Within three months, barren earth that was lying useless is turned into something fruitful and productive. Young men can look at the work of their hands and be proud. Life is HARD; but there is promise.
This picture brings so many great elements together....
J's dad had recently died, and he needed some guidance. Many young men in our area have no real options for meaningful employment or even anything to hope for or work towards. Some escape to cities or the DR. Some hang about bored---looking for purpose, but often finding bitter disappointment or trouble instead. Manis took J in hand, and put him in charge of land we had purchased for a future clinic...
The clinic. We cannot begin to build it yet. But we won't wait to begin developing the land. In June, we built a water cistern on the land. Fencing went up in July. And immediately after, J and his crew began turning up the earth, arranging it into plots, and planting trees and corn and melons.
Today, they harvested corn and HUGE watermelons--the result of their hard work and water trucked from the nearby water holes. What an encouraging result as we work, sweat, and experiment to develop food security...which depends on water security (water holes!). It is slow and laborious progress...but LOOK!
Within three months, barren earth that was lying useless is turned into something fruitful and productive. Young men can look at the work of their hands and be proud. Look at that rainbow in the sky. Life is HARD; but there is promise.
And I intentionally leave that last phrase with a double meaning.
We have the explicit promises of God that motivate and sustain our passion to bring Gospel redemption to all areas of life in our community.
But, there are also those moments----a harvest, a huge smile, and a rainbow in the sky---that speak of promise as a grounds for hopeful expectation.