Last weekend I was on the "Journey to Mosaics" trip with the North Pacific Conference of the Covenant Church. This learning experience is different than the "Mosaics Project" which I am working directly with under the department of World Mission. I plan to post later today some deeper reflections about that experience but I wanted to start off, since this is Friday, with my chosen foto for Friday.
I took this picture at the Broetje Orchards that we visited during our J2M trip last weekend. This is truly an amazing place with a far reaching ministry to the immigrants among us as well as ministries around the world. The founding couple, Ralph and Cheryl Broetje, started with a small cherry orchard in the 70's that froze two weeks after they signed papers for the purchase. Their vision persisted and has blossomed into a present day reality that is really unmatched in size and reach for the Kingdom of God.
Their orchard holdings are now around 40,000 acres, one of the largest privately owned apple orchards in the world, located in southwestern Washington, near Prescott. The value is assessed at roughly $40 million. Almost 700 employees work year-round, with the number doubling during peak harvest time. The orchard produces an average of 18,000 boxes of apples a day, packed and shipped from their own warehouses.
This is all amazing but the more important piece is how they do business in this little, desolate corner of the state and what they do with the profits. They personally underwrite many ministries around the world. All of their profits from the cherry orchards are donated, 100%. On site they provide low cost housing for employees, many who have come from Mexico and other countries where they cannot find work. They have started a Jubilee Youth Ranch for "at risk" boys between the ages of 13 to 19 years old. In 1990, they established the Vista Hermosa foundation and with it a K-6 school that aims to "serve, encourage and educate children and the under-served in their spiritual, community and health development."
There is more but I will leave you a link to check out more extensively what they are doing. Their humble but significant vision is "to be a quality fruit company committed to bearing fruit that will last." John 15:16.
