05/31/2026
In January 2026, we shared a story about a coffee business in Jentuberi, a remote village in Southeast Asia, where agriculture is fostering trust and relationships. The story below is connected to our partnership with BLESS and one of our supported workers within their UPG portfolio. Names have been omitted for security reasons. Over the next 10 years, they will continue to focus on language learning so they can translate the Bible into their 💚 heart language.
“The months since our planting day have been difficult. A fungal disease destroyed one-third of our coffee nursery, leaving us uncertain how to provide seedlings to families who placed their hope in our coffee co-op. Language study has slowed without a consistent translator. Our team is stretched thin. And as our children grow, we navigate how to help them trust a good Heavenly Father while they witness the daily weight of poverty around them.
These questions are real. At times, anxiety and fear feel close.
But when we turn toward the light of the Son, those struggles begin to settle into perspective. Still present, but no longer overwhelming.
The loss of seedlings has deeply affected farmers who courageously left behind low-yield crops for sustainable coffee. Their desperation sometimes shows as frustration, yet beneath it is a deeper longing—for stability, for assurance, for something certain to trust.
It’s painful not to deliver what we planned. Yet this moment is revealing something greater: material scarcity often exposes a deeper spiritual need.
Even here, hope is growing.”
🙏 PLEASE PRAY for restored provision—for healthy seedlings procured in-country and wisdom to meet practical needs. Pray for open hearts in the village, for perseverance for our Jentuberi team, and for their children to grow in deep, steady trust.
https://austinridge.org/groups/upg