Join us in prayer this Friday!

As you may or may not know, the entire Plant With Purpose family (I’m talking from San Diego to Santo Domingo to Mount Kilimanjaro) commits time the first Friday of every month to pray for the transformational work God has called us to participate in. 

We pray other days too, of course, but the first Friday of the month is a day set apart for prayer, reflection, and adoration—together in spirit though distant in geography. 

We invite you to join us tomorrow as we lift up the following prayers and praises for each country where we work. And if you’d like to be kept in the loop, sign up HERE to receive the prayer letter update each month straight to your Inbox. 

God, we ask that you would hear our prayers: 

BURUNDI

We praise God for:

• A great start to the new year.  

We pray For:

• God’s guidance of the trainings on Village Savings and Loan Associations and Holistic Ministry that our staff and farmers will participate in this month.
• The success of an exciting new project that will empower local schools to teach farming and sustainable agriculture.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

We praise God for:

• The approval of the UN Environmental Program proposal for Sustainable Agroforestry farms in the border region. This will empower many more rural families to simultaneously replenish their land and improve their crop yields.

We pray for:

• God’s guidance in hiring a new Coordinator for Spiritual Development in the border region. The coordinator will develop relationships with local churches, equip pastors for better outreach, distribute relevant Bible study curriculum and training materials, and coordinate local outreach events at churches and schools. 
• Wisdom and energy for the literacy facilitators that participate in the “Church, Community, and Change” project. This project empowers the local church to be an agent of positive change in the community. The first area churches have identified as an urgent need in the community is literacy, so Plant With Purpose has partnered with churches to offer literacy classes to community members. 
• For a smooth and effective transition from our traditional credit cooperatives to a savings-led model. Savings groups provide farmers who usually wouldn’t have access to financial services such as savings and loans with the opportunity to save their money in a safe place, receive loans to invest in businesses, and build a network of community and accountability.

HAITI

We praise God for:

• A safe and productive trip to Haiti for Doug Satre, Development Director, and fruitful meetings with the SG and Kellogg Foundations.

We pray for: 

• Our partnership with the Cooperative Baptist fellowship and the new project in the community of Magandou. 
• The reconstruction and rebuilding of Haiti as families work to transform their lives.

MEXICO

We praise God for:

• The excellent work of stewardship of creation that is being done with local churches. 
• The spaces for new children’s clubs that have opened. After-school children’s clubs provide an opportunity for Plant With Purpose to equip youth to lead a dedicated Christian life.

We pray for:

• A new health project, and enthusiasm for the participants whose training begins this month. Pray that many would experience healing and improved health. 
• The prospect of expanding to another area, that God gives us wisdom and guidance. 
• Our work in the area of Mitlatongo, where devastating mudslides occurred a few months ago. Pray for the recovery of families who were affected.

TANZANIA

We praise God for:

• The successful USAID audit.

We pray for:

• Continued growth and team spirit among the Plant With Purpose Tanzania team. We’re working hard to build a strong team that works well together and reflects God’s love. 
• The sustainable agriculture and VICOBA competition that is currently underway throughout the entire Kilimanjaro region. We hope that this will ignite further excitement within the community for learning about and applying best practices in sustainable agriculture. 
• The organic agriculture tradeshow that we’ve been working hard to plan. We hope that it will be a success and a great opportunity for farmers to be able to connect to buyers and markets.

THAILAND

We praise God for:

• The good work that is being done.

We pray for:

• The final stage of Community Land Deed process at Huay Lu Luang. Pray that God will be with all the parties involved in the approval process. When it’s approved, the village will fully own the land and will also become a national example for other villages in how to protect and conserve their natural resources. 
• The new Village Savings and Loan groups that will be forming soon in target areas. 
• God to guide our thoughts and grant us wisdom in working with non-Christian villages to promote their roles in the communities in responding to the social and moral issues. 
• The movement of local churches throughout northern Thailand. Pray that God would give us wisdom and would strengthen our network and unity so we could become salt and light.

