The last 2 weeks we have been serving in the mountains of San Jose, Costa Rica at the Garden of Eden. Pastor Edgar , his wife Elena and dog Bella own and operate Zoe Future Leaders a ministry that teaches people how to create and maintain organic farms that are effortless and affordable. My team, The Big Finishers and I have been farming ,creating soil , planting , weeding & picking produce. We used different natural ingredients full of minerals, animal fecal matter from chickens & sheep with little to no smell, soil and wood chips. No chemicals are ever used! Planting in raised beds and a green house. After 2 years, the food naturally reproduces on its own. The excess produce is given to other local ministries that serve people who are experiencing poverty, homelessness and prostitution. Our team assisted this ministry with other projects around the farm like painting, deconstructing old structures. We learned and used Filter of Hope to process our drinking water. As a team we also visited a local church building relationships with congregation and teaching the youth and teens.
During our stay our team hs been camping in tents. The Cost Rican weather has been very interesting. The warm sun reaches a high of 78 degrees a until about noon. This is when we get most of our work done in the garden. Then the gusty wind, cold torrential downpour of excessive rain with occasional hail often continues on and off for the rest of the night until the morning. Our tents can get a little muggy while the nights are cool and drops down to 55 degrees.
Overall it has been a unique wonderful experience learning about growing organic affordable food and living in nature. It’s been a change of pace and a new adventure. I have loved building relationships with my ministry host and deeper connections with my teammates in a peaceful laid back environment that focuses on environmental sustainability.
The food here is delicious, colorful and nutritious. It has highlighted my ongoing concerns for ethical organic food being used, grown and sold in the USA. The use of genetically modified products, processed junk foods, the control of seeds and overwhelming amounts of disease that negatively impacting our communities is a direct reflection of poor food being distributed. I truly believe there’s really no reason for people to be hungry& that the food epidemic is another social construction built by humans to oppress, control, manipulate, cause disease and pad the pockets of people who love money and profit more than people.
~Whitney Holmes
Edgar Arellano,
Whattsapp Costa Rica 83361665
Email:[email protected]
Facebook: Edgar ren’e arellano
Instagram: @edgararellanoxela
Filter of Hope https://filterofhope.org
YouTube: Back To Eden Gardening Documentary Film – How to Grow a Vegetable Garden https://youtu.be/6rPPUmStKQ4
