Spreading Hope at the Ozark Farm Fest

Visitors stop by the FCFI booth as team members share the Gospel message using the walking sticks and bead bracelets

The Fellowship of Christian Farmers International team was once again a light in the community during the Ozark Farm Fest held in Springfield, Missouri. Over the course of the weekend, the team shared the Gospel message, prayed with hundreds of visitors, and gave away more than 1,200 walking sticks, each one representing a step of faith and a reminder of God’s steady presence in our daily walk.

The walking sticks, each adorned with the Gospel bead bracelet, became tools for evangelism. Many parents brought their children to hear the story behind the colorful beads — a simple yet powerful way to communicate God’s plan of salvation:

• Gold stands for heaven, where the streets are made of gold.
• Black represents sin, which cannot enter God’s holy presence.
• Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, who shed His life on the cross to save us from sin.
• White signifies the pure heart and eternal life we receive when we trust in Christ.
• Green reminds us to grow in faith by reading the Bible, praying, and being active in church.

As the story was told, hearts were touched and eyes lit up with understanding. Parents expressed gratitude for the chance to teach their children about Jesus in such a simple and memorable way.

The team also spent time praying for many personal needs — requests for healing from bone cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia, as well as prayer for a young child on the autism spectrum. Each conversation was an opportunity to bring comfort, faith, and encouragement to those seeking God’s help.

Mike Weaver, Karen Hembrough, and George Nobel rejoice as a young attendee receives his walking stick with the salvation message — a symbol of his new walk of faith

One moment that especially stood out was when a grandmother brought her three pre-teen grandsons to the booth. After hearing the Gospel message, the boys prayed the sinner’s prayer, committing their lives to Jesus. The team also prayed for them to grow strong in faith, resist peer pressure, and be protected from drugs and alcohol. Moments later, the grandmother returned with tears of joy, saying, “That prayer was exactly what those boys needed.”

Candace Allen presents the Gospel to a group of young visitors, after using the bead colors to clearly share God’s plan of salvation

Through every smile, prayer, and shared story, the Ozark Farm Fest became more than just an event — it became a field for planting seeds of faith. As the FCFI team reflected on their time there, they were reminded that God continues to move powerfully in the hearts of those who seek Him.

Each walking stick given, each prayer lifted, and each Gospel story shared is another step in fulfilling the mission to “Plant Seeds of Hope and Harvest Faith.”