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Dear Santa

As we pursue our vision, we're relying on your continued support! Come alongside us to provide for our workers, students, and community - any size gift will help.

Here is our current wish list:

• 1 Teacher's Salary ($50/mo)
• 1 Guard's Salary ($50/mo)
• 3 Farmers' Salaries ($150/mo)
• Laptop ($350)
• Fence ($200)
• Sprinklers ($100)

Visit http://www.gofundme.com/SinanziSepoProject to give a one-time gift this Christmas, or commit to a monthly donation.

Thank you!

HOPE

Sinanzi is the name of the plot of land leased to our family for the home base of our project. This is a plot of land owned by the extended Mubuyaeta family in the Musanga Area, outside of Katima Mulilo, in the Zambezi (formerly Caprivi) region of Namibia. It is adjacent to the Katima SDA church.

The Zambezi Region of Namibia is the hardest hit with HIV/AIDS with a 37.7% prevalence rate.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201306130794.html

But there is hope.

Sepo means "hope" in Silozi.

Our goal is to help as many people as possible including people with HIV/AIDS, widows, orphange centers, older indivduals caring for orphans, etc by providing one of the most basic human needs: food, as a way of evangelizing to the village. Balancing the words with the action of the gospel.

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, 

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,

 I was a stranger and you invited me in."

Matthew 24:35

Back Stateside

Praise the Lord. Elton arrived safely back in NY with no issues. He went from over 100ºF. To 60ºF when he landed....

To this on his second day home and his first day back to work.  No rest for the weary.

Coming home

Time to relax and take a dip on the way home. 

I'm not going to lie. I'm a little jealous. I really wish I could be enjoying a little swim, chillin' poolside with a little kudu stew at Jollyboys. 

But little does he know what Mother Nature has been up to in NY....

Uh... Honey... did you not notice the WARNING sign???

Week Six

Elton's final week was exceedingly busy. As his time to leave approached, much was still to be accomplished.

Trenches were dug to lay the plumbing from the swamp to the water tank.

 The tank is set in place. As the tank was being filled, Elton and the guys got a lesson in construction.  This was the only mishap they had while working.  The 2500L proved to be too heavy for the planks.

In order to alleviate the pressure, they drained the tank by testing the sprinkler system.  Softening the ground is the final step before they are able to begin plowing and planting.

Once the tank was drained,  gum poles were added to brace it but in reality a metal tank stand is one of our future needs.  

Many thanks to one of our biggest supporters: Schenectady SDA church

Schenectady Seventh Day Adventist Church as been one of our biggest supporters since moving to NY.  They are our prayer warriors. They kept tabs on the kids and I while Elton was away. And they gave us a financial gift that made it able to purchase a the gas-powered water pump and the barbed wire.  These are two of the biggest items that will make the farm possible. 

Week Five

Even though working on our ministry projects was n important part of Elton's trip. Equally important was to get to spend time with family.  This little boy to the right is Elton's half-brother, Zechariah. He is about 5 years old and is quite fond of being his big brother's alarm clock. 

An important structure to complete was the guardsman house/storeroom.  If the field was left unattended, it would be a very large temptation for people to steal.

The guardsman's house will be traditional style construction of poles and termite mud.  Here Elton is using a pick to break apart a termite mound.

 The dust will be mixed with water.

 Mud is then packed in between the poles and dries almost as hard as concrete.

Week Four

So some of the hottest weather of the year is right before the rains begin in November.  Elton took some rare time off and visited a local hangout called "Stone City" on the Zambezi River. The rough flowing water makes it unsuitable in this location for hippos and crocs making it a safer place for people to venture in and cool off.  Elton estimates it was about 45ºC which is about 113ºF.

 Of course, Elton had to take a "selfie" to document the occasion.

 And the baboons also came down to the water for a drink.

 This is commonly how group transportation is done.

 All hands on deck to begin the construction of the stand to hold the 2500L water tank.

 Finally, Elton's uncle was able to purchase a chainsaw. This makes the process so much faster.

 What do they say? "Necessity is the mother of invention."  When you don't have a plate big enough for everyone, you can use a plastic bag.  Pap with a side of dried fish soup.

Week Three

During the third week, Elton and Luke visiting the Mafuta Orphanage Centre. More details about that to follow in another post.


The barbed wire has begun to be added to the fence posts.

At the end of the week, Elton and Luke traveled to Livingstone, Zambia for Luke to be able to return home. The end of his first trip to Africa was over but he will not be forgotten.  The children, especially, will miss him!!

While in Livingstone, Jollyboys Backpackers (our favorite lodge), Elton discovered they had installed free Wi-FIi.  The girls and I took advantage of this and had a nice Skype session with daddy. They had fun poking him in the nose.  After three weeks of not seeing this face, we were so happy!

 Back at the farm, the clean up of brush continued.

 As did the eating of communal meals!

Mukisa Kindergarten since July 2010

Mukisa Kindergarten has been in operation since July 2010.  This is a huge answer to prayer that has continued in our absence!  We hope to expand this in the future to be able to provide a meal to the children before they return home, provide a more consistent salary for the teacher (she currently relies on the tuition paid by students which is equivalent to about US$5 per student) and to be able to send her for training.

Kindergarten is not something provided by the government and therefore not usually something a child is able to participate in. We were able to send almost a whole suitcase full of school materials!

They are currently meeting in the house Elton lived in as a bachelor and where we lived for the first few weeks after we returned from our honeymoon.  It is the school's prayer to be able to build a new structure closer to the road.  Many children hesitate to come to school because of the long walk into the village past the dogs. 

Week Two

After a 14 hour bus ride, Elton & Luke arrived in Katima Mulilo.  They stayed in the village in the home of one of Elton's uncles.  Praise the Lord! All the luggage made it intact!

To begin the project, the land must be cleared. This is a BIG job! This is all done the old-fashioned way with axes, scythe, shovels, etc. 

 A trip into Katima to purchase supplies.

Breakfast was provided the first day on the job. One of my favorite homemade donuts called vetkoek.

If you ever wanted to try to make them, it is worth the effort: recipe

 Big boss on the job holding up the poles...

 Each hole is dug by hand.

 Also chopping down the trees is done by hand with a simple axe.

 Here is a pile of poles that have been collected and prepared by some of the men before Elton's arrival.

 The bark is burned off to make the poles last longer.  Here is a photo of the burning process.

 The initial fence in starting to take shape by the end of the second week.

Week One

After a drive from Albany to JFK, a flight from JFK to Johannesburg, a flight from Johannesburg to Windhoek, Elton and Luke arrived. 

They spent a week in the capital of Namibia purchasing supplies for the project, networking, filing paperwork and getting acclimated to the change of time zone. 

Also high on the list was spending time with Elton's sister, Sophie-Lee and her family.  They were gracious to host Elton and Luke while they were in the city.