So one thing I've learned in the past week or so is that the rainy season really means rain. There have been a number of storms in the past few days and a few power outages as a result. Now as it's starting to storm again, I figure I better get in my post before the power goes out (as it did again on Friday). Luckily, I was able to stay inside during most of the rain, although I did get soaked one evening (even with my umbrella).
Things are still going well here. Saturday I was roped into a young adults event at church. It was fun and probably good to get to know some people better. Sunday was the kid's service, so there were dozens and dozens of children on the stage singing and dancing and sharing verses. It was good. After church I went out to lunch with Jerry, the man who runs the church's Global Leadership Academy, where young adults enter a year-long program to learn about service and missions. It sounded like the overwhelming emphasis is on learning how to convert others, but generally a good thing. There are two Americans there right now, and I've talked with them a bit. They agreed with my conclusion that KFC is the only American chain here, but one claimed there is a Nandos restaurant (chicken, chicken, and more chicken) in DC. I don't remember anything of the sort, but DC is a big place.
Anyway, I promised some analysis of the pictures I posted. The day was really a good one. First, we visited the chickens again and I was able to see that they'd grown a bit. Tinashe and Pastor Daniel talked with the farmers about things like regulating temperature (some of the houses were a bit warmer than they should have been), helping hurt chicks, and other chicken-raising things. Some farmers were doing better than others. One didn't seem to be putting enough effort into some little things (chickens require a lot of attention) like heat and bedding. Tinashe explained to her that if she wants to make E3,000 (a lot of money for someone in her position), she had to work like she wanted to make it. Afterwards, he and I talked a bit about her circumstances (tough ones for sure), and where the balance was in excusing it. Because the market doesn't care about a person's past, only about the number and weight of chickens. So that's something I'm not sure there's a good answer for.
When we went to the second village, we were in for a real treat. As you saw, their houses were very orderly and well-made. The group was highly motivated and doing things really well. During training, some wild chickens had been wandering near the chicken house and we were fairly certain they had brought disease to the chickens we were trying to raise. So they requested fencing materials. We delivered them Tuesday afternoon and by Thursday morning, they had all the wooden fenceposts up, 3/4 of the guiding wires and 1/2 of the chain link fence. I was really impressed by that. They were really excited about getting their first batch of chicks (arriving today). We initially only had budgeted 1,000 for them (1 farmer) because we were also supplying 1,000 for the other village. But on seeing their preparations and enthusiasm, we stretched our budget a bit and got them an extra 1,000.
So there's a lot of good stuff going on here, and, of course, some challenges. So we keep working!
-Ben
P.S. Wisconsin is looking pretty good, I wish I could get to a game or two. Welcome to the Big Ten Nebraska. And of course Green Bay continues to impress, not only with their victories, but also with their commitment to continue improving. Also, my brother caught a pass in overtime.
P.P.S. Looks like I spent too long typing. The internet is now out. I'll post this as soon as it comes back.
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