Timothy's photos, week of Jan. 26th

Photos from the week 1/26/2014

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:17 AM PST


The lead cow from a Fulani herd, munching on some grass

Another thing Gamboula has a lot of, are dragon flies. Fish ponds are
always good viewing places, and it is always fun to see two dragon
flies facing each other and in the exact same position.


This year At Somongue we are hoping to receive funding to plant more
high yielding palm trees. These trees produce more nuts, have smaller
kernals, more flesh, and don�t grow as tall.

Here is an example of what you can do with the old kind of palm nuts.
These rings are a way for kids especially to make a little money.
So far though, I have not had any one catch on how to make them though.


This past week Roy and Aleta Danforth and I moved out to Somongue. We
are living in two cute little houses nestled up against a forest. It
is in the middle of dry season now, so things are quite dry, I can�t
wait to plant things around it when the rains start up again.


A truck full of refugees and their things getting ready to cross the border.


A few of us got our first taste of Gamboula honey on Wednesday when
one of the bee colonies in a small hive, needed to be upgraded to a
full size hive. During the moving process, some comb that happened to
have honey in it just happened to �accidentally� get broken off. Good
thing we had a bucket with us just in case this kind of thing
happened, so we could bring it home. Next time we might have to have a
few more accidents. The honey was good.

Timothy's photos from Jan. 19th

Timothy Chapman's "Growing plants in the CAR"

Photos from the week 1/19/2014

Posted: 19 Jan 2014 08:18 AM PST

At the top of a 40 foot ladder, and hanging from a rope while trying
to fix an internet antenna that will allow Somongue to get internet.


Afternoon watering out at Somongue. The pickup has a big tank that
gets filled up with water, and then bucketed out to the plants.


The Gamboula Primary School is still in session. Because of the
instability in the country, but relative calm at Gamboula, this might
be one of the only schools in the country that has stayed open the
whole school year.

Airman posing in front of an almost finished dormitory building. The
glasses are for the sun's reflection on the tin roof while up there
nailing the tin in place. This is the first of five to get its roof
on, and when finished will provide a place for groups to come and stay
on the farm.


A sign cautioning, "workers on the roof!", and to take a detour.
Really a joke, since everyone goes over to watch or talk with the
workers anyways, so funny to see. Complete with a little man on the
roof of the house.

The Fulani are on the move this time of year. Because it is dry
season, they have come down south with their herds looking green grass
near the river. This herd is near a smoky fire to keep the flies off
them while they are in camp. The trough in front is for salt, and the
tan mound on the left is one of the Fulani huts they make out of
grass.

Nothing to see here, just six guys on a motorcycle going to their gardens.
The machetes they all had, are in their right hands.

Timothy C's blog from Jan 13th

From Timothy's Growing Plants in the C.A.R.

Photos from the week 1/12/2014

Posted: 12 Jan 2014 02:53 AM PST

For some reason, the Maylay apples this season are the sweetest I have ever tasted. They ripen and then ferment all in a few days, so you have to pick and eat them right when they turn dark purple.


In the last few days the incubator at Somongue has hatched out chicks, geese, and Franklins. Franklins (the little brown chicks) are kind of like a wild grass land chicken.  We are still waiting on the turkey eggs...



One of the flowers blooming around Somongue these days. I have not positively identified it yet, but it looks and smells nice.
 This week was all about water at Somongue. The dry season seems to be a hard one this year. While others used a pick- up truck to carry a tank of water to water the farm, Roy and I did other projects that had to deal with water.


Installing a new pump down a 104 meter boar hole.


Another project Roy and I have been working on has been to get all the plumbing into the two houses that are out at Somongue.


      Update on CAR. The president who led the coup and took power back in march has been pressured to resigned, and exiled in Benin. There is now a transitional counsel trying to come up with a government until elections can be held.

Roy & Aleta Danforth
Covenant missionaries to the Central African Republic
cell phones: Aleta 011 237 7529 5071 and Roy 011 236 7766 5079
email: roy-aleta.danforth@covchurch.org
for us personally:  http://blogs.covchurch.org/danforth/
for the ag project, CEFA: http://car-cefa.blogspot.com

Growing plants in the CAR - Timothy Chapman

Growing plants in the CAR

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Photos from the week 1/5/2014

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 09:50 AM PST

On the long drive from Cameroon to Gamboula, I babysat 42 chicks who
were headed to the chicken project at Gamboula.


The day before leaving Gamboula I moved some bees from a small hive into a full size one. This full size one is an observation hive, so when I got back I was anxious to take a peek. Looks like they are building nicely.
The three MK's who are normally off at boarding school have returned for Christmas break. We all went on a three day fishing trip with a few of the missionary kids' friends

Bruce and I walked through knee deep mud, thigh deep water, thorn patches, and driver ants to set lines. We checked them every few hours throughout the night.


