Organic Farming, Mulberries & Livelihoods

The first relationship we followed was with "Aunt Lydia". We have known this woman from afar for many years. But when a friend asked if we would be willing to work along side her, we knew what the answer should be. Since that time we have made numerous trips to an area 5 hours north of Vientiane, made recently accessible by a new road.  

It has been a privilege to meet with villagers and brainstorm a new project into existence. Lydia was asked by local authorities to promote organic agriculture tied with cottage industry in this area where many new families are being re-settled and starting over from scratch. It has also been a tremendous learning experience to work alongside Lydia, her team, and extended family. She has a real passion to see rural poverty alleviated in Laos. She is experienced and knows how to get things done in Laos' unique environment. We'll be writing a lot more about this project, you can be sure.

Daniel Agro-Enterprises

Daniel bought the farm when our company was voted off the island back in 2008.  While we took a sabbatical, he caught a vision for agricultural business and ministry.  For two years he strove to carry on the work he felt was so important.  But finally he sold the fish ponds, buildings, and infrastructure to the government, paying us money that we re-invested in Mekong Valley Foods, Chiang Rai.  All the corn-handling equipment & grain bins he moved to Vientiane and set up another company about 40 minutes out of town.

His vision now couldn't be broader.  Three harvest centers--each bigger and with more capacity than our old company--have been set up, with more to follow.  Construction of a 250-sow piglet producing facility is well under way.  80 hectares of corn are being planted.  A cattle-raising project aims to make beef once more affordable in Vientiane (prices have shot through the roof in past months).

 

And finally, Peter is working to make Daniel Aquatics a reality.  Recently he has been digging fishponds, raising dikes, and putting in pipes and culverts to fill and drain the ponds.  He is working with a capable Lao manager that he and Daniel hired. They hope to bring in "mother and father fish" (as we say in Lao) early next month.  Two or three other workers are going for training next week with the talented team at SDRF's Issaan Aquatics Farm.  This renewed connection with our friends across the Mekong has been a real blessing.

Visitors Bearing Gifts

Another of the new realities we're excited about is this--the increasing frequency of short-term teams and "vision trips".  The world has shrunk and Thailand is no longer that far away. 

In October we hosted, at Mekong Valley Foods,  a group of visitors from Crossroads Covenant in Loveland, CO.  They came.  We gave our shpiel.  We showed them our work, we told them our story...then it was time to turn the tables.  We grilled them a bit.  And we told them about the needs--and that we're looking for quality, dedicated people.   

This was a group of seasoned, mature leaders with a heart to serve.  By the time our friends left, we were fairly certain we were going to see some of them back in Thailand at some time not too far in the future.  They came bearing gifts--and the gifts were these:   themselves and a big dose of encouragement!

We make them wear goofy hairnets not only because its company policy, but so if they never show up again, we can bring these out and blackmail them.  Pam & Larry Moeser.  Jane Peterson.

AKBA 2011 -- Advancing Kingdom Business in Asia

Every year for more than 10 years a unique group of Jesus-followers have gathered for mutual encouragement. Many believe that it is not necessary to give up their culture in order to be a follower of Jesus. LIke the early church in Acts, they ask, "Is it necessary to become a Jew in order to be a follower of Christ?"

Or in today's terms, they ask, "Is it necessary to become culturally 'Christian' and give up one's identity as a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Shintoist? In many countries throughout Asia one's identity is closely tied to one of the major religions and to give that up often means cutting one's ties with family and community. The result, many would say, is that Christianity has made it "too difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God," (Acts 15:19) and has distorted the meaning of the gospel.

At the same time, because of the often restrictive environments in their countries, many of these friends have started businesses and are working to bless their communities by carrying on productive work. So, out of these meetings has come a consultation about how to advance kingdom businesses--those where relationships and socially-responsible economic activity are as important as profit and money-making.

This year I was asked to help organize this part of the gathering. Since this has been the focus of our lives for more than 10 years now, I welcomed the opportunity. Through my contacts and those of friends, we invited a wide variety of business-owners and entrepreneurs to tell their stories.

It was an excellent time of sharing and story-telling. The mutual lessons we learned, the best-practices, the challenges of truly being a Christ-follower while conducting a business--all of these were a tremendous encouragement. As this movement of serving Christ while carrying on socially responsible businesses continues to grow and deepen over the coming years, we expect we will need many more times like this to help us sort out the issues and sharpen our perspectives.