Ye BaBa Wa! Means WOW
A how-to site humanitarian food gardening. 6 months in Africa teaching gardening. We were in South Africa, Malawi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, later on in Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Mozambique. Book - GARDENING for LIFE - No Money Required & 2hr DVD. 4 Sale as a fund raiser. You can communicate Email - rutbuster@montana.net. Our VISION: FOOD GARDENS that never give up producing healthy food year-round anywhere in the world. Call us for hands-on Gardening for Life workshops 406-328-6808
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Church Compost Pile
Making a compost pile with the ladies at Pastor
Straton's church, Vivante Church in Kigali, Rwanda.
Prison Gardens
We explained how to make compost and improved
gardening tecniques to the prison warden. He was
quite interested.
Building a Compost Pile with Widows in Kigali
These are Genocide Widows learning new ways
to grow their own food.
They support each other by making baskets and jewlry
out of rolled up paper that are very pretty.
Life in Africa
An overview of our life in Africa
We did it! We pulled up our Montana stakes, and are now pitching camp in Africa for 6 month. The first two weeks my wife, Connie, and I had the privilege of teaching 8 days in the very rural village of Lobi, Malawi. This was the first part of our new lifetime adventure.
First in Malawi on a garden production assignment for a CNFA Farmer to Farmer Project, next in Rwanda connected with Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church P.E.A.C.E. Plan and then on to Look Development, a new orphanage project in Ethiopia founded by Matt and Amanda DeSarro’s our good friends in Montana.
When I say teaching, I’m really saying learning how millions of Africa people are living similar to how people lived way back in the biblical days and then adjusting our modern ways of thinking to become effective teachers.
These people are people of the land. They walk everywhere, most have no transportation and live without - without electricity, no running water, without cars, indoor bathrooms are rare, no flashlights, no stoves, or refrigerators or washing machines, etc. Clothes are hand washed and usually hung on bushes to dry. Most Africans cook on open fires in small huts even in the nicer homes in the larger cities. We are learning how they live well with what we would call WITHOUT. Like - Hot water comes only from an open fire.
For example, we American Newbie’s (new to Africa) stumble down a dirt road, in pitch darkness holding a small flash light, while thousands of very happy African people especially small children, easily navigate these very rutted roads in total darkness. I’m still in awe as how they do that, perhaps because many go barefoot, they somehow see with their feet. I don’t know.
The reason I can say “live well” WITHOUT, we hear no grumbling or complaining but instead laughing and singing fill the air. The Malawian’s are hospitable and proud as they offer us sima (a cooked maze, a white corn dish that some eat three times a day and seems to love it). Another area of adjustment for us and perhaps to teach them, they don’t consume raw vegetables as we do. Change comes hard.
They have large families and often take in orphans besides, where they live in very small brick and/or mud buildings. Daily we see thousands of people packing tons of water from bore holes and muddy streams. Picture this, smiling children, water on each child’s head, happily chatting away or singing, as they make their daily trip to the water hole.
Millions of African farmers work very hard, chopping away at rock hard clay soils with a large hoe planting corn and beans on small farm plots. Even woman with small babies strapped to their backs, swinging the heavy hoe, which is really their plow. It’s amazing how happy they all are as they smile and wave as we pass by.
My wife asked a young mother to show her how to tie a small child tightly to her back. Immediately the baby just calms down with his stomach pushed flat against Connie’s back. Then my wife goes outside to inspect where this family can plant a kitchen garden and the baby is as happy and quiet as if still in the womb. Connie said it was very comfortable and she even practiced hoeing and she could hardly feel the baby on her back. Also their children can set through a 3 hour church service appearing content and happy. There is something we could all learn from this.
Actually we are teaching about new ways to grow food in very small places, both in Malawi and in Rwanda,where we are living now and later in Ethiopia. It appears that African’s agriculture food production is mainly rain dependent. We are learning how to slowly change the rain dependent mind-set (paradigm) which is very hard. As we travel about teaching new gardening techniques such as home kitchen gardens that require very little water or trenched-in compost gardening and portable bucket gardens, we have some success.
