Dear Friends,
From time to time we like to update you on some of the different projects of our mission. These projects play an important role to support our mission work and connect us to the community, but first we would like to share a wonderful testimony of God’s faithfulness:
Our farm trailer was falling apart and we hardly could keep it going. We realized that the trailer needed urgent repairs which we were not able to do ourselves. Since the trailer is not roadworthy anymore, we could not tow it into Kakamas (130 km from us), and to load it on a truck would have been a big expense. We use the trailer every day for various farm activities and cannot do without it. We prayed in our hearts that God would help us with this problem that we were facing.
Sunday afternoon, we received a surprised visit from the same gentlemen and his wife that did all the extensions to our house two years ago. They came to visit us for a few days, and he said that it was on his heart to teach our boys about welding. He asked if there were any welding projects that they could do. We asked him about the repair of the trailer and he decided to use it as a welding project.
Within a day and a half they fixed the axial of the trailer and also welded some railings for the sides. The trailer was as good as new.
We are so thankful to the Lord and to his faithful servants for the wonderful way in which this need was taken care of.
Welding the Railing
The Finished Trailer
Vegetable Seed Production
We are now in our second year of vegetable seed production and we are thankful for all the knowledge and experience that we could acquire so far. This year we again planted cauliflower trials as well as carrots and shallots for seed production. Last year our shallots were an open-pollinated variety, but this year we are doing a hybrid.
We are thankful for the job opportunities created by these different seed productions, through which we can supply wages to 10 -15 mothers on an occasional basis. The ladies from the local community like to work in our fields, since they receive their full wage at the end of their work day. Working with them and supervising them creates opportunities for us to be a witness to these ladies and generate possibilities to share the Gospel with them.
The seed production is a very intensive operation which requires our full attention seven days a week. Our children especially learn a lot since they are supervising different types of productions and need to make sure that there are no pests or weeds that may be a threat to the production plants. Some of them from time to time drive around with our local advisor to look at other production fields and they acquire a lot of knowledge about the different technicalities involved.
We are thankful to the Lord for this door that He has opened and please continue to pray with us that God will use this project to support and forward our work for Him in Onseepkans.
Cauliflower Plants in the Tunnel
Bee Working on Cauliflower Flower
Livestock
Currently we only have a few Dexter cattle and a few Saanen milking goats on the mission. The cattle help to supply the mission with meat and the milking goats are a good source of milk for the biggest part of the year. For some time we were in great need of a new milking goat ram for our ewes. We are grateful that a kind donor has offered to assist us to buy one.
One of Our Goat Ewes
The Bull and one of the Cows
Chickens
Our chicken flock has grown to +- 50 hens. They supply the mission with eggs and this is a great blessing since eggs are very expensive in our area.
For the past year we have struggled to find good roosters for our flock. Beginning this year the Lord opened the way for us to buy two roosters from one of the largest free range poultry farms in South Africa. The new roosters adapted well and we are receiving lovely batches of chicks. We are very excited about these chicks for they are the future hens of our flock.
One of Our New Roosters and some of the Hens
Another Group of Hens
Fish Farming
One of our latest projects that we have started on a small scale is fish farming. We hope this will further assist our mission to become as self-supported as possible.
We started with carp from the Orange River. We are busy getting our tanks and all the necessary infrastructure in place so that we can accommodate larger amounts of fish.
We appreciate your prayers for this project.
Bees
For many years we had it on our hearts to start with bees, especially for our garden and fruit trees. One of our biggest challenges was the price of a beehive, which is quite expensive in South Africa.
Two months ago, the Lord laid it on the hearts of some of our friends to give to us a hive with a bee colony and also an extra empty hive.
We are thankful for this small new project. It is so exciting to see these little bees working hard to gather food for their colony. One is reminded of the many verses in the Bible where bees and honey are used to illustrate precious biblical truths.
Pottery
We are grateful that the pottery project is growing. Apart from doing pottery ourselves, we also try to give classes to children from the community. It is always exciting to unpack the kiln (pottery oven) and see the change from raw clay into beautiful ceramic pieces.
Bowls (Some of Our Own Pieces)
The Inside of a Bowl (One of our Own Pieces)
Cows (Painted by children from the Local Community)
Starfish and Shells (Painted by Children from the Local Community)
In Conclusion
Many times the evil one may come to you and say,” You are not successful, or you are working so hard for nothing.” Let us not take heed to these thoughts but let us persevere. Our Lord does bless those who remain faithful and do their best. May we remember the words of the apostle Paul were he writes in Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”.
May the Lord be with you,
Gerhard, Elmané, and children
