The majority of week 2 of the Volunteer Selection Programme (VSP) was spent at the God’s Way Ltd Function Learning Centre Caretakers property.

The main focus this week was on an environmental recovery project. The activity consisted of preparing an area of land to plant seeds and or seedlings later in the year.

The project consisted of digging holes and moving earth to make swales (banks or mounds) with the purpose to capture water and or slow down and retain as much water as possible in the area when it rains. Currently the soil is dry and any rain fall runs off into surrounding paddocks.

The project was created by Jesus (AJ Miller) with the holes designed in a fish scale sequence meaning that when one hole is full of water it is designed to overflow into the next hole so the water runs down hill from one hole to the next during a large rain event.

Diagram of the way that water is dispersed via the fish scale design. The red arrow indicates the slope of the hill, the green lines are the laser leveled overflows, the blue indicates water collection and flow.

Once the holes were constructed the area was covered in mulch to hold moisture and create shelter and a food source to attract insect life.

The first row of holes in the fish scale design

Swale banks before mulch is added

In the process of mulch being added

It was noticed that the soil in the area that God’s Way Ltd members, volunteers and VSP participants prepared was depleted of nutrients and had no life in it. Not a single worm or beetle larvae was seen while digging holes. This was not a good sign. It indicated that the soil has been depleted over the years and needs some tender love and care.

Some of the things members, volunteers and participants learned from Jesus (AJ Miller) during the activity, included but were not limited to:

• education on the damage that has occurred to the environment and solutions on how to fix the environment based on principles of God’s Truth
• that few people who truly understand the extent of the environmental problems in the world and who have a passionate desire to do the hard work required to make reparation of the damage that has been done individually and collectively over generations by humanity (this can be changed rapidly if individuals have the desire to do so)
• their current lack of love for the environment and lack of desire to recover the damage that they have individually created and that humanity has collectively done to the environment
• how their personal choice to get food addictions met, such as eating meat during their lives have caused destruction and degradation to the environment and the reparation, including hard physical work, involved in correcting the damage each individual and humanity collectively has created
• principles of how water flows (down hill to the lowest point via the path of least resistance)
• principles of how to retain the most amount of water on the land in order to hydrate the soil so it can then sustain life (plants, insects etc.)
• water is essential for plant life to grow
• soil hydration is needed to support life (intelligent life needs, home, food, water to flourish and survive. Jesus commented on the importance of finding out what different types of intelligent life require to thrive and provide as much of what they need as possible in order to support life.)
• principles of how to construct holes to hold the most amount of water to plant shrubs and trees that will be self maintaining and long lasting so that they do not need to be consistently watered in the future
• principles of using a laser level to create water overflows
• principles and benefits of having an a good workflow and working as a cooperative team
• ways to speed up natures natural processes to create healthy soil, such as covering areas with mulch to attract insect life, retain moisture and prevent erosion

loading the tipper with wood chip

Loading wood chip into barrows

experimenting with workflow during mulching

Participants covering an area with mulch to retain moisture and create food, shelter and moisture to attract insect life

participants spread wood chip around existing trees

The area where holes were to be dug before work began

Jesus digs and shapes holes, giving facilitators instructions

Participants begin digging a hole for planting

Participants learn how to use the laser level

facilitator taking notes during activity

Participants receive instructions about the holes they are digging

Jesus gives instructions on the most effective way to spread wood chip

Jesus demonstrates how to effectively move and spread wood chip

Organic green waste is poured into wheel barrows to be moved to the holes to attract insects and create soil

Juices from the green waste are loaded into a wheelbarrow to pour in pre-prepared holes

organic green waste in a hole

covering the organic green waste with hard woodchip

A participant writes up a report on the day’s activity

Group research assignment

Another activity during week two was the group research assignment.

Participants were required to individually research the benefits of Insects to the natural environment. Then in a small group compile their research into a clear, concise and well-planned written document that answered the following questions:

What benefit do insects have to the environment?

How do insects assist the regeneration of the natural environment?

The groups were focused and worked well together producing some interesting findings about insects.

Thank you to members, facilitators and participants for the photos taken during the Volunteer Selection Project.

Until the next update,

Eloisa on behalf of the Volunteer Selection Team

Facilitators enjoying the Volunteer Selection Project