A 24 year old farmer from Yo Creek Village in the Orange Walk district, he has been growing 15 acres of sugar cane, He lives in a humble house with his wife and 6 month old son. Over the past 13 months he has plowed, refined the soil, made rows, planted the seeds fertilized all the 15 acres by hand, and is getting ready to burn and harvest with a machete.
And when he is done, Jamin will donate the proceeds from the sale of his first truckload, about 12 tons of cane, to a life-changing enterprise that is positively impacting the lives of children in Belize, creating a model for other farmers to do likewise. It's stark contrast to the often-violent conditions that define Belize's sugar cane industry.
Initially introduced to the country nearly 150 years ago, sugar cane has grown to provide nearly 60 percent of Belize's agricultural exports. More than 4,000 farners grow, tend and harvest this crop every year. Today, the Belize Sugar Industries Ltd. (BSI) factory processes the entirety of Belize's canr crop. On many occasions when cane farmers feel they are not being represented fairly of recieving a fair price for their crop, they will riot against BSI.
Roads are blocked by burning piles of tires and overrun with crowds wielding machetes. Police fire tear gas at the mods as bother sides become further engrained in an us-verses-them mentality. These are the images that come to mind for most people when they think about sugar cane farming in northern Belize. There is widely felt disappointment among the Beliezean people that such a large element of their economy has been tainted with a history of violence.
Yet Jamin Castillo is slowly and quietly challenging that image.
Nearly every cane farmer uses the same process as Jamin to grow their crop, but what sets him apart is that he has decided to donate an entire truck load from his first year's harvest to a Belizean nonprofit, Harvest for Kids. Harvest for Kids is a program in which farmers throughout the country donate their crop yields to raise money for Belize Camping Experience (B.C.E). B.C.E is a registered Christian nonprofit organization established in 2006, working with schools churches and individuals who are running kids clubs to help develop summer day camps for at-risk children.
During the camp sessions staff and volunteers develop relationships with the kids through games and activities that show and teach them the love of Jesus Christ as well as encourage them to pursue their own relationship with Him. For the remainder of the year, they conduct follow-up programs at schools.
Most of their work
is focused on high-risk areas, such as South Side Belize City. They also carry
out leadership training and recruitment of youth volunteers for camps. This
past summer, they reached a total of 1,057 children through the summer camp
program.
Jamin got to see
the work B.C.E. is involved with in the city last summer.
“I was so touched
when I saw the difference the organization was making in these kids’ lives. I
got to see the difference in their faces when they were on the streets in the
middle of the night without families, compared to when they were at the camps.
I knew I had to contribute in a major way,” he says.
Jamin’s
story is a testament to the power that Belizean people have to make a
difference both in their country and for the Lord. Although he comes from a
humble background and faces many negative stereotypes as a cane farmer from the
Orange Walk district, Jamin has made a personal decision to enact change.
As a
Belizean farmer raising Belizean crops to make a difference in the lives of
Belizean children, Jamin shows us that, as a people, we can do it too. He is
not a rich man but has contributed in such a great way. Luke 21:1-4
says, speaking of Jesus, “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts
into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins.
And He said, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them;
for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her
poverty put in all that she had to live on.’”
We have already seen fruit from Jamin’s actions. Two
other farmers have also decided to give one truckload each after they heard
Jamin’s story. Harvest for Kids is looking for monetary donations as well. If
you are not a farmer by trade you can still help: a donation of $10 will level
an entire acre for crops. For $25 you can harrow the same acre, while $50 will pay
to get it plowed and ready to plant. As both Jamin and the Bible story of the
poor widow show, even humble people can make gifts that help change the lives
of this country’s children and, in turn, its future.
Here’s another story of a young family
stepping out in faith:
For a few months Abe and Priscilla Friseen, friends of
ours, have been inviting us to come to Shipyard for a visit. On April 1st, Leah
and I decided to drop everything and go visit them for an overnight.Abe and Priscilla also have a young
beautiful daughter named Temperance. We
enjoyed the evening watching our girls play together, and discussing what God
has been doing in each of our lives and ministry.
The next morning Abe and Priscilla were
excited to show to us their new plantation of suregum (chicken feed). As we approached their field they turned to
the side and showed us a separate five acres of the same crop. Abe smiled as Priscilla said, “Are going to
tell them?” Abe explained, “I planted these five acres for Harvest for
Kids. We gave the land and labour and
Frank, another farmer, donated the fertilizer. We wanted to be a part
of changing children’s’ lives in the city for Jesus Christ.” I was speechless and could only say thank you.
I felt tears of joy and praised the Lord when I saw how the Lord moved this family, using them as a cornerstone so that other farmers may do likewise. Farmers harvested the crop this past Easter week as we celebrated our Savior’s death and resurrection. I often wonder how much joy it brings the Lord when he sees his children living in the fullness of Jesus Christ.
Harvest Hands in The City - New Full Time Ministry Worker
This has been an answer to prayer seeing
that God is bringing not just opportunities and harvest, but also the necessary
workers to complete the work ahead. Althea
is from Belize City and felt God calling her into full-time ministry over five
years ago. She is very involved within her church, is very educated, and has
experience in the fields of children ministry and outreach. She had a full-time job with an Insurance
Company but quit because she felt the Holy Spirit pushing her to become a Belizean
missionary. Althea has committed herself to working full-time with BCE. She will
be taking Sasha’s position and be working with the follow-up programs, youth
recruitment, summer camp, and curriculum writing. Please pray for her as she
steps into this ministry and further’s Gods work in building his Kingdom in
Belize.
