the farm work

Since two days ago we were doing the rice harvest at our Oefafi farm. Peggy has been there supervising the actual harvest and upon separating them from the bunch into an individual rice seeds. Later we will dry them out on the sun and mill it ( separating the rice from the husks ) to make them into rice . Our Oefafi farm is a farm that is only depending the planting on the good rainy season . So it is only a once a year harvest instead of two like our other farm at Oel farm. Indeed the artisan well ( water) is a blessing so that we can plan trees all year round.  Instead of using the manual labor for separating the rice from the bunch , we are having the privilege of owning the mechanical equipment to do it. We even able to lend the machine to other farmers too.

our precious rice field

preparing to separate the rice from the bunch

starting to separate the rice

extended to the night hours

feeding the machine

coming to the daylight again

This kind of harvest it is quite common that we are doing it for 3 days and 3 nights non stop. It is a hard work but it is quite fun to stay on the filed for 3 days. The main problem is no bath rooms ha ha ha.

For harvest at our other farm ( Oel village's farm)  will be done around the 20th of this month.

We were moving to a new address in Singapore , so much work and after 1 week of unpacking we are still doing the unpacking ha ha ha . It is not easy to move from a place where you have lived for more than 10 years into a new place and rearranging things.

Today is a happy day for us for knowing that this morning we are having our 2nd rice harvest at our farm, Praise The Lord. Indeed The Lord is providing us for our needs timely and according to His existence being the Provider to His children. Even though I am not there , things can been done according to our plans . Again Praise The Lord for giving us His people to help us to do the harvest today. We do not know how to thank God better for being shown that His promise is being fulfilled as it is written for a condition of exceedingly and abundantly has been so real to our ministry at the orphanage. It will be great if some one can give us the photos of the actual harvest today.

Beside the paddy we are also having our organic water spinach ( kangkong) too. Our next project at the farm in the near future is to have a small fish pond , more organic chicken and may be some goats ( one step at the time ha ha ha )

our organic paddy field few weeks ago

our organic water spinach beside the paddy field

a visit by Mr Bowen at the farm

our new shelter will be

It was great to have our first shelter at the farm but the joy of having it has been gone as we are having a competitors to use it as our shelter.  The competitors non other than our fast growing wild chicken population. We can put it in the record that we are being ousted by the chicken ha ha ha . Started with 3 Hens and 1 male chicken , we are now having at least some 50 or more of organic chicken. The reason being the plentiful of food source for them in the form of locus, grasshoppers and some other insects .  It is a blessing to have all the chicken growing so fast. We can get the egg , the meat and we can also sell the chicken to the market if they are became excessive. The chicken will be eating the paddy during the harvest time , so we must take extra care of the harvested paddy ( rice) . The original shelter was made of a simple door less and windowless hut with the palm leafs as the roof but the new one is being made with a proper wood and equipped with windows and doors, as the roof will be the Zink roof. The wooden structure is made of the wood which derived from our own bush. Those thorny trees actually a very good wooden material for building structures. We must not wait until the wood is actually dry because it will become so hard for the nail to penetrate it. If it is dried completely , we must use the concrete nail other wise the nail will not be able to go it. For the room's partisan we are using the palm tree's stem or locally we call it as "Bebak". We are buying the Bebak as we do ot have enough palm tree for it.

this original hut has been made into the chicken kingdom

the new master of the old shelter

the reason why we are building a new shelter

our weapon to cut up the wooden material manually

from our own bush with thorns into great wooden material

inspecting the log

freshly cut up wooden material for the roof structure

Bebak material for the room's partisan

the view when we open the window at the new shelter is Fatuleu mountain

Not only the beautiful view that we are having at the farm but we are also having the great maestro which always performing at night . The frogs are playing their fantastic tunes during the darkness period daily without fail. The frog has its own function to us , that is eating all the mosquito , both the larva and the mosquito it self. The nature is certainly taking care of its existance miraculously.

