update week 6-7

follow up week 5

29^th July              

Agroasie comments, prayers, praise & questions

 

Gee's family

 

The kids, Cc and I had a nice time bowling last week with Gee and his family. We introduced Gee to our favorite Chinese noodle shop. Gee is a sportsman and competitive. I enjoyed the bowling time. We also got to know Noy a bit more.

 

Gee has begun to clean his yard up and clean around their home. I think this is good for his relationships and for the reputation of Agroasie workers. We want to send a positive and healthy message to our neighborhood.

 

Gee has two more chairs in his home now. He now enjoys sitting at the table to chat and study. It seems to be a 'step up' for him to have a nice table and 4 chairs. Funny, we think it's nice to sit with the local people on the floor. I don't want to deter Gee from sitting at the table, if that's what he wants. But I'm quite happy on the floor, but Gee doesn't seem happy any more with his new table and chairs. Is this called 'development'…mmm?

 

Gee's neighbor- Mr Ferang

 

A little bit more about the story and background of Mr Ferang and how he lost his leg.   Mr Ferang was a day laborer for a logging company in the 'special' zone. He was standing on top of a truck when the truck almost rolled over. To save himself he jumped off and as he landed a rock crushed his ankle. A bone protruded from his ankle. Ferang was taken to the district hospital but the treatment didn't get all the dirt out of his injury. A few days later Ferang's leg was 'septic'. He was sent to a large city hospital. After 6 further operations and now his entire lower leg amputated, the infection was cleaned. However, during one the 6 operations, Mr Ferang was administered high doses of 'Kanamycine'. In high doses this drug can be toxic to the audio section of the brain. Mr Ferang said 'I was lying on the bed and they were putting drugs into my arm and then I couldn't hear anything at all, and that's the way it has been until now'.

 

The company Ferang worked for paid for some of his medical costs. He was just a 'day' laborer (not covered by the company) and he can't read or write the Lao language. In order to cover the extra cost, Mr Ferang sold their only piece of land. His family is now landless.

 

Ferang has been living in the 'COPE' center now for 3 weeks. COPE stands for Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise. They provide prosthetics and mobility devices for those people who require them, free of charge if they cannot afford to pay for them. It will take up to a month before Ferang is fitted with a new leg and has the confidence to walk.

 

We also managed to get his hearing tested to see just how deaf the overdose left Mr Ferang. He was tested to be 'profoundly deaf'. We prayed and hoped that he'd have enough hearing to amplify with a hearing aid. But his is not the case, his deafness is almost complete. His hearing cannot be amplified. So now there is just a 'miracle'. Which we know God can do.

Pray that Mr Ferang won't loose hope about his double disability and his ability to live a meaningful life. He cried with me the day the doctor broke the news about his acute hearing impairment.

 

Pray that we'll get an opportunity to share the love we have in our hearts for Mr Ferang, his wife, mother and two children.

 

 

Questions, prayers and Praise  

 

1. China to 'flood' the Mekong Aug 1^st no… flooding yet! (PTL)

 

2. Mulberries. Ian still looking into this with Mulberries with Carma Mr 'Nulium'.

 

3. Muddy Road into Khok Peng 2. Gee will put the drain pipe in to make a bridge and order the stone to repair the damage down to the community road into the village.

 

4. Kabuta Tractor gets back to work the land…we need understand the local customs and traditions, but the land needs to be worked.

 

5. Ian to meet the Lao tobacco guy to discuss about tobacco dust as an 'organic' insecticide.

 

6. Ian to meet people from SNV to discuss growing 'bamboo' crops

 

7. Gee is looking into how to bring the Teak Saplings cut down during the clean up into town. I'd like to use the saplings to make some swings. The issue is, do we need documents for none valuable wood?

 

8. We will begin to understand the 'banana market' and how to get good prices for our organic products.

 

9. We will be able to train trustworthy staff. Pray for Mr Silek. Currently he doesn't seem to be trustworthy.

followup week 5

Fwd: follow up week 4...some first veggie fruit

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Family Dierdens <dierdens@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Subject: follow up week 4...some first veggie fruit
To: Bruno Feuillerat <agroasie@gmail.com>, Mark Berry <mcbears7@securenym.net>, Verdun Augustine <verdun@moondata.com>, Sinphone Lovanh <lovanhs@gmail.com>


hello friends,

just got back from a few days in Udon with family and Mother-in-law from Singapore. We had a good time and the kids have grown a bit closer to Cc's mum. This is a summary of last week's work. I wont be going out to the farm this week but will meet Gee tomorrow to discuss the work

with GREAT HOPE

ian

the girls playing a bit of soccer...and a dad and daugther outing

The girls played their first game of soccer in Lao. The other team didn't turn so they shared players...Cc hasn't run for years. She managed to play two halves...although it was a slower 2nd half. The gals had lots of fun we we cheered their legs forward. Rosanna was a star forward and scored 2 goals...she couldn't move normally for 3 or 4 days after...






























