Official Blog of FARMS International

This is one of a series of posts written by Jaime Garcia, a young missionary who we have partnered with for some work in Thailand. Within the congested city center of Chiang Rai, Thailand, resided a young boy named Aja. Throughout his meaningless childhood, he worked as a service station boy. Many like him, were well acquainted with the oppression and dangers of being a pump boy. Corporate gas stations usurped hundreds of young, uneducated boys to become pump helpers. Aja’s bare necessities were barely met by the measly wage. A decade later, he found himself still slaving at the station. His desolate future began to etch painfully into his soul. The vanity of the whole affair created an acute sensation of meaninglessness. He despaired, and longed for something, anything at all, other than endlessly rushing petrol into drivers’ vehicles. His heart was sick, yet his mind was brimming with dreams. Aja, his daughter, wife and mother outside their home they hope to replace Around thi...

This is one of a series of posts written by Jaime Garcia, a young missionary who we have partnered with for some work in Thailand. Jereun, his wife Surimath Yangyue, and their sons Jereun was a small-statured man, with a big smile, and all blackened teeth (a custom of the Hmong). Prior to receiving a FARMS revolving loan, he lived in a small grass hut. He did not possess any transportation, and was at the mercy of whatever storm engulfed him. In this dire time, he regretfully took out a loan from a secular institution. He was quickly overwhelmed by the exorbitant interest rate; roughly 130% of the original amount he owed. During the backbreaking season that ensued, he was placed into the vice grip of depression. He struggled to survive and feed his wife and children, while at the same time paying back the loan and the interest. Not only was the financial yoke bearing down upon his shoulders, but also the cruel fact of his land being signed over to the loan company for co...

This is one of a series of posts written by Jaime Garcia, a young missionary who we have partnered with for some work in Thailand. Akha ladies in traditional dress On the rolling hills of Chiang Rai Province, Thailand, a quaint village was nestled deep in the throbbing heart of the mountains. For centuries, this remote settlement had been called Mae Suai by the locals, meaning ‘the beautiful matriarch.’ During the 1960’s and 70’s, turmoil in the Laos and Myanmar forced tens of thousands of minority peoples to flee their villages. They slogged through precarious tangles of overgrown jungle, to cross the bloodstained, Thai guarded border. With great anxiety, throngs of newcomers arrived in ‘the land of freedom.’ Thailand became, for many, a place of asylum and opportunity, and for the Akha people, a rugged group of hunters and once-famed warriors, it became a place to proliferate their heritage unfettered from the oppression of their homelands. The Akha people were known for bei...

Transportation is in big demand in Cuba. Very few can afford to own a motorcycle, let alone a car. Therefore, you see a lot of human powered transportation, especially in rural areas. A Bici-taxi A Bici-taxi is a very popular mode of transportation. Pastor Mario was able to receive a loan of $450 from the FARMS committee to buy a used bici-taxi. I was able to visit the pastor and heard that the pastor’s twenty year old son, Josbani, is the operator of the taxi. Mario related what the loan meant to his family. He said it was a “huge blessing.” His son now has a full time job and the taxi has created enough income to provide for their entire family of eight! Also, Mario and his wife have a son that is special needs, and the added income made it possible to improve a room where their son sleeps. Pastor Mario in from of his church All of their income from the project is tithed to their rapidly growing church. In addition, about nine months ago they were led to plant another churc...

The Rondo Family This is Mr. Rondo and his wife who live near Camaguey, Cuba. Although Mr. Rondo was trained as an electrician and as an appliance repairman, he could not find work because he had no tools or a place to work. It took just a small loan of $100 to enable him to buy some tools and to build a small shop behind his home. Mr. Rondo's shop When I asked him what the loan meant to him, his wife Helen and their two year daughter Angela, this was his answer. “The loan has been a prayer answered by God as a way to support my family. With my loan I started repairing small appliances in 2015 and because the business grew, I was able to employ my own father who had no job!” A flasher that Mr Rondo was working on One part of the business that has really grown, is the repair and manufacture of “flashers.” These are like a blinking tail light and by law all vehicles need to have them to operate on the roads at night. There is enough demand for this that Mr. Rondo...

Tourism is booming in Cuba. Now with regular flights from the USA, anyone can travel to this island nation. The demand for souvenirs “Made in Cuba” is a surprise blessing to one our projects! Pastor Narlisus, is a skilled carpenter, and the FARMS Cuba committee helped him with a $3,500 loan for tools and for improvements to his carpentry shop. Because of the demand for his work in building furniture and other itemshe was able to hire three other full time workers and plans to hire two more in the coming months! Pastor Narlisus and his family Hurricane Mathew hit the east end of Cuba, where his church and home is located, but even though he suffered a lot of damage, he has pressed on. The tithes of his employees have greatly blessed the church, enabling them rebuild their damaged church and even expand it. He also shared with me, that the project has greatly increased their family income enabling him to buy his wife Eny, a “much needed” wash machine. A Cuban "Magic" ...