THE ORIGINAL BUSH BEHIND AND NEWLY OPENED AREA

Since some 1 month ago before actually going to the the orphanage we have planned to open up some more land for planting rice. It is not an easy job to do it because the area that we must clean up is a hard thing to do. The bush to be cleaned up is full with such a thorny trees and the spike can be around  cm on its length. Initially we must cut the small branches before we can cut down the bigger trunks. An extra careful work must be carried out for not getting the spikes into our flesh. It was once happened to me when we did a clean up earlier. At that time there were 22 spikes went into my hands and foots . It was so painful and it took a long time to recover from the pain.  After cutting down the small and big trunks we left the little peaces on the ground and burn it. By doing so the thorn and spikes will be burned into ashes and not endangering the farmer when we are planting the soil tilting and planting the paddy. We were involving all of our bigger orphans during the weekend upon cleaning up the bush.

newly cleared bush

compared the finger and the thorns

cleared but still hard to be tilted by the tractor

softening the soil with "our mineral water " ha ha ha

newly rich and fertile soil before being tilted by the tractor

newly opened thorny bush being made into rice field

Since it is a hard work , during this 3 weeks we are only able to add some 2000 M2, this is because we are also doing so many other things beside this land clearing.  It has been fun and when we are seeing the newly made rice field , we are so happy ( even though the extension is not so big).   We are planning  to open  the next  plot of land  for the next  planting season  ( may be about  1 Ha).  Before  doing it will be so  reluctance to do it because of the thorns but when we are actually doing it the hard work will be quite easy especially if many of us are doing it together.

so much to do and so fun to do it

the seedling that will be planted in a week time

Fun fun fun is the word for me to do things at the farm. Since young Peggy and I are enjoying plans and flowers. Cleaning and planting at the garden or a farm is an easy and enjoyable thing to do. May be because of our common interest we were well bonded until now ha ha ha .

With our success on the first harvest I am confident that we shall not only capable of reaching the self sufficient stage but we can also produce some for helping others. It has been done that we were only taking 1/3 of the harvest and the 2/3 was given away to the people who are in need. For this preparation of planting the second batch of paddy, not we are only certain with the out come but the joy that we will be having upon the next harvest has been felt now. Praise The Lord that we are made to be capable to have the land which we bought it for cheap but God has made it to be so fertile and useful upon to do His work. It was cheap because for a long time people considered the land was not a good soil as there wasn't any water source except the very short rain yearly.

Anyway we were working hand in hand with the orphanage members , young and old. Knowing that the harvest will be for our own benefit and others , all of us so eagerly working at the farm. In fact all of the orphans always competing to be included for the farm trip. When we are at the farm , we do not choose what to be done but we just do whats not being done. All of us can work with the tractor, with the parang ( big long knife) cleaning the farm and cutting grass for the cow or any thing at all.

For every meals that we were having it feels so good , even though not much of variety of its side dishes , we always happy for knowing that the food that we are consuming was our own harvest. We are eating our own corn , our own rice, our own Kang Kong and our own beans. May be it seemed to be too ordinary for you but if we are thinking about all of them are organic one may be you will have a different angle to think about it. Praise The Lord that the water that God has sent to us is not only free all year long but it is also like watering the farm with tons of mineral water. No pollution and free flowing all year long.

For the fun that we were having , we were staying at the farm for 2 days . Sleeping at the farm with proper tents and equipment was making us so close to the nature yet we are free from the mosquito and other insects. We were bringing two generators and some cooking equipments. It was so good. At night we were entertained by the melodious tune from one of the worker who plays violin, from the frogs and the crickets. By early morning the birds we were taking its turn to sing for us.

all of us are involved

simply just corn , beans, Kang Kong and some anchovies but all are organic ones

great to eat all organic food every day

our precious tents at the farm

sleeping nicely in the tent

Andre playing his violin for us