the shearing

Some of you may be thinking " Shearing sheep in November? That just doesn't make sense! What kind of farmer is he!" If you are not thinking this then you are in one of two positions: 1. you do not know that sheep are obviously sheared in the Spring when it starts to warm up or 2. you know that the farm that I work at does not have sheep. My friends, this post has nothing to do with agriculture primarily. Two and half weeks ago I left the farm for Greenville, SC to shack up with my parents awaiting my next adventure.

My apprenticeship on the farm was an amazing experience. I met some truly amazing people who have a huge heart for what they are doing. Every day whether good or bad, difficult or simple was very educational. I have not decided if farming is right for me, but the cool thing is that I don't have to yet. I am only 20 and am definitely not ready to settle down on a farm anyway. This brings me to my next adventure.

For the past 30 years, my church has been deeply involved in efforts to improve life in the Haitian village of Cange. When they first arrived water was unavailable, there was no healthcare - much less a hospital, and education was severely lacking. Now, water is being pumped up to the plateau where a compound, including a hospital and several schools, is located. Cange was not hit directly by the earthquake earlier this year, but with knowledge of the well-run and supplied hospital thousands of peoples walked several days to the small village in the central plateau of Haiti. New challenges face the hard working community in Cange, but so far so good.

Gillaine Warne, a woman from Greenville, SC, created an organization called Zamni Agrikol (Partners in Agriculture) in 2004. It was originally set up to feed the malnourished children and adults in and surrounding Cange, and that is exactly what they are doing. They make this peanut based paste for babies and a peanut based meal for older children. But, that wasn't enough. They have set up a cooperative of families growing vegetables, raising goats and chickens, making compost, and helping each other all along the way. I must admit, I do not know a lot about the program yet, but I do know that Gillaine and her team currently have about 1400 families in their program. There is a Haitian agriculture team growing all of the peanuts, soybeans, corn, mangoes, and bananas for the children. After talking with Gillaine, she asked me to come down and help them grow vegetables. (Now friends, I have one season of farming under my belt, which isn't much at all in farm knowledge, but through guidance of the Holy Spirit I said yes.) It all begins with setting up a drip irrigation system, and then I will be hiking up into the mountainy wilderness of Haiti with Haitian agriculturalists to try and impart the little knowledge of growing food that I have to the families struggling to survive off the land. There is so much that I would like to tell you about the farming side of things, but that will have to wait until I have a better understanding of the system down there. Please be praying for God to give me direct

guidance in agriculture practices for I have never tried to grow vegetables in a subtropical environment before and um....it's quite different. Haha...as I just typed that shivers and tingles went up my spine. Because that is exactly it, I am stepping out in fearful confidence in God's ability to provide for me with knowledge, safety, and of course grace.

So, I leave a week from tomorrow (November 12th). - I would have posted sooner, but my trip was not certain (and still technically is not) because of the Cholera outbreak and now the hurricane heading for Haiti's shores. In my mind, there is a 80% chance that I will go, so I think that that is grounds for a post. - My initial trip will be for about 5 and a half weeks (I return on December 22nd), but if all goes wells I am lined up to go back to Haiti in the Spring to finish out the growing season. You see, in Haiti the rainy season is from May-ish til November-ish, give or take a drop or two, and apparently vegetables can not hold up to the disease or the physical beating that the torrential rain falls bring. Dry season it is! I am not entirely sure exactly how dry the dry season is, but I do know that an irrigation system is absolutely necessary.

So why did I title this "the shearing" anyway? Well you see, in Haiti, a man having long hair is a cultural abomination

...soo snip snip buzz

buzz and bam.

The tears rolled down both mine and my girlfriend's face as my hair hit the floor.

It was a symbolic

moment for me though. God doesn't care about who you make yourself...all he cares about is who he makes you. Now

I am not saying that long hair is bad...nono I am already making plans for the regrowth of my mane...But for me shaving my glorious locks was an outward sign of me submitting completely and entirely to His will even when it is difficult. I am going to be honest. Going to Haiti is not an easy thing for me to do. I am leaving everything I know and love to embrace the unknown. This adventure is about 20 steps out of my comfort zone...this is why your prayer is absolutely 100% necessary.

shaven

I will have internet access during my stay in Haiti, and I will try my very best to keep up with all of you through this blog and e-mail is you would like. I have fundraised enough for this initial trip, but if you are interested in supporting me financially please shoot me an e-mail (tassien4@gmail.com).

grace and peace

noah