We also teach sessions on how to make really good compost, and then we actually go out and build a compost pile. We feel successful as the people become excited and start teaching each other. However; the challenge is, they don’t see the potential on the same scale that we do. Again change comes hard.
We see very important resources going to waste such as burning fields everywhere. Daily the skies are full of smoke sending valuable carbon up in to the atmosphere, instead this life supporting resource could be sent downward into the soil where it, the compost that we call black gold, would greatly improve their soils, crops and gardening practices.
I would like to make a bumper sticker that says: “SAVE AFRICA – DON’T BURN – COMPOST!” With all the international attention on climate change these days all of us must consider better ways to store carbon in soils. After all if you don’t feed the soils, the soils won’t feed you.
That is part of our small effort while here in Africa, to teach people that they can grow very healthy food right next to their homes with very little effort. Our hearts go out to all these people packing all that water daily from all the bore holes and ponds.
We have a few teaching gardens started using clean recycled wash water placed in 5 liter water bottles with holes drilled into the lid. The people just squeeze the bottle onto each seed planted in a small dish shaped impression planted in good top soil. That way, they do not waste their hard earned valuable water. This also slows down weed germination by not watering the whole garden area.
We are starting to accomplish the real purpose we have traveled so far from home. We visited a Prison in Kigali, Rwanda the capital city of 1,000,000 people and presented some of our ideas, they are going to have us come back an assist them with build compost piles and demonstration gardens. Also schools, a widow shelter, a hospital, and several churches have requested these new gardening ideas. It’s rewarding when they say they get it! It’s rewarding when they say they get it! Ya Baba Wa! which means WOW!
These ideas are catching on with our focus; WORK LESS – GROW MORE - a motivational incentive that we keep talking about. African is teaching us how to live without, as we teach them new ways to grow food. Change comes hard as I said. Please pray for us to be successful in teaching teachers to spread these new ideas to those in need.
Wayne & Connie normally reside in Absarokee, Montana USA, and will pull stakes again and head back home sometime in March of 2010.
We did it! We pulled up our Montana stakes, and are now pitching camp in Africa for 6 month. The first two weeks my wife, Connie, and I had the privilege of teaching 8 days in the very rural village of Lobi, Malawi. This was the first part of our new lifetime adventure.
First in Malawi on a garden production assignment for a CNFA Farmer to Farmer Project, next in Rwanda connected with Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church P.E.A.C.E. Plan and then on to Look Development, a new orphanage project in Ethiopia founded by Matt and Amanda DeSarro’s our good friends in Montana.
When I say teaching, I’m really saying learning how millions of Africa people are living similar to how people lived way back in the biblical days and then adjusting our modern ways of thinking to become effective teachers.
These people are people of the land. They walk everywhere, most have no transportation and live without - without electricity, no running water, without cars, indoor bathrooms are rare, no flashlights, no stoves, or refrigerators or washing machines, etc. Clothes are hand washed and usually hung on bushes to dry. Most Africans cook on open fires in small huts even in the nicer homes in the larger cities. We are learning how they live well with what we would call WITHOUT. Like - Hot water comes only from an open fire.
For example, we American Newbie’s (new to Africa) stumble down a dirt road, in pitch darkness holding a small flash light, while thousands of very happy African people especially small children, easily navigate these very rutted roads in total darkness. I’m still in awe as how they do that, perhaps because many go barefoot, they somehow see with their feet. I don’t know.
The reason I can say “live well” WITHOUT, we hear no grumbling or complaining but instead laughing and singing fill the air. The Malawian’s are hospitable and proud as they offer us sima (a cooked maze, a white corn dish that some eat three times a day and seems to love it). Another area of adjustment for us and perhaps to teach them, they don’t consume raw vegetables as we do. Change comes hard.
