October Newsletter

October 15, 2008

Dear Friends,

We pray that all is well with those of you who are far away from us.  The recent economic news is enough to make all of us tremble at times, but we have faith that God has a plan in all of this and that His plan will prevail.  We know that it is painful for those of us who have life savings in the stock market or a house on the market, but we are also acutely aware of the effect that a global economic slowdown is likely to have on the farmers here.  We are praying that the Lord will lead us in finding creative solutions for these farmers addressing income generation as well as food security.

Our work continues to progress.  We do experience frustrations at times.  Some of that appears to be growing pains and learning from experiences that we have here.  There is no substitute for hands on learning sometimes.                                                                          Moby Dick                                                           

In Mang’u, the farmers are harvesting passion fruit.  We have distributed scales to the farmers in sub locations to make the weighing of their harvest and record keeping more convenient for them, and we are assisting with their marketing. In Murang’a the farmers are continuing working on their passion fruit, getting them healthy, so that they can begin harvest as well.

In Ngare Ndare, we are working on getting the very best Moby Dick flowers out of the field to the buyer, as a tight market is demanding perfect quality. It seems that here is where the first effects of the economic crisis are taking hold. Our buyer told Horace that he can only sell those flowers in the Netherlands that are perfect. “The market isn’t like it was a year ago,” he said.

In Kabete, the farmers continue to grow their bird of paradise flowers.  This area seems more affected by drought than the others, and some of the farmers’ plants are showing it. Horace recently met with a man who has a 120 foot well, which he relied on for irrigation as well as household use. The well had run dry. Thankfully, the rains seem to have begun. Please pray that they continue for the next couple of months. We need it.

In Juja, our demonstration farm is progressing nicely.  Soon, we hope to have a harvest of vegetables that we will take directly to consumers.  However, it too is not without challenges: namely wild animals.  A hippo is eating the broccoli; a dik dik (very small antelope) is eating the cucumbers; and zebra are eating the sweet corn. Yes, farming in Africa has its own unique problems. On a positive note, we do hope to have real sweet potatoes (very unusual here) by Thanksgiving!

Also, in Juja we have begun a very exciting research and demonstration project with our passion fruit farmers. Partnering with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), the Kenya Horticultural Development Project (KHDP) and a private company called Real IPM (integrated pest management), we are helping to develop radically new techniques for growing passion fruit. It involves the use of drip irrigation, the laying of plastic over the seedbeds and both organic and non-organic fungicides. There are plans to publish the results when work is through, and a manual will be developed for this method of growing. We also plan to use the farm in Juja as a teaching and demonstration tool for other passion fruit farmers.

Family life is progressing well.  Both children stay very busy with all their many activities, and both had excellent report cards.  It is still soccer season for Horace, and Mary Shea has continued with basketball and swimming.   The animal members are also doing well.  Our newest family member is Zoe.  She is a boxer puppy, and she is about 8 months old.  She is very sweet, and if you know boxers, you know what we mean by her being so ugly, she is cute. 

Living in Nairobi is never without challenge, but lately we are experiencing water rationing.  We regularly go without city water on the weekends now.  We do have reserve tanks, and with a little effort (filling tanks and pumping our own water into the reserve), we are getting by.  We have all become much more careful about water consumption, and we are learning to cope with the situation.  Thankfully, we have enough water for the athletes to bathe during the week!

We are very excited to announce that we are getting two interns in January: Michael and Rebecca Rhodes, who are recent graduates from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Their arrival is truly an answered prayer for us. They come with the highest recommendations, as we know they are both very Godly people.

On another note, we want to thank our dear friend the Rev. Don Smith and his family for renting our house in Memphis for the last year. It was a real blessing.  Don has recently taken a call from a church in Fair Hope, Alabama, and we are thrilled for him, and we know he doesn’t mind living on the coast either. However, we are now faced with the difficult task of having an empty house. We, therefore, have decided to put it on the market, in spite of all the economic turmoil. So, if you know of anyone who is interested in a very cute, smallish (2000 sq. ft.) house in East Memphis, let us know.  If you don’t know of anyone , please pray that this house sells as quickly as possible.