USA

We praise God for:

• Becky, our new Marketing & Events Coordinator. We thank God for her arrival in January. 
• The Coast Vineyard film screening of 58: The Film. It was a great success.

We pray for:

• Doug and Jimmy’s trip to Haiti with La Jolla Presbyterian Church and St. Clements Episcopal. Pray for safe travels and a wonderful time of fellowship. 
• The new board members that have just joined the Plant With Purpose board. We are so excited that they are part of the team! 
• A safe and successful visit of a few board members from the Tanzania program. 
• Program Officer, Christi’s visit to Tanzania. 
• Corbyn Small’s new role as Regional Representative, and that his efforts would be blessed as he travels and builds new relationships.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! We are deeply grateful for your partnership.

Strength like a Sycamore Tree

by Becky Rosaler

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 
   They will be like a tree planted by the water 
   that sends out its roots by the stream. 
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.    
   It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8

California’s varying terrain creates an assortment of ecosystems full of native plants.  Right behind the Plant With Purpose office in San Diego, you can find a small tributary of our local watershed that supports a riparian ecosystem.  

One of my favorite trees can be found outside our doors, the California Sycamore!  Their substantial presence often signifies that you are near streams of water, their roots tapping deep into the ground to get the elements that sustain its life.  In the warmer months when sycamores send out their green leaves, shade from the sun and cooler air are guaranteed to be found under the large leaves.  Their branches provide home to birds and small animals while the leaf litter is a haven for decomposers.  If there is plenty of water in the stream, one tree on a hot day is said to be able to transpire (loss of water through stomata) a couple of hundred gallons of water back into the atmosphere, creating its own little microclimate.  

The prophet Jeremiah equates one who trusts in the Lord to being like a tree planted by the water.  The sycamore comes to mind when I read this verse, a strong presence in our landscape.

As we continue to plant trees around the world, we are seeing ecosystems restored and trust in the Lord being established.  These individuals are becoming sturdy trees that characterize a healthy environment, ready to withstand the hardships of life.     

For instance, one of our farmers from the village of Barye, Haiti, Ms. Cyvadier Duclas said, “Thanks to Plant With Purpose, I’ve come to know that if my land is protected, it can start to produce food again.  I now know that trees protect the soil, trees make rain fall, and in general, trees are life.  When I plant a tree, I take care of it.” 

Since the people of Barye joined Plant With Purpose over ten years ago, they have benefitted from increased incomes, improved health, and greater food security. Families like Ms. Duclas’ are growing nutritious food on their restored land and selling the extra in town. Parents are able to send their children to school and the entire community is being transformed.

Take a minute today to appreciate the trees around you.  Let them remind you to trust the Lord where you’re at and to lift up the individuals that are being transformed though the sowing of our work and the lives being touched by Plant With Purpose.  

Plant With Purpose Welcomes a Fresh Face with a Big Heart

Please join in welcoming Plant With Purpose’s newest staff member, Becky Rosaler. As the new Marketing and Events Coordinator, she will play an integral role in executing Plant With Purpose’s marketing campaigns and PR efforts as well as planning our annual Planting Hope Gala!

You’re in for a treat today as she shares a bit of the incredible journey that has brought her to partner with Plant With Purpose. 

I’ve been asked, “Which part of the Plant With Purpose Mission resonates most with you?”  “Which part of this vision for lasting transformation,” I ask?  My resounding answer happens to be, “All three!”  It seems like Someone has perfectly orchestrated this time in my life to join the Plant With Purpose team and I couldn’t be more thrilled or honored.

