–by Sharon VonQualen
Short-term mission teams volunteer their time and talents to help people around the world and share the love of Christ. One special team is the Agricultural Project Consultancy group. Who are these volunteers and what do they do? They are a group of men and women who have experience with agriculture and the growing of food and want to share this knowledge with subsistence farmers on the African continent.
In countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and Sierra Leone, most of the Lutheran church members are subsistence farmers and most of the pastors are also farmers. They are dependent on the crops harvested to feed their families until the next harvest. Many times, before the next harvest comes, they run short of food and learn to get by with less and less. There are many stumbling blocks in the production of their food and cash crops. The rain may be inadequate, or they may experience floods. There may not be good sources of seeds and fertilizer. So many things seem to be out of their control and their families suffer – the children may not be able to go to school, when they are sick, they cannot afford medical care, and as members of the Lutheran church they are not able to support their church and pastors.
The Agricultural Project Consultancy Team has visited countries in East and West Africa. They work with the national church leadership, and they visit different congregations and the seminaries that are set up in the countries for training church leaders. The team will teach on a variety of topics including management of the harvest, better money management, understanding the life of the soil, and the detrimental effects of burning off crop residue. All teaching helps them understand how they can use the blessings God provides to help support their families and the church.
The management of the harvest is a topic that both the men and women, whether young or old, can relate to and learn. This topic teaches them to look at the amount of their harvest and plan how it can last until the next harvest. Maybe if they have animals like goats or chickens, they could sell some of their animals after harvest when the prices are high and buy more grain since the prices are low right after harvest. It may seem like a simple concept, but it is new to them. Other things to consider are how much food do you cook after harvest and how much do you really need to eat? Are foods prepared and then going to waste? Consider also how one stores the grain, especially the grain held back for seed for the next crop. There are simple ways to store grain to protect it from insect damage by using plastic bags within the woven bags used to store grain.
Another teaching is how to better manage their money. Husbands and wives should work together on their finances. They should strive to provide for their immediate family and not spend money on expensive funeral or wedding celebrations. Teaching children how to manage money is encouraged also. God blesses us with money but we need to be good stewards and use it wisely.
The experience of farmers or agricultural business owners can help the members of the Lutheran churches in Africa to better provide for their families and the church. The system of farming is different. All land preparation, planting, weeding, and harvest is likely done by hand. So, team members need to listen and learn and then teach. The members of the church in Africa teach team members to trust in God. Church members are content with a simpler life that is not tied to material blessings. The leaders of the churches in Africa are great evangelists as they share the Good News with their families and neighbors. There are now more Lutherans in Africa than in the United States. They are an excellent example of the importance of spreading the Gospel and worshipping the one true God. Short term mission teams go to teach but when they return home, they realize how much they have been taught by the people they went to serve.
Sharon Von Qualen serves as one of the Agricultural Consultants in the Africa region
Photos by Shara Osiro – Africa Shared Ministries Manager
