blood is used in consecrating a new field or house in that region. I was told by Joseph that those wealthy enough would buy children and babies from the desperate to kill and use the blood for the same purpose (I cannot attest to the truth of this, although children do get kidnaped often.)

The Witch hunt

I was awakened by Joseph, who was very excited to tell me the news. “They have killed the murderer!” said Joseph. He was neither happy nor sad, only excited to spread the news. “They have the body in Mwera.” But to this he was corrected by the manager, “No, it is in...”  I could not remember the town, only that it was a long way in a place I never went to. News came a few days later that the town’s people had killed another murderer. With only two crimes both exactly alike I suspected an innocent man had died, but I do not know the details. That was the end of it for a time.

The eve before I was ready to depart with Chris back to Jinja I was lying in my bed waiting for my evening allotment of rice and beans, when Stephen entered the room shaking with fright and sweat had beaded up on his forehead. It glowed blue under the artificial light. “The murderers are serious now!” He shouted “They are going to cut my neck!” referring to an incident where the six of us had to sleep in one room with the windows shut on a hot night because Stephen was afraid to have his throat slit sleeping next to the window. I assured him that night there was more danger inside the room than out, and eventually I was forced to open the window myself, which he shut once I was asleep. I put my hand on Him and prayed for his protection and the removal of his fear. He felt better he said. I figured him being the youngest and well proven to be the most excitable of the crowd to be jumping at shadows.

 But when I exited the dorm I saw all the men talking loudly in their native languages and with that tone of fear in their voices. The murderers had slit the throat of a farmer man in daylight while he had gone to milk his cow in the morning. And later that day they tried to kill another man who had escaped and reported that it was not one murderer, but five. Chris later told me that a threatening note had been left in Mwera stating that, as Chris put it later, “We are really going to get you now... or something like that.” I stepped out onto the concrete patio and drew closer to Joseph, expecting him, due to his stillness in the commotion, to be more levelheaded. Then I saw the blueness to his skin. He told me of a dream where he had been chased by a man with a panga out of the fields. He had run to the compound and the man was attacked by a great snake that Joseph had passed by freely. This was enough for me.

I did not figure a murderer to attack a farm of ten men, but fear would, so I entered the room again to see Emma, Stephen and Tony. “If you think the situation is serious enough, we can take watch tonight,” I said.  Three yes's came from bobbing heads, and I drew on the board the watch terms - 10:00 – 12:00 first watch.  It was Tony and I. Twelve to two - Stephen and Emma, the inseparable duo, two to four - Joseph and I, though I was never awakened since we had other men come to stay in our bunks and they kept all but poor Tony from double shifts. We brought in from the garden shed all the pangas (teardrop shaped machetes).  The plan was to have two men armed with pangas watch in the dark, and walk anyone to the bathroom that got up at night. It was decided later that if a wave of attackers came, we would quietly wake the men each with his own panga, wait for the attacker to come to the door or window and then we would charge, hacking them to bits. It is just as laughable to me now as it was then. We played riddle games during and after lunch. This did wonders for the nerves. Emma started with something like this “I am born in cold water, I die in hot... something about eyes... I am so delicious.” It was guessed at for a while then Joseph, I do believe, answered “a frog” and his share of high fives was distributed. I went to the board and wrote from memory “I have no wings, yet I fly, I have no eyes, yet I cry.” They puzzled over the riddle for a while and never got it and so I was pleased and wrote another, “Never thirsty, always drinking, clad in mail, never clinking.” To this Stephen, who has a gift for riddles, answered correctly on the first try before I was finished writing; so I had to do another, “a chest without hinges, key or a lid, but inside golden treasure is hid.” Then Emma had a riddle. “I have skin, flesh and bone. I am so delicious. What am I?” This had me and the rest of us, and we needed to write the riddles on the board and number them, so we did not get mixed up as we almost did when the answer to the golden treasure riddle was given for Emma’s skin, flesh, and bone riddle. I was decided that we would think on the riddles over night during our various watches to pass time.

