Danny and Julie Ng, both trained psychologists, are members of Wesley Methodist Church. They spearheaded the Wesley Counselling Service, serving as full-time staff for five years each. Although they now operate their own private practice, they continue to serve the Lord in numerous ways such as caring for the missionaries under the Methodist Missions Society (MMS). Little did they expect God to lead them to start a coffee business in Singapore within weeks.
In October 2023, Danny and Julie were invited to speak at a retreat for Methodist pastors and missionaries in Phrao, Northern Thailand. After the retreat, they visited a missionary family whom they had been supporting for some years – Pastor Daniel Loo, an Australian missionary with a burden to minister and help the Thai people with their livelihood. Pastor Daniel was the one who connected Danny and Julie to the coffee farmers who were looking for new markets for their coffee beans.
Open to new experiences and led by the Holy Spirit, they gamely agreed to visit the coffee plantation and sat at the back of a pickup truck for two hours. On the way, they passed breathtaking landscapes of hilly greenery and valleys up to a point where they even drove into some rain clouds, making the uncomfortable bumpy ride worthwhile. During the scenic drive up the mountains, Julie sensed that God was leading them on a new journey and was reminded of a verse from Deuteronomy 11:11 (AMP): “But the land into which you are about to cross to possess, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven.” And something just seemed to click.
Beans for Life
Upon reaching the village high up in the mountains, coffee farmers, who are from the Akha tribe and mostly Christians, warmly greeted them. Their specialty-grade coffee cherries are naturally grown in the cool shade of pine and eucalyptus trees.
Danny and Julie learnt that the villagers had previously been growing opium, and alcohol was their drink of the day. But all this changed when they were introduced to coffee farming, and now coffee is their social beverage of choice.
It all started in 2015 when an American couple, together with another immigrant family from Burma, started a project to build a dormitory to house marginalised hill-tribe students from remote villages in Northern Thailand. The purpose of the project is to provide a safe place for the students to live while they attend Thai public school. Students are also taught sustainable life skills, spiritual formation and are also given aid to apply for Thai citizenship, as many are “stateless” refugees from Burma and China. In 2021, the American couple changed their dormitory work visas to business visas and started the new coffee venture. They offered the villagers coffee beans, taught them how to plant the seeds and also provided a roastery to process the beans. Today, coffee is the main income source for the villagers who have turned into serious coffee drinkers.
The Well-Needed Coffee Break
The farmers were looking for buyers for their latest harvest. Although Danny and Julie do not drink coffee at all, they felt burdened for the people and ended up committing to buying 200 kilograms of beans. They then realised they had a dilemma, as they had no knowledge or appreciation for coffee and the coffee business. They also had no idea how to sell it or whom to approach to assist with the packaging or distribution. They simply responded to the Lord’s prompting to embark on this venture and just obeyed!
The bags of coffee beans soon arrived at their office in Singapore. Step by step, the Lord led, educated and provided help for them till they had a final product in their hands. The coffee aroma was so fragrant, it permeated the entire office floor all those weeks when they were packing!
The couple decided to package the beans for sale as Christmas gifts under the brand name ‘Seed2Harvest’, as a declaration of faith in response to the Parable of the Mustard Seed. Julie said, “Just as planting coffee seeds will reap coffee cherries, by planting Gospel seeds, we will reap the salvation of souls. Whatever we are planting with God, we are seeking to reap in the Kingdom, and by planting these seeds of love, we too hope to reap freedom from bondages of poverty and fear.”
A Painful Yet Thankful Learning Process
Meanwhile, Danny and Julie bought weighing scales, sealer machines and all kinds of packaging for the coffee beans and grounds. It was truly a very steep learning curve for the both of them, but they persevered with God’s timely help every step of the way. Over the course of two months, God brought different people from all walks of life to help them. They are currently exploring new possibilities with a business network who has agreed to take care of the logistics and packaging for the Seed2Harvest brand in the future.
By the end of 2023, the couple had sold the bulk of the 200 kilograms of beans. They were encouraged to learn that their purchase had made a difference to the villagers’ livelihood and sponsorship for the dormitory staff and students for six months. Funding for the project goes towards providing scholarships for students seeking higher education and vocational training. The fund also allows dormitory staff to attend classes in counselling, trauma healing, art therapy, English learning and more.
With that in mind, Danny and Julie hope to help the coffee farmers earn a sustainable income for the long term. In addition to that, they also pledged to tithe any profit to Pastor Daniel Loo’s church in Phrao. God willing, they may even be prepared to send groups to visit the villagers, who have built a simple guest house, with hopes to stimulate their economy.
Danny and Julie are still selling smaller quantities of the coffee beans. If you are keen to purchase the beans or learn more about Seed2Harvest, check out: https://linktr.ee/seed2harvest.
If God can work so unexpectedly and mightily as He did with Danny and Julie, He can do the same with you. Has God been calling you to do missions differently? Share your thoughts with us at missions@wesleymc.org.
Read also: The Divine Love of God for Each Child: Launch of the Little Candles School in Chiang Mai, Thailand