They have large families and often take in orphans besides, where they live in very small brick and/or mud buildings. Daily we see thousands of people packing tons of water from bore holes and muddy streams. Picture this, smiling children, water on each child’s head, happily chatting away or singing, as they make their daily trip to the water hole.
Millions of African farmers work very hard, chopping away at rock hard clay soils with a large hoe planting corn and beans on small farm plots. Even woman with small babies strapped to their backs, swinging the heavy hoe, which is really their plow. It’s amazing how happy they all are as they smile and wave as we pass by.
My wife asked a young mother to show her how to tie a small child tightly to her back. Immediately the baby just calms down with his stomach pushed flat against Connie’s back. Then my wife goes outside to inspect where this family can plant a kitchen garden and the baby is as happy and quiet as if still in the womb. Connie said it was very comfortable and she even practiced hoeing and she could hardly feel the baby on her back. Also their children can set through a 3 hour church service appearing content and happy. There is something we could all learn from this.
Actually we are teaching about new ways to grow food in very small places, both in Malawi and in Rwanda,where we are living now and later in Ethiopia. It appears that African’s agriculture food production is mainly rain dependent. We are learning how to slowly change the rain dependent mind-set (paradigm) which is very hard. As we travel about teaching new gardening techniques such as home kitchen gardens that require very little water or trenched-in compost gardening and portable bucket gardens, we have some success.
We also teach sessions on how to make really good compost, and then we actually go out and build a compost pile. We feel successful as the people become excited and start teaching each other. However; the challenge is, they don’t see the potential on the same scale that we do. Again change comes hard.
We see very important resources going to waste such as burning fields everywhere. Daily the skies are full of smoke sending valuable carbon up in to the atmosphere, instead this life supporting resource could be sent downward into the soil where it, the compost that we call black gold, would greatly improve their soils, crops and gardening practices.
I would like to make a bumper sticker that says: “SAVE AFRICA – DON’T BURN – COMPOST!” With all the international attention on climate change these days all of us must consider better ways to store carbon in soils. After all if you don’t feed the soils, the soils won’t feed you.
That is part of our small effort while here in Africa, to teach people that they can grow very healthy food right next to their homes with very little effort. Our hearts go out to all these people packing all that water daily from all the bore holes and ponds.
We have a few teaching gardens started using clean recycled wash water placed in 5 liter water bottles with holes drilled into the lid. The people just squeeze the bottle onto each seed planted in a small dish shaped impression planted in good top soil. That way, they do not waste their hard earned valuable water. This also slows down weed germination by not watering the whole garden area.
We are starting to accomplish the real purpose we have traveled so far from home. We visited a Prison in Kigali, Rwanda the capital city of 1,000,000 people and presented some of our ideas, they are going to have us come back an assist them with build compost piles and demonstration gardens. Also schools, a widow shelter, a hospital, and several churches have requested these new gardening ideas. It’s rewarding when they say they get it! It’s rewarding when they say they get it! Ya Baba Wa! which means WOW!
These ideas are catching on with our focus; WORK LESS – GROW MORE - a motivational incentive that we keep talking about. African is teaching us how to live without, as we teach them new ways to grow food. Change comes hard as I said. Please pray for us to be successful in teaching teachers to spread these new ideas to those in need.
Wayne & Connie normally reside in Absarokee, Montana USA, and will pull stakes again and head back home sometime in March of 2010.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Afruca Bound Part 1
AFRICA BOUND (Part 1)
Our journey toward Africa began when we hooked up our little camper trailer and headed for warmer weather in California on Dec 27, 2008.
We met Donna and Barry Woodbridge, at Eden, Utah when we attended the Square Foot Gardening classes. Wayne had been visiting with Barry via e-mail and he and Donna invited us to the Rose bowl Parade. We accepted their invitation and it was wonderful to experience the warm weather and so many flowers. I LOVE FLOWERS, maybe I AM A FLOWER JUNKIE.
