The Wittz End: Farm status after the floods

This tree fell over at the farm after some rain and heavy winds. It provided shade for a numerous amount of meetings and events. The Witt girls are sad to see it gone.
Photo credit: Ashley Kary

This morning Jason was reading an article in the Kenya newspaper about the Gtown and Tana River district and the effects farmers have had due to the recent floods. The National Livestock Marketing Council Chairman said "that in the one month that the floods rendered the road impassable, pastoralists lost almost 1 Billion KSH since animals could not be transported to Nairobi ". This is roughly $7,613,445.00 USD. The people in this area have definitely faced loss whether it's damage to their property or a financial decline in their personal businesses. We can't even try to compare the ministry to what some are facing but still wanted to share an update on where the farm is at during this current season.

Jason and Amos sawing through a pipe to fix a leak.

Although this "Tana River District" did not get the intense amount of rainfall as other places in Kenya there were a few heavy rains that had powerful winds. This caused some big trees at the farm to fall over- ruining the shady meeting area that so many great conversations were had. The heavy rains also exposed some pipes that run from the river to the farm once again and for weeks there was no water able to be pumped into the farm causing nearly all the green leafy vegetables and rotational crops to die again.

Patching leaks by making a new joint.

There was a rumor reported that two farm workers children hooked up and the girl is now pregnant. This girl is part of the high-school scholarship program. When her parents were questioned they are denying the pregnancy and saying she is sick. We still want to support and care for this young girl and see if she can finish her high-school education but it's hard to find out the truth about this whole situation. Please pray with us for Christ to turn this around for His good.

Team work.

The farm's Shepherd recently "lost" 33 goats which is worth $2,000 USD. This is not the first time some goats have gone missing but it was just a handful here and there. Unfortunately he had to be fired because he showed no real remorse besides saying to deduct the loss from his salary. If that was deducted out of his salary it would have taken 6 years to pay off the debt. Ultimately he has shown himself to be untrustworthy and laying him off had to be done as an example for others to learn from, but this was no easy decision and there are still 33 goats gone with no concrete explanation of what happened to them.

Before the rainy season began the chickens at the farm had stopped laying eggs for several months. Jason decided to sell all of them since it was costing a lot of money to feed them.

Water is such a necessity for things to grow and to live..

I have admired how Habakkuk wrestles with God and struggles to understand all that God allows. In chapter 3 he says in verse 1 "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord." The chapter ends in verse 17,

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights".

May we be like Habakkuk and trust in God's providence regardless of the circumstances. Regardless what status the farm is at currently we still have a reason to worship the Lord.