During one of the days, I found, shaped, dried, and fired some clay. Even though clay is supposed to take a longer time to dry then just a few hours, and I fired it in our camp fire for a few hours, I was able to get the hardest ceramic I have had yet outside of a real kiln!


In the jungle you are always being watched, from all directions, at every time of the day and night. Here is one of the things I managed to see spying on me. Among others I saw this trip was a bush baby, the biggest spider I have ever seen here in Central Africa, and an otter.


In this picture there is a fire with fish drying over it in the foreground, someone sleeping on the left, and a vicious game of jungle speed in the background.

Fwd: Growing plants in the CAR

Growing plants in the CAR

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• Photos from the week 12/1/2013
• Photos from the week 11/24/2013
• Photos from the week 11/17/2013
• Photos from the week 11/10/2013

Photos from the week 12/1/2013

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 05:22 AM PST
Due to some technical troubles, I have not been able to update photos for a while. I have now posted photos from the last few weeks, and am now all caught up tho.


This house is going to be for the family that will be taking care of the new cattle at Somongue. We are starting a cattle project to try to find the best forage crops. It is also a way to reach out to the Fulani people.



This tiny jackfruit tree is loaded down with hundreds of pounds of fruit! I don't think I have seen one so loaded before.


All the construction we have been doing at Somongue is with local bricks. These bricks here, where made on the farm.  This kiln is made from of baked bricks.


The guys worked hard to get firewood, and kept a fire going day and night. After the fire the bricks are baked, and the kiln is taken down and the finished bricks ready to go.


The nursery in Gamboula moved out to Somongue this week. It is looking better and better every day.


Roy also moved all his orchids out to Somongue. He has many local and foreign varieties.


After 6 attempts, and disappointment working with poor clay, I have finally had my first successful firing. I found this clay down by the river here. It is not perfect, but for once the fire got hot enough, and there are no cracks in the finished product!



Photos from the week 11/24/2013

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 05:21 AM PST

The beginning and the ending of the rainy season often comes with big electrical storms.


A few months ago a swam moved in to one of the hives. This week Alex had his firs chance at opening up a hive all by him self to examine the work they have been doing. No honey yet, but they are close.


The fulani from up north some times come south, and bring donkeys and horses. They chriate quite the site for people who are not use to seeing people riding or using animals for caring stuff.


The masons pored two porches this week out side some of the new residences. Next week roofs go up!


Our turkey chicks are not chicks any more. We now have 7 breeding pears.


Maxim showing off the first fruits of the cola nut orcherd.

Photos from the week 11/17/2013

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 05:20 AM PST

Alexander, my friend and co worker at CEFA had a baby last week! This, his third, was born at the Gamboula hospital. Mom and baby are doing well.

The Kiln went up this week and a fire lit inside.

Taking down and staking the fired bricks.


The Fulani, unlike the Baya people that make up most of the population around here, respect and love their animals. Here a young herder is walking along with his hand on one of his animals.


 After a rain, mushrooms pop up from the forest floor. These are a great  find, and are snatched up and taken back home.
This week CEFA had its first hopefully annual massive chicken vaccination. 16 teems went north, South, and stayed in Gamboula to vaccinate almost 3000 chickens for the deadly new castles deseas. It often comes, and wipes out whole village's flocks in a matter of days.






I saw this bird while walking around the farm. Right now I don't have a good enough reference for African birds to identify it.



Fore our seminar this week we invited the 12 bible students, and their wives to attend a talk about why agriculture, or having a knowledge of it, is important to a pastors family.

The three youngest to attend this weeks seminar.


Photos from the week 11/10/2013

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 05:18 AM PST

Sitting in a hut with three children, waiting for the rain to stop. All of these children only spoke Gombe, so I had no way of communicating with them. The older sister took off into the bush when she saw me, but came back a short time later with her dad. Then she even built up enough courage to shake my hand.


This week a few of us took a trip down river to see the last herd of wild hippos left in our river system. After a boat ride, we finally found the small family of hippos next to the forest.


The bridge that washed away is back again! The boards had washed way down stream. The rains should not be strong anymore. We have secured the new wood with re-rod, and attached it to the bank.


A group of young men have been making bricks on the road to CEFA. This week they have begun building them in to a kiln to fire them.


A hen at the farm somehow managed to lay a clutch of eggs in the garage without anyone noticing. She is now sitting on them, observing all the work that goes on.


Another pretty butterfly in the forest.


I don't have a good bird book here, so I cant identify it, but I have been seeing this male bird in full breading plumage every day on my way to work.

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Roy & Aleta Danforth
Covenant missionaries to the Central African Republic
cell phones: Aleta 011 237 7529 5071 and Roy 011 236 7766 5079
email: roy-aleta.danforth@covchurch.org
for us personally:  http://blogs.covchurch.org/danforth/
for the ag project, CEFA: http://car-cefa.blogspot.com