August Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners:

Today is Plant With Purpose's International day of prayer and fasting. If you would like to subscribe to receive the prayer letter please email corbyn@plantwithpurpose.org Please join us in praying for our programs around the world:

Haiti

Praise for:

Our Technical Director Bob's safe travel in Haiti in July.

Good results from the Haiti relief project financed by the United Nations.

Safe distribution of seeds and tools in the communities with Plant With Purpose members and non-members in partnership with Food and Agriculture Organization.

Pray for:

Serge, our technician in Haiti, who lost his wife and child in the earthquake as he lives with this difficult loss.

The many thousands who are still living in tents or under plastic tarps and may be there for years to come.

The Episcopal parish in Grand Colline as they tear down the old church, school and guesthouse and begin rebuilding.

Better crops for the summer agriculture season.

Delcius, a member of the staff, who has his son suffering with meningitis.

Continuity in the relationship between Haitian farmers and Plant With Purpose staff. The

staff received a large number of tree seedlings from the Dominicans to be used for reforestation on the Haitian side of the border.

Tanzania

Praise for:

The first crop of beans that the Miwaleni farmers group from the low land have started harvesting as part of the USAID funded project.

The Rural and Agricultural Finance and Food Security Learning Program which is finally coming together and is ready for use.

Good health for all the staff.

Prayer for:

Tanzanian Technical Director, Mama Banzi's father's health and recovery.

A safe and successful trip to India for Richard and Samson which will take place during second week of August.

Ideal weather conditions, motivation and determination for the coming harvest for farmers under the Plant With Purpose / USAID project.

A stable political situation for the International meeting since this is an election year in Tanzania.

Thailand

Prayer for:

A favorable outcome for the hill tribe communities as the forestry authorities decide whether or not to move forward on establishing a national park in the region.

The recently established network of churches to respond to the needs of the communities.

Churches to respond to the growing drug abuse problem in the communities.

Wisdom in moving forward on a joint program with Mercy Ministries Foundation, Micro Economic Development Foundation, Compassion International, and our partner organization, UHDP.

Plant With Purpose staff as they seek God's wisdom in improving their work.

Mexico

Praise for:

The Solana Beach Presbyterian Church visit to Oaxaca, which was a great blessing to the community of Nuxiño.

The progress made in the construction of the Community Center (CECIC) in Nuxiño.

Prayer for:

The reforestation activities that are being carried out in the different communities where we work.

Our sister Claudia Camacho, the Plant With Purpose Mexico assistant, who is taking an exam to begin her MBA studies.

A healthy pregnancy and birth without complications for Claudia's sister Veronica.

Dominican Republic

Prayer for:

Wisdom in working with the new savings and loans groups in the central border region.

Increased awareness for farmers from the border about protecting the soil and caring for their seedlings so that they can see an improvement.

Farmer associations to remain united and obtain financing for their agriculture plots from various sources.

Wisdom for the new spiritual development promoters from the central and border regions who have just begun their work.

Churches to be more involved with the groups that Plant With Purpose partners with.

More discipline in credit repayment from farmers and small business owners.

The savings and loan groups to be a success.

Burundi

Praise for:

The positive recognition Plant With Purpose Burundi is receiving from local authorities and other Non-governmental organizations.

God's grace that took people through the difficult election situation. After weeks of political tension around elections, situation is settling down. All elections (Local, Presidential, Legislative and Senatorial) are complete. The new government is likely to be formed in near future.

Prayer for:

Continued growth of the communities where we work and the organization as a whole.

The electoral process in Burundi, which has thus far been tumultuous. Please pray for God's intervention, and that the elections would be free, fair, and peaceful.

The nomination of the new government to be peaceful.

The right person to be recruited to join the staff as the new accountant.

USA

Praise for:

Jimmy, our new Development Department Assistant, and Claudette, our new Bookkeeper.

Our wonderful summer interns who generously donated their time and talents.

A great trip for Solana Beach Presbyterian Church to our program in Oaxaca, Mexico.

A strong beginning to the new fiscal year.

Prayer for:

Our annual Planting Hope Gala on October 9th to have a high attendance, raise much needed funds for Haiti and the other countries we partner with, and for God's spirit to be present as people learn about Plant With Purpose's vital mission.

Preparations for the upcoming trip to Haiti for St. Clement's Episcopal Church and La Jolla Presbyterian Church.

Orientation and training of new staff.

The right person to fill the open Program Officer position.

A smooth audit process.

Increased exposure for Plant With Purpose.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! We are deeply grateful for your partnership.

Toughest Job in the World?

Haitian Presidential Race Update

By Annie Fikes

Last week I blogged about the possibility of hip-hop star Wyclef Jean running for President in Haiti. I’m sure that everyone is on the edge of their seats, waiting to find out if this rapping philanthropist will make a bid for the presidency.

Wyclef Jean confirmed today that he will be running for president.

Jean is running as a candidate from the party Ansanm Nou Fo, a reformist party. Ansanm Nou Fo is a Creole name that comes from the French phrase “ensemble nous faut”, which means “we must (do it) together”. His campaign slogan is “Face à Face” (Face to Face), expressing his goal to create a more transparent system for Haiti’s government. Jean challenges the deep-seated corruption that plagues Port-au-Prince, claiming that “the old school will have to fall in line with the new model” and that government will be “conducted out in the open”. This will probably make him unpopular with existing Haitian leadership, but may help his credibility with the Haitian people, many of whom are disenchanted with the government.

Last week I couldn’t fathom what kind of political platform Jean would present. I wondered if he would rely on vague, idealist promises of rebuilding and reforming. However, Jean seems to have a more specific plan than I expected. He claims to draw much of his political philosophy from Bill Clinton. He wants to encourage cooperation between businesses, government, and civil society, an alliance that was beginning to see success before the earthquake. He wants to break up the power as well as the huge residential population in Port-au-Prince and spread it across the country. Jean also has mentioned a desire to rejuvenate rural communities and the agricultural sector through schools, clinics, and business.

Even before the earthquake ravaged the nation, Haitian presidencies were volatile at best. Haitian governments are habitually corrupted, inept, illegitimate, and unstable. Out of the past 53 Haitian leaders, only 9 completed their full term. 4 of those that did acted under U.S. occupation. 23 of the 53 were overthrown, 7 died in office, 7 only lasted a year or two, 2 were assassinated, 1 was executed, and 1 committed suicide. None of those presidents had to face a nation ravaged by an earthquake that killed a government estimated 300,000 people.

I wouldn’t expect people to be lining up for the job, but Jean faces dozens of competitors including his uncle, Raymond Joseph, the Haitian ambassador in Washington, and fellow Haitian musician Michel “Sweet Mickey” Martelly. Current president René Garcia Préval has not announced his endorsement yet, but it is unlikely to be Jean. All candidates must announce their bid to run by August 7th, and the election will take place on November 28th.

To read more about Jean’s presidency, follow this link: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/05/1762628/its-official-wyclef-jean-to-run.html

Sustained Success in Haiti

by Aly Lewis

Since the terrible earthquake shook Haiti over six months ago, we’ve written a lot about Plant With Purpose’s relief and recovery efforts. We’ve been grateful to provide thousands of earthquake victims with jobs, food, tools, and seeds. As I look back over our accomplishments in Haiti over the last year, I am impressed with our tremendous relief efforts and achievements—employing over 2,100 people to plant over 170,000 trees and construct over 150 miles of soil erosion barriers—but I’m also struck by the success and achievements of our ongoing development efforts. In spite of the earthquake and the ensuing challenges, we were able to accomplish—and even surpass—most of our projected goals for the year alongside our relief program

For example, we have had an influx of farmers and community members who want to join in our reforestation efforts. New participants are asking to join our community groups because they have seen their friends and neighbors benefit from tree planting and soil conservation activities. Planting trees is one of the best ways for Haitian farmers to restore and replenish the degraded hillsides on which they live and farm. Between July 2009 and June 2010 we planned to plant 50,000 trees on deforested hillsides. Greatly exceeding our goal, we planted 88,196 trees, in addition to the 170,000 trees planted as a part of our “Cash for Work” emergency relief project!

Iloma Jean Baptiste, a member of our Cheridant group since 1998, said he has seen lots of benefits from planting trees in his own community. He said, “Trees we planted, for example these trees you see behind you, we now use to build our houses and make charcoal, and have made a good profit. We have done soil conservation to control erosion. The soil conservation work gives us a guarantee that we will not lose too much soil.”

I love baseball.

posted by James Ellett

I realize that it’s not for everyone, but I think that it is a fascinating game. Most people I talk to say “I like going to baseball games, but watching it on TV is just too boring.”

False.

Ok, it doesn’t have the flash and finesse of basketball, the brute strength and strategy of football, or the daily brawls of hockey. Yes, I realize that the players are standing around 99.9% of the time, chewing various things and scratching various body parts. True, it has been officially dropped from the Olympic Games, while sports like badminton, handball, and table tennis remain.

But baseball has numbers. Lots of them.

BA, SLG, WHIP, BABIP, ERA, OPS, OBP, and a host of other acronyms make up the mathematical heart of America’s pastime. The statistics range from simple, such as batting average (hits divided by at bats), to borderline ridiculous, like fielding independent pitching (FIP = (HR*13+(BB+HBP-IBB)*3-K*2)/IP, plus a league-specific factor around 3.2).

As offensive as this plethora of numbers is to many people, it really is incredible the knowledge that can be attained after an examination of the relevant numbers. Statistics, while at times arduous and confusing, serve as important indicators of what is going on, what will likely happen, and what actions need to be taken.

An interesting statistic (not baseball-related) that I have stumbled upon recently is the East Africa Bribery Index. Basically, the EABI measures the percentage of citizens that are expected to pay bribes when dealing with public institutions. In the most recent publication of the numbers, Rwanda was ranked the least corrupt country, with 6.6% of citizens expected to pay bribes. Just south of Rwanda, however, 36.7% of citizens in Burundi are expected to bribe public officials.

Burundi is no stranger to hardships. Since gaining independence in 1961, the nation has been plagued by ethnic tensions between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority. It is just now seeing the rewards of a peace process following a 12-year civil war based on these tensions. Half of the population of Burundi lives below the poverty line, with an average annual income of $140, according to the World Bank.

While there has been considerable international effort to help Burundi rebuild their war-torn country and reestablish some sense of national unity, much remains to be accomplished. Standing in the way of these accomplishments is, among other things, the most corrupt government in East Africa. According to the East Africa Bribery Index, a citizen of Burundi is expected to pay a bribe nearly 4 times out of 10 visits to a public institution. How is a country to fix its obvious problems (poverty, illness, hunger), when under the surface is this poison of corruption, crippling the people who so desperately need to be healed?

Hope, however, springs eternal.

Plant With Purpose has seen incredible transformations take place in Burundi in the past year. The work that we do in rural communities empowers people to help themselves and to help their neighbors. The knowledge that we give to communities spreads throughout the country like yeast spreads through dough--to borrow an image from our Lord. We believe that through the healing of small communities, much greater transformation takes place. Plant With Purpose as a non-profit organization has a blanket policy of never paying bribes to accomplish our work, and we have been able to build relationships with local municipalities and leaders, which has allowed us to steer clear of payoffs and kickbacks.

The issue of government corruption in Burundi is indeed daunting, and the statistics are intimidating, but the power of loving, compassionate, and educated citizens shall overcome.

Dreaming Together on the Border

by Aly Lewis

"When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality." ~Dom Helder Camara

Last week, Annie Fikes, our PR and Marketing Intern, blogged about the renewed hope and reconciliation that is taking place between Haitians and Dominicans as a result of Plant With Purpose's program on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This week I'd like to share a story about a Dominican farmer from the border region who is working--and dreaming--with Plant With Purpose to overcome poverty and build a better future for his family.

Antonio Guarionex Soto, a farmer from the village of Angel Feliz, is quite the innovator. With Plant With Purpose's encouragement, he continues to add new components to his agroforestry farm. He currently grows bananas, two types of avocados, zapote, oranges and beans. As a result of his agroforestry efforts, he has seen his soil quality and his crop yields improve. Avocado is by far his most successful crop because of the high demand for avocados in the region, and his farm is lush with the valuable fruit.

Antonio and his son, Jendis, show off one of their avocado trees.

Building on his success, Antonio would like to acquire more land in order to plant more fruit trees and see his business grow and thrive. His greatest dream is to provide better opportunities for his son so that he will not have to migrate to another region. As Antonio continues to improve and invest in his land, enabling him to enhance the quality of life of his entire family, we believe that he is well on his way to turning his dream into a reality.

Our innovative Trans Border Project has given hundreds of dedicated, hardworking farmers like Antonio the skills and resources needed to improve their farms, provide for their families, and realize their dreams for themselves and their children. Through Plant With Purpose's Sponsor A Village program, you too can dream together with rural farmers from around the globe and partner with them as they work to turn their dreams into a reality. To learn more, Click Here.

Above: a truck full of avocados makes its way to the local market. An abundant crop means farmers like Antonio can feed their families, improve their living conditions, and send their children to school.

A Taste of Tending to Eden

The following excerpt is from pages 112 to 115 in Tending to Eden: Environmental Stewardship for God's People by our Executive Director, Scott Sabin.

This book connects the dots between poverty and the environment, and makes the biblical case for how as Christians it is our job to care for the earth. Tending to Eden also comes with a creation care Bible study, so you and your congregation or Bible study can more deeply explore and apply this concept.

You can purchase the book through our website here: http://www.plantwithpurpose.org/page/64/tending-to-eden.html.

For every purchase that is made through our website, amazon.com will donate a portion of the proceeds to Plant With Purpose, which will go toward directly benefiting the rural poor. Thank you, faithful readers, for your support! And stay tuned for more "tastes" of Tending to Eden.

“Daddy, when I grow up, I want to help you save the rainforest.” My daughter, Amanda, then five, looked at me with an expression that made me melt. For a fraction of a second I thought we were completely in tune. Then she added, “I could be a butterfly or a fairy and fly around pollinating the trees.”

It wasn’t quite the kind of help I was looking for, but it does serve to underline

an important problem. Once we understand the state of the world and our call to be stewards, what can we do? Where do we start? The problems are vast and often seem so far away.

As each of us considers how to respond to the groaning of creation, there is much that can be learned from Plant With Purpose’s story. The entire world faces vicious cycles similar to the one we recognized involving deforestation and poverty. And the

re are undoubtedly other virtuous cycles that can address two problems with one solution. Each vicious cycle we confront presents an opportunity for a corresponding virtuous cycle.

Two of the biggest problems in the world are environmental degradation and widespread poverty. There are 3.14 billion people living on less than $2.50 a day. If the poor are recognized as a resource rather than an obstacle, can a virtuous cycle be discovered

in the midst of this? Is it possible that the poor could become leaders in solving the enormous environmental problems the planet faces?

Van Jones, in his book The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems, makes the case that this is possible in the United States. He advocates putting the unemployed and underemployed to work to create a healthier, more sustainable country. Jobs can be created weatherizing homes, installing solar panels, and improving energy efficiency. As Jo

nes says, we need to do everything we can to aid and encourage business and eco-entrepreneurs to develop market-based solutions to solve environmental problems. This is similar to what Plant With Purpose is doing internationally.

We must also look for opportunities to create

smaller virtuous cycles in our environmental and economic solutions. Nature is designed to function as a series of virtuous cycles. But most often, our attempts to address the problems are linear and finite. Recycling is one step toward closing the loop to sustainability—but it is only the beginning.

Solutions must be empowering. Everyone, from the church member in Michigan to the farmer in Haiti, has a role to play. The rural poor must have a role in the stewardship and restoration of the land, and the urban poor must have a role in greening and redeeming their neighborhoods and cities.

Any real solution must take into account both environmental and economic considerations. I once walked miles into a protected national park in Indonesia that was filled with illegal cinnamon plantations and crisscrossed by paths used by illegal loggers to get deeper into the park. The national park was set aside with the best of intentions. But without corresponding changes in the incentives for the people who rely on the land, nothing will change.

The same applies to solutions in the United States. Economic incentives must be aligned with environmental outcomes. At a national level this means changing the way farm subsidies are applied. It means incentives and standards for improved fuel efficiency for cars. It means investment in alternative energies. It also means finding creative ways for local communities to participate in and benefit economically from the health of their surrounding environment.

Finally, any viable solution must have a spiritual dimension, because ultimately the problem is a spiritual one. The church must lead the way, offering the hope we have and setting an example with our own stewardship. We must forsake the wanton consumerism that has overwhelmed our culture and which is ultimately suicidal. And we must offer a healthy alternative based on biblical values of worship, contentment, community, and Sabbath.

How then should we respond as individuals? First, we as evangelicals need to get over our suspicion of science and learn what we can from it. Unless we understand our environment and how it works, how can we protect it? And we must learn not only from the scientists but also from our brothers and sisters on the front lines: the farmer in Tanzania who can no longer count on the rain, the Gabra elder who can no longer graze his animals, the Haitian family who has seen firsthand the devastation that comes when life-support systems are wiped out.

Second, we in the church should realize how much we have in common with the wider environmental community. They value creation, in part, because they hunger for the Creator. We should engage in dialogue with them, but we must begin with an attitude of humility. We have been absent from the conversation for too long to be brash.

Nonetheless, we have something important to offer: hope in a place where there is a dearth of good news. A former colleague at Plant With Purpose told me he became a Christian partly because of the despair he felt as an environmental-studies major. The problems were too vast. The solutions proposed by science and government were draconian or came up short. As far as he could see, there was no hope for the world, except in Christ. Of course, that is what we believe: that Jesus is the hope for the world.

Wyclef for President?

By Annie Fikes

Yesterday, while searching the Internet for news about Haiti, I discovered that singer Wyclef Jean is seriously considering running for President of Haiti in the November election. He has not officially placed a bid, but he recently filed the necessary paperwork to run when the time comes.

At first, this struck me as a little ridiculous. As a native Californian, I’m no stranger to celebrity politicians, but the presidency? He’s a college drop-out, Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist, and former Fugees member. He had a hit single my senior year of high school about a prostitute who used to be the “Sweetest Girl”. I’m guessing I’m not the only one who found the idea of Wyclef Jean the rap star running for the President of Haiti a little ridiculous.

However, there is more to Jean than his music career. He is the founder of the Yéle Haiti Foundation, which spreads global awareness about Haitian struggles, employs adults, sends children to school, and raises awareness about HIV/AIDS. Jean has remained committed to helping Haiti post-earthquake and serves as an ambassador-at-large under the current government. Wyclef Jean is passionate about the well-being of his country and optimistic about its potential for progress.

I have to confess.

I’m a total nerd when it comes to governments and politics.

I’m going to try to restrain myself and give you a bite-sized rundown of the Haitian government and presidency. The Haitian government has suffered from serious corruption and instability in the past, often greatly harming its people. Being the president in Haiti is similar to being the president in the United States, but not exactly the same. Haiti is a semi-presidential system, like France. This means that there is an elected president who shares executive power with a prime minister from the majority party in Parliament.

Haitian presidents are required to have lived in Haiti for five consecutive years, own property in Haiti, and have only ever been a citizen of Haiti. Wyclef Jean was born in Haiti and raised in the United States. I am unsure about Jean’s citizenship status; I have read that he remained a Haitian citizen his entire life, and that he is understood to be a U.S. citizen. He spends a lot of time in Haiti, and probably owns property there, but it is going to be difficult for him to prove five consecutive years of residency.

The implications of Jean’s presidential bid are vast. He is already famous and rich, so voters will trust that he is not running for personal gain. His fame and activist-image could bring higher voter participation than in past elections, particularly among young people. A celebrity president could keep media attention and foreign aid coming into Haiti long after it would have otherwise dwindled. His political inexperience could mean that he is outside the corruption that characterizes Haitian politics. However, It could also mean that he has no idea what he is doing and is unequipped to handle the slew of problems that face the future Haitian president.

I’m curious to see what will happen in Haiti. August 7th is the deadline to place a bid for the presidency, and other potential candidates have been reluctant to declare their intent to run. Jean may decide not to run, may not meet the necessary qualifications, or may turn out to be exactly what Haiti needs in a president. Whether or not that person is Wyclef Jean, electing the right president for Haiti will be an important step in continuing earthquake recovery efforts and stabilizing the nation.