Monday, September 22, 2014

BOOST

In 1984 one of our missionaries, Harold Watson, won the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, often considered the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize. An agriculturalist, Harold developed a method for poor farmers to cultivate hillside land without causing erosion. He called it SALT – Sloping Agricultural Land Technique. Hedgerows of nitrogen rich trees anchor the soil so various crops can be planted between the rows. The technique has now been adopted and taught by government agencies in various countries.

Harold started a program for teaching farmers SALT and other techniques, which he called BOOST – Baptists Out Of School Training. During the 3-month training, along with hands-on agricultural instruction, the trainees also receive in-depth Bible training. The goal is that each trainee will be equipped to return to their home place and, while assisting other farmers in improving their land, they will evangelize their community and start a church. Most of the trainees are not Christians when they start the training. But by the end, nearly all dedicate their lives to Christ. Hundreds of churches in the Philippines can trace their start to the influence of these BOOST graduates.

Last year, while assisting our churches with disaster relief in the wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan, I was brought to the farm of Bro. Roseller, who had seen the impact of BOOST projects elsewhere in the country. Roseller had a vision of using his farm for a BOOST project. By the the time I met up with him, he already had brought in an agriculturalist, built a goat barn, a fish pond, planted a FAITH (Food Always In The Home) garden, and was constructing a dormitory for trainees. I added the resources of Baptist Global Relief, and our first BOOST project in this part of the country was initiated.

Two weeks ago, we had an orientation for our first batch of trainees – 7 young men who will spend many hours each day for the next 3 months in both agricultural and Bible training. By the end of the first week, all 7 were baptized! Please join us in praying for these men, that the Holy Spirit will grow them to be strong in faith and bold in their vision to see God’s kingdom planted in their communities. By January, we will double the number of trainees, hoping to train 3 groups each year. The project is led by an agriculturalist (Bro. Jilbert), a Bible trainer (Bro. Bert), and a community developer (Bro. Sonny).

The farm is located near the coastal point where the super typhoon made landfall on our island. Farmers all across that part of the island experienced unprecedented devastation. We know that farmers will be open to anything that will help restore the productivity of their land. Pray with us that when these trainees return home in December, farmers and community leaders will also be open to the message of the gospel.

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