For the devotional we all prayed sincerely against the murder of innocents and the dark powers at work. Emma earlier that day had gone to another community meeting and the community, seeing that he was the only one there with a piece of paper and pen, made him village secretary. A tax was taken from all the residents of two hundred shillings for buying a set of flashlights for a community watch. The money and responsibility were given to Emma and he brought it back to the farm that night. I phoned Chris and asked to stay a few more nights. He said he would be in Kampala on Saturday for a radio show he was advocating Farming God's Way on and I could meet him in Kampala then.

The men went to bed and Tony put on all dark clothes, including a black plastic hoodie. He drew the hood stings till only a beady pair of white eyes shone from a black hole. He climbed under the table and crouched with his panga at the ready and I understood it was all business to him and my hopes of humorous conversation were crushed. So I sat in the corner eating groundnuts as they call them. We call them peanuts. I almost fell asleep, but the one thousand shilling tax for sleepers kept my eyes at half-mast. The only thing that happened of note other than the relief of sleep was when I thought to myself of the scene in Signs, when the alien in the bush at the Spanish children’s birthday video walks in front of the window and glances at the screaming children. I imagined a man with the same Sasquatch gate and momentary glance going past the front glass door. At that moment a wild dog, starting in the same corner as I was imaging, moved past, giving that same casual glance inside and disappearing just as quickly, leaving me just a little bit paler that I was. God has a pretty good sense of humor. Time was up and I woke Emma and Stephen and I fell asleep.

I woke the next day, everything was alright. We adjusted the night watch and Chris phoned to let me know that I could not stay till Saturday. He needed me the next day to work at Amazima, Katie Davis’s orphanage, and to get ready. I said my goodbyes, gave hugs and loaded my things in Chris's jeep. Chris stayed to give back test results to the students and to teach a lesson, during which it started to rain. Remembering last time we dropped the lesson and got in the jeep to leave before the road got muddy. No such luck. Already the tires spun and he went nowhere but down. Then all the students ran down through the torrent and lined up on the front of the jeep. They shoved and off we went. We turned around in the grass and jumped out the gate onto the muddy road. We slid only a little to the right and to the left and we were off. I don’t know any more about the witch murders or how the students were the next few nights. I will let you know if anything happens. My first meal away from rice and beans was a hamburger, and that was a mistake.

 

Spiritual Warfare

There have been reports of a spike in murders all across Uganda. Massese has had several and the north, where Tony and Joseph were from, has seen a lot more violence lately. This is Satan’s forces moving in. We as Christians are co-workers with God through our prayers and petitions. It is no exaggeration to say that you are a bigger part of this ministry than I am. I ask that you pray that the Lord of hosts would send his forces here to combat and take back ground from under the enemy’s feet.

Psalms 91: 3-8

“Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. “

In Christ,

David Greene

Come Let's Dance, Kampala

My stay at CLD, a report on the murders of Mwera and an overview of Farming God's Way

This report can be a little graphic.

Well, I have a lot to report... my stay was not without incident or excitement; riots in Kampala, a witchdoctor's killing spree in our village, rice, posho and beans every day for lunch and supper, not to mention the wealth of knowledge I obtained about Uganda, farming and myself.

First Day and Evening Routine

To begin with, when I got dropped off, it was raining heavily and Chris's truck got stuck. The road company, having done a little grading, had removed the tough level of compact soil and we had nothing but disturbed clay and mud to slide on. It took us, about ten man hours to get him out and then when we were almost out, Chris's starter broke off, and the back left tire was shredded to the wires. Even earlier that day Chris had tried to wire all the money in his pocket to his wife, so she could pay some emergency bills... only the money got lost in cyberspace. Then another truck got stuck, up past us a ways.

It was at that moment the uncannyness got to me and being deeply immersed in the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, I figured a witch has cast a spell on us. I asked Chris if we could come together in prayer.  Witches and wizards, although reduced to fantasy and marketing in the US,  practice more widely than I would have believed, having been told before coming out here. There are several per village. (We have one right by Chris's house in Jinja. He has a small shack, a big black sign, and a waiting bench, peopled by customers in line for what exactly I don’t know. I try to say a prayer, combating the forces of darkness at work there, when I pass.)  We, a few of the students, Chris, and I gathered together. Chris prayed with commands for Satan’s angels to take their hands off his car, off his family, his wife, his children, me, the teacher Chelsea, off the students of CLD, the farm and me. In Jesus's name he finished. I was struck by the commanding force of his prayer.

