Creation Care in Makassar
The entire auditorium of the STFT INTIM Theological School in Makassar is packed. Everyone who does not have class is expected to attend the seminar I give on Faith and Farming.
I am visiting Kees and Alice van de Beek, Dutch friends living in Makassar. I had suggested to them to have a talk about Faith and Farming with the teachers of the Theological School where Kees teaches. However, the teachers think the topic is so important that they request me to give a seminar for the whole school, so that all the students can also benefit.
Using a Power Point presentation, I tell them the story of Faith and Farming. Before I start, I ask how many Bible characters they know who were active in agriculture. They enjoy this activity and we get off to a good start. I explain the background of the Faith and Farming modules and this is well received. During the time for questions, it becomes clear that staff and students have already been thinking about this subject.
The students recognise that farming is not valued and they would like to see this change. Farmers should be mentioned in church more often in sermons and in prayers throughout the year and not only during harvest time, when it's time to give their tithes.
The school is going to think about how to integrate the modules of Faith and Farming into their curriculum. It is encouraging to see their enthusiasm.
The next day I am in a village south of Makassar, where the Van de Beeks have good contacts with the local people. To a group of women from the village I explain how they can make their own biosand water filter. Because there is no projector available, I do this using drawings made by Alice on a number of large cardboard sheets. One of the participants asks a lot of questions about how the filter works. This helps me to explain things in much more detail and this helps all the participants understand things much better.
There is also a group of men present and they also participate well. After the presentation, the people indicate that they would like to try out this filter in their village. They plan to install a sample system in the centre of the village first. The various families who are interested can then come by to see how it works and then install their own system at their respective homes.
