We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers for rain for us! The comment was made two days ago that peanut seed they thought had died was sprouting.Now that people's minds are relieved about their peanuts (some are replanting sections of their fields) they're turning their attention to planting manioc (cassava or yuca to some).

I was talking to a young woman from our neighboring village about Lusekele's manioc.She has been in the Vanga hospital treatment program in the past, with her youngest children, for severe malnutrition.Things are looking pretty bleak for ordinary folks in her clan. Some clan elders took advantage of their family authority and sold a lot of the clan field land to individuals for houses. This means that these men had money in pocket briefly, but sold everybody's future away, as well as the current health of the other members of the clan for it.

She said there is no forest land (the richest soil) available to them, their field land is too little to keep recycling to keep fertility up, and even the grassland mushrooms they used to depend on at this time of the year are no more, since kids got too greedy in picking them and picked them too young to re-spore. Manioc that produces twice as much as what they are used to looks awfully good under these circumstances.

You may remember that we're multiplying planting material of new disease resistant varieties to replace diseased varieties that are cutting harvests in Western Congo by an average of 50%.We're just now growing enough to make a difference to the people around us after 3 years.Loads of manioc stems for cuttings to plant are going out of Lusekele every day, some legitimately, and some otherwise.Some time ago Lusekele invited the chiefs of the neighboring villages to a meeting about getting rid of the old diseased manioc in everyone's fields there and replacing it with new healthy manioc varieties.They and their people refused, but have been observing Lusekele surreptitiously.

Now that we're harvesting the second crops of tubers from this new manioc, and they're seeing how much it produces, they've changed their minds and want it badly. They can't lose face and ask officially for what they refused, though some are begging cuttings off of Lusekele workers (including my acquaintance), so other villagers are stealing the stalks from Lusekele fields, and have emptied thedirector's wife's field in particular.It's the old phenomena Jesus spoke of: a prophet is not listened to in his own town. Of course, development people say the battle of adoption of anything new is won when people are ready to steal to have it, but it is hard on Lusekele families.

This year's lot of new high-yielding oil palm seeds arrived (Hurray!) the beginning of this week and should be out of customs and ready to transport Friday, the 30th, to the various sites that are distributing them, like Lusekele and Kikongo.They must be planted by 18 days after they were packed in Costa Rica, so the clock is ticking.From past experience we know that an incredible array of blockages can prevent the waiting farmers from getting the seed in time.So please pray for timely transportation and good communication, so that the seeds and all the farmers can get to the distribution points in time. The first palms planted several years ago in this program should start producing this year.

Now that we have rain, Ed is putting the Center garden in shape with seed multiplication plots, demonstration trials of new things to plant or for demonstration of new things to do with known plants and fruits, different varieties, or various plant associations for higher or more sustainable yields.

Lusekele's nursery of palm seedlings from last year was in the garden (taking up considerable space), and they're moving them out to be transplanted into the field.It is mushroom season, and we're all harvesting wild mushrooms (another protein to add to the pot in this lean period of the year).I'm getting my gardens in shape too, now that the rains permit it.Every day we're planting something.

There are some seeds and cuttings which local people cannot get from or see in the Lusekele Center program, but they can get from me.And I do unofficial demonstrations.Right now I have 5 varieties of chile peppers, only one of which is currently available locally.I'm distributing collard seeds (unavailable from Lusekele's program). I have two young moringa trees (which Lusekele has also planted) so I can show people how to dry and powder the leaves for a protein supplement to the meager meals people often have during the planting season.I'm also planning roselle (the hibiscus in many herb teas and many Central American drinks and sweets) demonstrations when my seedlings grow up.

Friday Ed hopes to welcome the palm seeds to Lusekele.I will go to Kinshasa.

Our transportation and procurement system has broken down, and I need to do some quarterly shopping for us, check in with the literacy team to see what is happening and get some books for our area, and see who I can talk to about other ongoing ministry concerns.I may or may not go on from there on one of our literacy teacher training seminars in the interior, depending on whether the organization has jelled: to Bolobo this time, along the Congo River to the north.I'll write from Kinshasa and let you know what's happening.

We just got our World Mission Offering materials, like you did.Whether you pick individual missionaries or projects, or support all of International Ministries' great work and people, we ask you to give sacrificially. Consider, for instance, how much the sacrifice of one meal out per week, for a year, would mean, for the sake of really helping people like my neighbor to find new hope for her family.

Blessings!

Miriam