People have to eat.
As we have worked with indigenous missionary pastors, we have been blessed to gain precious friendships. As we meet to pray with each other, we catch glimpses into their struggles.
Planting churches hours deeper into the jungle than where we live, it is hard to get Pastors. When they do get one, they don’t usually last long. In addition to the culture change, hostile climate and primitive living conditions – their sending churches want them to be growing and self sustaining.
And that my friends, is like trying to squeeze water from a rock.
These villages are far apart. Often, the rains come in the night before the service and the river swells so canoe travel isn’t possible. Attendance is sporadic.
When the congregation tithes, it is often in the form of yucca, bananas, and fruit. A pastor and his family cannot pay bills with these, and they can only eat so much of it. You can’t really add these tithes up in a dollar amount to report to the office.
So the sending church begins to cut funding or removes it altogether and redirects the money somewhere that can meet the criteria. Sometimes the Pastors stay in the jungle. Sometimes they don’t.
And for the church planter this is heartbreaking.
Is this an area in which we can minister?
Yes, but not by riding in and “saving the day” by writing a check that serves as a band-aid. There is a time and place for emergency assistance, but this isn’t it.
We need a long term solution that functions independently of foreign missions.
We have researched permaculture, hydroponics and aquaponics. Eric even has his own Pinterest account just to keep all the information organized. We have talked about it for years. Now, it begins!
The goal is to give the people here the ability to have a self supporting church, by assisting Pastors and churches in developing an aquaculture based system that provides food for the Pastor and his family, as well as the orphans and widows in the church.
There is still much to do, but we are so thankful for the opportunity to support the indigenous pastors in their work for the Lord.
We ask that you pray for this ministry: So All May Be Fed.
