Back from Africa

Well, I must say that it was an interesting event. I still cannot say much about the details except to praise the team for their hard work and dedication. There are many good things going on and many frustrations, but I hopefully have given them a technical boost in their operations.

I was there on a tech consult and the situation wasn't something where I could go around preaching or witnessing on the street. I did get a chance to try to strengthen one local fellow believer and I pray that my testimony helps him out. It wasn't a direct spiritual thing, the team there can handle that, but more of an outlook on life to be strived for.

I saw God move in His time more than once during my stay and now I must pray that He granted me the wisdom to allow the team to make the best decisions from my advice. He also managed to teach me a few things about meekness after I ran across a couple of situations that made me want to go through the roof, but after I inquired into the details, I saw even more reason for allowing things to move in His timing.

I will say I saw some beautiful souls there. I know that I did spend much time with one young worker there who I wish I could have been more like. He has avoided the staining with the world (and the price in pain that went with it) that I have gone through in my life and I love him for it. Of course, God works in His own way and my time spent turned away from God equipped me in many ways to do other things. I have no problem being the one who puts the axe to the brush and plows the ground so that men like those I met there can plant the seed and harvest it. If God wants that to be my lot, then I will be happy in it. I just hope He will direct my work so that it is pleasing to Him and helps His Glory shine before men.

Now, I will spend my time back here, using the talents God has given me to try to get these new brothers some material support for their work to see if I can help smooth their paths as they do their work. I know that sounds pompous, but between not being able to write details and trying to express everything, this is just the way it comes out.

Going to Africa

I've known it for a while now, but it is been getting more official: I'm going to Africa on a mission trip. I'm not going to say exactly where since it fits on the IMB's list of countries that you aren't supposed to talk about. While I'm going to be there doing what the missionary requires, the primary requirement is to improve the quality of the local food production. Since part of what I do around my place is sustainable agriculture and livestock, I am able to fit a specific need.

Actually, this might be something more than just what I'm going for. I'm not sure, but along with the minor stuff, once I get on the ground and see what the locals have, I might be able to work on getting more to them. They have very little to no electricity, but these days everyone thinks "modern". How much electricity do you need for refrigeration if you use an old fashioned ice box? A few hours of generator power once a week to hard freeze ~50 lbs of ice, which should give the locals some extra food storage, especially for something like making cheese. Even a little bit of cold box extends your options on holding food.

This would give them the option of culling their goat flocks harder to get higher productivity since it won't go to waste in the heat. There would be the ability to hold excess products until enough was on hand to process for long term storage. For example, if they need to consume most fruit as part of their daily diet, but there is a little bit left over, then it could be accumulated in the cold for a few days until there was enough to cook down and can in jars for later. It is amazing how much just a little bit of ice can do. However, that is for the next time I go.

So, please, I'd like your prayers and if you feel like you need to you can send a donation through the online giving link here, I'm sure there is someway you can list it as "for Kamatu's Africa Trip" or something like that. You will probably confuse everyone except my pastor. It takes some kind of registration, so that is up to you, but I would thank all of you who pray that He will make this trip a success.