I remained to eat a late, late lunch of rice and beans and posho (flour put in boiling water until it becomes clotted evenly).  When I returned to the action it just so happened that the other gentlemen stuck was a bush mechanic. He fixed the starter and we then unstuck Chris's truck and changed the tire with a spare, that due to the condition of the roads I had been wondering when we would use from the time I arrived in Uganda. {note to the Wise's}. I said goodbye to Chris as he was journeying to South Africa for an annual conference of Farming God's Way leaders for two weeks. That is why I was staying at CLD near Nansana, Kampala in a little village known as Mwera for this time.

I had no objections to this; in fact, I was looking forward to it. He was the last white person I saw for a week and a half. Yes, the prayer worked. God got us out of this mess with His All Sufficiency; all we had to do was ask. If you remember the story of Job, Satan had to go before the Lord to ask to touch one of Gods people. I believe this is the case now as well. This is my Father's world. As we were dislodging the other truck from the clay bank, a man staggered down the road. He had red bloodshot eyes; a sign of bad heath or many severe fevers says Chris. He picked a fight with one of the CLD students and was wrestled to the ground. He lay there a minute and shot up, trying to attack the man again. "Is he mad?" I asked. "Yes, he is mad," said one of the students. I jumped down out of the truck bed, where I had been bouncing to give the back tires more force, to between the two men. The mad man’s eyes never met mine; they were locked on the other gentleman. I put my hand on his shoulder. I grabbed a human skeleton, laminated in black skin. I wondered how often he was able to eat, or if anyone took care of this mad man. All the while he was making animal like sounds - grunts, growls, and murmurs, not imitations of any animal directly. I assumed he was deaf from an early age, but emotional groans. He went about his way and we got the African mechanic’s truck free and on its way. Later I snuck the mad man a bowl of our famous rice, posho and beans. He smiled and quickly downed the food like a beverage. He has been back every other day since and the camp cook, of his own accord, feeds him the leftovers. :)

The residents of CLD are:  the manager, Josh, 26, a loud powerful Ugandan man, who loves to praise Jesus with the power of his lungs; the camp cook, Fredrick, 17, the most jolly man I have ever met, usually seen in purple pants, one leg rolled higher than the other. He had an ear to ear grin peeled right off the Cheshire cat; Emma or Emanuel, 23, a smart, witty, humored young man always quick with an African saying or a hilarious comment; Steve, 18, the youngest of the lot, sporting sports tees and listening to music on his radio, he clung to Emma a lot the two being best friends; Joseph, 25, from the northern areas of Uganda. A very happy man, I cannot say he is the most educated as he said "It was been ten years since I held a book." but most assuredly the most, how shall I say it... the most praising person I have ever met, a truly Godly man; Tony, 25, another man from up north speaking the same native language as Joseph and from the same darker skinned tribe, a people pleaser, but good nonetheless; and Godfrey, in his thirty’s, the only man with a wife and the only other introvert besides myself, always quiet, the hardest worker, but when he did speak it was always hilarious, dry humored; and a few farm hands who kept to themselves, the majority with mental problems.

We were all filthy and removing the clothes I grabbed a basin, a bar of soap, water and shampoo, went into a small cubical for some cold bucket bathing. It gets the job done.  It is quiet refreshing. We ate more rice and beans, had a small devotional led by each of the students one day of the week. Then the Ugandans sang African songs of praise, and then prayed each one all talking at the same time. When this happened, I jumped in my skin a little, being used to letting prayer be a time of silence. Then we all went to bed, sleeping in one room, six of us, three bunk beds draped in mosquito nets with one tiny window. The nights could get a bit loud and, if the window were closed, very hot, but I found putting in my ear buds and listing to an audiobook did the trick. In this way I completed The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Heart of Darkness, A Journey to the Center of the Earth and the beginning of The Divine Comedy. And that was the evening routine.

