Keeping Busy
Jul 29th, 2009 by kelley johnson
Our friends in Matara are keeping busy these days. Let me just show a bit of what they’ve been up to in the past couple of weeks…
The land receives good attention as the Batwa friends are preparing it for cultivation. You can see the squares of land, allowing room for irrigation once the seeds are planted.
This woman is hard at work preparing her own land. There is satisfaction that she is working for her own family, and not consigned to another’s field or another’s crop. Soon she will see the fruits of her labors!
The men are carrying supplies up the hill, along with children on their hip, for the current construction project. The 30 temporary homes are all complete. Now they are working on 15 communal latrines.
They dig, line the holes with bricks (which have been carried up the hill), then a layer of cement… All part of the construction of permanent latrines. I am told that another benefit of these latrines… future fertilizer for the crops. Nothing is wasted…
At long last the potato seeds arrived! You cannot imagine how hard it was to locate and procure these seeds! It is not as simple as just going to the local nursery… But after a few attempts we found the right source for good seed. The potatoes will be the first crop planted. This will be a communal crop. A small percentage will remain in Matara for the families to enjoy, but the bulk will go to market to bring some income for the village. Claude, our on-site agricultural engineer, will be spending this week teaching the Batwa about the planting and tending involved in potato cultivation. This is just the beginning of our agriculture adventure, you might say it is small potatoes . (I could not resist!)
Claude noted that in his most recent visit he observed a good spirit among the Batwa. There seemed to be a levity among them, bright countenances and more laughter. They are seeing, already, that their labor is producing good things for their families. They are finding satisfaction in their work, finally seeing with their eyes how this village will become life-giving for them. It takes time for new realities to materialize, for our imaginations to conceive of a new set of possibilities and our hearts to believe that such goodness can come to us. But our Batwa friends seem to see that a new future is possible for them – and they are cheerful as they work together toward the new thing God is doing among them!
I am sure that as I type, they are planting potato seeds. So the Batwa are keeping busy and whistling as they work, or so it seems!
I love this! Thank you so much…it is so awesome that we know the people in these wonderful photos! Thanks for all your hard work!
Kelley,
This made me cry again this morning thinking how for so long and hard they’ve worked never knowing if that hard work would cultivate anything for themselves. I tried to put myself into their position and think how it must feel to actually KNOW that this is theirs….that made me cry!
Then I wonder, do they really understand that this is truly all theirs?
I wish I were close enough to them for them to share with me personally their true feelings…do they really believe, or after all the years and years of being mistreated is there still a tiny bit of hesitation in their minds and hearts. I hope not, but I also know it takes a long time to tear down walls that history has built in our hearts. I pray every day that they DO feel and know!
Thank you again for keeping us updated!
What a wonderful update! I am so glad to hear their spirits are high. They are such awesome people, a true blessing to have met. Tell them their American friends are praying for them and mostly…we MISS THEM!
Hi Kelley,
Thanks for the update! I love seeing the pictures of what is going on! It looks awesome! I agree with Sherry, I am praying that they will come to a full realization of what God has done for them!
We are praying for you and Claude and the kids!
Love you,
Laura
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