"Are we Tent-Making or doing Business as MISSION?"

In Ephesians 4, Paul tells us that we should ”walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, … He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.”

I have mistakenly been using these terms interchangeably and as we close out 2012 and enter a new year, God has given me pause to consider exactly what it is that we do at Narrow Gate Farm and Dairy.  “Tent-making” as Paul did it was working in order to financially support a himself and also to validate the Gospel message by providing it at no charge to the listener.  After all, the Good News of the Gospel is based upon the very fact that the salvation that we receive from belief in Jesus Christ is a free gift of grace.  But that is where “Tent-making” stops.  Business as Mission fulfills the purpose of the tent-maker, but goes way beyond that from a perspective of holistic Christian ministry.  Business as Mission (BAM) is a mission strategy in and of itself, where men and women are walking in a business context in a manner worthy of the task that that God has put before them, just as an apostle, pastor, or evangelist has been called. 
 

Traditional success in business has been measured by profits, the number of projects completed, business budget, schedule, quality of products and services, and does the organization accomplish its goals.  At Narrow Gate Farm and Dairy these same success measurements apply.  We also understand that Kingdom focused success is measured when capabilities are built within the community, the capacity of people is enhanced, better communities are formed, people have increased confidence in the future, and the people and communities affected by the business reflect the likeness of Jesus Christ.
 
We have only but one life to live, so why do we work so hard to separate our lives in to compartments. We have our “family-life”, “church- life”, “work-life”, “spiritual-life”, and the all so important “PERSONAL-life”.  When God created us, he never intended for us to separate these things out.   And that is why Narrow Gate Farm and Dairy is such a unique environment.  We are intentionally pursuing “Life” eternal and “Life” abundantly for the purpose of seeing “Gods Kingdom come and will be done.” We do this along the Thai-Myanmar border and in the relationships that result within the context of our farm.  I praise God that He has called me to be an evangelist, teacher, and farmer.  It is God’s call on our lives that makes us who we are, and I am thankful that we are blessed with the opportunity to walk it out at Narrow Gate Farm and Dairy though holistic ministry.
 

So, how is Business?  The farm is doing well.  The goats are healthy, and production is good.  We are starting to get lots of pregnant does this season and as a result we are starting to see our milk fall off.  We started selling goat milk in Chiang Rai since we got back from the States.  We sell out every-time we go to the market.  It is fun to sell like this and we are getting folks who are looking for me and little Harry to show up on our regular days.  We have tried multiple sales methods and feel like the direct sales approach is best for several reasons, we know our product and can inform our customers, we keep the sales commission, we are not lost in a myriad of other products at a supermart, and most importantly we are building personal relationships with the community through our customers (and this of course is our goal with Business as Mission).  In February we will have had the goats here two years, and we are at a point where we are selling out every day, and usually are short.  Next spring we will see a big increase in milk with our kids coming and I hope we will be at a point to break-even operationally.  We are starting to plan for a pastor workshop in January that will be the first of a quarterly series to help working pastors learn about animal health.  This will be a one day program, and I hope the first group has about 10 pastors.  We are also praying right now for a new intern family to join our team at the farm.  Having been “In Business” for two years now, I think we have demonstrated that the farm is a viable business, the market is capable of carrying our product, and that we can effectively run the farm.   

As we go into next year, I am praying for the resources to develop a milk processing room, new barn, and replacement roofing.  This will help us go a long way towards being self sustainable and positioning us to make a significant impact on the lives of our interns and the community where we live.
 
As we approach Christmas and New Years, we are thankful for everything that God has done to establish our ministry at Narrow Gate Asia and we are especially grateful for your prayers, partnership, and support.
 
Blessings to you and your Family, and Merry Christmas.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
Pray for God to recruit new interns for Narrow Gate Asia programs.
Pray for construction and development of farm facilities.
Pray for God to call individuals to join NGA in our monthly financial support team.
Pray that Narrow Gate Farm and Dairy will be used to expand God’s Kingdom along the Thai/Myanmar border.

Thank you, and God Bless.

In His Grip

Harry, Pattie, Hattie, Emma, Harry V, and Nellie. 

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

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