Dear friends,

Recently I had a frustrating experience that opened up the opportunity to grab the attention of our boys at Transition House in order to teach them something of value. And this chance to teach came while farming, when they can see the message with their eyes, feel it with their hands, and hear it with their ears.

                  While we were in the process of planting soybeans according to the Farming God’s Way method of farming at TH, I noticed that the boys had stopped using the measuring cups that I had given and instructed them to use for placing manure in the planting furrows, and they were instead using their hands. When I first noticed this, I just settled for the way they were doing it, but then I noticed the manure spreading thinner and thinner. So I asked them to use the cups, but no one seemed to know where they were. This made me angry. I walked down the field looking for the cups in the furrows, but found nothing. As I walked back up, I thought, “I give them a tool to use so that we can farm well, and they just toss it aside. Would they toss their hoes aside too?” Though I was angry, this next thing I did in complete self control with a point and purpose to it.  

                  As I got up to the boys who were digging furrows (about ten boys), I started at one end of the line and one-by-one grabbed their hoes mid-swing, looked them in their startled and wide eyes, and then turned and tossed the hoe ten yards behind the furrow. Finally I got to Uncle Dachung, the last one in the line, and I grabbed his hoe as I had with the rest, looked him in the eyes and gave a slight smile, and then I tossed his hoe aside. I turned back to them and saw them all standing still and starring at me. I thought, “Wow! I’ve got their attention.” Then I said, “Now dig with your hands!” To which they just stood quiet and still. So I said it again, “Dig with your hands!” And I bent over and started digging in the furrow with my hands. Then I stood up straight and asked, “Why don’t you want to dig with your hands?” They replied, “Because using a hoe is easier, uncle.” So I replied, “Ok, so God has created us differently than the rest of His creation, in His image and likeness, and He has given us the wisdom to use tools that will help us. So we use a hoe to dig because it’s faster and easier than using our hands, and we should use it. But why don’t you want to use cups that are tools for placing manure?” A boy replied, “this way is faster, uncle.” Then I said, “Is it all about speed? If that’s the case, then we should just walk along and cast the seeds out with our hands. But it’s not all about speed is it? It’s about farming in a way that is beneficial to us, and in a way that we can be faithful with what God has given. If we use the hoe, it’s faster than our hands and beneficial to us. And if we use these cups, they will help us to place the right amount of manure so that we have the best crops that we can. So pick up the hoes and use

them, because they are tools that God gave us the wisdom to build, and they  will benefit us. And find the cups, because they are tools that God gave us the wisdom to use, and using them will benefit us and help us to be faithful with what He has given.”

                  As I said, this was a frustrating experience, and there are plenty more like it. Yet somehow despite the frustrations I am able to have joy and a desire to persevere, because I believe that God will carry on to completion these things that the boys are being taught, not in a classroom with a pencil in their hand, but in the fields with a hoe in their hand.

Thank you for your continued prayers,

Andrew Dykstra

Prayer Requests:

·       Praise God for Uncle Dachung, he is a blessing to me. He helps me with farm planning, he helps get the boys organized for the work, he helps in the fields, he helps with other projects. He seems to make up for where I am lacking.

·       Praise God for the opportunities I have been given to promote FGW locally, including two men who want to try FGW next year, one named Sunday Alamba within the ECWA POD (People Oriented Development) ministry, and Gastor Barrie from SYRA (Skills for Youth in Rural Areas). Also I was able to write an article on FGW in the “Youth Mirror” magazine for the ECWA Bishara 3 church.

·       Pray that all of us “uncles” at TH will have this joy and desire to persevere through frustrations. They have all spoken of frustrations to me, and I don’t want to see any of them become tired or lose strength for this work.

·       Pray that God will bless our efforts to be faithful with His first and foundational provision to us – agriculture.