Soteria Network Initiatives (SoNI) Experimental Garden serves mostly as a working and learning lab. The actual “Family Self-sufficiency Gardening and Moringa” (FSSGM) program applications that I did in certain Nigerian towns and villages and at some NGOs from 2012-2016, 2018-2019, and 2021, were simply a modified and adapted application of some tested gardening principles that could result in a more successful family garden (or institutional garden, agronomy or husbandry project) in the Third World — or anywhere.

Experimental Garden

The Lord also gave me the opportunity to do educational “elementary-level curriculum and how to teach in public schools using what you already have, even when you are not receiving designated federal government funding” sessions at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education in Owerri, Imo State. I also had the opportunity to preach and do some Bible studies for NIFES (Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) for two different state universities — and much more. I have really enjoyed working with college and career young people for many years. My most exciting evangelistic and general ministries opportunities included: preaching to children at Gweimen Centre where every child responded to the Gospel message; preaching about the promises of God (through Urhobo translator) where the congregation cheered — at Ughelli of Delta State; hearing young girls 5-part rhythm and singing at Abaja Village church-plant; having a woman stand and read outloud the Urhobo Bible, that SoNI provided, for about five minutes when she first received it — because her calling was as a teacher and she had always wanted a Bible in her own Urhobo language, but couldn’t afford one; sharing about Jesus at the prison in Owerri; also sharing with Moslem people. Seeing a young crippled man who traveled on a makeshift vehicle attend faithfully and successfully raise his garden. I awarded him with an additional garden tool during the follow-up year. Just seeing about six beautiful Nigerian young siblings and taking a photo of them. Nigerians are beautiful people — and much more. ***** The basic applications for most of my ministry regarding gardening were rolled out through an hour-and-a-half “Family Self-sufficiency Garden and Moringa Oleifera” training session where seeds and garden implements were also provided by SoNI. During the latter years between 2012 to 2021, the Lord also added a more distinct “grass roots multiplication plan to FSSGM. The charge to the FSSGM trainees was first to “plant a successful garden. Then, sell ‘the firsts’ (the best of the produce) in the market place, eat the seconds; and save seeds for your next season. But also to share their seeds for their second season with two family members and two community families. Then train them to raise a successful garden themselves.

Education, Public Schools
& Cultural Relevance

This is a “grassroots multiplication” process that has the potential to empower thousands of families (with some income and food) within a few years of continued exponential multiplication. The trained FSSGM villagers generally came from about five sub-neighborhoods. So I generally ended up training about eight people from each of five neighborhoods. The FSSGM trainees included a good percentage of village leaders and committed gardeners. Beyond this, SoNI also provided garden implements: shovels, machetes, rakes, hoes, etc. for the attendees. However, they were asked to use their implements in training and assisting other community members. In 2013, the Imo State Agriculture Commissioner asked me to train 25 of her 27 Local Government Agency (LGA) leaders and SoNI provided them with extra seeds and garden implements as well. Why Moringa Oleifera? Because moringa oleifera grows tropical and subtropical yet most people do not know much about the nutrients it provides. 12 of 12 essential amino acids, 46 antioxidants, 36 anti-inflammatory compounds, etc. which are very significant, especially for the Third World poor across the world. ***** SoNI partnered with GreatStory International’s (GSI) annual “Just for Jesus” (J4J) project where GSI J4J annually served one or two towns/villages of southeastern or southern states with free medical (including surgery and eyeglasses, check-ups, malaria tests, etc.); free pharmaceuticals; and one-on-one or small group evangelism for an average of 2,000 to 3,000 people over a three or four day outreach. Almost all of the people they serve medically would have never had these opportunities throughout their entire lives otherwise — and many would have lived with their ailments and deformities for the rest of their shortened Third World lives. SoNI partnered further with GSI J4J by paying for the cost of malaria pills; purchasing insecticide treated bednets for pregnant mothers, homes with young children and the elderly — the malarial most vulnerable regarding deaths. SoNI also provided English and indigenous language Bibles to distribute to some of the attendees. And I got to participate with the witnessing and preaching functions. GSI (Greatstory International (https://m.facebook.com/GreatstoryInternational/) J4J served mostly Igbo-speaking states that were part of “Biafra”-secession between 1967 to 1969 after the British release of the Nigerian colony in 1960. In 1969 the Federal Government of Nigeria squelched the Biafran secession by creating a 250-mile food blockade which killed an estimated two million people, three-fourths of them children. The whole movement was predicated on Catholic and Christian persecution in the country. What percentage of Igboland were Catholics and Christians in 1967. I have DVD videos and/or photos for each year of my service in Nigeria. ***** SoNI also partnered with Gweimen Centre (Kwoi of Kaduna State; https://www.gweimencentre.org/ which services HIV AIDS-surviving mothers (with meds and professional training) and surviving children with their one-meal-a-day, educational fees and transportation to Gweimen’s compound for various Monday to Friday services. SoNI has co-labored with Dr. Kadangs and the Gweimen NGO over many and varied issues and construction needs. A third major partner was ECWA Bingham University (https://binghamuni.edu.ng/v2/#). I worked in nine of thirty-six Nigeria states and the Capital City Abuja with more than 30 agencies during my feet-on-the-ground in Nigeria years. I have leaders still meeting and visiting in Lexington from Nigeria — and from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zanzibar. Anyway, this all started in January 2012 when the Lord said, “I want you to go to Sub-Saharan Africa and India.” And my answer was, “Okay.!?” The “2020s Visions-Japan” (2018, 2022 to present) outreach ministry is rolling out well. The creation of a ministry beachhead in Yokohama, a “Son and Father” baseball training clinic and having Japanese pastors preaching in California and in Hawaii are moving forward as well. It’s been fun!

Grassroots
Multiplication