We had a wonderful time with Donna and Barry. They treated us like old friends and they took us to many wonderful places that we would never experienced without them. Donna included me in her circle of friends and she became very dear to me. She is always helping someone, they have an outreach to the homeless through their church that she heads up.
One night Barry and Donna invited friends over for dinner and showed the movie, “Faith Like Potatoes” that we had bought while in South Africa. We handed out Salmon River Pumpkin Seeds from Mt.
Barry had helped a team from Saddleback Church that had gone to Rwanda so one Sat. night we went together to church. We fell in love with Saddleback Church and Rick Warren’s messages. It truly is a Purpose Driven Church and they practice loving people very well!!!!! Their outreach is truly amazing.
After service we went to the Soup Plantation where we met Roc and Denis Paez, Donna Mchaffey, Carri, Lori. They were so warm and showed us their Rwanda Photos from their mission trip through Saddleback. Almost immediately, they asked us if we would want to join their next trip to Rwanda.
We were amazed!!!! We knew it was a God Thing, which made it very exciting and humbling.
Before we knew it, we were living in Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca, with Donna Mchaffey. The first night as I lay in bed, I pinched myself wondering if it was a dream.
Donna and I became fast friends. She was such a sweet, giving person, always laughing or loving. She hosted most of the team meetings and it was always so great.
Denis and Roc were just as wonderful. Wayne enjoyed them so much. Roc even treated Wayne to a men’s retreat that he really enjoyed. He and Denis went to Foundations class and men’s bible studies, THE HERD (grooooowl.) I don’t know if Wayne’s ever had such a good time being with those great God-loving guys. I watched him grow in the Lord!
We did everything we could at Saddleback to prepare to go to Rwanda. We attended a Peace conference, first aide classes, 101 classes etc. It was a very special time for us.
We watched sadly as plans changed for people in our team. I really didn’t want to go without our dear friends, Donna & Denis but Wayne was bursting with an urgency to go asap and before long our team consisted of Roc and Mary, me and Wayne. We continued to meet with them via internet and phone until our departure in August. Russ Carter met with us weekly as our coach and he helped us all so much.
In Montana, Wayne put together a gardening booklet and we started receiving invitations to give talks to many organizations, churches and groups just as we had in California. God definitely surrounded us with His favor as people would buy the booklet and give donation toward our trip to Africa. We earned enough for one airline ticket, a huge blessing.
In June, Donna and Denis came to visit us in Montana all the way from Southern California. They helped us with a portable garden which was hauled to a parade in Fishtail, Montana. We called this effort “Have Garden - Will Travel” -Help us take these ideas to Africa. Our time with them was full of fun.
As our departure date to Africa grew closer, I felt more and more inadequate. One day I told my friend, Cricket that I didn’t know why God would allow me to go to Africa? I couldn’t sing, dance, play a guitar, sew, etc. What did I have to offer? She so sweetly said, “But the greatest of these is love, and you love people well.” I was so blessed and encouraged by her words.
I had been telling Jesus the same things and I asked Him if he could help me find something special that I could share with the African people. He answered in the most unusual way.
On a trip home from Iowa where Wayne had given a series of workshops, we were in Yonkers S.D. I saw this park full of people and thought it was a Farmers Market. We went to investigate and found that it was a huge outreach to Native Americans. I walked over to a booth that had a banner that said, ‘Need Prayer’. As I watched, I saw a lady ask a couple of boys if she could share the Good News bracelet with them. In a few minutes, she told them the meaning of the 5 beads, which was the salvation message. She put the bracelets on them and gave them a tract with scriptures and deeper revelation.
I became so excited that I was jumping up and down inside knowing that God had blessed me with this simple idea to spread His love across Africa. It was just as if Jesus had given me a million dollars.
I found out the name of the lady that had made them. She lived in Florida and I contacted her, Lisa Williams, to ask if I could duplicate the bracelets and the tract. We had a nice visit and she said she would send me the tract through the computer on Word.
