Good news from Rwanda

Best Beloved returned from Rwanda with some great news and great videos. He went there to speak at an apologetics conference at the Kim Foreman Bible Institute, to give presents to two students we sponsor, and give money to some of our ministry friends. How good to see how much our students have grown. But the thing that gave me the biggest buzz was seeing the mushroom barns built by Pastor David Nahayo and the 40 women cooperative he started. The diggers, with about 4 children each, used to make 30 dollars a month. With the money they make from growing mushrooms, they now make 45 dollars a month. Because they kept such careful records, the government has promised to give them 4 cows!! I provided the books that explained how to grow mushrooms and some spawn. The spawn may have all died, though the pictures Frank showed me look a lot like oyster mushrooms, so maybe some did live. Yay!!! for Pastor Nahayo who kept trying until he found the method that worked in Rwanda!!!! He is one of the kindest, most competent men I know. He started Butare Christian Mission, and has built prayer rooms and display gardens and sewing rooms etc etc. And he has received back the pastorate of his Anglican church. Long story there. He is also the one through whom I introduced Golden Grain Amaranth to farmers around Butare. They love the plant. I wonder if he has gotten any of them to eat the seeds yet. Everybody I fed amaranth seed to at the Come And See Africa house liked the stuff. But so far as I know, they would still rather feed the seeds to their goats. And I wonder if any of them eat purslane yet.
Some years ago I pleaded that no crop is easier to grow than weeds and purslane has good omega oils in it etc, but all insisted they weren't going to eat weeds. And they would all laugh when I pulled it out of the ground and ate the purslane in front of them, insisting how good it was. Then they would run away when I tried to offer it to them.
And professor Mary Jane thanked us in one of her scholarly articles about botanical medicines. Which makes me think, "No, THANK YOU!" for she is the one doing all the work. I gave her seeds for a lot of different kinds of plants, most of which I am sure failed in the new land and climate, but she took the ball and ran with it. I had so much fun with her showing me around the University gardens and a clinic using traditional herbs in an effort to learn what really works and what doesn't.
I hope that someday I will get to visit Rwanda again.