Aung said. “It was training to really follow Jesus.” Trainees take classes in non- violent communication, environ- mental pollution, natural farming in the tropics, gender issues and more. Outside the classroom, they work out their ideas and differences through consensus and inclusive participation.
These ideals are tested when participants plan the Harvest Thanks- giving Celebration, an income- generating weekend every October. Hundreds of guests come to see the institute’s work, buy produce, and enjoy ethnic food and world music. Sinaga credits such ARI initia- tives for her mature organizing skills. Today those skills are evident in the coffee co-op, her marketing of pro- duce to her churches, the creation of a credit union, leveraging scholarships for members’ children and use of the ARI reflection process to clarify a group’s direction.
‘Foodlife’
“Foodlife” was coined by ARI’s founder, Toshihiro Takami, a United Church of Christ (Japan) pastor and graduate of Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Conn. It refers to the inseparable connection between food and life. With globalization threatening many of the world’s rural areas and industrialization separating us from food sources, ARI takes a stand for the interdependent relationship between humans and the Earth. This concept encompasses many ideas: sustainable farming, proper nutrition, tapping local resources, upholding the dignity of the farmer, and the joy of healthy food at a shared table. Take Gani Silaban. Imitating his neighbors in northern Sumatra, he used pesticides, readily available and expensive, with no safety precau- tions. He became very ill. It turned
38 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
him on to organic farming, even before he received an ELCA World Hunger grant in 2008 to attend ARI. “Before [attending the institute], I was just concerned about helping farmers economically by using local resources,” Silaban said. “But the new concept of ‘foodlife’ helped me see life as a whole.” At ARI he gained technical skills in making quick compost, fermented plant juice, charcoal and wood vin- egar. He learned how to integrate crops and livestock to create good conditions for organic farming, and how to multiply indigenous micro-organisms. Silaban’s concept of leadership also changed. “Before I just wanted to be a ‘sub-leader,’ ” he said. “My experience of most leaders was that they talk nicely, but in reality they speak nonsense. … I didn’t respect them.” At ARI he saw a different way to
lead. Today he is a passionate spokes- man for his community, with farming knowledge and a vision for a healthy relationship with the soil.
Shaken to its foundations The 2011 earthquake has been ARI’s biggest challenge. The quake twisted buildings, trashed every room and
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shattered windows. Incredibly, no one was hurt. Despite repeated aftershocks, staff quickly mobilized, providing rice, fresh vegetables, meat and eggs for hungry neighbors and evacuees. Yet there was worse to come. Though well out of the danger zone of the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, the institute’s organic soil was con- taminated with radiation. The 2011 training class, due to arrive in April, was delayed a month and relocated to another site for the first six weeks to minimize participants’ exposure to radiation, said Kenichi Otsu, ARI director and pastor.
Against the odds, the 39th ARI class of 20 people from 14 countries graduated last November. Among them was San Aung, who returned to his fast-growing Lutheran church in Yangon, Myanmar, and is now plan- ning a poultry project. Aung wrote a prayer that expresses both ARI’s mission and the hopes of marginalized people: “Let us heal the suffering of the soil and nature, and create a healthy commu- nity through organic farming. Let us be attentive to hear the cry of dying in our motherland because of massive use of chemicals. Love God. Love people. Love the soil. ... Amen.” M
he Asian Rural Institute welcomes short- and long-term volunteers of all ages. Volunteers help in the kitchen or with farm chores, share computer or English-language skills and more. Carolyn Stypka, an ELCA Global Mission volunteer in Japan, spent two weeks of her stint with ARI. “I planted, weeded, tended and har- vested,” she said. “I sang songs, played African drums, ate chicken feet ... and dreamt about being able to dig my hands into the great Earth’s crust every day. ... “I learned much in my short stay—and will return.” Visit
www.elca.org/globalserve (click on “Search Global Service Opportunities” and search for “Asian Rural Institute”) or
www.ari-edu. org.
Kathryn Tietz Treece
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