Finally, please note our change of address in the U.S. Our new address is:

Planting Faith Ministries, Inc.                                                                                                               c/o Buddy Dearman                                                                                                                                                          999 Shady Grove Rd. Suite 400                                                                                                          Memphis, TN  38120

Now, may the Lord bless you and keep you, and may His face shine upon you always.

Yours in Christ,

Horace, Anne, Horace, Jr. and Mary Shea

 

 

 

 

 

September Newsletter

I recently sent this via email.  If you want to be included in our email list, let me know.  I attached a PDF file for sharing.

Blessings,

Anne

September 1, 2008

Dear Friends,
We are safely back in Kenya after our short visit to the US. It was a whirlwind trip where we had the opportunity to visit with friends and family. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to spend with everyone or get to see everyone that we wanted to see. Horace was able to accomplish quite a lot for work and meet with several new churches and individuals to share with them our work and vision for the future of Planting Faith.
The jet lag affected us more than previous trips. We would blame it on age, but even Horace, Jr. & Mary Shea were affected this time. We all seem to be back on schedule this week though. School has begun, and the children are into a full routine of activities. Horace, Jr. will be playing Junior Varsity Soccer and Mary Shea will be involved in basketball and swimming. We keep a family calendar on the computer which went from empty to full in about 60 seconds. So much for the slower pace of Africa!
After being gone for six weeks, naturally we are a bit behind in our work, but we are catching up quickly. Horace has visited with several of the projects. In Mang’u the farmers are beginning to harvest passion fruit. We have a marketing meeting scheduled for later this week, as things seem to be progressing nicely there, and in Ngare Ndare, the farmers will be harvesting their Mobydick flowers soon. Horace will travel there tomorrow to observe their progress. In Kabete, the bird of paradise flowers are growing well. This crop was planted in late March, so they have about six months to go to reach harvest.
The Murang’a group has had an issue with fusarium – a deadly fungus for passion fruit. About 25% of the entire crop is affected. Last week we brought an agronomist out to their farms for a lesson on diseases. The solution to their problems will require intense management, including increased fertilization, pruning and soil drenching. Some of their diseased plants will be salvaged; while others will have to either be replanted or re-grafted from the original root stock. Horace has visited them several times, and things appear to be improving.
In Juja, we are in the beginning stages of starting an organic vegetable farm and market for the farmers of the Thika area. We are currently researching which crops we can grow to market locally for delivery service to Nairobi. Our plan is to develop the market and contract with local farmers to grow the produce. Ultimately, the farmers will be the owners; we will just get the wheels in motion.
Eventually we plan to move this work to a research and demonstration station that Planting Faith hopes to purchase in the near future. It is an exciting development for Planting Faith as we have long hoped to provide a demonstration station to the community. The idea is that on one side of the farm, we will conduct meaningful research which is relevant to the local farmers’ situation. After we have completed researching a particular crop or livestock, we will then move it to the demonstration side of the farm, so we can show it off to the farmers. We hope that it can be a model farm for any subsistence farmer in the region.
Please pray for all the farmers with whom we work that they will succeed in their endeavors, and pray that we can make our demonstration farm a reality as well. It is only by the grace of God that any of us shall succeed.

Yours in Christ,
Horace, Anne, Horace, Jr. and Mary Shea

May Planting Faith E-News

…Spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ by elevating subsistence farmers to sustainability.


May 1, 2008


Dear Friends in Christ,

Greetings from Kenya,

If you have not seen our blog, please check out http://plantingfaith.blogspot.com/. We try to update it weekly with news of our work here.

Things seem to have settled here in the past few weeks. While there are still occasional accounts of trouble within different parts of Kenya, these incidents appear to be isolated and more of a crime issue than an issue of post-election violence. We do pray that peace and reconciliation will continue among all of the people of Kenya. We believe that it will take quite a while for the process of healing here, as there are many who have felt the effects of the tragedy of late December and early January.

The international news here lately has placed quite a bit of emphasis on the issue of a global food crisis. Indeed, the media is finally looking at a problem that has been in existence worldwide for some time. The inputs necessary for agricultural production make it quite difficult to profit from farming in many parts of the world. In a country like Kenya, where such a large percentage of the population depends on agriculture as a way to earn a living, this has a tremendous effect on the economy. Coupled with the economic troubles from the recent election troubles, it is quite a challenge to continue in agriculture. However, now more than ever, the farmers here need the encouragement and knowledge of how to build upon their successes to move from subsistence to sustainable farming. Our projects provide a way for these farmers to earn cash income in addition to providing food for their families; these projects do not take away from the provision of food for these families. The projects also provide cash to that will be reinvested in agriculture within each community for many years to come.

