Helping love grow

by Jonathan Krause

As the world struggles to respond to the hurt and loss of the Israel-Gaza crisis, the promise of new life is a blessing we need more than ever.

And keen gardeners, Paul, Claire and Rex from South Australia, know all about blessing others through new life. The trio knows not only how to give new life to a veggie or flower patch but also how to use their gifts – and the produce that results – to bring new life to more people through Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS).

For more than 20 years, these wonderful ALWS supporters have been planting and propagating, loading and unloading, and smiling and selling through chilly mornings and windy afternoons at weekend markets and local shows to sell plants to raise money to help people through ALWS! Paul’s wife, Annette, was a key part of the team until she was called by God last year to walk his heavenly garden.

These green thumbs have now ‘grown’ more than $500,000 with their hard work.

YOU CAN BRING NEW LIFE TOO!

Thousands of kilometres from Paul’s hothouses on the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide, there are hothouses at Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, which are supported by people like Paul, Rex and Claire through ALWS. There Ayenai grows capsicum, kale, spinach and tomatoes, along with outside crops of maize, pumpkin, butternuts, onions, watermelon and sorghum. She sells surplus produce to local cafes and supermarkets after she has made sure her children have enough to be healthy, strong and fit for school.

You can support Ayenai and others like her through the new season of ALWS Gifts of Grace.

A GRACE-FILLED PROMISE

Our theme this year for ALWS Gifts of Grace is ‘See your love grow’. And you’ll be able to do exactly that with gifts like:

• Veggie seeds ($11)
• Irrigation ($9)
• A school food farm ($756)
• Banana seedlings ($7)
• A mushroom farm ($330)

The theme Bible verse for Gifts of Grace has a beautiful promise of what we can grow together, as we help bring new life to people the world forgets:

‘God will provide rain for the seeds you sow.

The grain that GROWS will be abundant’ (Isaiah 30:23).

That’s not all that’s growing. Your Grace Cards this year each have a seed diamond that can be planted (after being hung on the family Christmas tree) to produce forget-me-not flowers!

For more gifts and to order go to www.alws.org.au/gifts-of-grace or phone 1300 763 407.

Jonathan Krause is ALWS Community Action Manager.