Only two Wheals

      Being back at Gamboula is nice, but since these are not normal times,  e are doing things in abnormal ways. One of the challenges we have faced since being back is that we do not have any trucks. They were left in Cameroon for security reasons, as many trucks in CAR were commandeered/stolen by the new regime. As a result, we go out to the farm and back on a fleet of motorcycles (moto) owned by individuals and CEFA. Typically three people, sometimes four, pile on a moto, and head out to the farm. If there are shovels, machetes, or  anything else that needs to go, those get on too.

      The past few days especially, we have really wished for a truck. There are many construction projects going on at the farm, as the shop, four houses, and the agriculture center are being built. Bricks, water, cement, lumber, and other materials need to be hauled. We have also been getting quite a lot of rain these days. It is perfect planting weather for trees and cover crops, which we need to put in the ground before the dry season comes. The nursery, however, is in Gamboula 5K away. Many of these plants are taken out on the back of motos, in big plastic trunks. There are simply too many to carry out though, and the season is passing us by.
      Finally there are the fish ponds here. The ponds are for raising fingerlings to take out and distribute in the villages. I don’t know why I was surprised to see 2 five Gallon buckets strapped onto a moto and full of fish heading out to be distributed. Hope they made it.
     

      Motos are sure nice to get around on, but when it is your only mode of
transportation, a truck sure is nice.

A few Big Funny Looking Birds

    CEFA , the Center for Education and Agricultural Training, is where I spend most of my time here in Gamboula. The farm is divided up in to many sections with all kinds of experiments going on. The hope is to find things that work and then be able to demonstrate and teach them.

     One of the ongoing experiments is a turkey trial. Six months ago some turkeys where bout as a starter flock. There are now a whole bunch of baby turkeys out at the farm, and 30 eggs in the incubator!
We have lost all our adult hens however. They have died from a combination of snake bite, and some kind of sickness, leaving 4 big toms all alone. We decided that since the chicks are still small, it was decided to thin the flock of a few of these big toms.
     So I spent the afternoon with Alexander, the one who takes care of the chicken and turkey projects. Living in here all his life, he has butchered chickens and other birds, but never any this large. He
was quite impressed.
     The enclosure where the adults have been living is next to one of the missionary houses, and is visited regularly by locals, and people passing through Gamboula. They make a special detour out of
their way to view these big funny looking birds.
     Hopefully this project will eventually succeed, and there will be a lot more of these large birds around for people to enjoy. 

Back at Gamboula

    Exactly 2 months from the day my team and I were evacuated from Gamboula because of a coup that unseated the government of the Central African Republic (CAR). A sense of stability in Gamboula has allowed few of us to return. We were welcomed here with many hugs, smiles, and head bumps. We have been back for almost two weeks now and all is calm.
    During the time we were away the people of Gamboula kept their faith in God and their community. It has been encouraging to hear about how people prayed together, worshipped, and kept things functioning, despite violent upheaval in the rest of the country. Schools are in session, the hospital never stopped functioning, and people looked forward to the day we would return.
    Two days after we returned there was a prayer service held in downtown Gamboula to pray for the country of CAR. Three churches were represented and a large part of the community turned up, along with head government officials. There was a program with singing and speeches about unity and lifting up the country to God. All this was followed by almost an hour of prayer. It was incredible to be a part of this event. Gamboula is probably the only place in the country where this kind of meeting would be possible. Being able to come together to pray for the country without fear brought a sense of unity and power.
    There is definitely something special about Gamboula that can, be attributed to the long history of missionaries working with the Church and hospital. Another unique thing is that the commander who was put in charge of the troops here wants peace and stability. He has not allowed his troops to run wild and keeps order in this region so people do not have to live in fear of the military.
    On Sunday I attended the first soccer game that has been played in Gamboula since the war. It was a great game with a lot of laughing and everyone participated in the fun; glad for the entertainment.
    As long as things remain calm our plan is to remain here and carry on our work and ministry as normal. However, our internet system was shut off and will not come on again for few months more it seems. In the meantime we are using tethering-through phones. It is slow and cannot handle sending or receiving attachments, but it is better than nothing.

    It is great being back,