Earlier this year, we were blessed with a visit to Capital
from lead Swazi missionaries Jumbo & Kriek Gerber. Nothing like being able
to sit across from the people that actually live the Care Point management life
and ask specific questions! Among many conversations during the visit, one
particular seed was planted. Jumbo mentioned that he was considering building
the first greenhouse at Mkhombokati.
It is Jumbo’s goal to have the Care Point system food sustainable by 2017. And yes, that means feeding 6000 kids every day with food they are able to grow themselves. Amazing! Returning team member Karen Mohr decided to add a little water and see if we couldn’t make this dream start to grow.
Karen and her committee began digging up all kinds of manuals on what and how and when to garden vegetables in Swaziland. Months of time and research later, she had an irrigation plan, lots of hard core gardening gloves and the hope that the start of a greenhouse garden might have begun by the time we arrive.
We arrived. And somehow folks, we bought the farm.
SERIOUSLY.
There was no little greenhouse and no little garden. There was an enormous greenhouse and a football field of a garden ready for tilling and fertilizing and planting. Karen cried. And after she and her wonderful committee (and several of our awesome older Care Point boys!) made a small but decent dent in the tilling of the ground, she and the Swazi staff managed to get a tractor. For our farm. In Swaziland.
Since then, another tractor arrived, irrigation has been
laid and seedlings will be planted tomorrow. And many miles away, we’ll watch
this garden grow.
A special note is our deep gratitude for Nhlanhla (“Lucky”),
the Swazi staff member in charge of this project who has worked and is working tremendously hard to
create this gift to the Mkhombokati children. He is who will tend to and care
for this special piece of land and we thank God for him.
Tara
Tara
