April 4, 2010 Easter Sunday

April 4, 2010

Work is not progressing here on the farm like we are used to in the US. However, this is the start-up year and we have to accept that most everything that can go wrong will go wrong, and everything will take twice as long as it should normally take. Communication and differences in work habits are problems. The Americans are here to do a job the American way, and the local (Ethiopians) are constantly telling Alan or whoever, that he can’t do it, or that it won’t work the way he wants to do it. They don’t understand our American ways any better than we understand theirs. For instance, when the Ethiopian tractor drivers plowed the fields, they used small plows and Alan wanted them to carefully plow all the soil. Instead, because the drivers were getting paid by the hectare, instead of the hour, they rushed through the job and didn’t plow right next to the row they had already plowed. They plowed so that the turned soil would fall over and cover a strip of unplowed soil. I don’t know if they thought Alan would be fooled or if that is the acceptable farming method here. Either way, it is not acceptable to Alan. As he checked each day, he would kick through the soil and uncover the hard soil. He told them that the weeds were growing under the plowed soil and they said no, the weeds were dead. He would kick up the loose soil from the hard unplowed ground, revealing the growing weeds, showing them the problems. Simply put; weeds take water and nutrients to grow too, and they will cut into the yields of grain. They tell him that it doesn’t matter, the grain will grow. But anyone who knows Alan, knows that he will not be happy with the weedy fields and seeds spread over hard compacted soil. I think our American farming methods are conflicting with how it has always been done here in this country.

Last night, Saturday, Bracken arrived back from Ginir. He left Thursday and he did end up in Ginir for the holiday and on Market day. He said it was crazy! He was the leader of the whole expedition and he did very well, even bringing back mangoes, papyas, oranges, bananas, and potatoes, a cheese grater, a whole lot of drinking water, besides the three trucks loaded with fertilizer, disc harrows, and broadcast spreaders. I was very glad to know that he hadn’t been swallowed whole by a river. Bracken took three tractors with him when he left so that they could bring back disc harrows, the broadcast spreaders, and get the fertilizer trucks through the muddy roads. The fertilizer and broadcast spreaders were in Ginir and then he had to find some disc harrows and then get everything back to here safely. He met Wubishet’s ( a mechanic) mother, who wanted him to come for dinner, but he couldn’t, and he stayed overnight at Yusef’s home. Yusef’s company does most of the hiring of the workers here at the farm. Bracken was busy hiring disc harrows and getting a fuel truck and driver and he had to spend time at the bank there in Ginir. We have now switched fuel trucks and driver because our last one was a jerk. He would go for fuel to Ginir and stay, leaving the farm without fuel for a couple of days. Bracken found someone new who we hope will be honest and do the job he’s paid to do. This guy even owns his own truck. Bracken saw a troop (is that what you call it) of baboons at the river. He got some pictures he will be glad to share at a fireside when he gets home. JK about the fireside.

Today, Sunday, the workers are still not all here, because it is an official holiday here. Even though most of the people who work at the farm are Muslim, they still think they should not have to work, because it is a Christian holiday. They are unloading the fertilizer trucks so that the trucks can make it back to Ginir before more rain makes the river impassable.

When I came to the farm, I did not come through Shashamene, Robe, or Ginir because I flew down from Addis Ababa. Chances are that I will have to drive back from here, because the rain makes our airstrip here impossible to land on. In a way, I think it would be exciting and adventurous. Alan hates the drive because the roads are so terrible and the cities are ramshackled, crowded places. He’s been there and done that. I’m trying to be positive about the possibility of the drive which goes up through the Bale Mountain national park. On one hand, I want to see some more of this amazing country, and then on the other hand, I don’t want to spend a night in any of the motels on the way, because of the bad bed bug bites that can occur when occupying them. I see Val and his terrible bout with the bites, and I don’t know if I can handle the trip.

I have just had a maid come in to the house complaining of cramps. I gave her some ibuprofen and then she wanted to know if I was going to get beautiful today. Linda and Alyssa have put on some makeup and the pressure is on Ashreka to beautify me. She wanted me to look beautiful as Alyssa. No chance, those days are far behind me. I showed her my makeup bag and she went crazy. She put every lipstick on and around her mouth. She started to look like a clown she was getting it all over. She would look at herself in the mirror and giggle because it did not look the same on her as it did me. She wanted me to put on my eyebrows, and then when she used the pencil we couldn’t even see it. She started putting powder all over her face and then she laughed when she had all the white streaks on her. I put mascara on her and she kept blinking and jerking away. I put some blush on her which I couldn’t see, but she definitely saw a difference and then started putting it all over her face. When I said she was done, she hugged me and said, “I love you Shelley, I am beautiful, Shelley. Thank you Thank you thank you. What a funny girl. She is so cute. I love her too.

Last night we got to hear the first Saturday session of general conference. It was so nice to hear the organ playing and then the sounds of the Tabernacle choir coming into the house. I didn’t stay up (11:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. our time), for the second session. We hope to hear the first Sunday session at 7:00 p.m. tonight, our time. I’m thinking of all of you there in the US, knowing that most of you are having a delicious Easter celebration dinner with ham, potatoes, salads, deviled eggs, desserts, and lots of easter candy, etc. , and I will be here with our small group trying to be OK with another goat dish. Actually we will be having mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, a cabbage slaw salad, papya, and yes, leg of goat! We are excited and I think Alyssa has come up with some kind of coconut pie to serve for dessert. I saw her crushing cookies last night for the crust, I believe. Either she is making the pie for all of us, or she and Wes had a lot of cookie crumbs in their bed last night. I will just say that Alyssa truly amazes me. She is dealing with this whole thing in a remarkable way, as is her mother, Linda. They are very creative and inventive when it comes to food. They make every meal a good meal, using such ordinary items. I need some of that to rub off on me.

On this Easter Sunday our thoughts and prayers are with all of you, our friends and family, at home in Idaho, Utah, Arizona, California, and Illinois. We love you dearly and miss you so much. We want mom in Arizona to know how much we love her and wish we were there to see her and talk to her in person. Skyping is good, but not as good as being there. We are proud of our dear missionary Zack and hope at this Easter time he may feel the blessings of the atonement in his life. We pray that Jack and Les are doing well in their missionary endeavors as well. Be thankful for the bounties and blessings that you enjoy each day and recognize that God is aware of you and he will comfort you and give you peace in your hearts at this blessed Easter time.