Maize, Maize, and more Maize. That’s the latest thing happening here at Project Samuel in Zambia, Africa. We finally resolved the issues with the power company and on the installation schedule to have the transformer and power line hooked up some time in early July. I have also interviewed a house mother that could possibly become our first caretaker once we have children on site. The United Church of Zambia will be using the Destiny Training Center at Project Samuel to host a two day choir gathering in which all of the churches within Chibombo district will attend. These are just some of the exciting things that are currently happening on the field here in Zambia, Africa.
Now that the maize is harvested, we are plowing the stalks under and are preparing the field for next year. By plowing immediately after we harvest, it allows the stalks, grass, and other weeds to decompose and enrich the soil with nutrients for the following season. In addition, we doubled the field size from 1.5 hectares to over 3 hectares, including half a hectare of tomato and other vegetables.
I have been speaking with many farmers whom I have met while working here about farming in Zambia. With the information that I have gained through these contacts, I am looking into the idea of expanding the agricultural and farming department of Project Samuel. With the increase in financial income from the farm, Project Samuel would move one step closer to becoming self sustaining. It will also bring employment opportunities to the village and the children that will grow up here at Project Samuel.
Eventually we will need to fence the farm project, put in irrigation, and purchase a tractor. Once we have these things in place, then we can begin producing enough produce to become a self sustain project, allowing Relationships for Christ Ministries to focus its funding on other projects around the world.
The electricity proved to be more of a challenge than I previously thought it would. With over two months of intense negotiations, we finally received an acceptable quote, and once I return to Zambia, we will hopefully have electricity at last. This has definitely been a growing process considering I spent day after day protesting our quote and dealing with governmental bureaucracy to ensure Project Samuel was treated fairly.
It all started when I applied for power at the office of Zesco and met a young man named Hon who was very helpful and willing to do anything that was needed to process Project Samuel’s Application and get someone out to the project as quickly as possible. At first I thought this was going to be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, Hon’s involvement consisted only in processing applications. I cannot say that I have the same feelings toward the remaining contacts at Zesco, but only hope that they were influenced in some way by my persistent fight for a fair quotation.
Within three days, a Zesco worker came to the project to estimate the cost. This usually takes a minimum of two weeks, but thanks to Hon and his hard work, it only took three days. The Zesco employee took approximately ten minutes and was on his way. But when I received the quote four days later, I was astonished with a whopping $10,000. Now I know that a transformer can be expensive, but ten thousand dollars!
Immediately I went to work on trying to get a lower the quote. First, I had to go to the business office in Lusaka. There, I was able to meet with the man that gavethe original quotation. He told me that he would talk to his supervisor and see if she could reduce the price. After meeting with her, I was told that they were able to bring the cost down to $8,000. Still not happy with that price, I called the office and spoke with RFC President Timothy Vowell who encouraged me to ask for a detailed quote that showed the exact prices of the items. Finally we agreed that it was probably the best price we could get and went to pay the deposit and schedule the work.
When I arrived at the office to pay, I went to a person that a friend of mine knew and recommended. Thankfully, I chose to see her first rather than go to the front desk. I found out that the quote originally given to me was a fake, it had been typed up on their letter head, and was most likely “padded” with unnecessary costs.
Fortunately, with the help of Manya Liboma and her Mother, I was introduced to the managing director of Zesco, the manager of all managers as I call him, and I remember thinking to myself, “finally, someone with some pull.” Shortly after our meeting, we had a quote of only $6,800 and it is locked in and awaiting my return from America in a couple of weeks. Once paid in full, they will come out and do the installation.
Apparently, while our building contractor has been using the workers at the Project to help on construction, they have been learning how to lay block and mix cement and now they can do much of the building on their own! If we can begin using our own fulltime employees to build, we would be able to save nearly $2,000 on each house. That’s a lot when you figure that we have 20 or more buildings left to construct.
As I mentioned earlier, the United Church of Zambia has asked if all of their choirs from the Chibombo District can use the training center for a special two day Choir Festival. Unfortunately, the training center will not be finished in time, and they will have to use it without a roof. The meetings are set for the middle of July and there won't be time for us to put a roof on the Training Center before the event. But, none the less, when I told them one Sunday morning that they can use it, they praised God with so much joy and gladness and had so much appreciation I was humbled that we were able to help by giving so little.
Once the children’s homes are finished, we will be bringing children on site and it is our mission to create a special environment for these children to grow and succeed in. That is why I have already started interviewing House Mothers for Project Samuel. Each house will have eight children and will need a House Mother to take care of all the children’s needs, just like any parent would. Although we are not expecting children on site until later this year, I have already begun the interviewing process. We want to take our time and select the very best mothers of these positions. We want to ensure that these women are fit for such an important job!
With all the things going on, I sometimes forget to step back and see what God has done through our ministry. When you step back and look at Project Samuel, It is amazing how much he has done in such a short time. The great thing about Project Samuel is that everyone has an opportunity be a part of something that changes the lives of people all over the world. Whether it is in Zambia at Project Samuel, or in Nicaragua ministering in the garbage dump, this ministry is “renewing minds and changing lives” each and every day!
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