Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia (and first elected female head of state in Africa) once said, “The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”

This is an inspiring and potentially challenging quote for anyone grappling with a God-directed calling and vision. In other words, if you have a God-inspired dream, it will probably exceed your current capacity to achieve, and it will most likely feel scary and most uncomfortable. God is in the business of “Big Picture” thinking!

While on home assignment back in 2016, we visited the ECHO Global Farm in Fort Meyers, Florida. During that short visit, we were both inspired and challenged by what ECHO was doing to demonstrate abundance through agriculture. ECHO have for years championed justice issues worldwide in relation to food security and agriculture. We ourselves have attended ECHO conferences in Tanzania. On that Florida visit, we walked through towering greenery where the power of fruitfulness was on full display. We were both struck almost instantly with the  idea of contextualizing a similar idea in South Africa and establishing a model and training farm in KwaZulu-Natal. What if people could see and touch life, fruitfulness and abundance right here? But isn’t that dream too big and impossible to achieve?

The need for a place to both demonstrate and train is not a new idea. We’ve worked with the Canadian Food Grains Bank on a project implemented here in our area providing 3-5 years of field demonstrations in the Nungwane valley on a field loaned by Chief Nkosi Nathi Maphumulo. We’ve trained many people there. But that field is not accessible by car, does not have access to water, and is not long term. Nkosi Maphumulo has recently reassigned the field for another of his projects.

And so we continue to dream of developing an accessible demonstration for people to see and experience. That vision from 2016 has not faded. You may recall the story of Nkosi Maphumulo visiting the Nungwane field corn demo on his land, loaned to us, and how he walked a few rows, silently shaking his head. When he finally spoke, he said, “I have grown up in this area, and I have never seen maize like this!” We can talk all we like about the potential of Farming God’s Way for abundant food production, even on a small land area, but unless we can show people, they don’t really get it – because they’ve never seen it.

For the last year, we have been sharing our dream with our Director at EMCC World Partners, Joel Zantingh, the EMCC regional team and Lou Geense, the outgoing Director of Relief and Development. All have so generously affirmed the vision on our hearts, and we have been so appreciative of their encouragement. The picture we have shared is for us to live on a demonstration and training smallholding – a model farm – that exists to demonstrate the abundance of God’s resources through the land, soil, sunshine, rain, etc., and the abundant provision that comes as we utilize those resources wisely.

This model farm would be a place where:

• leaders in the faith-based community development field can come and experience Farming God’s Way
• trainers-in-training can come and learn in a hands-on environment for a day, a week or a month;
• lead farmers can come and see what’s possible when Farming God’s Way is done to a high standard;
• care of creation and land and soil stewardship are upheld vigorously
• God’s invisible qualities and all-sufficiency are clearly on display (Romans 1:20)
• Farming God’s Way trainings and conferences can be held

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We were also able to share our dream with many of you personally, our readers, supporters, and encouragers, while in Canada this summer. You responded with much interest and passion. Slowly the dream has begun to take shape. Dan has even said that he can “taste” it!

After much brainstorming we gave our dream a name:

Inundo Development

Inundo is taken from Latin, and means overflow. The word inundate comes from inundo in latin. Can you formulate a picture of abundant overflow that floods and inundates everything in its path? That picture pretty much captures it for us. Inundo is an overflow of God’s love, overflow of grace, of provision, of development – of flourishing.

Emerging from that name came a very clear vision of what Inundo Development would be about.

Inundo’s vision is that “Africa would steward its abundance, and as a result unleash a tidal wave of overflow to and from the continent.”

We love every word in this vision. We long for a tidal wave of Godly leadership and stewardship to transform Africa. It is not that Africa is resource poor. Rather because of generations of destructive involvement of “rich” benefactors and paternalistic mindsets, Africa has forgotten her potential. Many Africans are on the tip of a renaissance of thinking…that abundant resources are available to be managed wisely for the good of all. Plus Africa can become a place of giving back within her borders and beyond.

We have written at length previously about our philosophy of faith-based development, including proclamation and demonstration of a holistic gospel, addressing the dependency syndrome, etc. For our next chapter of involvement on this continent, we want to demonstrate the holistic abundance that comes when we turn to God and His ways, wisely taking care of and stewarding the abundant resources He has provided. We can’t do it on our own and so are intent on mobilizing a network of people to lead. Therefore:

The mission of Inundo Development will be “to build capacity in people who become leaders committed to being God’s transformational agents in our world.”

We can give our lives to that!!

Inundo Development will need a home on South African land that is accessible and that we have tenure on, land on which we can build a model, and a ministry, that outlasts us. Since our return to South Africa, we have been doing the groundwork to set up a charitable trust which will be the entity that owns the Inundo land. This trust will exist in partnership with EMCC World Partners. After the trust is registered, we will need to apply for tax exemption and non-profit organization status. It’s quite a lot red tape and will require both wisdom and perseverance – items for prayer.

While we were in Canada earlier this year, a fund was approved and established to begin raising finances to get Inundo Development off the ground. This fund is administered by EMCC World Partners and will be used to purchase the land and get the demonstration established.

We are greatly encouraged. Already, individuals and churches are stepping up in significant ways saying they want to be a part of this new venture. A church in Ontario has chosen Inundo as one of it strategic initiatives for the next 5 years. If you sense God is calling you to be a part – financially, prayerfully, or with providing encouragement or expertise, we’d love to hear from you!

Meanwhile, we’ve started looking for possible locations. We need God’s wisdom in choosing the right location for the greatest benefit to His Kingdom. Please pray with us in that regard. “If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough!” Inundo Development is a God-sized dream… it is bigger than we can achieve of our own efforts and we have a healthy respect for its magnitude. But the potential for seeing God’s Kingdom come to this continent through flourishing communities is what motivates us. Plus the team of people we are a part of consists of visionaries and transformational catalysts. We can do it together! If you’d like to know how to support Inundo Development financially, click here. You may also want to look us up on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. With God’s help are writing the Inundo story!