Our work continues to progress, and we are entering quite a busy time. All four groups have now planted and are eagerly anticipating harvest. In all groups, we are looking for methods to contain costs in the present market of inflated prices of inputs.

The two passion fruit projects are roughly at the same point on the time line. Business classes are completed in Mang’u. This group is now working toward installation of the posts and wires necessary for trellising of the plants. They are now into month 6 of their passion fruit crop. The Murang’a group has had a few complications along the way, but they are now also working toward installation of posts and wires for trellises. Their business classes are near completion.

There are two groups that are growing flowers for export. The Ngarendare group is growing Moby Dick flowers, which they should be harvesting by July. Their business classes are also near completion. They will be hosting a short term mission team in mid to late June, and we are looking forward to that experience. The Kabete group planted their Bird of Paradise flower seeds Easter Monday. This group has only recently been formed, and their business seminars are still being scheduled. The flowers take a bit longer to harvest than passion fruit, but the plants produce for several years.

Discipleship training has been an important part of our ministry focus. We are most thankful to have had the assistance of Dave Chaves, an Anglican missionary here in Nairobi, assisting us in this aspect of training. With his assistance, we have been able to cover the business training, discipleship training and technical assistance simultaneously. Dave has a real gift of establishing relationships with the farmers, and we have all enjoyed his presence.

We have also recently had the exciting prospect of a new employee for Planting Faith. Michael Rhodes is graduating this weekend from Covenant College and is planning to join us for a one year internship beginning in August 2008. He is presently in the process of raising his support for next year, so please keep that process in your prayers. We have received the most glowing reports about him, and we feel blessed to have him joining us next year.

The Lord has certainly blessed Planting Faith with plenty of work to do and funding to make it all happen. But, most of all, we feel that the prayer support we have been receiving has been what really keeps us going. Thank you for all of your prayers. The past few months have been stressful to say the least, not only for us, but also for our family and friends at home. Your encouragement in words and prayers has been a lifeline many times.

Family life is going well. Both of our children are at transition points in school as Mary Shea moves from Elementary to Middle School and Horace moves from Middle School to High School. They are both looking forward to the changes, and we feel that they are both ready for the changes and challenges in the coming year.

Please continue to pray for this ministry and our family as we wrap up the school year and continue our work. The month of May always seems to bring a hectic schedule whenever schooling is involved, and it is no exception here. We also continue to pray for you at home, and thank God for giving us the blessing of your support.

In Christ’s Service,



Horace, Anne, Horace, Jr. & Mary Shea

Nairobi News

April 14, 2008

Today, Anne and I were running errands in Nairobi, and as we drove around from location to location, we couldn’t help remarking on how much potential this country has. Compared to other developing nations, Kenya is industrious and resourceful in spite of its extreme poverty and multiple infrastructure problems.

It appears the government is slowly working its way out of the election controversies. Yesterday, a new cabinet was named, whereby both parties are represented equally, achieving the first in a series of challenges for reconciliation in the upcoming years. I believe Kenyans are up to the task.

It is for some of these reasons that we believe so strongly in working here. We see the potential for change, and we really want to honor God by being a part of it in some small way. Our four new groups are progressing nicely. In Kabete, we have 50 farmers who have recently planted bird of paradise seedlings. These plants will generate a healthy income for all of them for many years.

In Mang’u and Murang’a, we have nearly 100 farmers planting growing passion fruit. Recently, a representative of an international NGO, the Horticultural Development Corporation, told me we need to be planting more passion fruit because currently farmers cannot meet the demand for the export market here in Kenya.

In Ngarendare 60 farmers are planting mobydick flowers for export. Most of them are new growers of this particular flower, but they are eager to learn. We recently went on a tour of some larger flower farms in nearby Naro Moro to learn about the production and grading of this particular flower. The tour had the desired effect: all came away with a sense of optimism, seeing how others were growing the plant successfully.