Haiti a land of trials, disasters, sorrows, hardships, droughts and mudslides due to deforestation, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, corruption, and despair! A place easy to give up on, right? However, we can’t give up. Why? Because God has not given up on Haiti, so we won’t either! As, “… one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:26 FARMS International has worked in Haiti for many years. In contrast to the approach of many “helping” in Haiti, we provide a way out of poverty, that builds real hope, without creating dependency. It is hard, there are always setbacks and disappointments, but we have seen real success. Yes, Haiti can help itself. Believers have learned the joy of giving and giving generously. Therefore, they have seen God’s blessing upon the work of their hands. They appreciate the self-help approach of FARMS. Pray for the believers in Haiti, they have the message of hope that Haiti needs. Here are a few recent pictures from FARMS projects i...

Tamera in her home village Tamara began her life in a small village in southern Moldova. Sadly, like many children there, abuse and neglect destroyed her youth and self-worth. She shared her story with my wife Pat and I while in Moldova last Spring. "My life growing up was very sad. I felt more like an orphan than part of a family. I felt like rubbish! Worthless! I felt like there was no reason to live, I might as well die. My life was aimless. Then one day a girl shared with me a verse from the Bible. She read John 3:16 like this. So God so loved Tamara that he gave his only son that Tamara should not die, but have eternal life. For me to hear that God loved me, was such a surprise, so amazing. Love was something I knew little about. I knew nothing about God, or how to pray or even how to act. Then some time later a friend of mine gave me a Bible and by reading God’s word, I became a Christian in 1996. Because of this, my parents kicked me out of my home, but thankfully a Chr...

Here are some updates from our Pangasinan-Philippines projects. These images were provided by our committee as part of the reports they submit to FARMS. The Pangasinan-Philippines volunteer committee is doing a great job administering the FARMS program. Pictured here is the committee and several project holders at their monthly meeting. During these meetings they pray and encourage each other. They also make payments on their loans or receive new loans. Following the meeting, they visit ongoing projects. These meetings have been a real blessing to the program and the project holders. In addition, the committee meets once a month to consider new project proposals. Pictured here is Marivic Estabillio, the secretary-treasurer of FARMS Pangasinan with Marites Largo at her bakery. She has paid back her original loan of $425 and was given a second loan of $640. Besides her bakery,  Marites  has a small store that FARMS has helped her with. She has been very faithful...

My wife Pat and I (Joe) had the privilege of visiting our program in Moldova this past spring. It was a fascinating trip. Our missionary liaisons, Ghiorghi and Cristiana Cazacu took us from northern Moldova to the southern border of the country. It is a beautiful country with rolling hills and rich farmland. Along the way we visited several of the families with existing FARMS projects and other families that need our assistance. A Baptist pastor gathering feed for his goats Moldova and Albania rank together as the poorest countries in Europe. Life in Moldova is extremely difficult, and signs of poverty are abundant. It is a common sight to see rows of men and women cultivating large fields with hand hoes; reminiscent of farming in America over a century ago! Good jobs are nearly non-existent, forcing many of the young and educated to leave the country. The costs of basic necessities are high and fuel is extremely costly. Horse drawn carts are a common sight. The average wage of a ...

In this post we will highlight two participants of the a FARMS program in Thailand. Sing and Chantida Sing and Chantida have two boys and one girl. This is the first time that they have used the FARMS loan program and they have agreed to pay the money back in a years’ time. Their loan was for 60,000 Baht or about $1,715. With their loan they are funding their coffee production, linchee fruit trees, and their yearly rice planting. They needed the loan to plant more trees, to buy adequate fertilizers and other items needed to increase their harvest. The main reason for the expansion of their farm is to provide for their children’s college education. All three of their children are near college age. Normally, higher education is only a dream for tribal families. However, we see this dream come true for project holder’s children over, and over again. Your help makes this possible. Su Yuan and Nan Ti Gan Su Yuan and Nan Ti Gan have two young girls, 9 and 12 years old....

Suntalee and Kitti Safon Suntalee (holding her four year old boy who was born deaf) has been a Christian for some time. Her husband came to know the Lord about seven years ago. They applied for their first loan with FARMS to improve their coffee crop. Their loan was for $430. It is their hope, that they will earn enough from their project to send their little son to a school that teaches sign language. The mother is required to attend and the father is encouraged to attend also. The school is in a large city three hours away. Pray for this young family and for their little boy. Pray that God will bless the work of their hands and give them the desires of their hearts. Ying and Jiawseng Farm Ying and his wife Jiawseng have had several loans from FARMS. Their present loan is for $1,715. They are using the loan to improve their coffee yield with fertilizer application and irrigation. They also will use part of their loan for their yearly rice crop. This family has been extremely...