I’ve been asked how our land and Farming God’s Way can be used to reach people for Christ. I thought I would write a blog post to describe how we intend to use the land along with Farming God’s Way to reach people for Christ and to disciple them.

We intend to use our land as a “light on a hill” by implementing Farming God’s Way practices to high standards and then using that opportunity to share Christ. We have been implementing demonstration gardens that show the differences between Farming God’s Way and traditional farming practices. We have also been implementing large scale gardens to prove that these practices can be carried out on larger pieces of land.

While we have been putting in our demonstration gardens, we received lots of attention by everyone in the village and people passing by. Very few boda bodas or cars pass by without stopping to ask why we are farming in the way we are (or to try to figure out what a mzungu or white person is doing on a farm in Uganda). We have had countless opportunities to share what Farming God’s Way is and why we are using it.

People are very skeptical about what we are doing because it is something they have never seen and is very different from the way they are used to farming. I can explain all the benefits and reasons why we do what we do, but the proof is really in the pudding. They won’t believe until they actually see it. I learned this working with a Uganda man as I began to teach him about Farming God’s Way. I even showed him 7 1/2 hours of the Farming God’s Way DVD and he didn’t believe until he saw the results of the maize we grew on our first demonstration garden.

Once we have a successful crop and people can see what we are doing, we will have a better opportunity to share Farming God’s Way and ultimately Christ with them. Right now, I’m just the crazy Mzungu working in the garden doing strange things. The differences in results are staggering and people will be really interested in learning once they see the results. I spoke with the Community Development Officer in Mayuge District where our land is and he said the record yield in the district for maize is six 50kg bags per acre. Amazima Ministries received forty 50kg bags on an acre last season. That’s a pretty big increase that is sure to get noticed!

Farming God’s Way includes three spheres – Biblical, Technology and Management. If we just taught the technology and management spheres, we would be missing the root of the problem of poverty. One trainer in Uganda says that if we teach farmers to get better yields, but don’t share the gospel with them, we are just making the road to hell smoother for them.

The Biblical sphere includes the following keys:

When we teach about acknowledging God and God alone, we teach that there is only one true God and we come to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, who dies on a cross for us to have the free gift of eternal life. We are no longer slaves to this world’s system and traditions, but we have been adopted into His family and we have the privilege of knowing God as our Father.

Consider your ways teaches that we are the temple of the living God. We teach that we need to consider the way that we have been living and repent so that God can lead us to holiness. When we do this, we give God His rightful place in our lives.

Understanding God’s all sufficiency helps us to break the dependency syndrome that has been created by many years of handouts. We teach to rely on God and God alone because He is all sufficient. God gave man everything he needed to live a full and prosperous life, we just need to teach people that what they already have is enough and they don’t need to rely on handouts from outsiders.

What you sow is what you reap teaches about stewardship and faithfulness with what we have been entrusted with. We teach to sow bountifully, knowledgeably, faithfully and with joy. If we sow God’s all sufficiency, as unto the Lord, we will reap in joy. This joy comes from a contentment and deep satisfaction in the things of God and following through with this relationship into all areas of our lives.

Bringing your tithes and offerings to God teaches that giving to the Lord brings Him honor and acknowledges Him in a way we can’t understand. Giving to the Lord forces us to consider a cause outside of ourselves and begins the journey into selflessness where we put His kingdom before our own selfish end.

Staking your claim is where we teach the importance of prayer and spiritual warfare. We should be taking God into all areas of our lives, including our farms.

So, as you can see, Farming God’s Way is more than just a way to get better yields, but a way to share the gospel and disciple farmers along the way. We are very excited about some great conversations we have already had on our farm and look forward to even more as our maize begins to grow! We should be planting in the next week or so.

The post Reaching People for Christ through Farming God’s Way appeared first on Heart For Uganda.