Forgotten Farmers
April 2025
“A SOWER went out to sow.” These famous words Jesus opened with in Mark 4 as He masterfully unfolded one of the greatest parables ever known to man. And the profound truths revealed in that simple allegory echo on today. The sower went out to SOW. His purpose was to scatter seed liberally, to let it fall wherever it may. The seed fell on many differing places—most infertile, some good and fruit-bearing—and the sower scattered his seed faithfully to all. What a GENEROUS Father our God is, to send His Word—Jesus Christ—into the world. His love has gone out to all mankind; His message of forgiveness offered to every heart—whether infertile or good and fruit-bearing. He has not withheld His Word even from those in whom it finds no receptivity.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 tells us that we who have believed on Christ are now the sowers. We are entrusted with sowing the seed of His Word, in hopes that it might take root in other fertile hearts and produce its fruit of righteousness. These verses call us “ambassadors for Christ” taking the “word of reconciliation” to a lost and dying world. We are to scatter His seed. Do you know that your financial support of this ministry affords you a direct participation in that process?
When we travel to the Andes Mountains of Peru and visit the impoverished elderly waiting there for help, we are “the sower who went out to sow”. But it takes money for us to carry the seed of God’s Word to those places. Through your faithful giving, we are able to faithfully sow the seed of God’s Word. Your giving that provides food, blankets, clothing, medicine, and much more is like a tiller that prepares the soil of their hearts to be more receptive to the message of the gospel. Below, we would like to share a testimony from one farmer, a beneficiary of your giving. Notice what a harvest of gratitude your giving has produced in her life.
“My name is Bárbara Condori Bellota, and I am 101 years old. Throughout my life, I have witnessed countless changes and challenges, but I remember with particular clarity those days when I worked alongside my parents in the service of the landowners. We cared for animals, such as horses and sheep, on the landowners' land. In those years, education was prohibited for us. We always thought that, if we had had more opportunities, we would have been capable of achieving great things. But at that time, there were no roads or communication routes to facilitate our connection with the outside world...and we were unfamiliar with cars or tractors. Those were difficult times, but I also remember them fondly. Despite the adversities, our community was united, and we worked together to get ahead. This is how I grew up. Eventually, I had a family of my own. We don't remember the exact day our children were born, as we only know from the planting times of corn and wheat. We lived with what little we had and without documents to prove our identity. However, despite the difficulties, we were a close-knit, hard-working family.
I remember our trip to Cusco with particular emotion. We traveled by horse and mule and arrived in one day. Cusco was very different from what it is now; it was a city full of charm and tradition. Our houses were made of thatch and adobe, where the cold entered easily, and sheepskin did nothing to protect it. We worked hard, and everything we produced belonged to the landowners, who gave us very little. When the Agrarian Reform came, our lives changed drastically, with the largest change being the opportunity to own our own land. We still faced countless challenges over the years, but we have also witnessed great changes and improvements in our community.
Today, at 101 years old, I look back with gratitude and pride, knowing that, despite the difficulties, we have managed to get ahead and build a better future for our future generations. Those of my generation were few, we suffered greatly, and were soon forgotten. Today we do not have the strength to continue working like the landowners, and we cannot survive and feed ourselves. But now this ministry has come to my community and not only helped me but many who, like me, suffer from all of this. I am completely grateful and happy to be part of the ministry and the great help it gives me by giving me basic necessities to be able to feed myself. And now I can rest comfortably after being so cold, since they also gave me a bed and blankets to cover myself with. Thanks be to God and to you who make all this possible.”
This is a harvest of gratitude produced by the financial support you have given. We continue to sow the seed of the Word of God and to provide for the needs of many, many people just like Barbara each month, and YOU are the ones making it possible.
There are three additional communities surrounding our area that are also in need of the same support we are providing to Ccarhuaccalla. We would love to “go out to sow” in all three of these communities, but we must have more help to get the job done. We are very thankful to all of you who give and who carry this ministry in your hearts. You keep our doors of ministry open. Unfortunately, the costs of food and transportation have risen of recent, and we have seen a decline in what comes in financially to the Home of Refuge. We do know and believe that the Lord is our provider. He uses people to get His supply of finances to us. In that understanding, we ask you to pray today about what He is inviting you to do in response to this request for help. Would you consider the parable in Mark 4, the words of 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, and what action you might be able to take to help us further the gospel into these 3 communities? These communities are filled with “forgotten farmers”, but when we take them the seed of God’s Word, WE become like a farmer reaping a harvest in fields where the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Thank you for your prayers. We also ask for prayer for Tony’s strength and good health as he works hard in the midst of challenging living conditions here in Peru.
You cannot out-give God. He is faithful to give back to you more abundantly than you give to Him. May you be encouraged this month in the knowledge of that promise.
Gratefully,
Tony and Rosa Rivera
Home of Refuge International, Inc