Let me share some background so that you too can see God’s faithfulness.  As a student at Westmont College, I obtained a degree in environmental biology studying under professors who imparted their love for creation and Creator.   Upon graduation, I took a permaculture certification course and headed to the Philippines to put into practice what was learned.  It was then I realized that this idealistic American might do better reaching out to her own culture and sharing about the needs and injustices taking place in the world with those in my sphere of influence. My day job became teaching outdoor education programs in Orange County while lending my evenings to ministry.  A few years later, I joined the staff at North Coast Church in Vista as one of the 20something pastors.  Those 6 years were spent growing in my knowledge of Jesus, investing in others, fostering community, furthering our outreach program, and leading mission trips to Eastern Europe.  2008 arrived and I was ready for something more…but our economy was ready for something more as well.  I ended up back at the Ocean Institute, this time in the marketing department where I helped with special events, fundraising, and general marketing responsibilities. 

In 2008, a friend of a friend introduced Plant With Purpose to me.  I have offered my assistance when time and schedule have allowed at alternate gift markets, outreach events, and I even volunteered for the 2011 Gala.  Who knew that in 2012 I would be planning the Planting Hope Gala! 

I look forward to communicating with you, connecting with our advocates, celebrating our life sustaining programs together, raising funds for what happens in the field, visiting the villages that we sponsor and learning as we go!  Please feel free to drop me a line or find me on facebook by using becky@plantwithpurpose.org.

All along my heart has been developing a yearning to see: environmental restoration, economic empowerment, and spiritual renewal…the three parts of Plant With Purpose’s Mission.

Bonus section: traveling, planting, creating, catching up with friends, laughing with my family, enjoying a good story, being outside, worshipping our God, and eating delicious food are all on my list of favorites!

What’s Your Purpose?

by Aly Lewis

Recently I was posed the question, Why are you here?

Not why-do-people-exist or what-is-the-meaning-of-life, but why am I HERE at this juncture in my life. At this computer at this desk with these coworkers at this job to do these tasks.

One answer is this:

February 2006, Managua, Nicaragua

Plastic smoldered and filled the air in a hazy smokescreen that seared my eyes and bit at my nostrils in the city dump of Managua, Nicaragua.  Skeletal cows munched on the aluminum cans that children searched all day for in the city dump.  This was their home, their school, their playground.  Our yellow school bus heaved and rattled into the dump.  We pressed our faces against the hot window panes, peering out into the ocean of refuse.  When we realized where we were, our faces dropped, eyes averted and laughing silenced.  One man lifted his dark, gnarled hand to brush the sweat from his furrowed brow.  Our bus grinded to a halt and the door creaked open.  Trevor, one of our program facilitators poked his head out and yelled something to the man in broken Spanish. 

Did he mind speaking to us for a minute?  Did he mind sharing his story with us?

The man carefully stepped over the debris, clambering his way to the open bus door.  He moved through the sea of trash like an experienced sailor.  Like he’d long since lost his land legs.  We wore fresh skirts and smoothed slacks.  The old man glanced down at his modest t-shirt, sweat stained and torn.  We wanted to know what his life was like.  How was he surviving?  What did he think about God?  Parched and at a loss for words, the man swallowed a few times, his tongue wetting his chapped lips, gums, and the few teeth he had.  Then he told us the only thing he knew. 

“Dios ha bendecido a mi familia.” “God has blessed my family,” he said.  “God is good.  Before this garbage dump we were on the streets, and that was worse.  God has provided, and God is good.”

Blessed?  The last time I checked, my definition of blessed did not include the privilege of sorting through trash and watching your children inhale toxic fumes on a daily basis. 

Trevor thanked him for sharing and handed him a cold, dripping water bottle.  He greedily grabbed the fresh water, and the condensation formed tiny rivulets in the deep, cracked creases of his craggy palms—living water in a thirsty, barren land, fresh water in a sulfuric sea.

***

That’s part of it. That’s part of why I’m here. Writing this blog. Working at this nonprofit that serves the rural poor. Thinking these thoughts. Still struggling with the word blessed . Still working through what it means to see God at work in this unjust world.

