Newsletter
By May-Lee Melki Constantine
Every other day, at sunrise a group of women go to pick the crop at Heart for Lebanon’s agricultural land. I had the opportunity to join the team at one of our early harvests last month. The sound of stillness at sunrise and the peaceful setting in the Bekaa Valley with only the smell of the land and its vegetation felt like a whisper from God that everything He touches bears fruit.
When Heart for Lebanon purchased land in the Bekaa Valley adjacent to its Hope Ministry Center, we could only dream about the benefits that it would one day yield to the ministry. We prayed about how God wanted us to steward this valuable resource. Little did we know that a talented farmer who was attending one of Heart for Lebanon’s Bible studies would take up this project and tend to the land so well. He set off and planted different kinds of seasonal fruits and vegetables such as zucchini, cucumber, eggplant, peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe…etc.
Over the last 3 weeks alone, we have distributed more than 4,500 pounds of cucumbers and the same amount of Zucchini to all the families that receive monthly care packages from Heart for Lebanon. We also distributed bags of fresh produce from the land to those who attended discipleship classes and youth programs. At a time when basic needs are becoming more difficult to secure in an economy like Lebanon’s that is operating without a government and in the shadows of looming war, Heart for Lebanon is able to bless the families it serves this way.
In the fall, we will be adding fruit trees and a large number of olive trees to the land to expand the quantity and quality of what we are able to offer.
This project is not unique because of the value of the produce but rather because its execution is a testimony to Heart for Lebanon’s holistic ministry by witnessing a physical harvest in addition to the spiritual harvest that we talk about often.
From the farmer who tends to the land, to the women who pick the crop, to the families who are nourished, all these individuals are from the Heart for Lebanon family. We can tangibly experience what it means to have a healthy self-sustaining project that is creating job opportunities and fully owned and operated locally.
I hope you enjoy this short video that holds so much meaning to me as it was created by one of Heart for Lebanon’s staff members with very little resources and is being narrated by one of our Sunday School children!
At Heart for Lebanon, we often refer to our team and those we serve as family and because of your prayers and investments this Heart for Lebanon family is experiencing a new blessing today.
Thank you!
May-Lee Meki Constantine
