Down the Road the Road is Down

You saw our massive rains on Monday. But you also saw our awesome land cruiser! Well, since we picked it up on Sunday, it has done a tough and rough 485km with us! It's been a busy week! On Wednesday, we ventured to Kayenze and we saw what was left of the roads. We knew our usual route would be pretty impassable. We found out late the night before that bridges were washed away on our Plan B route. So we went with the Plan C route.


Plan C Route

We left early with friends visiting from England, Cameron and Cath Spence, to Kayenze for a whizzing visit to various farmers in our agricultural group to check on progress with planting. It was great to have Cameron and Cath along and they patiently bore the bumping about on the road and trekking about on foot in the fields! We were all incredulous at some places where the road had simply eroded away, leaving up to 4ft drops and holes.

Thankful that the rain, which we had left home in, had stopped, we could see just how dangerous it would be with rain on the road, unable to see the crevices and holes. We saw a school bus which on Monday had been swept off the road and 150m down flooded fields where now people gathered with spades to try and dig it out. And we could also see the flood damage to homes beside the road. Sobering. Cameron was kindly hopping out from time to time to help navigate the tricky bits when turning around on rocky tracks, and although the journey took longer than usual, we made it safely back in time for school pick-up at 4:30pm!


The school bus stuck in the mud

Here are a few shots from the day, with some captions introducing you to some of the great people we are working with in Kayenze. They are putting into practice what they are learning, and together we are praying for a fruitful, improved harvest with more seeds to sow into the future of this community!


We first met with Amos. He has persevered through hardship,
re-planting where a herd of cows had trampled his seeds and gobbled his mulch.

We then met with Mama Meriziana. I think we will have to call her Mama Jackbean,
as due to her success, she is now the jackbean supplier! 

Cameron and Pastor Amon checking out the jackbeans! Meriziana is one of the few who
appreciate the benefit of the inedible jackbean which replenishes the soil with all kinds of goodness!

 

We travelled on to see Samson (right) and his family.
Samson has done a fantastic job, continuing to plant rows and rows of the different bean varieties.

Rows of beans intercropped with maize.

Sorting out the top-bar hive to put up in the mango tree.


A couple of guys whacking to death a boomslang snake in the field!