It’s why I’m HERE at Plant With Purpose.  It’s why I’m so passionate about the work of our field staff who empower and transform the lives of the rural poor.

It’s why I have hope of a better story. A story of families restoring their land, raising their incomes, and learning to thrive BEFORE they end up desperate, on the streets or at the dump.

It’s why I can tell a story like this:

Meet Jayaw Licha from Panasawan, Thailand. Jayaw Licha is a dedicated farmer with a wife and a child. With the help of Plant With Purpose, his life entire life has been turned upside down in the best possible way. Plant With Purpose taught him sustainable agriculture techniques, such as interplanting crops with trees and using organic fertilizers and pesticides, which he applied to his farm.

Now his thriving farm produces an impressive variety of food year round—coffee and tea, corn and beans, mangos, bananas, and pineapple, just to name a few! His land produces enough to feed his family and he sells his corn for extra income.

In fact, his farm is doing so well he no longer has to leave his community to work as a day laborer to support his family. Ultimately, he doesn’t have to leave, his family doesn’t have to leave, and there is no hint of slums, begging, or garbage dumps in their future.

So today, HERE, I am grateful to write such a story of hope and have my eyes opened to the blessing (yes, I said it) of seeing God at work in an unjust world. 

But enough about me, what brought you here? What’s your purpose?

Two Years Later: Remembering A Tragedy, Celebrating Progress in Haiti

Two years ago today, a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti. 220,000 people were killed, 300,000 were injured, and over 3.5 million Haitians were affected.

For those who’ve devoted your prayers, your time, and your resources to partner with Plant With Purpose and the people of Haiti, we say thank you.

Two years after such devastation, let us take a moment to remember the lives that have been lost, the sacrifice that has been given, and the journey ahead.

Let us continue to remember the country of Haiti and the courageous families that live there as they build a better future. If you would, we invite you to take 5 minutes to watch Planting Hope in Haiti, a beautiful video filled with the perseverance, courage, character, and hope of our sisters and brothers in Haiti.

Since January 2010, Plant With Purpose has helped Haitian families recover from the devastating quake while investing in a brighter future by restoring the land, raising their incomes, and encouraging them to grow in the knowledge of God’s love and grace.

In the last two years, Haitian families partnered with Plant With Purpose to establish over 200 garden plots and attend nearly 500 financial trainings, enabling children to experience improved nutrition and parents to provide for their families and send their children to school.

In response to critical needs, these families received over 700 goats and 400 drinking water systems. Additionally, families have restored 55 watersheds and planted over one million trees to replenish the barren landscape and work toward a future filled with bountiful crops, clean water, and economic stability.

As we remember the tragedy and celebrate the progress of the last two years, consider partnering with Haitian families to recover and rebuild in one of the following ways:

• Sponsoring a village in Haiti for a dollar a day
• Planting an entire forest for $100
• Fostering spiritual renewal by giving toward needed Bible study training and materials

Thanks again!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year’s, blog readers! We are excited to usher in 2012, all bright and shiny with possibility. 

But before plowing full steam ahead into the new year, we’d like to THANK YOU for your involvement in transforming the lives of the rural poor over the last year. Thank you for reading, commenting, and sharing Plant With Purpose with your friends. Thank you for your feedback, your support, and your prayers. 

Because of you, farmers are recounting stories of transformation, restoring their land and their livelihoods, and gaining the courage to reimagine a brighter future for their families. 

Stay tuned for recaps and highlights of 2011 later this week.

Thanks again, and here’s to a year of recounting, restoring, and reimagining a better future together!

Still Dreaming

This Christmas, we were thrilled to share with you the Christmas wishes of farmers from around the world.  Just because Christmas has passed, doesn’t mean these farmers have stopped dreaming.

