Experiment Farm

I was reading in a book the other day about Experiment Farm, in 1789 the governor of Australia granted six and a half acres of land to ex-convict James Ruse for an experiment to see how long it would take a man to be able to support himself. He was given the land along with two pigs and six hens and was fed and clothed by the public store. 15 months later he had successfully become self sufficient, no longer needing assistance with food or clothing and was granted a further 30 acres of land.

The farm was called Experiment Farm because no European had farmed the land before and they had no idea what they were doing, according to my book the successful farm was renamed Model Farm as others began to follow Ruse onto the land to farm.

The story reminded me a lot of the Turning Point farm which is basically a big experiment, we don't know what we are doing, we don't know anyone who has attempted a similar project to learn from, the mamas didn't know how to farm the land in that area. In two years it has come a long way but still we're wrestling with how to do it right.

We spent the morning today praying about what the next step at the farm may be, trying to align our plans with God's dream for these mums. If we stay obedient to the God who knows everything then maybe one day our experiment will become a model for more people to run out of their prisons of poverty and into wide open spaces. I think God's got it covered.

continuing

I should give an update on Aggrey. Things aren't as peachy as they seemed when I wrote my last blog. Candy is still with the aunt upcountry, we can't know how she is doing as the aunt won't communicate with Aggrey. He is pursuing a court case but lack of funds slow that down.

The latest thoughts he is having is that he probably isn't in a great position to look after Candy himself at this time so he is focusing on starting up a business that will be able to support them both further down the line. For now he is searching for an organisation that offers capital and ongoing support and advice to set up a small business. Turning Point is an option although it means starting smaller than he would like. He has some other options that he is looking into.

Things are still a real struggle for him, he finds it hard to concentrate and make good decisions about the business as his mind is always with Candy. We are continuing to pray for strength and wisdom for him and for change in his situation.