Unfortunately, there are those here who don’t seem to want their country to succeed. Crime here is rampant, and there are those who still wish to stir up civil unrest. Consequently, we are on our guard always. We are not traveling in areas that may be potentially dangerous, and this unfortunately slows our progress at times.

A fellow Anglican missionary friend of mine recently told me he thought it would take a full generation to fully heal the bitter animosity that exists amongst two of the major tribes in Kenya. I must admit that I agree, regardless of my optimism, but I will close by saying that I believe the vast majority of Kenyans do want genuine peace and reconciliation among all people of this land. Please pray that the few who don’t want peace do not get their way.

All God’s Blessings,

Horace

March Newsletter

Dear Friends,

If you have not seen our blog, please check out http://plantingfaith.blogspot.com. We try to update it weekly with news of our work here.

Now that peace has come across Kenya, there seems to be a wave of optimism amongst the people here, who desperately long for sources of hope. In this case, government and opposition leaders have signed a power sharing agreement that has brought an end to the violence that wracked the country in January and February. Everyone is now praying that the peace is indeed lasting, and it appears that this will be the case, as the international community is doing everything possible to make sure both sides keep up their ends of the deal.

Our work is now going well. We just started a new farmer group in an area outside Nairobi called Kabete. This group will be growing the bird of paradise flower for export. This is truly a long-term investment, as they won’t harvest for 12 months, but once they begin, the plant will live and produce income for them for years to come. In Mang’u and Murang’a, the passion fruit farmers are doing well. Their plants are growing taller and will need trellising very soon. In Ngarendare, the flower farmers are preparing themselves for harvest. Because most of them are new to the crop they are growing – Mobydick – they are going to visit a farm in the village of Naro Moro this week where they can witness firsthand the harvest and grading of these flowers.

Because life came to a standstill in many parts of the country during January and part of February, most everyone will tell you now they are working double-time to catch up because of all the lost time. Anne and I are no exceptions. We’ve been holding two farmer meetings per week, teaching, checking crops, holding discipleship lessons and just managing the general welfare of the groups, since the signing of the peace agreement.

The question remains, however, is how did a country which professes to be 85% Christian let this happen. In a number of sermons and talks we have heard, this question is posed by Kenyans to Kenyans. While the answers vary, one common theme amongst everyone is that renewal in Jesus Christ is truly needed here. Only He can bring about the true reconciliation that is needed amongst warring people groups, and that of course, is reconciliation through Him in truth. Maybe in some small way we too can be a part of this process. Only the Lord knows.

Life on the home front is pretty normal. Mary Shea broke her arm last month, but now has her cast off and appears to be fully healed, as she has gone back to swim team practice. Horace has just wound up his basketball season. His team made it to the semi-finals of their tournament play. Everyone on the team was pleased with how they played this year, even though the season was interrupted because of the violence early on. Rugby season is coming up soon.

We recently sold all but one of our Labrador puppies…yahoo! We have one left who is unfortunately very sickly and must get well before we can even think about selling her. However, as easily as the others sold, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Spring break is coming soon, and all of us are happy for the much needed break. We are going on a short trip to the Kenyan coast (thanks to the sale of the puppies) and the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Everyone is very excited, especially the kids because a lot of their friends will be there as well.

As Easter approaches, one can’t help but be reflective on all Christ has done for us. In times such as we have had in the last couple of months, the message of the Cross truly brings it all home. Had Jesus not died and rose again for our sins, life would truly be chaotic all the time, but because of His grace, we can see glimpses of His glory shining through even in times of despair. We once heard that one cannot truly experience Easter unless he experiences Lent as well. We cannot agree more emphatically. This will truly be a Lenten season that we never, ever forget.

Yours in Christ,

Horace, Anne, Horace, Jr. and Mary Shea

March 10 Update

Greetings from Nairobi! Once again we find ourselves in the strange position of living in a hot and dry climate when friends and family in both the US and the UK are experiencing severe cold weather. Our prayers are with all of those facing these winter storms. We truly hope they are the fun kind of winter weather with beautiful snow and warm fires inside rather than the bitter cold and dangerous ice and wind. And, I hope some of my teacher friends and family were able to enjoy some snow days!

