A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FOR OUR FAITHFUL PATRONS • ISSUE NO. 12

Water, water everywhere…
Now we need to replant –
Guyana: the flood you DID NOT hear about.

It’s very name means “land of many waters”. In January 2005 Guyana, located between Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname in South America, had major flooding due to over 4 times the normal rainfall. Our press and news media in the U.S. did not report this to us, primarily because the tsunami of the Pacific was much more devastating and dramatic. None the less, the people of Guyana have been dramatically effected by too much water – the worst flooding there since 1888.

As an English colony and agricultural investment this small country was developed for growing crops of sugar cane, cotton and other commodities. The main city is Georgetown, which lies predominantly below sea level much like New Orleans, with much of the surrounding land established for crops. The hillsides and tree-covered mountains are sparsely populated, but many small plantings of vegetables dot these areas. Over the past decades this poor country has not maintained its canals and levies, so now with overwhelming waters rushing down from the hills, the city is not able to expel the water. This means severe flooding, disease, economic hardship, and what seems most urgent to us – no food production

Two years ago we shipped seed to Guyana in Day 3 Seed packets. We have shared this story with you in the past, and in one of our most recent issues of the Sowers’ Hands (#11) we shared a letter we received from Guyana. The seed sent was well used and appreciated. Now, we have received urgent pleas for more seed – and we have responded. We have sent two shipments to this “land of many waters” so that they can soon be growing food for themselves.

Being prepared to respond to such disasters is part of why we work hard each day at Hope Seeds. Our staff and volunteers package and prepare garden seed for just such occasions as this one in Guyana. Losing ones crops for food and nutrition causes a desperate situation for a whole community and perhaps even a nation. Your dedicated financial support allows us to respond in a Christ-like manner when such needs arise, so with this newsletter we send our thanks – and our bold request for continued and further support. Plant a Seed! Feed a Soul!
From flooded land to a good harvest…
God’s love shines through

During 2004 there were several great hurricanes which rammed into Florida. Thankfully, Hope Seeds did not have any damage. Perhaps one of the reasons for this was to allow us to be prepared to send quantities of good seed to other parts of the world hit by storms and too much water. Haiti, in several parts of the country, was devastated with flooding. And we were given the opportunity to send good seed. We share a letter we recently received from Russ Montgomery of Living in Faith, a ministry located in Tampa which serves the needs of people in Haiti and Cuba.

(Photo left) Victims line up for relief items,
Cap Haitien, Haiti
Dear Hope Seeds –

I have recently returned from Haiti. During my work there I heard testimonies that would be a blessing for you to hear.
We have worked with churches in the southeastern part of Haiti. This is a mountainous region with peaks as high as 4000 feet. The church ministers to people who are primarily farmers. It is in this area that Hope Seeds has provided Living in Faith with a number of seed packets and even bulk seeds.
This past spring, torrential rains poured down and destroyed all of the crops in this area. The rivers became raging torrents, overflowed their banks and during one night over 6,000 people lost their lives. Now I remind you that this was NOT the disaster that Tropical Storm Jeannie brought in September. This was the unnamed and little heard of storm this past spring. Living in Faith was able to distribute Hope Seed packets during the summer. Now that time has passed we are hearing how THAT seed is producing a great harvest. The farmers say that everything was wiped from their lives during the storm, their wives, children, crops, animals BUT the new seed is showing HOPE. They see that they can continue to be farmers and not move from their land. They see that God has renewed that which was wiped clean. They see that crops can grow on what they thought was devastated land. Many of them have come to the Lord because of this experience.
We know all of this was in God’s timing however, without Hope Seeds being prepared, our ministry would not have the seeds to replant. So as the corn continues to grow and the beets and cabbage cover the mountains, please know that your work and the work of all of your volunteers and donors are making differences in lives and giving HOPE only in ways that God could impart.

In HIS Service,
Russ Montgomery
What a great letter to receive! This is an encouragement to always work hard, to be prepared for the opportunity to help, and to boldly ask you to continue in your support of this ministry.
Oh, If Plants could talk,
the stories they could tell…
Matthew 14: 3-9 – While he (Jesus) was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man know as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard (spikenard). She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why the waste of perfume? It could have been given to the poor.” “Leave her alone“, Jesus said. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them anytime you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
The passages above are often read to us during the season of lent, and we are reminded of the great love and devotion of this woman (Mary Magdalene is named as the woman in the John 12 narrative) for her Lord. It is still highly valued today as then – up to a year’s wages. The great value of the perfume Nard, only adds to the gesture. No expense was too great in expressing the great love she felt for Jesus. Jesus reminds all of us in his words that we must keep our priorities straight – Our relationship with him is first, and from that love-relationship with the Son of God we can better respond to the needs of the poor, who are always going to be with us.

