- move or transfer (something) to another place or situation, typically with some effort or upheaval.
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| Cherry tomatoes, basil..and pineapples! 'Cause, we can...(and in the background, Jesh's blue compost - on rollers!)  |
With each move, I’ve made an effort to get something - anything - growing (usually edible, let's face it). It is just so therapeutic to get your hands dirty and care for something while it takes shape, nourishing it along the way.
For me, gardening makes a place feel like home. Our new home in Mandristara has been a blank canvas, in need of design and order and vision. The rains made quick work of the red clay soil around our pathways, and rivers wore down the mud, eroding the new banks that held up our walkways surrounding the foundation. Jesh used the need for retaining walls to envision spaces for planting and growing. So fun to plan what to plant and leave to grow for years to come. A space to find rest and beauty; to breathe after hard days, and at the start of new ones.
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| Jesh's multi-purpose design - which we now have great soil in, and plants growing |
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| Lots of room for ideas! |
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| My attempt at a "Xeriscape Garden" to use an area with poor soil/irrigation. Hoping it will work in the dryer season! |
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| Most of these are shoots from other plants, shared by friends and workers or found growing wild. The sustainability appeals to me. |
But there are certainly benefits to being transplanted.
"Plants that have already developed roots and other systems are stronger, making them less vulnerable to outside conditions." (from the internet)
I love getting to see the parallels in our lives and God's creation.
I am left certain that He knew just what we would need in order to be ready for each new season. That He understood it would take "effort" and "upheaval", but that He knows where we need to be in the long run, and is preparing us for that.
And I am aware that it takes time to develop new roots after a transplant. We are in that space once again. Navigating this new environment, re-establishing and strengthening our root system. Productivity can feel "stunted" as change takes time to adapt to. For awhile after a transplant, plants may not look like they're visibly growing or thriving (and here, they sometimes just look totally dead, but every analogy has a breaking point!).
But there's a lot happening under the surface.
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| Attempting to propagate a Hibiscus - from stick, to roots, to growth, so far so good! |
I'm willing to trust the Master Gardener's overall design and am seeking to enjoy the (sometimes slow) process of putting down new roots.
HAPPY SPRING!
By Julie
Here's a few "highs and lows" to keep you in the loop until we write again!
- The Good News Hospital has been accepted as a PAACS Surgical Residency Training site! The surgical department's first residents will begin January, 2022.
- COVID has picked up in the country, and we have national friends who have been losing loved ones at a rapid rate. While 4 missionary staff and other national staff have recently had COVID, we are grateful that all have recovered well. We hear vaccinations may be available for hospital staff soon, though we hold that loosely!
- The kids have adjusted wonderfully, in spite of multiple quarantines/lockdowns/confinements and changing restrictions, like everywhere. They began part-time at the local french school, but that has been closed since Easter, so they're doing english school (a mix with our amazing teachers and homeschool) here on our hospital compound. Once again they have lovely friends, which we never take for granted!
- We have been trying to persevere with language acquisition - prayers appreciated!:)
**CURRENT NEED:
TEACHER for english-speaking missionary kids (short or long-term possibilities)
**Teaching qualifications not necessarily required
