Pastor James is sixty-nine, but retiring is not on his mind! In his church, located in a village about 20 kilometers from Amanipi, he dedicates himself to evangelism and to caring for orphans and widows.
Twenty years ago, it seemed his life was over: stomach cancer! The doctors could do nothing for him. He turned to traditional herbal medicine, and recovered! “God gave me my life back,” he says. From that moment on, James knew he wanted to devote himself to helping vulnerable people: orphans, widow and to spreading the Gospel.
After his long illness, his strength was greatly diminished. Working large fields by hand was no longer possible, and he owned only a small plot of land. How would he make a living? James found an unexpected path: he began growing trees: coffee and cocoa, as well as timber species like eucalyptus and teak. People around him didn’t understand: What do you want with trees? You can’t eat them! But the sale of coffee and cocoa brought him a good income.
As James watched the surrounding forests disappear, he became even more convinced of the need for reforestation. He knew God had a purpose in this. In 2016, he had a dream in which God told him that one day someone would come to help him with his project. People laughed at the idea. In the area, he became known as Pépiniériste James (James the Grower).
And then we met him. Earlier this year, we visited him to ask if he could help us start small coffee nurseries for untrained youth and single mothers. James’s eyes lit up, this was exactly his dream. The dream became reality. Everything came together: helping vulnerable people and growing trees. For us, it was deeply inspiring to meet someone whose vision matched our own.
Drawing on his experience, James quickly gathered several groups of more than twenty people each. He guides them in their work and keeps careful attendance records in a notebook, who shows up to help build the nurseries, for example. Regularly, he rides over on the back of his son’s motorbike taxi to bring us updates. Each time, I’m amazed by his vision and dedication.
The groups have been working hard to prepare the land and build the greenhouses. Together with James, we visit the site, a valley with water available year-round for growing plants. As we carefully make our way through the marshy ground, James darts ahead of us like a young deer. The frame of the greenhouse is already built; now the shade cloth can be stretched over it, and the coffee seeds are ready to be sown. James shows us how it’s done. It will take two months before the seedlings emerge, and they’ll need to be watered daily if there’s no rain. It requires patience and steady dedication.
We walk back to James’s house, this time uphill but again he strides ahead energetically, greeting people along the way. What energy! His wife, Yabeze, comes out to meet us with a broad smile. “James’s work with coffee, cocoa, and trees is a blessing,” she says. “It provides well for us.” She tells us about their ministry in the church and their six children. One has passed away, the others are grown. Do they also grow trees? “No,” she laughs. “Some drive motorcycle taxis, the eldest is a nurse.” James and Yabeze live on the same compound with one of their sons, and their grandchildren play around the house.
We are deeply thankful to God for the privilege of working alongside Pépiniériste James. He now mentors five groups in the tree nursery project of the 4Pillars.
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