La Providencia Summit - Day 3

Today we were able to visit a farm in the local community that La Providencia is looking to partner with to bring the community closer to economic self-sufficiency.  This approximately 80 acre farm is incredible - it has coffee, flowers, vegetables, herbs, and its own gravity-driven water supply, which itself saves 20% on electricity since the farm doesn't need a pump to transport the water.  Another thing that sets this farm apart is that the man who started it was in deep economic poverty when he planted the first seeds in the '90s. Instead of thinking business success was impossible because he didn't have money (as many unfortunately think), he sought out some seed capital (pun intended) and got started on what now is not only producing a lot of revenue, but is also generated hundreds of jobs every year for local community members.

After visiting the farm and eating some great ice cream and "Chinese" food, the US team leaders and Douglas (from LP) met together to de-brief and work out some next steps towards making this summer one where short-term teams work together to bring La Providencia closer to self-sufficiency.  Despite the fact that we were all exhausted mentally and physically, the conversation was very rich.  We talked about how the teams could avoid being destructive at La Providencia and exacerbating our respective poverties of being (read "When Helping Hurts" to gain a deeper understanding of this concept).  A few of the highlights coming out of the meeting were the brainstorming sessions about how the teams can practically work together, the specific action plans we worked out to take La Providencia Academy to the next level, and the team's commitment to work hard to focus on things that the local community cannot do itself.  In practice, we ultimately confirmed that the relationship-building is the key to all of this because everyone needs relationships, and all of us can know how we can help each other grow if we really get to know each other.  We also came to the important conclusion that one of the critical aspects of teams is to see the Providence model in person, get to know its details intimately, and share the model with others around the world after their time at La Providencia.

Be praying that we all can continue our conversations over the next few months and that the conversations result in a bunch of summer teams that incorporate the things that we have discussed and discovered during our time together.  Also be praying for our staff at La Providencia and the local community members - that they understand their great skills, talents, and passions, innovate well, and work together to bring LP to economic self-sufficiency.