My recent trip to South Sudan was so encouraging in seeing what God is doing, especially in the area of agriculture. Food imports from Uganda have been greatly reduced. A great variety of crops were planted that are even now being harvested by the people of Borongole! Planting and cultivating with the dear people of South Sudan gave me a desire for more experience to prepare me for living there. The training I just completed is the beginning of that process.
The training course in North Carolina was excellent! The staff and instructors at Equip were very gracious and there was a real personal connect with them. They were either actively serving on the mission field or former missionaries and had real hands on experience in the third world. My three fellow classmates are all actively working in Africa and two of them are preparing for three years of service in Kenya! There was real camaraderie amongst both students and instructors which made for a real edifying time of conversation and sharing. We were staying in a beautiful and peaceful environment in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. It was very conducive to times of spiritual reflection and focused study.
Our two instructors are on the far right and far left of the group. the Four students in the middle.
The methods of Farming God's way are incredibly productive (with records of a 300% increase in parts of Africa where it has been put into practice), but primarily centered in the spreading of the Gospel and the discipleship of farmers to put all areas of life under God.
In addition, our small class was able to cover the learning material quickly and had a lot of extra time to pursue other areas of farming. I learned about no till farming, mulching, Bio-intensive Gardening, Terracing, tower gardens, aquaponics, hydroponics, and installing drip irrigation etc. We also visited a farm that planted an unusual variety of crops and methods. Many other interesting third world technologies were learned beyond farming, which will equip me for future service in South Sudan.
This week long intensive opened a whole new world of farming that I wasn't aware of before. It also made me realize that I have a lot to study and learn! This summer I hope to be able to devote to applying what I learned and getting more hands on experience as opportunity arises. I am very thankful for being given the opportunity to attend this course and be prepared for more long term agriculture and work in Borongole, starting this fall.
Rubanga kola nito (God be with you)!
~Jonathan Lueken with Operation Nehemiah 774-254-4336
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