Finding our Niche

"The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor." 1 Corinthians 8.

Planting time during the past couple of months has given me a whole new appreciation for the farming analogies that we study in the scriptures. A small home garden can be done by one person. But when working a large area, we can see that it takes lots of people, time, and resources to get a crop into the field. We need people to clear the land, till the soil (sometimes multiple times), kill weeds, apply fertilizer, and then plant the seeds. These activities might even have to be done in a very short amount of time to take advantage of a particular season. But the job is not yet complete. The fields have to be watered and given time to grow. Each of these tasks is very specialized and takes a different kind of skill.

At Narrow Gate Farm and Dairy, we are converting a Lynchee orchard to pasture for forage crops. We are working around the existing trees to preserve them, while maximizing the land area that we have planting. What this means is that we have had to till the soil using many different methods. First, we had a tractor service come with a large tractor to clear and level our building area. This machine also used a disc to till the rows. Then we enlisted the services of a walk-behind tractor to disc the areas underneath the trees, where clearance would not allow the tractor to work. Third, we used a small tractor with a cultivator to mix the soil and level the rows. We also should not forget the back breaking task of breaking up soil by hand in sloped and tight spaces. Each one of these machines, including the shovel and hoe, are specialized pieces of equipment and are used in very different ways. The objective however, tilling the soil, was the same. When the work was complete, the farm was ready for planting.

Growth of the church is much the same way. We all have very different skills, talents, and gifts. More than that, God has called each of us to a very specific role in our church and in our community. Those differences are just what we need, to make us effective for the expansion of God's kingdom both at home, and when we are on mission for God.

At Narrow Gate Asia, God has called us to engage the people of South East Asia at a community level to build relationships that will open doors to evangelism and church planting. Dairy Farming provides us with an opportunity to not only be apart of the business community in North Thailand, but it also allows for us to help others by providing nutritious products and training that will help others to increase the productivity of their farms and business.

One way that we set ourselves apart in the dairy market, is to find a niche that will not compete with local farmers, but will demonstrate innovation, productivity, and technology that will help both us and the local farms. In doing so, we are beginning to plan for the production of not only fresh milk, but more specifically dairy products including butter, cream, cheese, and yogurt. We have recently conducted our second training session to teach two other farms, and a restaurant in Chiang Rai about the cheese making process. In these casual teaching environments it is good to see just how God can begin to bless and grow our relationships in the community. In the future, we plan to conduct a series of training sessions at the farm and in the kitchen related to animal health, forages, breeding, and best practices in the areas of milk and food handling for better health.

As we begin to develop our niche, God has been faithful to guide and to bring people along side us to pray, partner, and provide for the ministries of Narrow Gate Asia in Thailand. We want to thank each one of you for your prayers and support. And we would encourage you to ask God, "What is your Niche?"

PRAYER REQUESTS -

• Pray for our Sunday Worship time this week.
• Pray for financial resources to begin construction of Farm facilities and Utilities.
• Pray for our English teaching projects in Mae Sai this summer.

Mae Sai Elementary School - 120 Students

Phaa Mii - Hill Tribe School - 60 Students

English Conversation - HS Girls Group - 10 Students

• Pray for God to call out two long-term singles or couples to serve in the English and Evangelism ministries of Narrow Gate Asia for one or more years.
• Pray for God to call teachers to serve the missionary community at the Family learning Center.
• Pray for Thai Partners to join the Narrow Gate Asia team as we serve among the Northern Thai and Hill-Tribe Peoples.
• Pray the God's Kingdom will come and His Will be done at Narrow Gate Asia.

To Become a Narrow Gate Asia Partner
Send Letters and Tax Deductible Contributions to:

Narrow Gate Asia
P.O. Box 260275
Plano, TX 75075 USA

Contact us on Facebook, or at info@narrowgateasia.org

Thank you for your prayers and support,
In His Grip
Harry and Pattie