An Overview of Farming God's Way

The next day we woke around 7:30, prepared ourselves and I went to my Well Watered Garden to place inputs in the grid of holes I had dug a few weeks earlier. I had nine rows, three of maze with manure, three with diamoniumphosphate (DAP) and three furrows of beans, one with manure, two with DAP. Then I covered them, leaving 5cm for the maze seed which I soaked, to awaken the seed from hibernation. Then I planted three maze seeds in each hole in a line and the beans in the furrows four fingers apart each. I covered the holes without packing. I slashed grass stalks and laid them horizontal to the slope of the land to catch water running downhill. This mulch layer we call God's Blanket, because He often has a layer of decaying matter on His garden as well. Have you ever felt dry ground? Chances are it was exposed to the sun with nothing to cover it. Now place your hand under some leaves and feel the dampness of the soil. It retains water by preventing evaporation and the more seasons you do this, soon you will have the ground become a sponge from the plant matter. It is a way of ensuring good yields for the poor of Africa. The holes are measured carefully and to high standards, so it may be repeated year after year in the same spots, so you don’t waste your materials. Farming God's Way is taught with three key pillars of success: technology, management, and biblical principles. The loss of any one of these is like taking one leg from a three legged stool. You need technology, such as tools and knowledge to plant the garden; you need management to be to high standards and on time with accurate measurements; and you need to remember the biblical principles. They are:

1) Acknowledge God and God alone

2) Consider your ways

3) Understanding God’s All Sufficiency

4) What you sow you will reap

5) Bring the tithes and offerings to God

6) Stake your claim

 

These six each address a real world problem for the poor and offer God's solution.

The curses of sub Saharan Africa are many. A man may go to church on Sunday claiming to be a Christian and then go to the witch doctor on Wednesday for advice. Or one may claim to be a Muslim to Muslims and Christian to Christians, but God cannot be mocked. He sees the heart. “No one can serve two masters,” said Jesus. There are more "saved people in parts of Africa than people, suggesting people have gotten "saved" time and again, more often to get something. Christianity is a mile wide and an inch deep. God is a jealous God he doesn’t bless those who mix his name with demons and false beliefs. Without discipleship, obedience and a relationship with Christ you do not experience the fullness of life promised to those who turn and follow him, though you have salvation.

Consider your ways; Africa has three main curses:  bloodshed and violence, the curse of a short life and the curse on what the land produces. African farmers will burn last season’s crops, instead of putting that nutrition back into the soil, then till the soil and plant in a scattering of seeds. The first year you may have alright crops, but the second will be significantly less and the third is almost worthless. Then the farmer will slash and burn somewhere else and start the process all over again instead of taking care of the land, putting in inputs and rotating crops. The way a person was taught may not be the best way.  Consider your ways. 1 Thessalonians 2:12 "Walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory."

Africans are dependent on governments, white men and NGO’s (nongovernment organizations) for sources of money and food. Giving is not a bad thing, but over time if we are not wise with giving, we may create dependency syndrome. Africans view farming as a deadbeat’s job. They have it in their mind that, if they can just move closer to the city, then they can make it bigger in life. This, however, is the opposite from the truth. Understanding God's all sufficiency breaks the dependency syndrome, in realizing that what you have is enough. God has given these men land, the ability to have cheap inputs of composted brush, and God’s blanket. In the beginning Adam and Eve had nothing but the land to work. God has given man everything he needs to live a full and prosperous life. He also gave man authority over all His creation to rule over it. As we rule the living creatures they should not only be protected from destruction, they should flourish under our faithful stewardship

What you sow you will reap, 2 Thessalonians 3:10"If a man will not work then neither should he eat." So many people here will not work. Some don’t do a good job, if given the opportunity, partly out of a lack of knowledge, but mostly out of a lack of caring. God’s solution is contrary to the worlds. We need to give rather than receive. When we give, His irrevocable laws come in to play once again and He will cause even greater measure to be given back to us. Acts20:35 says "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Malachi 3:7-12 “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you” says the Lord of hosts. “But you say, “How shall we return?” “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, “How have we robbed You?” In tithes and offering. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, ”says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes, “says the Lord of hosts. “All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.”

Spiritual warfare is directly applicable to the agricultural domain, so stake your claim, James 5 :14 “The effective prayers of a righteous man can accomplish much.” Be humble, acknowledge God's ways are higher than our ways. Seek his presence rather than his blessing, confess and repent, ask and you will receive. Praying over the land, rebuking the darkness of deeds done on the land, ask for His lordship over the land, ask Him to heal the land and commit your farm to His kingdom. Take back the ground under the enemy.  God is for us not against us and he desires for our farms to be blessed. We must be faithful with the small things first, hence, starting me out on a small, well-watered garden.

