Farm Friday

Happy New Year to our loved ones and Lifesong supporters!  While much of the Midwest is buried in snow and ice, we are busy planting, harvesting, and building.  Our family really misses snow, but the kids love being able to go swimming every week in the reservoir.  Between rains, the temps climb into the upper 80's making for great swimming and sweating.  This picture was taken when the team was here from the States last week.

Erik picked up the berries in Lusaka and cleared them through customs, a learning experience for sure. He arrived home on New Year's Eve. We gave our workers the day off on New Year's Day and then began planting on the 2nd. The planting went well. The blackberries were just roots with stems less than an inch long. After 2 days, the bulk of the blackberries were in the ground and we were ready to start on the strawberries. The strawberry beds were already formed, and the irrigation was laid. The beds were also covered with plastic to prevent weeds and to retain moisture. Another 3 days and the planting was finished.

Final bed formation and laying the irrigation

Measuring and applying the fertilizer

Finished beds with strawberries and tunnels going up in the background

The tunnels have come a long way since our last post. 4 are completed. They look great.

Our raspberries continue to produce well in spite of the rains. We hope to install shade netting soon to deflect some of the rain.

The taste of our raspberries has continued to improve!

At the new acreage we are able to start in earnest on our Capital Expansion Plan due to contributions from generous donors. Currently a security fence is being installed, the pump house is being built for the irrigation system, and we are converting the sea container into housing for a security guard.  We hope to have everything ready for planting in late March. At that time, we will be receiving 100,000 strawberry plants thanks to the help of Plant Sciences, Inc. www.plantsciences.com/

In spite of the busyness of the farm, we are thankful to be able to share life with our workers as we labor
together. We know He has promised to be in the midst of even just 2 or 3 that gather in His name. 
Sometimes the language is a barrier but we are slowly learning more iciBemba. Before we left, someone
provided our family with a Proclaimer. It has been a huge blessing to our workers, most of who are unable
to read. When they heard the Bible in their own language, their eyes lit up and they all requested their own
Proclaimer to take home! http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/proclaimer  

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.  May God be glorified for all the good that is
happening in Zambia!