But, what about this perfume called Nard? What is it? Spikenard is a tender herb with a pungent rhizome root. The oil is extracted from the crushed and dried rhizome by steam distillation and yields only about 1-3% per harvested weight. The main chemical components are Bornyl acetate, Valeranone, Jonon, tetramenthyloxatricylodecanol (yes – one word) Menthylthymyl-ether ,and Cineol-1,8. It has also been used for therapeutic reasons: anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, antiseptic, calmative, sedative, laxative and tonic useful towards tension, stress, migraines, and indigestion. Many times it would have been poured into the hot baths for vapor therapy (and for some rejuvenating qualities for mature skin, allergies, and rashes).

(Photo left) Spikenard (Nardostychys jatamansi)
Native to the mountainous regions of northern India, Tibet and parts of China and Japan, it is one of the earliest aromatics used by the ancients. Mentioned in the Bible, used by the Egyptians and preferred by wealthy Roman women for perfumes and beauty preparations, it was a key element in the burial rituals of many peoples of the time. That is why Jesus stated that Mary’s anointing was in preparation for his burial – though the disciples did not immediately see the significance of his meaning. We now see this act of adoration and love, and the sacrificial death and burial toward His great resurrection and ascension to Heaven. All praise and honor to our God!
Years ago in Haiti there was a man with a young family, poor and struggling to provide for their daily needs. During one period of time when there was no work for him, he had no money, and there was no more food in his house. He went to town on a rainy day seeking work or even begging for food. After an entire day of getting no help he knew that he was going home, wet from his walk, to hungry children and a wife who would be disappointed, as was he.

Being a devout Christian he remembered the Bible verse: The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. As he walked home with a desperate and heavy heart he began to sing praises to the Lord, recognizing that the Lord he so trusted could fill his stomach and lift his spirit, food or no food. So he sang with gusto and great emotion, no longer feeling hunger but full and satisfied . As he approached his home his children and wife came out to greet him, hearing his singing, thinking he was bringing home a great feast. When they saw his empty hands, puzzlement came over their faces. Seeing this, he told them of the verse and his resolution, and he asked them to sing with him in great faith. Convinced by the joy and resolute faith of father and husband they joined in, sitting down around the table in their humble but dry home. Soon the whole family was no longer hungry but singing with full hearts.

A knock came to the door. As they opened, they were surprised to see a woman standing there, all wet, carrying a big pan of rice with beans and vegetables. She made her living every day by selling food at the local crossroads where travelers would buy a plate of her food. However, this day she had sold very little because of the rain. She was on her way home, all wet and depressed, when she heard the joyous singing of this family. She knew this family to be poor, but did not know them by name. Her curiosity was more than her damp spirit so she stopped to ask why the singing from a house of poverty on such a wet and dreary day.

The man and his family invited her in to share their story. She was amazed that people with no food could still find such joy because of a faith in God. She desperately wanted such joy, so she asked if they would show her. The man then began to tell her how Jesus came into his life… when she stopped him and said: “I have this food that I could not sell today, if your wife would allow me to sit at her table I would be glad to share with your family while you tell me about Jesus…”

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
Nahum 1: 7

Sometimes the God we trust and take refuge in sends his help in ways not of our planning or understanding. At Hope Seeds we recognize that as we make plans for our future – shipments, funding, plantings, etc…- God directs the steps. Your prayerful support is very important and we trust that God will move you to send what you feel compelled to send. We thank you for your generous support.

 
David Howard of Sarasota, Florida recently built this stilt house for Hope Seeds. This “zero elevation” home helps people visualize how the poor live along rivers and coastlines. David earned his Eagle Scout Merit Badge for his efforts. We are always appreciative of such labors and gifts.

Chicken Tractor…
Garden Tool

The Chicken Tractor is more a teaching principle than an actual tractor. Chickens scratch the soil, eat weed seeds and bugs, and leave droppings behind when they work the soil of our gardens. The small “coop” we build is about 3 foot x 8 foot with no floor. After several days in a location, the chicken tractor (coop) is moved about 10 feet further into the garden, continuously reworking the soil of the past garden, helping prepare it for the next planting. Plus, we get to enjoy fresh eggs.

We anticipate teaching the Chicken Tractor principle to gardeners in many parts of the world as an integral part of good gardening and beneficial nutrition for the family.

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