Gabi and her dad Laurie, together with Sarah and myself went out for a dad's a daughter night. We had a nice meal at a French restaurant and watched a Hannah Montana movie in an ice-cream shop. It was fun. So much fun we stopped the car on the way home in a car park and had our own drive in move. We parked the car and watched another movie before we got home...It was good to spend time with our growing girls .I love being a dad!

Coop Kids saying good-bye to each other

Kruse family heading off to USA for 5 months...they'll return to begin a new term.












Winthrop family heading off to Vietnam to start JOMA cafe...the Winthrops have been living in China for 9 years in China. It's always sad for the kids to say bye to friends made over a short time, but on the positive side, their international family is growing constantly with the many goodbyes. But the reality is a bit sad...for all.

July posting

23^th July Agroasie comments, prayers, praise & questions

Gee's family

I helped Gee run his water pipes from his neighbor's house to his house. It was a pleasure to help him work and get his water connected. Seth came with me and we both helped him.

We ate lunch and Seth said, 'Dad, the lunch was really nice (sticky rice, gerkins, tuna, bbq pork, red tomatoes and bamboo shoots), do you have lunches likes this every week?' The truth is that we have small picnics every time we come.

Gee and Noy were both very happy to have the water connected and it appears clean now, although there is still dirty water in his bath tank from his own well. I expect that will finish soon and they 'll be able to 'bathe' again!

Ning, Gee's daughter has a fever and wasn't well all week. They will take her to the doctors again tomorrow when the go into VTE.

Gee's neighbor- Mr Ferang

Mr Ferang is currently doing 'physio' each day to strengthen his leg before he can be fitted with an authotic. He's been strengthening his muscles each day and by the end of the week they will measure up his leg in order to make a caste and fit the new artifical leg. Hopefully it will be fitted by next Wednesday. It could take Ferang as little as 3 days for him to be comfortable using his new leg or it could take him as long as a week.

Unfortunately, Fergang was given a high doseage of drugs that could damage his hearing function. The toxins in these drugs can kill parts of his brain that control hearing. According to Dr Rienhard, this appears to be the case. Ferang doesn't have any hearing. He can remember when he was lying in hospital he could hear everything, then after then gave him a long injection, his hearing stopped and he's not heard anything since.

It is possible that Ferang has some hearing but this needs to be determined with further testing. Should Ferang have no hearing at all he should learn some Lao sign language.

Reinhard does't have the equipment to test hearing extensively but Reinhard's office manager kindly offered to help me go to Mhort Hospital next week to see if we can get a sufficient hearing test done for Ferang. If the test can't be done, perhaps Ferang can make a boarder pass and I'll take him to Nhong Khai or Udon to get checked there.

Questions, prayers and Praise  

 1. China to 'flood' the Mekong Aug 1^st  This is the "BIG" news of the week….Suta, Silek and Gee all said that they heard from in town that the Chinese Gov has sent a letter to the Lao Gov and the Lao gov told Sang Thong to expect flooding on the 1^st of Aug. China said that they will be opening 4 gates to ease the pressure on the water ways in Yunnan China. See the article attatched.

It's a bit depressing to say the least. As best this is a rumor and it won't come to anything. At worse, we'll loose land and our vegie crops and a few banana plants. Gee hasn't planted Soya down the base of the land because of the threat.

What are we doing? Pray and look on…

2. Gee's water in their house- clean! Praise God that this is now done…there is a growing relationship with Gee's neighbor now. It's a start and we pray that the whole family will come to love our Maker and Shaper.

3. Metal Filing cabinet and Floor Safe.  I'm going with my family to Nhong Kai and Udon next week so I'll look to see if I can get a floor safe.

4. Mulberries. Ian still looking into this with Mulberries with Carma

5. Muddy Road into Khok Peng 2. Gee will put the drain pipe in to make a bridge and order the stone to repair the damage down to the community road into the village.

6. Kabuta Tractor Taining. This week in Vientiane Gee and Theng attended half day maintenance training on the Kabuta tractor. They now know how to change the oil and do a lube.

7. Gee is looking into how to bring the Teak Saplings cut down during the clean up into town. I'd like to use the saplings to make some swings. The issue is, do we need documents for none valueable wood?

My personal retreat in Slavan

With the encouragement of Cecilia I have been able to plan into my Sabbatical is a 4 day retreat to a remote part of Lao. I have decided to take a friend’s advice and tuck myself into a guesthouse for 4 days on the edge of a small river and water fall.

So that’s what I’ve done. I’m now in Dat Lor lodge. It is located two hours from Pakse or 1hour short of Salavan. That puts it close to the Vietnamese boarder.

