The Pella Christian IMPACT team worked alongside the Kelly family today. The Kellys own Driftwood Farms, an innovative hydroponics farm, and a partner organization of Many Hands. Hear from Emma and Julia about their exciting day spent in the sun!
Today, our team was blessed with the opportunity to serve at Driftwood Farms. Glen and Tracy Kelly welcomed us with generous hospitality at their farm, excited for the extra hands of help. Each member of the team was quickly immersed in activities on the farm, whether it was harvesting produce or putting together pots to be used on the hydroponic farm. We were all challenged to look at farming in a different way, as the plants were suspended on poles in pots, receiving their necessary nutrients from a watering system instead of soil. Julia and I were assigned to picking beans, which took a measure of patience, but reminded me of the many afternoons I’ve spent at home gardening with my dad.
A sort of “Garden of Eden” in the Bahamas, Glen and Tracy Kelly’s way of running their hydroponic farm was fascinating to us. After visiting the chicken coops on the farm, it was almost ethereal to walk row upon row of palm trees planted for coconuts. Throughout the day, we noticed how the simple passions and curiosities of a couple can be used by God to be a ministry for others. The produce from Driftwood Farms is essential to the community of Abaco as they supply two local restaurants and the farmer’s market. Working at Driftwood Farms was inspiring, as we understood that, with every cut of lettuce, our simple service was taking care of a week’s worth of work for Glen and Tracy, as well as supporting locals and those around their tables.
After a long day of work, we enjoyed a long game of sand volleyball with the rest of our team, Glen, and his son. We felt almost spoiled to be playing out in the sun in the beginning of January–something unlikely back at home. Towards the end of the game, after one of us mentioned that we were hungry, Glen left his volleyball team and returned moments later with a bunch of bananas and a large knife. Small, but sweet, the bananas were a perfect treat harvested straight from the Kellys’ backyard.
During our time at the farm, we gave the blessing of our time and received the blessing of learning from the Kellys. Their methods of running a hydroponic farm reminded us that, regardless of your occupation or age, God is always inspiring His people to find new ways to minister to others. Tomorrow, when we visit the farmer’s market, we’ll see the fruit of our work, but also the opportunities our work provided for the community. More importantly, however, we will be reminded of the blessing of hard work and the opportunities that provide for others to experience God’s love.
— Emma DeBoef and Julia Shmalcs
