The Horrors of this World

Toxic Waste Case in the Cote D'Ivoire

Please pray for the many people involved in this terrible case. Pray that companies will hold responsibility for their actions in our world.

Also, please continue to pray for the elections coming up in November for the Cote D'Ivoire. It could potentially affect Dea's work there tremendously.

Thank You Renita!

Renita Reed, who works for Partners Worldwide, just completed her visit with the ACLCP. She arrived this past Thursday, and spent days with the ACLCP board making decisions and figuring things out. It was a very productive time, and we truly appreciate the time she spent with us.

She is currently on her way back to LEAD in Monrovia, and then she will move into her new home in Accra, Ghana. From there, she's going to work with the groups in Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria, helping them to become more solid and successful.

I didn't get involved in all the meetings, but many important things were accomplished that will surely strenghten the relationship between all of ACLCP's partners and assure them that this group is working hard and doing great work. I know for a fact that her trip made a big difference. The board members are encouraged by her presence and her ongoing help.

So, Renita: thank you so much for coming to Danane and helping the ACLCP.

Chickens in the Land of Canaan

Along with being the head of the ACLCP and all the things that go along with it, Dea and Charlotte have their own personal farm. It is a beautiful place. In fact, Dea likes to call it "The Land of Canaan" because this is the land where they reap a plentiful harvest for their family. At the moment there are many things being grown there, including pineapples, peppers, peanuts, kassava, corn, palm trees, and 1,100 baby chicks. The baby chicks are the most recent addition, and they are project where they hope to make the largest gain.

Each day, Dea keeps record of various things: if any chicks died, the inocculations given, etc. This sort of bookkeeping is what the ACLCP tries to promote to other farmers. We want them to keep track of their animals and have something they can look back on. In the background, you can see feed on the cement floor... During the drive from Abidjan, some of the feed got wet, so this was spread out to help dry.

This is the inside of Dea and Charlotte's chicken building. Behind the black tarp is where all the chicks have been living (and growing!) for the past four weeks. Soon, we'll have to expand their space, and eventually the hens will take up the entire building. This chicken house is a wonderful place. It's a very sturdy structure that will ensure decades of quality use. It's got a strong cement floor and brick walls.

These are some bags of feed for the chicks. Each one weighs 50kg (110lbs).

To get all of these chicks, Dea and Charlotte had to drive 400 miles to the capital city and back. There they also were able to buy a couple months' worth of feed. These are the boxes that the chicks came in! Imagine fitting 1,100 chicks, and 2 months' worth of feed into a toyota pickup, then driving such a long distance! (the chicks were put in the place of the back seat)

So here they are! This photo was taken a couple weeks ago, and they've grown a lot since then. It's such a fun sight to see them running back and forth. We use woodchips from local carpenters for their bedding, and we've been using charcoal from the farm to keep the babies warm.

Dea and Charlotte. In this picure, they're standing at the back of the building in their rice field (Which is now a peanut field). This building obviously took a lot of money and work to build. They hope that by doing this chicken project they can help provide for their family as well as the ministry going on here. In just a matter of months, they'll be getting around 1,000 eggs each day from these chickens. Talk about a big operation!

THE GOSPEL IN ACTION

So far in this country, the gospel has been confined in the four walls of the church building. Work sites are regarded as inappropriate places for the gospel. Very few people, perhaps no one, dare to mention a few quotes from the scripture in their workplace. The mind set that the Gospel belongs only to the santuary still exists.

In this country where 66 percent of the people live and work in a farm setting, it sounds ridiculous to keep the Word just for those inside the church. Since the return to our home town, we have tried to take God's Word to the villages where the beneficiaries of our loans live and work.

We try to bring the Gospel with us wherever we go and whenever we meet. Places where we meet with people include: the compound of the chief of the village, the palaver tree, and the homes of various group members. During a recent visit to a group that included some Muslim women, I took the opportunity to preach on Romans 3:19-26. I talked about the fact that, while we are all sinners and fall short, Jesus justifies us freely by his grace. It's a powerful passage. The fact that we were able to bring a message like this to Muslim people is part of what makes this minstry so special - and important. We help to get people set on their feet, and we try to set their minds on the Bible.

This quarter, we have received over $20,000 from churches in Tennessee, Alabama, and Iowa, as well as from church members in this area. This incredible amount of money is what makes our ministry possible. It allows us to help farmers and small-scale businesspeople make a good and honest living, and it helps to spread the good news of Jesus.

So thank you so much for your contributions! We deeply appreciate it.

Dryland Rice Farming

The ropes we spent a few hours making a mark every 25cm.

This is tough work! After doing this for just one day, I had a sore body and sunburn on the back of my neck. Most farmers here use the scattering method, where they just toss the seeds for planting. Our way takes hard work, but it pays off. The plants are spaced consistently, and we can use the rows to prevent soil erosion.