Instead ten days later, I received a box from Florida full of Good News Bracelets and tracts in little plastic bags. I was so surprised and blessed and again very humbled. It was Lisa and her family’s gift to take to the African people. Some people are just too nice for this world. I know God will richly bless them for this amazing gift. Proverbs 11:25 “A generous person will prosper; he who refreshes others will be refreshed.”
Thank you so much Lisa and family or in Kinyarwanda, mwakoze cyane in Rwanda. In Malawi the language is called Chichewa and thank you is Zikomo, anyway we say it, it would never be enough.
If the good Lord is willing, we will spend 90 days in Rwanda teaching gardening and helping in any way that He leads.
In Dec. we plan to go to Ethiopia to partner with our dear friends/adopted family, Matt and Amanda DeSarro. They have an outreach to orphans through a non-profit they organized called, “Look Development. Take a look at their Web site to learn more. http://www.hoperanchofmt.org/lookdevelopment.htm
We want to stay there 90 days and start gardens with these kids so they can become sustainable, raising enough veggies to feed themselves, others and also to sell.
Saddleback Church stresses that everyone needs to be in a small group that meets weekly. Rick Warren says he knows people will grow and become healthy in a small group. Matt and Amanda and their 4 beautiful children became our small group. We did the series, “40 days of Love”. We learned so much and enjoyed the fellowship and fun with the DeSarro family.
Stay tuned for the rest of the STORIES
Our journey toward Africa began when we hooked up our little camper trailer and headed for warmer weather in California on Dec 27, 2008.
We met Donna and Barry Woodbridge, at Eden, Utah when we attended the Square Foot Gardening classes. Wayne had been visiting with Barry via e-mail and he and Donna invited us to the Rose bowl Parade. We accepted their invitation and it was wonderful to experience the warm weather and so many flowers. I LOVE FLOWERS, maybe I AM A FLOWER JUNKIE.
We had a wonderful time with Donna and Barry. They treated us like old friends and they took us to many wonderful places that we would never experienced without them. Donna included me in her circle of friends and she became very dear to me. She is always helping someone, they have an outreach to the homeless through their church that she heads up.
One night Barry and Donna invited friends over for dinner and showed the movie, “Faith Like Potatoes” that we had bought while in South Africa. We handed out Salmon River Pumpkin Seeds from Mt.
Barry had helped a team from Saddleback Church that had gone to Rwanda so one Sat. night we went together to church. We fell in love with Saddleback Church and Rick Warren’s messages. It truly is a Purpose Driven Church and they practice loving people very well!!!!! Their outreach is truly amazing.
After service we went to the Soup Plantation where we met Roc and Denis Paez, Donna Mchaffey, Carri, Lori. They were so warm and showed us their Rwanda Photos from their mission trip through Saddleback. Almost immediately, they asked us if we would want to join their next trip to Rwanda.
We were amazed!!!! We knew it was a God Thing, which made it very exciting and humbling.
Before we knew it, we were living in Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca, with Donna Mchaffey. The first night as I lay in bed, I pinched myself wondering if it was a dream.
Donna and I became fast friends. She was such a sweet, giving person, always laughing or loving. She hosted most of the team meetings and it was always so great.
Denis and Roc were just as wonderful. Wayne enjoyed them so much. Roc even treated Wayne to a men’s retreat that he really enjoyed. He and Denis went to Foundations class and men’s bible studies, THE HERD (grooooowl.) I don’t know if Wayne’s ever had such a good time being with those great God-loving guys. I watched him grow in the Lord!
We did everything we could at Saddleback to prepare to go to Rwanda. We attended a Peace conference, first aide classes, 101 classes etc. It was a very special time for us.
