BAMBOO MIRACLE

GOD'S HAND IN CHANGING LANDSCAPE DURING PANDEMIC

Top 3 photos show the start of planting bamboo saplings in mid 2020.

Bottom 3 photos received in Sep 2021 show the extent of bamboo growth and vegetation covering the mountain land.

Did I hear correctly from God to go into this bamboo planting partnership?

I felt a strong prompting to help out as I read about the appeal by Feztus Lim towards the end of 2019. Feztus has been a missionary in Yunan and Thailand for over 30 years and an old friend of my brother. Though I have not been involved in his ministry, I responded to his invite for a bamboo planting partnership in Chiang Mai.

How do I know that this was God's leading to reach out?

3 Reasons:

1. It was perfect timing and a divine appointment rather than coincidence. Feztus was hardly in town and my brother lives in Australia. I arranged to meet Feztus and 'coincidentally' my brother was also visiting Singapore that weekend. As my brother knew him better, I would naturally feel more assured with him in the meeting.

2. My husband did not throw in 'his black hat'. The black hat, one of the 6 thinking hats of Edward de Bono, is critical thinking and caution. My husband is usually my 'black hat', pointing out potential problems that can arise in a project. In the meeting with Feztus, my husband felt very comfortable as Feztus laid out the purpose, plans, workings and financing of the bamboo planting project. He said I was to do what I needed to do without any single objection or caution.

3. Most importantly, I felt the peace of God to obey his calling in this project. In secular contracts, we read the whole contract first and put our signature at the bottom. With God, we put our signature at the bottom first, and God will reveal step by step what he intends for us to do. Listening to God is a journey; we just need to take small steps of faith and He will direct us to where He wants us to be.

Background of the Ban Mae Sa Bamboo Planting Partnership

The predisposing problem started some 10 years back in the mountainous northern districts of Chiang Mai province, where local farmers were led to grow corn on their farms in the mountains. They grew so much that they even encroached onto illegal unused land upstream till a huge area became a watershed due to irresponsible logging, soil erosion, forest fire and deforestation. Besides destroying the environment and leaving the land without vegetation, growing corn was also insufficient to sustain the farmers' income. When the local government saw the problem, agricultural experts and academics were called in. Bamboo farming was proposed to replace corn farming as bamboo is fast growing, effective for reforestation, absorbs carbon and there are many by-products of bamboo that can help to provide income for the farmers and their families. With the support of the local government for sustainable development, the Thai Conservation of Forest Foundation (an NGO) and the Bamboo Traders Association, more farmers are convinced to abandon corn farming to switch to bamboo farming.

Helping the Family of Believers

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:10

As we are a small family foundation, there is a limit to how much we can provide although we trust God to provide more in his time. Out of the many farmers who need start-up capital (many are still ladened with loans from corn farming) for bamboo farming, we are starting with 9 farmers from Mae Sa Church that Feztus has been working closely with. Besides being in the family of believers, we also require that they own their farm land. To help with the start-up, we have provided seed funding for these farmers who each own a small plot of land to prepare the planting area - get the water system ready, dig the land, add fertilisers and coordinate the buying of bamboo saplings. We have a total combined area of 42 rai or 6.72 hectares with 2,587 bamboo saplings for a start. These farmers are Karen Christians who frequent Myanmar's Karen State to share the gospel and they have built an education centre for the children who do not have access to mainstream education.

Lockdown due to Pandemic

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8

Since the pandemic started, the farmers had been affected by many lockdowns in their village and were not able to attend to the bamboo farms up in the mountains. They were unable to follow through on their operation plan:

1. Prepare the land for planting bamboo saplings

2. Buying and planting of bamboo saplings

3. Maintenance, mowing, adding manure, cover base, water

4. Monitor and assess growth of bamboo saplings

Nonetheless, we are just thankful they could plant all the bamboo saplings that were purchased before the lockdowns. When I asked for updates some months back, nobody could give me any as they were still in lockdown in the village and I was told the growth outcome could be disappointing and some bamboo plants could have died due to the dry season from Jan-March. However when I received the photos in Sep 2021, I was so pleasantly surprised. The whole landscape has changed from some parts arid land and some parts with little vegetation, to almost a bamboo forest. The bamboos just grew and grew without any nurturing despite the dry season during the lockdown period. What seems impossible with man is possible with God.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts....Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow....." Isaiah 55: 9 &13

Photos show grafting for bamboo saplings

Tanongsak, the farmer who is our co-ordinator for Ban Mae Sa Bamboo Planting, has started grafting his bamboo trees for about 1000 saplings to be planted soon. We are grateful for all the co-labourers that God has sent to us. Time and again I have learnt that obedience is better than sacrifice. We can clearly see God's hand and wisdom for directing us to grow bamboos before the lockdowns in the pandemic. The changing landscape of the farms up in the mountain with no human intervention is a miracle before our very eyes. We are indeed so blessed to witness this miracle and be a part of God's plan for his highly favoured family of believers in Chiang Mai.