God of the Weeds

A 2 hour van trip out of Lima and a 30 minute tricycle (read: motorcycle with sidecar welded on) ride up into the hills outside Tanay leads to a place of peace, rest, and hope. Once you get past the end of the concrete and the electric poles are left behind you can find Joshua and the Lilok eco-retreat center.

It's a pretty new project where they are trying to find ways to live sustainably, grow food and local trees, and provide a space where the urban poor and those who serve among them can reconnect with nature.

I had the privilege of watering tomato plants, carrots, and tiny peppers. I got to use a machete to hack jungle undergrowth away from newly planted trees. I napped in a hammock, enjoyed beautiful sunsets, ate freshly picked spinach, swam in a lovely little creek, and just enjoyed the beauty of our world. I even managed to bake bread without a recipe, and it didn't turn out half bad.

I greatly appreciated the opportunity to share in it all and especially to chat with Joshua about his journey. I'm greatly encouraged that though our focus is on the urban poor, there is a real desire to see that wholistically connected with an understanding and appreciation of nature, agriculture, and food.

The UN tells us that the population of slums is set to grow from 1 billion currently to 2 billion by 2030. I don't pretend to know what to do about that, but I do know that those folks are going to need a lot of food and that the more people find ways to live securely and sustainably in rural areas the fewer will be crowding into already overflowing urban areas looking for work.

I also know that learning to care for plants, seeing green growing things, and eating something you helped to grow is good for the soul. And the more places there are for all of us to do that, the better off we are.