Macedonian Ministries: July 2013

For some time Mac. Min. has been motivated by the vision of helping to make family plots and small farms “LIVE AGAIN”. Most rural people are unable, for various reasons, to work the land which government has allocated to them. We have embarked on this project which intends to assist needy folk to grow their own food, as apposed to always and only handing out food parcels

Various trial projects are currently in progress and an assessment of their sustainability will be undertaken in due course.

MAC. MIN. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FLORIDA BAPTIST :

A. GARDEN FOR THOSE LIVING AT THE DUMP

VEGETABLE GARDENS FOR THE POOREST OF THE POOR

Macedonian Ministries had the joy of partnering with Florida Baptist Church [Jhb. S.A.] in a vegetable gardening, self sustainable project aimed at enabling some of the poorest of the poor to grow their one vegetables.

The above church got to know about the plight and whereabouts of a group of people who are trying to make a living by collecting recyclable items like plastic, glass and cardboard from the local municipal dump. Their poverty has forced them live in shanties constructed from trashed materials harvested from the dump and they live alongside it without electricity, running water and sanitation. It is a most pitiful and very dehumanizing existence.

The following pictures will tell of how some Christians have responded, in an effort to engage the community and over time alleviate some of their suffering.

Most of these families have to cook in the open air, over wood fires as this is the only form of heating they can afford and their homes do not have space for a kitchen.

Unfortunately children are born and raised in these appalling conditions. They often suffer the most.

Congestion is a major problem, often leading to all sorts of social evils.

Inevitably, the “dump” encroaches upon the home, sometimes making it difficult to distinguish the one from the other.

Bags of harvested plastic, ready for collection, sale and recycling.

Plastic and cardboard in abundance….for this man “another successful day at the office”.

Harvested bottles, with the “dump peoples” homes in the background.

Site alongside the shanty homes which has been cleared with the help of local politicians and government. This is where the pilot project will take place.

Church members start preparing the gardens.

Beds must be excavated to a depth of 40cms.

Ten gardens to start with.

The ground is hard but everyone is “coming to the party”

Mulch and compost is added to enrich the soil.

Vegetable seedlings are planted.

Finally the garden is complete and tidy for it’s presentation to the people.

The Community leaders gather for the presentation and prayer, asking God’s blessing on all “THE SEED” WHICH HAS BEEN PLANTED TODAY”.

THANKS

-To the Florida Baptist Church for the invitation to partner with them in this project.

-To all the willing workers who made the gardens happen.

-To those who supported us in prayer and contribution of the many commodities needed for this project to be realized.

-To our dear Lord Jesus Christ for the privilege of being his co-workers in serving the needy.

Please Pray:

-for the families living off the dump.

-That these gardens will prove to be a useful source of fresh food.

-That the project will enjoy the supervision and work needed for it to be on-going and sustainable.

T. Eayrs.

“Thank you, Dear Lord for the joy of giving and receiving…….and another wonderful day of ministry in AFRICA.”

B. MOZAMBIQUE FAMILY PLOTS

Some of these plots are a considerable distance from the people’s homes, due to a shortage of capacity to harvest or store water. Rainfall is sporadic.They are forced to garden nearer to water points like marshes and rivers.

But in some places the soil is fertile and easy to work, and the yield is good.

C. ZULULAND FAMILY GARDENS

These are usually within the boundaries of the people’s homes , but some work addition gardens along the water courses.The soil is easy to work and can be most arable, especially where they replace nutrients by using natural humus and fertilizer [animal gung, etc.]

Garden alongside a water course

Home garden

Home garden. Women are very capable gardeners

Home garden

Garden in a marshland

D. TRANSKEI GARDENS

CHURCH COMMUNITY GARDEN

This garden is owned by the Cebe Baptist Church. It has worked for some time, but not it’s capacity.

New beds have now been ploughed, fertilised and planted.

Extending the garden.

This had to ploughed, cleaned, fertilised.

Planting and watering . This is a communal project under the supervision of the members of the Cebe Baptist Church. Their intension is to both receive and share the yield with people in the community.

Patricia’s home garden. She is a deserving single parent mother who is trying to fend for her family. She is not a professing Christian, but was willing to attend the planning meetings at the Cebe Baptist Church, where ministry in the Gospel and prayer takes place.

Ploughing her small garden. Her home is in the background.

Patricia and Trevor with her garden and the ocean in the background. “Patricia’s teenage son recently attended evangelistic youth meetings at the Cebe Baptist Church and sought Christ as his personal savior....PG.”

We had the joy of ministering over the Easter weekend at various venues. This is at the recently planted Quombola Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor kaka Ncukana. This embryonic congregation meets in a home at present.

On the Saturday I had the joy of presenting the theological paper at the Butterworth cluster of Churches Easter Conference. About 400 attended. My subject this year was, “Ministering the Gospel of Christ to Muslims living in our community”.

Pasotor Aleko Anele, who for many years was our fishing gillie......[.a young boy/teenager who helps gather bait, carry one’s gear and clean and gut fish] , whom we had the privilege of leading to the Lord in salvation, shares the joyous plans for marriage in the near future. Although for him it has some huge challenges which he has to face. The greatest at this stage is Labolla [Bide Price] which is a large sum of money for a young pastor who is trying to plant a church among a most impoverished group of people living in the Whittlesea Region . “Please consider helping ALEKO”