Roslin Orphanage Blog

Our trip to Timor this time was surely a long trip indeed. Departing to Timor with New York as the starting point . After some 18 plus hours to Singapore via over head Europe , landed in Singapore , 3 hours later to jakarta ( as a passenger) and to Timor with Lion Air ( with a delay of 1 hour and Surabaya as a transit) . We reached Kupang at 23:15 pm . A long day ? yes it was . On this trip as I mentioned earlier , I am being lucky to have uncle Patrick Chen coming with me , so we were able to talk while waiting the plane and during the trip it self.

At the airport as usual Peggy picked us up and the trip to the orphanage was full of surprises. From the main road to the orphanage has been made easier and will be even easier in the future. The small road ( off from the main road) was in the process of making it from 8 meters wide into 40 meters wide , from a small road becoming 4 lanes road or more .

Timor for the time being is still too dry and water is really in the need. The orphanage is needing a lot of water for so many thing. Praise The Lord that we can buy enough water but not most of the population near by the orphanage.

most of the farming area during the dry season

Our joy on getting the artesian water at the future farm is really great and beyond our expectation. Only with first drilling attempt we already getting the water source and more over we do not need a water pump to bring the water to the surface. Isn’t that a miracle ? The artesian is flowing at a diameter around 3 inches and so clear. I haven’t made a laboratory check about it yet . It can be a hard water but it may be a soft water too ( I hope it will be a soft one , so we can drink it directly without having to soften it first).

the blessing of artesian water is freely flowing

With this water source I am sure that we can make the farm into a great farm, full of green plants and will definitely capable of supporting the orphanage in the long run. While I am in Timor , I have made some requests to the agricultural related department about a good rice seeds and some other potential plants ( beside my original plan of cashew nut and teak wood trees) . The re is a possibility of planting Jathropa ( a bio diesel material trees) if it is proven to be more better off to do it. When we went to this future farm , we brought along our orphanage’s member to do some land clearing . we cut down all the small trees and use them for our cooking purposes . At the moment we can seat and enjoy some sort of picnic at the dry farm but soon we will have the farm to be a productive farm . I hope that we can manage it properly . So any one which having the expertise on farming are welcome to give me any suggestion and direction upon what will be the best for this farm in the future. It is great to know that we will be having enough water for this farm and we will be getting our on water truck too for the orphanage’s need as well very shortly. I really can not wait to start working on the farm and at the orphanage’s ground too.

At the moment within the orphanage’s ground we are having a great hope of having enough mango for every one at the orphanage and for some friends who are coming in at least another one month . So many mango are hanging low and even touching the ground if we didn’t lift them up. There are few types of mango within the compound , namely Arum manis mango, Manalagi Mango , Golek Mango ect. More cow dunk being brought is and more water tank are required to make sure that the mango are strong enough from the strong wind which some time blowing so strongly on that region. Within the orphanage’s area , only at our place , the mango are plenty and healthily growing . The real difference is our ability to buy water for the plants ( nothing else). Water is every thing that matters.