Louisiana Baptist Agricultural Missions Fellowship
Mission Statement
Our mission is to assist agricultural missionaries in teaching and demonstrating to the poor how to produce their own food so they can better understand how they and their families can obtain the abundant life as promised by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Motto
People do not want to know how much we know until they first know how much we care.
Focal Scriptures
I John 3:17. But whosoever hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
John 6:35. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh unto me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Focus
Our primary focus is to support International Mission Board agricultural missionaries who work with the Zapotec Indians in the state of Oaxaca in Southern Mexico. Most of these people are subsistence farmers who live in isolated mountainous areas and have been marginalized by society. They are stranded in unnecessary suffering. For them to rise above their plight requires temporary assistance.
Our challenge is to help some of them escape the misery of extreme poverty so they can get on the ladder of economic development and meet their own needs. Our overall goal is to implement programs that both nourish the people and build infrastructure to end their poverty through self-help programs.
Experience has taught that the most effective economic development is done with people rather than for people, which gives them confidence in their own abilities. Many of the previously poor have become rich in faith and have become a major force in propagating the gospel.
Project Examples
Our Fellowship supports a wide range of self-help projects that have been highly successful in helping lift the poor out of their poverty. A few examples of projects that individuals can support are as follows:
Egg incubation facilities for a family = $125.00
Drip irrigation for a family = $300.00
Rabbit project for a family = $200.00
Chicken project for a family = $200.00
Quail project for a family = $200.00
Small greenhouse for a family = $400.00
Goat project for a family = $300.00
Heifer project for a family = $500.00
Water pump and pipe for a village = $2,000.00
Many of those assisted by our agricultural missionaries have reported they have never harvested such abundant crops and they want to know more about the abundant life to be found in Jesus Christ. Moreover, water has been provided to remote villages that have never before had access to running water for drinking or for drip irrigation on their garden plots. Such simple projects are helping the poor escape their poverty and to live more productive lives.
Missionaries report that our projects have helped put a caring face on Christianity which has resulted in numerous churches being established and many souls being won to the Lord, many are in areas that have never had an evangelical church.
Changing Lives Both Physically and Eternally, One Person at a Time
Early in 2007 we were advised of a Zapotec man who had been helping with some of our agricultural projects, was losing sight in both eyes. At the age of 29, Arsenio's sight became so bad that his young children had to lead him around. Aresenio, his wife, and their six children who lived in a bamboo hut with dirt floors, no electricity, and no running water, was entirely dependant on agriculture for their survival. A surgeon was located who would perform the necessary surgeries at no cost, but hospital costs would be $1,500 per eye.
The Executive Committee of our Fellowship decided not to use funds contributed for specific projects, but within 24 hours we had raised $1,500 to pay for surgery on one eye. Funds were secured from another source to perform surgery on the second eye.
Arsenio has now regained much of his vision and is once again providing for his family. He is no longer a timid person, but is possessed of both confidence and humility. He is said to glow with the love of the Lord, and others are now coming to know Christ as a result of his testimony.
How You Can Help
You can help some of the impoverished in Southern Mexico help themselves by sending a check made out to the Louisiana Baptist Foundation, P.O. Box 311, Alexandria, LA 71309. Please note it is critically important to indicate the funds are for the LA Baptist Ag Missions Fellowship. All contributions are tax deductible. The Fellowship does not have any overhead expenses, so 100% of your contributions go directly to support projects on the mission field.
Fellowship Newsletters
Newsletters are published at quarterly intervals and contain important resource information on the realities of world hunger, solutions for helping to resolve hunger and extreme poverty, projects being supported by our Fellowship, and a list of projects for which funding is being sought. To receive our Newsletters on a regular basis please send your name and e-mail address to W. Nelson Philpot at wnp@homerla.com and request to be placed on our electronic mailing list.
Annual Meetings
Annual meetings are held in late January or early February each year. Any person interested in helping people help themselves is invited to attend. Meetings in even-numbered years are held in the Baptist Building, 1250 MacArthur Drive, Alexandria, LA 71309. During odd-numbered years the meetings are rotated between a site in South Louisiana and a site in North Louisiana.
Who May Join Our Fellowship
Any person who desires to associate with the Fellowship because of his or her commitment to Christ is invited to join. We do not limit membership only to agriculturalists. Annual membership dues are $50.00 per family. Additional contributions to support projects are encouraged. Both membership dues and support for projects can be sent to the Louisiana Baptist Foundation per the instructions above.