THE LAKESIDE COMMUNITY GARDEN!

For the past several months, I have been helping pioneer and start a local community garden here in my hometown.  The following pictures are from the fundraiser we had for the garden and the actual construction of the garden.  So enjoy!!

AT THE FUNDRAISER!! 

AT THE GARDEN SITE!!

A Rquest...

  As I mentioned earlier, I am planning on leading a team of 2 students to the 10/40 window, for at lease 3 months, and I may be staying another 3 months to help staff the Community Development school.
With that said I need to raise at least $5,000. This includes the plane ticket, ground fees (translator, transportation, room and board, etc.) and other misc. living expenses. I discovered that the place we are going is quite expensive. If I stay.. which I am about 70% sure I am, then that would be an extra $750 at least.
So, with that said, I would like ask you if you would consider becoming a partner with me financially. I am planning on leaving right around June 23 so in about 2 months. If you would like to give towards this trip then feel free. I will give more info on how to give at the end of this news letter. If you would like more details about my trip, call me, and I can try to answer some.

What's After Outreach?

There are a few things I am praying about regarding what I will be doing after outreach.

1) Stay longer in the country and staff the next FCD school. IF I do that, then I will be gone overseas for about 6—7 months.
2) Take another course in Costa Rica which is called EARS (Environmental and Resource Stewardship school). This is one of the three schools I will need to complete to get my bachelors in Science and Technology through the University of Nations.
3) Come back right after outreach and work on the base for a season.
4) Move overseas to live for a season and apply what I have been learning.
To be honest there are so many things I am praying about, that if I were to write them down here I would not have enough space!
I do feel that I am coming into a time of transition and believe that there are things shifting for the good in my life. I don’t know what this will ultimately be, but it’s exciting!!
There are a few things I am praying about regarding what I will be doing after outreach.
1) Stay longer in the country and staff the next FCD school. IF I do that, then I will be gone overseas for about 6—7 months.
2) Take another course in Costa Rica which is called EARS (Environmental and Resource Stewardship school). This is one of the three schools I will need to complete to get my bachelors in Science and Technology through the University of Nations.

Spring Community Development School

“The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.”- Unknown

I am so excited! This quarter here in Montana we are running our FCD school.  We have 6 students and 3 staff, with a total of 5 nations represented.

This year is exceptionally exciting! We have so many different things that we are doing which are new to this particular school.  We have new speakers and we will be going on a “mini outreach.”  On this outreach we will be going to a Native American reservation for a week. While we are there, we will be learning what it means to have protocol within a community. We will be working with some Pacific Islanders who are already ministering among the Native Americans here in Montana.  This will include speaking in churches, working with the youth and working in their café.

God has been doing a deep work in the hearts of all the students.  It is so awesome to see these students become even more transformed by the power of God’s word. I am blessed to be able to work with the guys.

After our lecture phase we will be going on outreach.  We will be heading over seas the last week of June.  We are going to a country in the 10/40 window (see picture on next page).  Specific country not disclosed for security purposes.

What will we be doing?   We are still working out the details, but we will more than likely being doing language studies, as well as working with some non-government organizations (NGO’s), etc.. Again not many details for security reasons. We are excited to be going!

Feel free to call me if you would like to have more details.

Community Development Track (small workshop)

For the past 2 and a half months I have been involved with co-leading a community development track for the discipleship training school.  One thing we have been able to do is plant some herbs that will grow soon.  The purpose of this activity was to just give the students something practical to do and to give them something tangible to see and eat later.  Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure.

 My little container with 4 different seeds (mustard, radish, and two other ones I can't remember what they are :)  )

 Filling the plastic containers with the soil

 MonaRae, she works with the Bigfork/Ferndale Community Garden, she was our guest speaker.

Mixing the water in with the dirt.  Prepping for planting

 

Bigfork/Ferndale Community Garden

Here in the Flathead Valley, there are more community Gardens than I was aware of.  There are two cities near by Bigfork and Ferndale. These two places have a community garden that I went to visit not to long ago.  It is in the middle of winter and so the pictures you will see have lots of snow, and so its kind of hard to visualize, but you get the idea.  Enjoy!!

A view of the whole garden Feb 2012 (Bigfork/Ferndale)

 

3 compost bins located on the side of the garden (Bigfork/Ferndale)

 

 

 Some of the raised beds at the Bigfork/Ferndale garden

The storage shed at the site

 

Lakeside Montana

Here is a satellite view of all of Lakeside.

 Here is a satellite view of the YWAM base where I work;

(This picture is out of date, there are several new buildings now, but this is still the main view)

 

Back to the Foundations!!

It’s been over a year since there has been a Foundations in Community Development school here in Montana.  I am excited to announce that we are having another school this year starting on April 2.  I am excited to see who God brings here for the training.   Right now we have around 5 accepted and several more either in process.  What is Community Development?  This school covers many topics, anywhere from Team dynamics, Biblical Worldview, the importance of the local church being affective in their community, appropriate technology, as well as many other topics. The idea of this school is to give students appropriate and practical tools in bringing transformation in a holistic way.  Allowing the students to discover God’s intentions for their lives and them helping others discover God’s intentions for their lives, which will then cause transformation to take place at an individual level which will then in turn cause change at a family level, to church level, to a local community level. Transformation begins with the individual and spreads to the community; seeing change take place physically, spiritually, socially and with wisdom.  Using the word of God as the basis of change.

Housekeeping Crew Winter 2012

Here is part of the crew I oversee in the housekeeping department.  I also oversee seven School of Dance students.  These guys are awesome and they do a very good job cleaning. they are a lot of fun to be with, and they make me smile.

Community Garden Host Site

To have a place for a community to gather would be amazing.

I am excited to announce that here in Lakeside, we are in the process of  starting a community garden.

Recently there were two public meetings to find out who in Lakeside were interested in having a community garden.  It was amazing to see who all showed up and were eager to help get this project on its way.   So I am excited to tell you that because of the interest that was shown from the Lakeside community, we are now going to have one.

I personally am excited about this because I have been in the beginning process of this project; and for me it is exciting to be apart of something in my own community which I am passionate about, and that is gardening and working in the locally.

What is the basic layout of what this will look like? The garden will be hosted in the front property area of the Lakeside Baptist Church.  The size of the garden is going to be around 100 feet by 60 feet, which will be able to host many plots at 4’ x 8’  or larger. This garden will serve as a place for the Lakeside community to gather and be a community. Also it’s possible that in the future because of this garden we will be able to have a local food market, as well as host seminars on how to grow local organic food, amongst other topics.

For me this is amazing, because I am able to apply many tools I have learned in the community development school to this project; for example working with local leaders and through a local church, etc.

This is the host site where the garden will be.