Get some dirt under your fingernails, some fresh produce on your table, and help empower a refugee family at the same time. Enjoy stories of people who are using a garden to extend God's love.
In his 80’s, Larry Price is going strong in his garden. Despite the recent loss of his wife and gardening partner, he grows on with a deep sense of purpose. He found out from Scott and Julie Griswold about the Afghan refugee community and the vegetables they really enjoy, like okra.
Frequently Larry calls Julie to ask, “When are you going to see your Afghan friends? I have more vegetables for them.” Many of the Afghans had large gardens and orchards back in their country. Now they are crowded into city apartments trying to survive on jobs with minimal wages.
The Afghans are super excited to receive something fresh and organic straight from the garden. It’s a tangible way that Home for All Nations can express God’s love as they seek to plants seeds for a spiritual harvest.
Larry has inspired another church member, Kenneth Griffin, who just bought a new tractor with the intention of growing more produce for the refugees. Read on to see what others are doing and be inspired as to what you and your family might do.
God deeply desires to use us to cultivate new fields, plants seeds of truth where they’ve never been grown, and to nurture relationships towards a harvest for eternity. We can truly be a home for all nations right in the garden.
Maxi Reyes remembers what it was like to leave their family’s farm in America to migrate from Mexico twenty years ago. They struggled to survive in Oregon, language barriers making it hard to know about food pantries and other resources.
Maxi stumbled across caring people, at Outgrowing Hunger, who were offering small garden plots to refugees and others in need. She and her family began growing their own produce.
They realized they could help others too. Maxi says, “What motivated me to start farming was seeing the need in our community….I was able to help my neighbors and families, even if it was just with five tomatoes or peppers or a squash left on their doorstep.”
Maxi is now the vice president of Outgrowing Hunger. Read the rest of her story now.
Bruce Kidney is a nurse at Kettering Health in Dayton, Ohio who loves to get his fingers dirty in the garden. He began noticing the many refugees from Central Africa who were living right near the hospital. He felt the area was a food desert with few vegetables at an affordable price. That’s when he started the Unity Garden, a place where the community can come together to grow traditional African vegetables and supplement their needs.
Learn more about how he found ways to make a difference by accessing rainwater and redirecting 10,000 pounds of food waste from the dump into compost.
Enjoy an in-depth documentary about helping the homeless through community gardens by the Auburn Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The Richardson Seventh-day Adventist Church in Texas has started a gardening club. Read their description of the special purposes they are pursuing.
The Edge is another community garden done by a church in Wenatchee, Washington. They take their inspiration from the Bible in Leviticus 19:9-10 which says, “When you harvest, leave the edges for those who are poor and aliens.” Read about their experience.
Does all this gardening talk make you want to learn more about how to improve your agricultural skills? There is a highly effective organization called Adventist Agricultural Association that has helped many families progress in their ability to provide for their families and even start businesses in this field. At their website you will find information about conventions, seed sources, helpful tools, and much more. View excellent seminars at the AdAgra YouTube Playlist.
You can also explore 3 separate agricultural curriculums created for elementary, middle school, and high school at Acquainting Agriculture.
