The Heavens declare the Glory of God
My attempt to capture the beauty of the stars through my webcam failed, but the ski tonight is clear with twinkles up above. Over and over at ECHO I am being inadated with ideas and resources, my favorite being through conversations with people here. I am going to make this a passing comment, because I was told that there is a little bit of duck left for me to try. Yes, yesterday Derek, one of the interns, killed a duck. ciao

Pictures to come, but first the recap.

Amaranth, Moringa, Canistel, Neem, Black sapote, Pigeon Peas, Cassava,...

These are a few of the tropical plants, I knew nothing about before I stepped foot onto ECHO. A week ago I arrived in South Florida to spend two and a half weeks learning about agricultural development in preparation for my time in West Africa. Little did I know that it would be cold and I would feel overwhelmed by the amount of ag. knowledge I do not possess. Before coming I did not understand what I did not know, but now I am beginning to...

The staff and interns live and work on the farm and have been a wonderful group of people to get to know. Although I have only been here a week, I am starting to settle in and understand farm life. I don't think I realized how much of a city girl I am, until now, spending a solid week on a farm will clue you in. Before I went to church this morning, I had only left the farm to go for a run.

Work/Study Schedule

I am here under their independent study program where you work in the morning around the farm and in the afternoon you study in their library. Last week each morning was a little different, but I mostly helped the interns out in their various tasks. There are six interns who spend a year on the farm to gain practical experience in working in a tropical climate in one of the six demo areas (semi-arid, monsoon, low-lands tropics, rain forest, high altitude, and urban roof-top). They also are responsible for helping out in the nursery and seed bank, cooking occassionally, giving tours, working the bookstore, and taking care of farm animals (rabbits, chickens, goats, ducks, and geese). I have a high respect for each of them. I have helped harvest, forage for goat food, prune grapes vines, dig a small trench for irrigation, weed, feed squawking geese, etc.
In the afternoon I research on different topics I think will be relevant for me in my time in West Africa. I am learning about all sorts of interesting plants and gardening techniques. I'll post some pictures this week to give you a better idea.

Support Raising

Sometimes God strips us of everything we hold dear and have placed our hope in, so that all we can do is weep and be broken before Him. He does not leave us there, but then clothes us graciously with His grace, His righteousness, His love, His wisdom and it is rich.

If you would have told me in June I would still be support raising in February, I would not have believed you. These months have not been what I have desired, but they have been good. It has taken me this time to begin to learn what it means for me to trust in God daily and depend upon His grace.


"I have community with others and I shall continue to have it only through Jesus Christ. The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us." -Dietrich Bonhoeffe

waiting |ˈwāti ng | noun 1 the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens.