Tuesday 14 October 2008

Life on an experimental global farm

This past week I had the opportunity to live on a experimental global farm!  Here is the story...

Project MedSend (www.medsend.org) is an organization that provides grants to help with educational loans for health care professionals who are serving as missionaries.  I am blessed to be a MedSend grant recipient!  One of the requirements of the grant was that I attend a community development conference.  So this last week I traveled to the Fort Myers, Florida area to participate in the "Health, Agriculture, Culture, and Community" workshop that was sponsored by CMDA, King College, and ECHO.  There were 12 participants coming from Alaska to Texas to New Hampshire.  Six of us were health care professionals, and the others were training to work in community development projects.  All but one are headed overseas for full time service.  It was amazing to be with this group for the week, and to build new friendships.  The conference itself exceeded all of my expectations as we learned about the Biblical approach to health and development.

The course was held at ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Solutions), which is a non-profit Christian organization that partners with missions around the world.  ECHO basically serves as an experimental global farm where they research techniques to improve farming methods in developing countries.  They have a seed bank to supply seeds for experimentation and cultivation.  ECHO also provides educational programs and consultations in the US and around the world.  For more info:  www.echonet.org.

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