These are a few examples of the spiritual side of Farming God’s Way that I am picking up from a very large book, an overview. The spiritual aspect was the most important to show you, as it has made a very, very beneficial, lasting result in my life. 

A Few Key Incidents

The Western Mind vs. the Ugandan Mind

We were asked to clear holes, place imputs, and plant/cover a large scale garden. This took two weeks, during which I, naturally, being a Westerner, tried to compete with the other workers to show them what I'm made of. Having worked with my brother Travis in his contracting company, I feel confident about my work ethics. As normal as competition is in our culture this was noted as offensive to the Ugandans, I found out a few days later. We, through osmosis of our culture, when we do not look to God for his view, we see our self worth in what we have and have accomplished. We look down on those whom we consider less than us and envy those of more “worth”. I found this in myself, but I combat it and believe myself not to look down on or envy others, but it takes constant management.

Ants!

One night around 3 or 4am I was awakened by Joseph, speaking frantically in Luganda to all of us. Believing there was an emergency, I asked Emma what he said. “He said he found some white ants.” I almost catapulted out of that bed. I was mad! Of course, I did not understand the full meaning of white ants. I thought it was a ridiculous reason to get excited and wake up six men at 3-4am, but I just endured the clamor and went back to sleep. The next morning I found a tub, inches deep with winged termites, squirming, humming and climbing over one another. Then I realized what the fuss was all about. That night I was glad to eat somthing other than rice and beans.

Four Muslim Children Come to the Lord

By far, the best part was when Joseph brought a group of three 14 year old girls and a 15 year old boy to the farm on two different occasions. Once the 15 year old boy was dressed in girls' clothing out of ignorance. That first visit I called him a girl on accident and was quickly put right. They came and Joseph explained the gospel using John 3:16, and repeating "no one comes to the Father except through me". I was present. I asked them what about Jesus they liked most. “He loves children," the boy said. ”Indeed, he does,” said I. I felt my presence as a white man to be distracting, so I went inside to watch from a window as Joseph continued talking to them. Joseph had found the girls by the town pump and had started to share the gospel to them. I do believe he is still discipling these children. I was told their dad was Muslim.

India Mark What?

I have taken a class on pumping water with Equip Inc. And so upon arriving at the farm, I was excited to see an India Mark II in its natural habitat, and not in a class room setting. The men said that the pump was broken and my fingers itched to turn nuts and bolts. I diagnosed the pump by lifting the handle a few times and listening to the sounds and symptoms of the sick pump, checking it against common problems I knew. It took several quick pumps to lift the water and it did not hold charge well, losing the water almost instantly to greater depths. Upon seeing that the borehole was only 19 meters, I understood, or so I thought. The India Mark II is a deep well pump and either doesn't pump or doesn't pump well at shallow depths. The repair would be expensive, but for now the men were content with it. A few days later I awoke to see some men lifting the head off the pump. I helped with the heavy lifting and once the MS rod was up I watched one of the men use a tree to straighten massive bends. Then to my suprise they started destroying the concrete foot pad and run off spillway. Then I had to attend to class. When I returned they were pulling up the riser main. I jumped in. It had two ropes leading to the bottom and was made of pvc instead of steel. This reminded me of an afrodev, a pump designed to work and be as cheap as possible, but not as rugged as the India Mark II. When the cylinder was up, I saw the telltale foot valve. Not only this, but the bore hole, instead of being only a few inches in diameter was closer to three feet. I speculated that they just placed this contraption over an existing hand dug well. It took about a week to repair the well. In the meantime we carried water from the church on the hill. I went without a bath for a while. When it was repaired and I bathed, I poured away something the color of water and tomato soup mixed. It gets dusty out here.

Sanitation

I found a job improving sanitation at CLD. I waged war on the thick horde of flies in the dining/living/only room. I used deet spray on myself and objects the deet would not corode, smacking and snatching every fly I could. I must have killed at least twenty or more by hand. They crawl on everything - people, food, in your eyes and mouth like they do on livestock. The men here really just endured their presences. I suppose they figured it to be an unchangeable constant in Ugandan life. I, however went on the warpath. Still, I left the farm and the flies had not decreased in number in the least. The cook cooked on the ground and I often found insect parts where something landed on the food that has been sitting in the open since lunch and got trapped. A man got sick here within the first week. I remembered Chris had pruned a sprig of Artemishea, an extremely medicinal plant, found to cure malaria and boost the body's immune system. I placed the sprig in my tea one morning, and afterwards for extra insurance ate the twig. I never got sick.

