Aquaponics and Compassion for the Poor (ACP)

 We have begun cleaning the inner lagoon! We found life on the Lagoon - water lettuce (and I found that it truly tastes like lettuce!).  However, I haven't had the time to really look it up and narrow the genus species of the water plant.  What I do know is that it thrives with high nitrogen levels (like polluted waters).  And it helps clean the waters.  I was afraid we wouldn't find any plant life in the lagoon when I arrived.  We found a few just surviving in the shadows of trash which chokes out almost every inch of the lagoon.  Then I observed proof that plant life existed in the lagoon - then that became confirmation that my mission could succeed in aquaculture.   So these two young men (Paul Shemede on the right and new business partner Fartok on the lift) and I went further out into the lagoon and brought back a boat load of the plants.  We cleaned out a sunken boat and placed the plants in the boat.  The people clapped when ...

 The people cheered when Jesus fed the 5000 and Jesus rose from the grave. They moaned when the crucifixion was depicted.  These reactions probably speaks of their general condition in life. This Picture was from the other night when we got rained out.  I was too busy and forgot to take a picture of the second night. The second night, the one covered by your prayers, probably had 150 people with some in the river boats.   It seems that there are many believers here within the poor.  They mostly struggle to survive in poverty.  There are so many churches here, and good news is easy to find.  So God was right in sending me to work on water and food issues as there greatest need.  After the movie was over, several people came to me with warm smiles - as I think they did ask Jesus into their hearts when the movie prayed through salvation.  Only the Lord knows!  Keep praying for the people of Makoko :) We ran the movie with a new donated Gene...

  The Jesus Movie is the most translated movie in history!  It tells the story of God's personal love.  He wanted to know us in a broken world, so he showed up at Christmas.  And then he poured out his life in understanding love - especially at the cross - He understands our hurts and feelings because He experienced them!  He said, I love you unconditionally.  Then he broke the one thing that could separate us - death.  And he did this with a resurrection love!   We had technical sound issues the night we tried watching the Jesus movie.  So tonight we will try again to see Jesus in an inspirational movie.  Will you pray for us?  The screen that we set up will play toward the houses' court yard.  And, it plays outward to the canal for boats to see - like a drive-in except that it is boats.

  Here we started a morning Children's Bible School.  It started with a couple and grew to about 30 in minutes.  We sing about Jesus in Egun language and English.  Can you guess what song I most wanted to teach them?  Come by Here... - the song I learned as a child to pray for the very people I am now with!  Isn't God good...  They are so excited about Bible School!   I wonder if my daughters have been carrying their baby's on their back yet?  Small children carry their baby siblings. 

You might think that no life could live in the polluted lagoon, but there is life.   Great news!  The water in Makoko is not brackish! I tasted it and it's fresh!  See the cut bamboo just floating and growing.  I was planning on building a brackish food system and fresh water system.  This would have made the system much more complex.  But now we can just build one system with fresh water only.  This means we can grow food and clean the water now!  The people will not have to boat in their daily water usage.   Update:  on further research with locals, I found out that the lagoon does turn brackish during the dry season (Nov. thru March).  SO......, this means I will build a system that will adapt to the salinity season by trading out fresh water products to salt water products!  It's a little more complex but still doable.  

People have been helping me reach the poor in Makoko.  Thank you so much - I can give and be the - boots on the ground.   But without your prayers and gifts, I'm stuck!  Thank you for helping!  Here are a few things that have been donated and can use more help. General giving - money for the model house. This model house will teach others how to grow plants and fish from the lagoon waters to supplement their income, clean the waters and provide extra food to consume. My major goal is to finish this house before I leave in Nov.  It costs money to build the cistern tank, wall and plant grow troughs with simply water pumps : Electronic generator for the model house. We intend to start a cooperative for electricity among the people.  It will start with a generator given as a gift. The generator is the first phase for power, next comes a self sustaining renewable cooperative.  Thank You so much! 29 water Filters to start a water quality cam...

 I started out the day sick and scared!  But ended the day with pure Joy! This is the house we are building as a model for food production and water treatment - This is my friend Prince Taiwo. They love pitch here It truly is like beautiful in some ways,  except for the extreme poverty and much sickness - I believe much of which is due to water quality issues. 

Yemi hopes to become a professional soccer player.  Yemi asked if we would pray that he could get some new soccer shoes.  Will you say a prayer for Yemi?  He also has a heart that loves Jesus.  Amazing how some friends (old and new), water, watching the Jesus movie, new friends and rest can make you feel better!     Today I'm in Makoko (I'm still on shore though) and hoping to head to the houses on water today.  But first I have to go back to immigration to get my actual visa - please pray that I don't have to pay any more money under the table! This girl carried her wares on her head.  She then set it up and started selling.   I heard the morning Muslim prayers being sung through the streets at about 4 in the morning.   A man wanted a picture with me because I was the first while person he had ever seen. I had him pinch my arm and then I pinched his arm (lightly:) .  And we decided...

I forgive and release everyone and hope the same in return  Immigration trying to figure out my visa left  , right is Prince Taiwo helping  Finally here and on the way to makoko I hope everyone forgives me too

Interestingly, I have to fly to Kenya - which is East Africa to get to Nigeria - which is west Africa.  And a 7 hr layover and a 17 hr layover ( maybe more, I just haven't looked closely yet at the full schedule).  Lots of interesting people in Atlanta who I pray for and sometimes accidentally stare at (I'm a lifelong gawker).  Next stop  NYC.  First time there! This picture is taken somewhere over Verginia on the way to NYC Magical Kenya  is written on this plane.  I spent sooo many hours on it - good service and kind people.  NYC to Kenya which is on the other side of Africa. Nairobi Kenya feels like Arizona to me, complete with the dust in the air. 

  Dear Friends in Christ I am leaving this next week for Makoko, Nigeria.   Makoko is a slum city built over a polluted lagoon.   Some people there are sick from the poor water quality and poverty.   Isaiah 41:17 “The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them.” I am writing to you because I need and seek your prayers as I work in Makoko for the next 3 months.   Will you pray for me?   And will you pray for the following five work goals that I have set out for myself? 1.      Build clean freshwater cisterns in the kitchens of houses.   These cisterns will catch and store rainwater and will be built in a way that other poor people can easily copy.   The excess water (it rains like Seatle in Makoko) will then be available for the poor to sell in order to supplement their inco...