I took the over night bus to Pakse and then I caught a second bus that was heading towards Salavan. After busing 12 hours- sleeping most of the way- at 10am I arrived at Tad Loh lodge. The bus dropped me on the road and a guy on a ‘half’ working motor bike asked if I was going to ‘Tad Loh’? I said yes and he told me 10,000 kip to get there in his Tuk Tuk. I told him 5,000 and so we took the half working bike and not his ‘tuk, tuk’.

He dropped me off at ‘Tim’s Guesthouse’ in Tad Loh. It looked a little ‘backpackerish’ and there were a few guys with ‘dreadlocks’ beef up the feel. A young Lao guy came up to me and asked me ‘want some Lao Lao?’ (It means Lao alcohol-90 % proof Lao whisky). I knew that I wasn’t at the right place. The way the Tad Loh was explained to me was a little different. In the end I got to the ‘Tad Loh lodge’. There is the ‘Tad Loh Guest’ the Tad Loh Cabin’.

The guy who drove to my rescue was the owner of the lodge himself. His name is Salavon. His dad is French and mum Lao. He said that they were the first to open a place in this area in 1991. His dad has passed away but now he and his brother run the lodge. Later Bruno told me that he dad was ‘shot’ on the way back from Luang Prabang by ‘Hmong’ rebels. He was travelling on a bus and was pulled out and shot! I don’t know if the story is true, it seems rather random. But I didn’t raise questions with his son. I was here to observe the world and the world around me.

I dropped my stuff off grabbed some breakie. I had a nicely cooked omelet, fruit and washed down with some good Lao coffee. I then checked into my room and dedicated my next 4 days to the Lord. I asked the Lord to lead me; speak to me and I want to enjoy Him during this time.

My plan over the next 4 days is to pray, meditate and read an autobiography of a cross-cultural worker who spent more than 50 years in Laos and Norther Thailand. I also hope to write my article for the development course that I’m doing. Oh yes…I also hope to take strolls and some pictures along the river’s edge. River water helps me to relax and brings me fond childhood memories childhood.

After I settled into the cabin- it’s really nice- I went down to the river for a look. I saw to local people ‘hunting and gathering’. What stuck me as they went about their daily activity was the intensity of what they were doing.

I could feel their need to catch and gather food. They weren’t in the water to cool their feet, pass the time or do their favorite hobbies. I’ve not seen captured people engaged in work like this before in Lao. It’s going on throughout the country, north to South.

The rice season is over and their rice is stored in their small ‘barns’. Many people don’t’ plant a second crop. They either don’t have the water to plant so they only plant rice in the wet season, or they don’t have the means to plant any other crop. So for 7 months of the year these people go into the streams and forests and ‘hunt and gather’ for their daily food needs. Their families live on what everybody brings home before the sun goes down.

As a boy I loved to go to down to the Swan River to see what I could ‘cacht’- fish, crabs, prawns or a big jelly fish. But after my big day out with my mates I always came home to a table full of food loving gathered by mum at the local supermarket. Through the day Monday to Friday my dad got up early and hunted his way through the suburbs fixing fridges, aircons and occasionally washing machines.

How my child hood stands in contrast to this mum and this dad. But I don’t know if I’m any better off than their children? As long as they can keep putting food on the plate. When they can’t, that’s when the intensity of life can be too much

My trip to Salavan in the South of Laos 09

Hunters and gathers at work...

harvesting the rice in Xian Kwang

I love the smile on the team leader...as we left he offered us a glass of water. Well, we thought it was water until we gulped the glass back only to find that it was 'fire' water. 80% prove Lao 'rice wine'. It ripped down our throats like crushed glass and we all smiled and said thanks...we jumped into the car and coughed and spluttered all the way down the dusty road!!!

harvesting the rice in Xian Kwang

it was a real treat to watch the harvest coming in...we got out of our cars and the team leader invited us to come and see up close. There was such a lot of hard work going on and each person was doing their part. Some were cutting, others were gathering, others were bundling and others were threshing and yet others were bagging the grain. People were smiling and sweating!!! Bring on the harvest!

C's good buddy Jenny...

we went on our first Vientiane Christian Co-operative (known fondly as the coop) leadership retreat. We've been cooping now for 1 term and so some of us got away and chatted and reflected on the strengths and weakness thus far...the girls slaved over the table so Dave and I kept the coffee coming...there was a magnificent sunset the night we arrived on the Mekong...praise the Lord for His color and splendor displayed in all Things!

The woman I love...

The sleeping shot was taken during our marriage retreat in Thailand. It was tiring...so the next week we arranged a romantic dinner on a boat floating down the Meekong River..

We were strolling and a long way from Singapore

The ladies on the left were on their daily work chores gathering fire wood so they can cook the lunch and get dinner ready for the night, which is going to be very cold for the family. Have a guess, what % of Laos cook their meals with electricity? ....okie, times up. 1% of Laos use electricity to cook their meals...the rest use wood and charcoal, a smaller % use gas.

On the road to the farm with the boys...

We were weighed down a little but but we got back...well almost!

My first trip to the farm....at Seng Tong

The Flood