I built a Tippy tap (a bush-life handwashing system) next to the dry toilets, in the fashion I copied from Equip's training facility. It is simply a post and lintel structure from the forest, God's all sufficiency. Then I placed a jerry can in suspension with ropes at first, and then wire due to the weight. A wire ran from the mouth of the jug to a stick with traction, having one end of the stick lifted into the air by the wire. This creates a peddle for pouring the water. Then, and finally, I heated a nail and punctured the soap to create soap on a rope! Then I grabbed a large lid and ran the soap's rope through the middle to act like an umbrella for the soap during rain. All in all, it works very well as a touchless hand washing station.

The Concert of a Lifetime

My first Saturday on the farm, Josh, the manager, had a relationship with a London college as a large supporter, and they were having a virginity rally. That's all I knew going in to this. We traveled to Nansana by cramped public taxi. I was able to buy a Twix bar at a shopping center and write a few letters at an internet cafe before we entered the college campus. Once there I noticed what a neat place this was. It was not a Christian school; there were plenty of Muslims here. But I followed the gang composed of Emma, Stephen, Josh and Joseph, all decked out to the nines, into an open air auditorium. The students clapped for the visitors, us, and we were ushered to the front seats. They opened with a song sung by a very nervous lady. A loud Ugandan got on stage and sung in Luganda, so that part was lost to me. The manager Josh got up and got the crowd of about two hundred going, said a few words for the preservation of virginity and the rest of this was in Luganda. I checked my watch. We had arrived at 11:55. I remembered this clearly. At 2:00 I said they must be ready to wind down now. Since the whole thing was in Luganda, I was left only to clap until my hands signed a cease fire with each other. Then we went for lunch... a large bowl of rice and beans and posho and matooke (a sugarless banana starch dish like mashed potatoes with seeds) and a little meat of unknown origin was set before me with no fork. I realized all the staff ate with their hands. I tried it, and tried again, but I just couldn't get the technique down. So I picked a flat bone out of a piece of meat and used that. We reconvened for more singing and dancing and then they played a certain popular African praise pop song. Little did I know I was sitting next to the singer and song writer himself - Joseph! He had recorded a widely popular song fused in English and his native tribal language of Luo (his and Tony's tribe being the Langi.) Joseph got up on stage and sang. “Lord, you,'re so powerful, so wonderful. I'm singing and dancing. Repeat, repeat. Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe, He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End"... at 6:00pm we left before the rally was over. Wow! Six hours of singing, dancing, sitting, standing and continuous clapping, and one man claimed to speak in tongues, but being in Luganda it was all the same to me.

C.H.E (Community Health Evangelism) Principles

I was given one evening devotional during my time at CLD, so I posed a topic, inward disiplines, and instead of me talking the entire time and standing at the head of the room, I sat down in a corner,and asked one of the men to write on the board for us. The four columns we had were meditation, prayer, fasting and study. I asked the men what each meant to them, the scribe writing a few points then trading with another individual. We learned different methods and we each taught each other.

Journey to the Tree

The entire time I was present there, between me and the horizon standing high above all the other trees was this one thickus tree. It had branches high above the tops of the forest, spreading wide like it had grown as high as God would allow and was still thirsty to expand, developing a mushroom top out of the vine-covered Atlas's arm-like branches. I took many pictures and have compiled a video for you on my facebook, “The Journey to the Great Tree.” I must admit once the farm disappeared behind me, with the reeds scraping and clawing in retaliation of my every move through pathless marshes, I felt a little afraid, but I desired to make this journey a war against fear. I had taken the safety precautions of telling someone where I was going and marking the trail, as well as bringing a few medicinal supplies for first aid. On my way back, of course, as is custom to all tomfoolery, I got lost, but I cut across some fields and made it back to the farm covered in hitchhikers and a little wet, but wearing the biggest smile.