Last week, we felt that we were once again running a somewhat normal schedule. Tuesday, we were in Murang’a to have a business seminar with the passion fruit growers there. Things seem to be going well. There was some need for some replacement plants on some of the farms, so we took care of that also. Things seem to be progressing fairly normally without any unusual problems. Everyone will, of course, be glad to see the first fruits being harvested. We have a few months before that will happen however. They are ready to install posts and wires for the trellising of the plants.

Friday, we were in the Kabete area. Even though this is very close to Nairobi, we felt we were in a very rural area. The growers there are just beginning a flower growing business – growing Bird of Paradise flowers for the export market there. We had an introductory meeting in which contracts and the format was explained in detail. We will be meeting with this group in May, as they have chosen a quarterly meeting format. The group is full of optimism about the project, and it is always a blessing to be in the middle of that feeling.

Tomorrow, we head to Ngarendare, which is close to Nanyuki near Mt. Kenya. The growers there are farming the Moby Dick flower for export. We will be having a business seminar and discipleship class as well as viewing the crop. We will be spending the night in Nanyuki. We are blessed to have two fellow Anglican missionaries, Amber and Anne, staying with our children while we are away. Thursday, we head to Mang’u for another business seminar.

Family life is going fine. We have all been healthy, which is a true blessing. Saturday was Horace’s basketball tournament at RVA (a rival school about an hour away). While they played well, they lost in the semifinals. Next, we move on to rugby. Mom will try to watch the games, but I have to tell you, it is difficult sometimes! Thankfully, this week is free of sports and activities for him. The rest will be welcomed. Mary Shea continues to swim, so we will have that activity this week. She has parent teacher conferences this Friday, so she is eagerly anticipating the day off from school.

That is about all of our news. The details of the political settlement are still working their way through Parliament, but all looks like it will be settled soon. For the most part, all is very calm here, as the people were very weary of the turmoil that wracked the country during January and February. There is no doubt now that the peace will be lasting, and there is a great deal of optimism as for what the future holds for Kenya.

We appreciate your prayers as always. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Blessings,
Anne

Monday Morning Update - March 3

Technology can be a wonderful thing, but I am learning the lesson to always double check on its accuracy!!!

I received a message Thursday that our entry had been posted on the blog, but it was not the case as it was evidently lost in cyber space. So, I went to repost this morning. I guess the blogger site felt guilty. It posted it twice to make up for last week. UGGGGHHHHHH!!!!! I am attempting to fix the problem. Maybe you can have patience for me. This certainly seems to be a rough Monday morning.

We are trying to get back on track after all of the turmoil for the past two months. The overall atmosphere in this country is so different than just one week ago. Many are quite hopeful of the future that this peace deal will bring. At the same time, there are many sobering reminders that Kenya has a lot of work to do to heal and achieve lasting peace among all people. Many organizations are looking at ways they can address these problems. People who once worked together peacefully were torn apart over the elections and resulting violence and there is a climate of hostility in some places that will be hard to overcome. Now, Kenyans begin work to live together in peace and understanding.

We are all doing fine and getting ready for a busy week.

Tuesday, we head to Murang’a to meet with a farmer group. They are growing passion fruit. We will hold a business seminar and a discipleship lesson with the group leaders. Horace will be in the field checking the crop. It will be the first time I have been there since before Christmas. Horace has visited the crop, but we have not had a large meeting.

Friday is another busy day. We are meeting with a new group in Kabete – which is very close to Nairobi to start a flower project. They will be growing the Bird of Paradise flower. We will be starting the seminars and discipleship lessons with them.

While tourism and travel to Kenya has been disrupted, it has meant the cancellation of some of the short term mission teams that were coming to work with us. We are pleased to say that we are now beginning to make plans for teams coming. That is indeed great news. Please pray as these plans are finalized and details are worked out.

Family life is going well. Mary Shea is back to normal activity, although swimming certainly gave her a challenge (20 laps just to warm up!). Horace is gearing up for a basketball tournament this weekend. He plays his electric bass in chapel with the worship team today, and I hope to make it over to attend. Spring Break is in just three weeks, and I have to say, they are counting the days! We have sold two puppies, and we have two ready to go. Tangawizi, our sickly one, is fat and happy here, but she is not quite ready to leave us – or the medical treatments.

We will continue to update you as things develop, although, I will be checking for more accurate postings on the website. We are so thankful for your prayers and encouragement.

Have a Blessed Week!!

Anne