planting...

In March, Floyd and several men spent weeks preparing the land and planting crops at Wells of Joy. They planted 10 acres of maize and 10 acres of beans. All of this was done by hand, with no machinery. We want the ministry to become self-sustaining, so using equipment or other expensive resources would not help meet that goal.
The planting process we use comes from Farming God's Way, a farming practice that began in Zimbabwe in 1984. The method is very strategic and requires good planning and using God's natural design to care for the land. This was new for all the men in our ministry, but they adjusted well to the tedious nature of Farming God's Way.

Measuring and marking the exact dimensions for each plant.

It has to be a square - 100 meters by 100 meters.

A lot of time was spent clearing the land. You can see the side near me is finished and their working on the other side. 

To make sure everyone knew the plan and understood each step in the process for implementing Farming God's Way, Floyd
and the lead guys met in the office before beginning each new step.

Many hands makes the work lighter.

Different people are responsible for putting in the various components - lyme or wood ash, natural fertilizer, and the seeds.

The seeds are not just thrown in. Instead they go in a specific way that allows you to buy the right amount of seed
and maximize the harvest.

As far as you can see in this photo is about 2 acres out of 20, so you can imagine the amount of work. 

Now, less than 2 months out from planting, you can see that the crop is growing quite well. Franco sent us these videos since we haven't seen it in person yet.

Please join us in praying that the 2 year drought is finally over and that our crops will bring a bountiful harvest. Maize and beans are the primary source of food, which also means they are the biggest financial cost for Wells of Joy. Growing our own will make a huge leap toward self-sufficiency.