Coming Back to CANADA

Today is my last full day here in Fort Myers, Florida. I leave tomorrow just before lunch and should be back in Canada around supper time. It has been a very beneficial two weeks here. I have learned a lot about tropical agriculture as well as met some very interesting and friendly people.

As far as agriculture goes, hopefully I have learned enough to be of some use in Zambia. I learned about a tree that can be grown in Africa that is very nutritious and has many uses. It's called the Moringa tree and it is native to India and parts of Africa. It grows well in many different climatic and soil conditions and is very highly nutritious. It may be something that would be useful for Claudia (I told her all about it) and hopefully I can grow some in Zambia.

I met a couple here that are from Ontario. They used to have a farm near Ayr (close to Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo). They are retired now and live in Kincardine during the summer and in Florida during the winter. They work here at ECHO. I had the opportunity to have dinner at their house on Monday night with an intern from here (Holly). It was very nice to be able to talk to some people that know where I'm from and know the area. Of course, it is great talking to everyone here but there's something about home! They also sent me some pictures that someone had sent them from the big storm that went through Southern Ontario. There was a tornado that touched down near Fergus and Salem. I have yet to see the damade done by it but from the picturse I've seen it must be pretty bad. My mom has been saving pictures and articles from the local papers for me but if anyone else has anything about it I would love to see/read it.

Well, that's about it for today. It is sunny and warm here (and of course very humid). I am looking forward to coming home to some cooler temperatures! I guess it's good practice for Zambia though. I hope everyone is enjoying their last week before school starts. Good luck and Godspeed!

Hurricane Katrina

I'm still down in Fort Myers and we were supposed to get a hurricane today (Hurricane Katrina) but it went south of us. In some ways it's a little disappointing, since I've never really seen a hurricane up close, but in other ways it's good because it means less damage and less work for the people at ECHO (where I am).

Yes, I am still at ECHO, which stands for Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization. I have been learning quite a bit and I think I will be prepared for Zambia. Everyone here is really nice and I have enjoyed getting to know all of the interns. Joas (from Haiti), left yesterday morning. I got some pictures of him though so at least everyone can see who he is. He invited me down to Haiti anytime to help teach or speak at the school he helped start and at his church. I am very blessed to have met him and I am sure God had His hand in it (actually I know God had His hand in it).

Last night we had a Bible study again and I got to lead it. We started looking at Ezekiel so all the things I learned in Hebrew Prophets (Andrea, Mom and Claudia will remember this, so will Andrew I think too) came in handy. I think people enjoyed it. I certainly hope they all learned something.

I don't have too much planned for this weekend. There was talk of going to the beach but the hurricane is probably still going to be too close to make the beach any fun (unless you consider getting blown away or rained on lots of fun). I imagine we will find something fun to do around here.

Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying things up in Canada. It has been warm and humid down here but today is a nice break (it's windy and humid instead). I look forward to seeing everyone when I come back from Florida. Oh yeah, I found out too that I will not be leaving for Zambia until a little later. I will be leaving on September 18 so I will have two weeks at home before I go. God bless everyone!

Fort Myers

Right now I am in sunny Fort Myers, Florida. I am here as part of my training for Zambia. I can study all sorts of agriculture in Ontario but since Zambia is much warmer and different crops can be grown there, it makes sense for me to gain some experience in a tropical climate. So, I am working at ECHO, which is a training farm for missionaries, students and anybody wishing to know more about agriculture. They have six different demo areas that give examples of what types of crops and methods for growing crops in various climatic and topographic settings.

I arrived here on Monday, August 15 and I will be here until September 1. The weather here is very warm and very humid but the work here is not as physically demanding as at the organic farm I was at the last two weeks. Here I can help out in the morning and then stay inside in the afternoon in the library. I can use this time to look up information about current crops and potential crops for Zambia. It's nice because they have a lot of resources that are tailored to missionaries travelling overseas to work in agriculture.

The people here are really nice and friendly (yes, even Americans can be as friendly as Canadians). There are five interns working here that run the different areas (there is a sixth but he is not here right now - I think he's on vacation until next week). I have been getting to know all of the interns and they are very eager to help me whenever they can. Each of them is here for a full year to run their respective areas. There is also a guy from Haiti here. He is doing something similar to what I am doing. He is a student here learning more about agriculture that he can use in Haiti. His name is Joas.

I guess there's not too much to add right now. It is very warm here and I think I am beginning to miss the cold (hehehe - yup, I'm crazy!!) Oh well, I guess I have to get used to it. Zambia will be pretty warm too. I hope everyone is having a good end to their summer up there. If you have any questions or comments feel free to e-mail or post them (you can post anonymously here if you can't log in). I look forward to being back in Canada for a bit before I go to Zambia.

Training Update

Last week and this week I have been at Greenfields Organic Farm near Cambellville, Ontario. I am working with Jeff, the intern that went to Zambia last year with Crossroads. It is very interesting and I am learning a lot about agriculture. Jeff has many hints for Zambia but it has been very hot here. Last Tuesday and Wednesday I spent most of the time puling weeds by hand. On Wednesday morning I picked yellow beans and on Thursday I helped harvest chard. This week was pretty similar to last week: more pulling weeds. It can be pretty repetitive but it gives me a chance to talk to Jeff about Zambia. Next Monday (August 15) I will be flying to Florida for two and a half weeks. I will be working at a missionary training farm. They grow a lot of tropical plants and provide resources for people that plan to farm in tropical climates. I will be back in Ontario September 1.