In Christ,

David Greene

Week Three

Well, countrymen and loved ones, it is the close of week three, counting of course, in the middle of the week. This week was much more ministry driven as I am getting used to the way things are. On Thursday, I went to Jinja Main, a prison here. I was picked up by some ministry workers from YWAM (Youth With A Mission). I was driven into Jinja, down close to the lake front past the water treatment plant. The air had a quite repulsive stench for miles around. Then we came to the entrance to the prison. A large overbearing green gate barred our way. I was with two African ladies, both representatives of YWAM Uganda. One, whom I have become good friends with since, is Judith, 24, the only woman I know who can pull off feminine dreadlocks. The other is her friend Mary, whom I have not seen since.

 As a true man of the South, I felt it my duty to protect these women from the inmates should I need to. Judith walked up and knocked on the gate.  A small circular slit opened and a voice spoke in Luganda to Judith. I was reminded of the opening scene from Return of the Jedi. Presently, the gate opened and I walked in to the dark of the entrance way, which was large and housed many guards. On forward of us is the main courtyard where prisoners in yellow suits ran, crowded and shouted. Drums echoed from deep in the prison. There were no guards inside the prison. After turning in everything in our pockets we entered. It was like being in a pit with three stories of prison cells rising up on all sides, dotted with yellow jackets hanging like flags.

 Prisoners jeered from above and clutched the bars of the overlook. As we entered the prison all inmates stop to look at the two women and the white boy. As we walked prisoners congested around us and a great crowd began following us. I lead the women (not knowing where I was going, but operating on luck and correction) to the third floor, with the drums getting louder each stairwell and corner we passed. We came to a corner of the third floor of the prison where Judith motioned me to a bench. The crowd of prisoners stopped and took seats against the wall. There were two large cowhide drums, the source of the foreboding music, and two amplifiers with microphones, which the prisoners had already set up. I had not been fully told what I was getting into and I was quite afraid.  I only knew that I had been given Judith’s number and given the option of joining in on a prison ministry and that I must encourage the prisoners. Then, I noticed a few of the prisoners had tattered Bibles and Judith was very well acquainted with the inmates. Within minutes we were all singing, jumping and worshiping Jesus in Luganda.  Judith spoke, in English, a message of encouragement and it was translated into Luganda, as did Mary and a few of the prisoners. Two hours later we exited and I felt so inspired by what Christ and His church has been accomplishing.

I purchased five Bibles (all the stores had) in Luganda for the prisoners and took them to Judith, as I will not be able to join the next two weeks. I will be in Kampala, the capital of Uganda at Come Let’s Dance School for Farming God's Way. There is no dancing involved, the name is a hand-me-down from the previous business. I have been back to the Village of Hope orphanage several times and have set up a listening group for Faith Comes by Hearing. I was intending the proclaimer to go to an adult group, but one of the children found it in my back pack and brought it to me. I played it for them and they keep asking me back. They have become so involved with the book of Revelation... I did not know that that was what they were listening to until they were a good ways into the story, as it plays in Luganda.

I have become confident in my navigation and public transportation, just took a few more times of getting lost :) none of which were on purpose. I have spent much time working inwardly on my life. I am confronted with the reality that the orphanage, the prison, the ministry initiatives are all just as needed back home. When I return I will pick up with the men and women, the organizations around there to do just as I am here, just I don’t need to learn a new language. I have been practicing many spiritual disciplines. Following along with Richard Foster’s text, The Celebration of Discipline, and Sir Thomas a Kempis's The Imitation of Christ, as well as, scriptural readings and meditations, I have felt God’s hand and His leading. I have seen Him work.

In events here at the Sperling house, Chris had gotten malaria, but had medicated himself quickly and was over it in three days. Please pray for Jane's father who is losing blood and yet, not bleeding. Jane has been so attentive and strong with the whole situation, as she travels and stays days in Kampala trying to work with the crazy hospital situation. The boys have started home school here with a lady from Canada named Chelsey.  We finished hooking the house completely to solar. Please continue to pray for me and for God’s will and direction to be taken. Pray that I may think His thoughts after Him and join Him where He is working. As well, pray that my fear leaves and I may take courage in myself. I am off to CLD tomorrow. I may be the only white person in 50 kilometers, says Chris.

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In Christ,

 

David Greene