Here is an online version of the Newsletter for March 2018

‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few’ (Matt 9:37). I was reading this passage this morning and it seems to sum up our situation in REAP. We have well-tried teaching and we have people who are wanting to hear it, but we need to find the way to get the message out to them. We need more people sharing the teaching and this means we need more resources to be able to do so. The rains have been heavy the last couple of weeks causing flooding in many areas, showing the need for teaching on how farmers can respond in a way that Cares for God’s creation.

Local Leaders Visit the Farm

As we have had more visitors to the REAP farm, we have also been challenged. One challenge we had recently was whether our neighbours are taking up our teaching. In response to this, we recently organised a visit by the chief and sub-chiefs from the local area, followed by a half day of practical teaching. Afterwards, they shared that they now understand a lot more and asked to return for more personal teaching which has been very positive. As always the holistic view of caring for God’s creation was communicated, and the message was clearly appreciated by the local leaders.

Leaders visit REAP Farm
Leaders visit REAP Farm
Richard Agiso explaining use of Lavender to Chief and subchiefs of Okok
Richard Agiso explaining use of Lavender to Chief and subchiefs of Okok

As the rains start interest in Vetiver Grass picks up

2017 was a strange year in Kenya, and with the uncertainty people were not looking ahead very much. As a result we did not get as much Vetiver Grass distributed as we would have hoped, but have a good supply ready in the nursery. With the new year there has been much more forward looking and with the recent heavy rains the need for caring for God’s soil is emphasised, and interest in very close at hand. We have managed to distribute grass both locally and also respond to orders from more distant places.

Ben distributing vetiver grass
Ben distributing vetiver grass

Teaching a group how to plant vetiver grass
Teaching a group how to plant vetiver grass
Digging the grass from the nursery
Digging the grass from the nursery
 
Vetiver packed ready to send to a project at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro
Vetiver packed ready to send to a project at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro
 

New developments on the REAP farm

As we have been getting more visitors coming to the REAP farm in Kajulu, we have got more feedback on how others can benefit. In February we worked on labelling the different trees and medicinal plants in the garden. This is in response to feedback that the farm is a potential resource for many to learn from. It is encouraging that we now have more people coming to us to learn. Many come for technical learning, but when people come and comment on the pleasant ambiance it gives us an opportunity to share about Creation Care and our responsibility to the creator.

Roger and George working on labelling the plants in our medicinal production area
Roger and George working on labelling the plants in our medicinal production area

Roger and Jos both back in Kenya

When we sent out the last newsletter, Jos was still in UK. We are pleased to be able to report that Jos was able to return to Kenya in the middle of February. She is now well settled back and life has returned to normal.

Thank you for your support

The rains have been heavy the last couple of weeks and we see the potential for what we are teaching. We would however like to be able to reach out to many more needy farmers. We are very appreciative of the support that enables us to do so, but long also to do more. We are needing to increase our funding so that we can do more. Please donate if you can, but also contact us with ideas and help us to reach out to more of those who need our teaching.