Jens
Annual Report 2023: Progress on New Projects
Since our school in Mabala is operating completely independent from us, we were able to slowly start two new projects, one in Nsioni and one on the Plateau de Bateke.
In spite of the extremely difficult conditions with no infrastructure and electricity, Joseph in Nsioni has done well on his project. By now, he has been able to move almost his whole workshop from Kinshasa to the farm, which was not an easy task.
He has bred many fish in his fishponds. Since most people there don’t have fridges to preserve the fish they catch, they do it by salting and drying them. He also planted many vegetables and fruits. Many of his trees bore good fruit like bananas, plantains and papayas. He is also growing coconut trees even if it will take time for them to bear fruit.
Since Joseph is a very talented handyman and inventor, he has even built a little water plant to generate some electricity
Just recently, Madlen visited Joseph’s farm and reported to us that after very heavy rains some of the embankment of the fish pond got washed away and many of the fish were swept away. Unfortunately, there was also a wide spread swine disease in the region and some of his pigs died as well.
Now we are concentrating on solidifying the agricultural project and starting a chicken coop. Joseph is also enlarging and fortifying the fishpond, so that the fish will stay contained during any future heavy rains.
Jean was able to build a building for a chicken raising project at the Plateau de Bateke and produce many fruit tree seedlings for sale. But then fighting broke out between the two tribes in that area. The building for the chickens has become a refuge for about six families.
Thank God, Jean’s field was not directly affected by the fights, so he was able to resume work on his agriculture projects after 4 months. Nevertheless, he had to clear the land all over again. He is planting manioc and vegetables now.
Due to the instability of the region, we decided to move the chicken raising project into a safer area. Jean has an unfinished building in Kisantu. We are turning this building into a chicken coop. Presently they are working on installing windows and doors.
The difficult circumstances make us all the more grateful for everything we can achieve. It is typical for the Congo – two step forwards, one step back, but the amazing thing is the resilience of its people, who will just not give up.
These setbacks made us realize that under these conditions it will take more time to build a vocational training center.
Other than that, we held our annual ADH meeting with its members to discuss further steps with the Congo projects.
                 
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18th Century Man
When was the last time you walked in the fields, no houses or people, no cars and streets in sight? Just walking, looking at the fields, the trees, maybe some horses, and the beautiful skies, clouds, and the sun spreading its beautiful colors.
I like walking in the fields whenever I get a chance. At the end of summer, when our little family visits the grandparents in their countryside house, I like to take some bags and roam the fields, seeking fruits. When our teenage daughter saw me going out like this, she said: “Daddy is going into the fields like an 18th century man.”
In the eyes of a young teen, growing up with smartphones, TikTok, Instagram, etc., seeing me, living without these gadgets, preferring to walk in nature, I look like an 18th century man!
She doesn’t have to go back that far in history. During my grade school years in the last century, my favorite activity in the summer holidays was visiting close family friends at their farm. They basically lived self-sufficiently. They had a little farm, chickens running around freely, some pigs and cows, giving fresh unpolluted eggs, milk and meat, with their own organic vegetables and fruits. Life on the farm, near God’s creation, kept me busy. I didn’t need television or fancy plastic toys, much less modern electronics, social media and all the entertainment and advertisements of today.
Anyway, back to the 21st century. I like to take some bags and go into the fields, picking apples, plums, pears, walnuts, and potatoes – whatever God provides and is of course something I can pick freely. For example, after the potato harvest, there are plenty of potatoes left on the field, which we are free to pick up, and they even last longer than the ones from the shop! And trees out there have all kinds of yummy fruits – all organic.
After I pick those fruits, we make good use of them. We eat them fresh and make yummy strudels, cakes, and apple puree. I cut up the apples while listening to podcasts during our devotions. Then I bring them to a short boil, blend them and freeze them – without any sugar or other additives. I eat it with my healthy muesli every morning.
Some family friends who are elderly and know about this habit let us pick their fruits and nuts. So, we end up with enough applesauce for the whole year.
We can learn a lot from the good ol’ days, our forefathers and mothers, who lived closer to nature and had more faith in God than people have today. They knew a few things we lost in this modern techno world.
Copyright © 2023 Aktive Direkt Hilfe e. V. – Wolfgang P. Schmidt
The Fourth Wise Man
Most of us know of the three wise men who follow the guiding star, and visit the child Jesus with gifts.
In 1895 Henry Van Dyke wrote this beautiful short novel called “The Story of the Other Wise Man.”
What’s the story about? This fourth wise man also sees the same signs in the heavens and sets out to find the Child Jesus; carrying his gifts of a Sapphire, a Ruby, and a very precious Pearl. But nothing goes as planned. He misses his rendezvous with the other three wise men because he is delayed helping a dying man. Now, to cross the desert alone he needs camels and supplies and sells one of his treasures to buy them. He arrives late in Bethlehem after saving the life of a child using another of his treasures. In the meantime, the child Jesus has left Bethlehem.
And after many years looking for Jesus and many acts of charity, he spends his last treasure to save a girl from being sold into slavery. He dies without ever finding Jesus, but as he is dying, he hears the Divine voice saying, “…as you have done for them…you did for me”. His gifts were indeed accepted [by Jesus], and, in a sense, he found God in a deeper way than even the other wise men.
It’s a powerful story! And for me it offers some insights for the Christmas season:
1) When things don’t go our way, when we struggle, feel lost, when we endure hardships and delays, when the goal seems out of reach… This story is a reminder that, in fact, we may be closer to our goals than we think. That we may have traveled further than we realize, and that every delay and set back may be working in our favor in profound and wonderful ways. At the end of our journey, we may see all the hidden miracles which were disguised as hardships. But to see them now is a miracle of faith. And the Christmas story invites us to such a kind of faith.
2) The highest rewards call for sacrifice, patience, endurance and goodwill. We all know that nothing worthwhile comes easy. And as this wise man found his great reward after what seemed like an endless struggle, he stayed true to his cause, persisted, and nurtured within him the desire to do good in spite of every struggle. This is a story of hope. And Christmas urges us to look at any aspect of life where we have lost hope or are losing hope. Can we choose to hope even when everything seems lost, and seek the courage to endure?
3) The greatest gifts the wise man gave God were his acts of Charity. Giving without measuring. Giving repeatedly. Giving even though it cost him dearly. If Christmas is about anything of significance…it’s about giving. It’s about God giving us everything. And about how we continue that cycle of giving by sharing what we have. Perhaps we ask ourselves this Christmas how we can give others our time, our resources, our talent, our listening ear…or maybe just a small gesture to tell people we care about that they are not alone in their struggles. A message of love.
To me, it’s really about these three things. Faith. Hope. And Love. And I believe this Christmas, like every Christmas, can become significant when we become bearers of the Divine light…by choosing faith, daring to hope, and committing to love others…even if in the smallest ways.
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Copyright © 2023 Aktive Direkt Hilfe e. V. - [1] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fourth-wise-man-what-christmas-can-mean-us-konrad-fernandez-lion-