Bibiana’s dreams for the future remain as vivid as ever. Bibiana is an enthusiastic 11-year-old from the village of La Muralla, Mexico. Her elementary school teamed up with Plant With Purpose to teach environmental education, and Bibiana is one of the star students. She loves learning how to care for the land in her community and is exciting to share that knowledge with her family and neighbors. Bibiana is also helping her family tend to their family garden, something that is improving the family’s nutrition and health.

“We have learned to care for and water the plants from the school nursery,” Bibiana said, “I also planted trees with my mom and brothers. I like working and going to Plant With Purpose workshops because I learn a lot about taking care of plants.”

This season, you can give the gift of a family garden to help families like Bibiana’s to establish and grow a thriving garden. Consider how you can help to change the future for children like Bibiana.

To give toward a family garden click here.

To read more wishes from families around the world, click here. 

A Christmas Wish: Investing in the Future

It’s almost Christmas! Today’s Christmas Wish comes from Rafaela Leonidas Encarnación from Basima, Dominican Republic. Rafaela is the mother of an entrepreneurial family. With six children, Rafaela was always worried about making ends meet and feeding her family. She operated a small business in her village, selling various items to other community members, but the income generated from her business was not sufficient to meet her family’s needs.

That started to change when Rafaela joined a Plant With Purpose group where she received training in small business and financial management. 

Now, Rafaela’s business is thriving, and her daughter has also set up her own successful business selling empanadas. The income her daughter generates not only supplements their household income, but it also makes Rafaela very proud of her daughter’s entrepreneurial spirit. 

“Partnering with Plant With Purpose has been very good for my community and me,” Rafaela says. “Thanks to God’s providence and the business training received through Plant With Purpose’s workshops, my business has been more successful, I have been able to attract more customers, and my relationship with my family is stronger.”

This Christmas, consider giving the gift of opportunity to entrepreneurs like Rafaela and her daughter. Village savings and loans associations (VSLA) offer a safe venue to learn to save money, receive low-interest microloans, and take part in critical business training.

A Christmas Wish: Sharing and Living the Good News

Our next very special Christmas wish comes from a woman named Jocelyn Dieumène of Barye, Haiti. Jocelyn lives in a place where words like community mean something. In the five years Jocelyn has participated in Plant With Purpose programs, her income has increased as her small plot of land has gone from producing 20 pounds of beans at a time to 50 pounds at a time. She is now able to afford the fees needed to send her three children to school, but beyond that Jocelyn says participation in group Bible studies has also encouraged her to give back to her community. 

“When I listen to God’s word, my ideas change positively, and I am ready to share with my neighbors,” Jocelyn says.

During the Christmas season, you can help communities like Barye to strengthen their church and community ties by providing critical resources, training, and Bible study materials to pastors and leaders. 

Consider giving a gift that will empower churches around the world to engage the needs of their communities in the name of Christ.

A Christmas Wish: Clean Water for Haiti

Forget the iPad, Christmas sweaters, and stocking stuffers, all Visnel wants for Christmas is access to clean water. 

In Haiti, the place he calls home, clean water is hard to come by. Waterborne disease kills thousands of people there every single year, a fact that has only grown worse as the country continues fighting a cholera epidemic. In fact, contaminated water nearly cost Visnel his life when he contracted cholera this year. But thanks to his Plant With Purpose community group leader, Visnel arrived at a clinic for treatment just in time.

“Plant With Purpose saved my life!” Visnel says.

Still, while we celebrate this example of the incredible support system people are finding through Plant With Purpose groups, we believe that people like Visnel shouldn’t be getting sick in the first place. Something as simple as the gift of clean water changes communities and saves lives. It means health instead of illness, and it means a better, more hopeful tomorrow. It also means opportunity for Visnel’s children and others like them as they can go to school instead of walking for water each day.

In Matthew 10:42 Jesus says, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”  

This Christmas season, consider providing children and families like Visnel’s with access to cold—and more importantly, clean—water.   

Click here to meet more farmers like Visnel and view the complete Plant With Purpose Christmas Wish List and give the gift of hope to families in need.