Mechanical Genus
We now have nearly 1000 acres of riceland. It is a long way from developed, but new equipment from our matching grant is arriving, so, hopefully, next year FCOP can really get something accomplished. We really need prayer for a good crop this year, all of our inputs, which are primarily imports, have been hit by a 20% price increase, due to the fact that Cambodian currency is fixed to the US dollar. Our biggest concern, because we had no time for any irrigation or flood control development, is that we are at the mercy of the elements. And, we know who the "prince an power of the air" is, right? (Eph. 2:2) but, we also know that Jesus gave us, "Authority over serpents, scorpions and all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:18-19). So, we are in a war which can only be won by the power of God. You are our frontline troops, so, even though you are thousands of miles from us, keep those prayers coming!
Here is an example of why we need your help! We'd planted about 750 acres of our rice when, for no reason we can discern, the transmission case on our largest and newest tractor, "Big Dog", split in two. All the bearings and gears were totally like new. There are probably no tractors like this within 10,000 miles, beside that, they quit making them about 30 years ago. I was at a loss as to what to do, when, Paul Mok (a mechanical savant) said, "Give me three days and I can build a new one". I truly believed, “It could not be done!” These guys took 3/4” plate steel and totally built a stronger transmission than the original in some very primitive conditions. It runs out smooth, shifts well and saves us at least $10,000, We had rain for the next couple of days, so, with virtually no delays, for the whopping cost of $300.00US, our "Dig Dog" is back at work.