I grew up in the suburbs of Virginia, daughter of two farm bred Virginians. (My father earned several awards from the Future Farmers of America in high school!) But the new America brought them, and their brood of 4 away from the land that had nourished them and their families. Because of their love for the land, there were few years where we didn't have a vegetable garden. Every spring we'd plant some beans, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and, space permitting, corn. Over the hot, dry summer months we all chipped in to weed and water the growing plants. That was the hard part... until time for harvest! Many a summer supper consisted of tomatoes and beans from the garden with fresh baked biscuits smothered in butter. Yum!

Those late summer months were the best...Harvest Time! Fresh cucumbers, corn on the cob, southern cooked green beans, fried squash, fresh sliced tomatoes... Food for the body, and food for the soul! In order to enjoy all the goodness of our work, though, we had to harvest. The sowing and watering and weeding was useless if we never harvested anything.

Jesus came from a very agricultural society and new well the need for harvesting. But when he told his disciples that "the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matt. 9:37, 38), He wasn't talking about wheat or grapes or olives. He was talking about souls. He'd been traveling through villages healing and preaching the Good News. He looked around him and saw how many souls were so ready to come to Him, who were ripe for harvest. All that was needed was workers to bring in that harvest.

Today, it's exciting to see where God is causing growth, and where He is calling us to help with the harvest. World Impact has done a little work to give anyone at Hope who would like to the chance to be a worker in the harvest. There are opportunities to mentor a child after school, to help a young mother be a better mother to her preschooler, to bless a family moving out of homelessness, to make Christmas a time of joy and love and Good News for a child in need or to travel far away to take the Good News. You can find details about these opportunities to the right. If you'd like to take part, just drop me a line at worldimpact@hopecentral.com or call the Hope office at 708-5330.

Come join us in the Harvest!