In the mountains of southern Palawan, the people plant upland rice on the steep slopes. In the lowlands, a different variety of rice is planted in flooded rice paddies, producing a more bountiful harvest than upland rice.

Already conversant in upland farming methods, we and a number of our mountain Palawano friends have been diligently studying lowland rice-growing methods. One of our mission school’s aims is to equip people to better provide for themselves and their families. So we bring truckloads of Palawanos to our lowland property to learn new, more efficient ways of growing rice. The people who work in our rice paddies are paid in rice, which they take back to their families in the mountains.

Some day, we plan to build a lowland base on this property, but for now we enjoy camping with our friends by the rice fields. Working together is so rewarding, and it is great to learn new skills alongside them.

We hired a Filipino man to oversee our rice production from planting to harvesting. At first, he was very skeptical about bringing inexperienced people to work on the farm, let alone Palawanos whom he considered ignorant, lazy people. It has been great fun to see his attitude change over the weeks as he has watched even fairly young Palawano students doing work that lowlanders generally leave to carabao, and doing it faster than carabao could. At the end of the harvest, he told us he now prefers working with Palawanos because of how hardworking and pleasant they are. Besides meal breaks, they never stop working. Most of them don’t smoke, so they don’t need cigarette breaks either.

In addition to the education our rice fields provide to our people and their overseer, the rice our Palawano students are able to bring home is a real boon to their people who don’t produce enough upland rice to feed themselves year-round. Isn’t that just like the grace of our Lord? He teaches us day by day to work in His fields, gives us rewards along the way and feeds us when we are hungry so we can continue working for Him. And He works along with us, reassuring us that His strength is sufficient to bring in the sheaves.

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