We watched sadly as plans changed for people in our team. I really didn’t want to go without our dear friends, Donna & Denis but Wayne was bursting with an urgency to go asap and before long our team consisted of Roc and Mary, me and Wayne. We continued to meet with them via internet and phone until our departure in August. Russ Carter met with us weekly as our coach and he helped us all so much.
In Montana, Wayne put together a gardening booklet and we started receiving invitations to give talks to many organizations, churches and groups just as we had in California. God definitely surrounded us with His favor as people would buy the booklet and give donation toward our trip to Africa. We earned enough for one airline ticket, a huge blessing.
In June, Donna and Denis came to visit us in Montana all the way from Southern California. They helped us with a portable garden which was hauled to a parade in Fishtail, Montana. We called this effort “Have Garden - Will Travel” -Help us take these ideas to Africa. Our time with them was full of fun.
As our departure date to Africa grew closer, I felt more and more inadequate. One day I told my friend, Cricket that I didn’t know why God would allow me to go to Africa? I couldn’t sing, dance, play a guitar, sew, etc. What did I have to offer? She so sweetly said, “But the greatest of these is love, and you love people well.” I was so blessed and encouraged by her words.
I had been telling Jesus the same things and I asked Him if he could help me find something special that I could share with the African people. He answered in the most unusual way.
On a trip home from Iowa where Wayne had given a series of workshops, we were in Yonkers S.D. I saw this park full of people and thought it was a Farmers Market. We went to investigate and found that it was a huge outreach to Native Americans. I walked over to a booth that had a banner that said, ‘Need Prayer’. As I watched, I saw a lady ask a couple of boys if she could share the Good News bracelet with them. In a few minutes, she told them the meaning of the 5 beads, which was the salvation message. She put the bracelets on them and gave them a tract with scriptures and deeper revelation.
I became so excited that I was jumping up and down inside knowing that God had blessed me with this simple idea to spread His love across Africa. It was just as if Jesus had given me a million dollars.
I found out the name of the lady that had made them. She lived in Florida and I contacted her, Lisa Williams, to ask if I could duplicate the bracelets and the tract. We had a nice visit and she said she would send me the tract through the computer on Word.
Instead ten days later, I received a box from Florida full of Good News Bracelets and tracts in little plastic bags. I was so surprised and blessed and again very humbled. It was Lisa and her family’s gift to take to the African people. Some people are just too nice for this world. I know God will richly bless them for this amazing gift. Proverbs 11:25 “A generous person will prosper; he who refreshes others will be refreshed.”
Thank you so much Lisa and family or in Kinyarwanda, mwakoze cyane in Rwanda. In Malawi the language is called Chichewa and thank you is Zikomo, anyway we say it, it would never be enough.
If the good Lord is willing, we will spend 90 days in Rwanda teaching gardening and helping in any way that He leads.
In Dec. we plan to go to Ethiopia to partner with our dear friends/adopted family, Matt and Amanda DeSarro. They have an outreach to orphans through a non-profit they organized called, “Look Development. Take a look at their Web site to learn more. http://www.hoperanchofmt.org/lookdevelopment.htm
We want to stay there 90 days and start gardens with these kids so they can become sustainable, raising enough veggies to feed themselves, others and also to sell.
Saddleback Church stresses that everyone needs to be in a small group that meets weekly. Rick Warren says he knows people will grow and become healthy in a small group. Matt and Amanda and their 4 beautiful children became our small group. We did the series, “40 days of Love”. We learned so much and enjoyed the fellowship and fun with the DeSarro family.
Stay tuned for the rest of the STORIES
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Key Hole Seed Saver Garden
Wayne and Connie in Malawi - in a Key Hole
Garden designed to save seed from some
rare vegetables.
Malawi Gardeners
We were sent to a rural African village called Lobi, Malawi
with the Farmer to Farmer CNFA project.
They built their first home garden 1 meter by 2 meter
It worked will and some of these folks were going home and build one
for themselves. Just what we wanted to teach.
Most did not have gardens close to their Mud and Brick homes
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