MEET THE FARMER: The rest of Jon’s story

“I live in a small, humble house, and I eat very simple food that we grow. But, I am content. Before, I had a successful business but was not happy. Now, I am blessed and have joy.” –Jon, a Kingdom Growers farmerFor Jon, coffee brought peace.This Southeast Asian farmer hadn’t always spent his days in the fields, cultivating healthy trees and bright red coffee cherries. Years ago, in another life, he was a loan shark. He made plenty of income lending money, but he wasn’t content. He didn’t like his work and he wanted a more meaningful job. After he nearly lost his hand in a motorcycle accident, Jon decided life was too short to live without joy.So, he gave everything up. He shut down his business and moved his wife and children to an entirely different island in search of a simpler life.Without income or friends, the family found a home in a small, wooden building owned by a church. Jon farmed and managed the church’s crops, including its coffee trees. Although he made little, he took the job seriously, meticulously cleaning the coffee beans. He did so well he caught attention from Kingdom Growers members. They asked him to join the cooperative. The invitation was a blessing from God.And, even after the church needed to tear down Jon’s dilapidated, wooden home, God continued to care for his family. The farmer found a piece of land he could just barely afford, and he began to build a home. Friends and family donated the materials for the house, without being asked. Jon paid for the rest of the house with proceeds from his coffee crop, and he even had enough left over to send his sons to school.God had finally given Jon the life of which the man had dreamed. The Lord offered him a job in the fields, working under the sun in the tranquility his own coffee farm.Jon felt blessed.To read more about Jon, click here.