by Stephanie, an Alliance worker serving with Envision

In many pockets of our world, there is a need for quality, culturally appropriate food, employment opportunities, and relationships. No different are the needs of our resettled refugee community nestled outside Atlanta, Georgia, in a small suburb called Clarkston. A vibrant hub for refugee resettlement, Clarkston has welcomed tens of thousands of refugees over the past four decades. Within the small city, sometimes called “the most diverse square mile in America,” there are more than 150 ethnic groups and 60 languages spoken. Because of the people who sustain our work through their prayers and giving, we have the privilege to assist and love so many who have experienced hardship, trauma, loss, heartbreak, relocation, and resettlement.

Envision Acres Farm, a ministry of Envision Atlanta, exists to educate, employ, and empower our local refugee community while developing and training missional leaders creatively through agriculture. This ministry began with a dream to welcome the foreigner to a place of provision, familiarity, and peace. Over the years, we have seen God multiply our efforts and extend His love to those who do not yet know Him. For our ministry, it started with eggs.

A Reminder of Home

We strive to provide our community with quality food that meets the needs of people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. Because of our shared vision to provide quality food, a member of another local organization partnered with us by gifting our ministry a starting flock of laying hens. With this flock, we began collecting and giving eggs to those in need in our community. Our reach began slowly, but word spread quickly.

Many now ask for eggs and refer to us as “the farm with the real eggs.” This makes us chuckle, but we learned quickly that many were unsure of eggs in grocery stores because of their white coloring and their identical appearance. It is a joy to bring out multicolored, differently shaped eggs to those in need. We are so thankful that now we are on call for food provision from a health clinic and resource center in Clarkston to provide this protein for those struggling with food scarcity.

Through your support of Envision Acres Farm, you don’t just feed people in need. You also create opportunities for us to connect in meaningful ways with our neighbors. As we’ve built trust with others in our community, family visits to the farm have become popular. When our first visitors arrived, we could barely communicate with one another. This family had recently come from Afghanistan and was overwhelmed by new things in our country. As their comfort level with us increased, we spent the afternoon walking through our garden, petting goats, and snacking under pecan trees. When the visit came to an end, we provided eggs as a parting gift. The mother of the family was so grateful and had her children translate that she missed farming—that she was the one who cared for the family farm back home. A visit to the farm, the gifting of fresh eggs, and a connection to home opened a door for relationship. Since then, this family has returned to the farm for many events and regularly receives assistance from our team.

It is a pleasure to offer our farm as a place of peace and familiarity to those first visitors and so many others. It is not uncommon to hear visitors say our farm reminds them of farms in their home countries or to hear the laughter of children as they offer grain to our livestock and their parents watch with big smiles. It is also not uncommon to be welcomed into refugee homes because of the gift of eggs and produce and time spent on the farm. We love this community; we love the friends we’ve made; and we thank God for using us—and our worldwide Alliance family—to extend His love to displaced people outside Atlanta.

The 50 Unused Acres

We also love that we have had many opportunities for gospel-centered conversations through farm goods and employing two young refugee men. We now have the great opportunity to expand our reach by expanding our property and its uses.

Our desire is to steward this property as best we can to serve the needs of our refugee community. The farm currently reflects the diversity of cultures in Clarkston as we raise chickens, goats, and sheep and grow an annual garden. We believe God is asking us to expand into the remaining untouched 50 acres of our land to make an even greater Kingdom impact. The excitement of providing for more families and walking through more open doors for gospel-centered conversations empowers us to plan strategically while trusting God to direct our steps.

The challenge is daunting. Expanding into the remaining acreage will require long hours and additional resources. With your continual supports of Envision Acres Farm, we will seek to develop the property (including fencing and pasture planting), provide employment opportunities for our refugee community on the farm, add to our livestock herds, and cover basic operating costs of the expanded farm.

Our world is changing, and people are moving. The circumstances of a refugee’s journey are unimaginable and wearisome. Because of this journey, though, many are now in places with gospel access. Our team interacts with individuals from 17 countries, including Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal, Sudan, and Syria.

God has blessed our reach into this community, and we look ahead to how He will continue to use your generosity and prayers to provide quality, culturally appropriate food, offer employment opportunities, and cultivate relationships with our refugee friends whose journeys for peace, stability, and hope will never be complete until they find a new home in His Kingdom.

Supply Refugees with Fresh Food

Since opening in 2020, Envision acres Farm has never produced as much food or employed as many refugees as it could—but that can change now through your giving. To maximize the gospel impact of this vital ministry serving neglected and hurting people, visit cmalliance.org/gift-catalog-alliance-strategic-projects/envision-acres-farm/. Learn mores about Alliance strategic projects throughout the world in need of your prayers and financial support by accessing the 2024–2025 Strategic Giving Opportunities Gift Catalog at cmalliance.org/gift-catalog or by calling toll-free (866) 443-8262.

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