Laborers Together: Missionary Leadership at Kibidula Farm

🥑 Laborers Together with God: The High Calling of Stewardship 🐄

Introduction

Welcome, fellow laborers! Whether you are managing rows of avocado trees, overseeing the intricate details of the packhouse, nurturing delicate seedlings, or guiding the cattle herd, your role is far more than a job description. You are stewards of God’s creation and leaders of His people. Today, we explore what it means to be a "true missionary" within the context of a professional farm, moving beyond religious labels to the heart of practical Christian living.

The Little Seedling’s Purpose: A Story for All Ages

Imagine a tiny avocado seedling in our nursery. It doesn’t grow just to take up space or consume water; its purpose is to one day provide shade and fruit to nourish people it will never meet. If the seedling refused to grow or the soil was too hard, it would fail its mission. You are like that seedling, but you are also the gardeners. Every day you show up to Kibidula, you are either helping things grow toward the light of heaven or letting the weeds of selfishness take over. Even if you don't realize it, your work is a lesson to everyone watching you.

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I. The True Definition of a Missionary Supervisor

A true missionary is not defined by a title, but by a life of unselfish service and a commitment to the truth of GodPH066 45.1. It is someone who comes into harmony with God’s mind, reflecting light and teaching others to look upward away from common errorsPH066 45.1.

• Beyond the Office: A supervisor in the office is a watchman, guarding the interests of the institution and ensuring that nothing is neglectedPH152 21.1.

• The Power of Example: If the head of an office is connected with Christ, he becomes a living example of what every worker should be—a laborer together with God24LtMs, Ms 45, 1909, par. 14.

• A Solemn Obligation: Anyone in office who follows selfish plans instead of high principles is like a sign-board pointing in the wrong directionPH066 45.1.

"For we are laborers together with God: you are God’s husbandry, you are God’s building" 1 Corinthians 3:9.

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II. Agriculture as the "ABC" of Education

Agriculture is not just a business; it is a science that illustrates spiritual lessonsFE 375.1. The Lord Himself established the first garden and appointed the first man as its cultivatorEd 219.1.

• The Science of the Soil: No line of manual training is more valuable than agricultureEd 219.1. It provides a real independence and a certainty of return for labor that city lives often lackEd 219.1.

• Natural and Spiritual Combined: The laws obeyed by the earth reveal the power of an infinite GodFE 375.1. When we cultivate the land, we are to exercise all the brain power and tact we possessSpTA04 18.3.

• Lessons from the Field: Plowing, harrowing, and weeding are symbols of the work needed in the human heart12LtMs, Ms 70, 1897, par. 20. Just as you prepare the soil for an avocado tree, God wants to break up the "fallow ground" of our hearts13LtMs, Lt 3, 1898, par. 8.

"For his God does instruct him to discretion, and does teach him" Isaiah 28:26.

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III. Practical Missionary Leadership in the Workplace

How does a supervisor at Kibidula act as a missionary? It is found in the "commonest duties of life" where we ask God for wisdomPH066 12.1.

1. In the Avocado Packhouse: Integrity and Quality

• Honesty in Every Box: A missionary supervisor ensures that "uprightness characterizes the dealings in small as well as in large matters"PC 369.1.

• Fairness to Workers: You must not be like the "masterly authority" that orders people harshly; instead, use courtesy and Christian politenessPC 369.1+1.

• Practical Example: Ensure that every avocado packed is of the quality promised. This honesty is a "living epistle" to the buyers across the worldPH066 12.1.

2. In the Seedling Nursery: Patience and Nurturing

• Tender Care: Just as seedlings need specific care, the young workers you train need "fatherly care" and "tender compassion"PH097 26.1.

• Instruction: Be a teacher who is "constantly learning, but also teaching" the next generation of farmersPH066 45.1.

• Practical Example: When a worker makes a mistake with a delicate graft, use it as a teaching moment rather than a time for harshness, reflecting the "soothing, winning tones" of the Good Shepherd.

3. With the Cattle Herd: The Shepherd’s Heart

• Vigilance: Like a faithful shepherd, you must care for the weak and searching for the lostGCDB January 29, 1893, page 25.3.

• Order and Government: God is a God of order, and He gave man dominion over the cattle Genesis 1:26GCDB January 29, 1893, page 25.3.

• Practical Example: Ensuring the herd is well-watered and protected from predators is a reflection of God’s care for us. "Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof" Proverbs 27:18.

4. In the Office: Financial Stewardship

• Hating Covetousness: Managers must be able men who fear God and hate covetousnessGCB April 18, 1901, page 307.9.

• Promptness: Act with promptness and decision to maintain discipline, but always with a contrite spiritST November 10, 1881, par. 5+1.

• Practical Example: Paying workers their fair wages promptly is a missionary act. "The laborer is worthy of his hire."

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IV. The Danger of the "Hireling" Spirit

We must distinguish between the true shepherd and the hireling who works only for wagesPH166 13.4.

• The Hireling Spirit: A hireling loiters over work and feels no burden for the souls of those they leadPH166 13.4.

• Selfish Management: God is not pleased with management that lacks love or discriminates against those in "straitened circumstances"PH097 26.1.

• Ruling vs. Serving: In these perilous times, many think it is their "prerogative to rule," but true leaders are servantsLLM 270.4.

"Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field" Ecclesiastes 5:9.

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V. Sowing Bountifully: The Law of Return

Liberality in both spiritual and temporal things is taught in the lesson of seed sowingCOL 85.2.

• Imparting Gifts: To "sow beside all waters" means a continual imparting of God's gifts and aid wherever humanity demands it Isaiah 32:20COL 85.2.

• Multiplying by Casting Away: The sower multiplies his seed by casting it away; by imparting, we increase our own blessingsCOL 85.2.

• Financial Integrity: If we rob the treasury or neglect the poor, we cannot expect the blessing of God on our cropsARSH January 5, 1860, page 53.26+1.

"He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully" 2 Corinthians 9:6.

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Conclusion & Appeal: What Are You Going to Do?

Kibidula is not just a farm; it is a harvest field of soulsMMis May 1, 1892, par. 4. God is observing every transaction in the office, every tree in the orchard, and every animal in the fieldPC 369.1. You have been placed in this position of trust to be a "sign-board" pointing toward the truthPH066 45.1.

The Appeal:

I ask you today, supervisors: Will you choose to be more than a manager? Will you be a missionary? Will you take the Lord with you into your councils and your fieldsPC 369.1?

• Will you commit to treating your subordinates with the kindness and pity you would want from God4LtMs, Lt 34a, 1886, par. 23?

• Will you manage the resources of Kibidula with the integrity of one who knows "Thou God seest me" Genesis 16:13?

• Will you seek wisdom from the "Great Teacher" who cooperates with every effort to relieve suffering humanityWM 106.1?

The end of all things is at hand. Tomorrow, some of the people under your care may be where you can never reach them again9T 27.1. What is your influence over them today? Turn to Christ, make Him your wisdom and your strength, and let your work bear the inscription of the Divine6T 456.3+1.

What are you going to do? 🥑🐄✨

"Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom" Luke 6:38.