Dear Friends,

Rejoice with us in the safe arrival of 42,000 High yielding oil palm seeds, enough to plant more than 10,000 acres.These are actually seedlings already germinated that came from Costa Rica.They are destined to be planted in small orchards of 100 trees or so on hundreds of village farms in Congo.Yesterday I spent most of the morning sorting and repacking the four varieties that we ordered, for shipping to Kikongo, Lusekele, Bibanga, Mbuji Mayi, Oicha, and half a dozen other destinations.Fellow missionaries Ed Noyes and Virgil Nelson have sent word by bicycle courier to remote villages around Lusekele and Kikongo to come get their allotments of seeds.

These seeds were a combined order using funds supplied by American Baptists, Presbyterians (PCUSA) and the US government.Palm oil is a high income agricultural product in Congo (Palmolive soap is made from palm and olive oil).These varieties yield 4 or more times as much as local varieties and are short stature, a major advantage where trees can grow 60 feet high making harvesting nuts tiring and dangerous (see picture).Once established, these trees should deliver dependable, increased incomes to Congolese Baptist farmers who receive them for two or more decades.Our hope is these increased incomes will not only mean improved livelihoods but also improved family health and a stronger, more vibrant church.

The seedlings will spend the next 18 months in small nurseries, potted in plastic bags, carefully watered and weeded, until they are strong enough to be transplanted in the field.Ed and Vigil work with many dozens of farmer groups who have been trained in palm tree nursery management and supplied with plastic bags and a small amount of essential fertilizer.Pray with us that all will go well with this endeavor that should make a long lasting impact on the lives of our Congolese brothers and sisters in Christ.

Wayne Niles

Kinshasa, Congo