“When I first heard about the program, it didn’t really catch my attention.”

Leobardo’s honesty is disarming. As a pastor, he wasn’t looking for another commitment. “I thought the Purpose Group meetings would take too much of my time. At the beginning, everything felt complicated. Roll call, share purchases, keeping records, handling other people’s money. I was nervous.”

He and his wife were living day to day. “We didn’t know how we’d find the money to save. I earn a salary from my church, and my wife supports us by selling plants and bananas. But we live off what we have in the moment.”

Even so, they joined. And what started as an obligation quickly evolved into something deeper.

“It was hard at first,” Leobardo admits. “Saving at home is difficult. But I’ve learned it’s necessary. We have to be prepared for anything life brings.”

His Purpose Group helped him grow. “Working in a group has given me a lot of hope,” he says. “It’s hard to work as a team nowadays because people don’t trust each other. But our group is united. We support each other.”

That trust didn’t come instantly. “In our first cycle, we were unsure and didn’t save very much. But when we finished and saw how much we had saved, it motivated us to do more. By the second cycle, it was easier.”

He remembers the early meetings vividly. “We felt embarrassed and afraid of making mistakes in the records. But we encouraged each other. We helped each other.”

And over time, something more than just trust grew.

For years, Leobardo dreamed of having a plant nursery, but didn’t know where to start. Now, with support from Plant With Purpose engineers and the confidence built in his Purpose Group, that dream is a reality.

“I want to keep working with the nursery for a long time,” he says. “When I carried out the reforestation activity, I felt so happy. Seeing those little plants, once growing in the nursery, now in the field, helping the earth breathe. I felt like I was helping the planet.”

That realization has opened his eyes to a new way of seeing Creation and the Creator.

“God gave us this beautiful earth as a gift. And it’s our responsibility to take care of it. We haven’t always done that.”

He believes that small steps can have a ripple effect. “Maybe we’re just a small group, but if we’re faithful in what we do, we can inspire others to do the same. That’s how change spreads.”

“Nature Taught Me Something About God”

Leobardo’s love for Creation is deeply spiritual. “God’s creation is beautiful. Very valuable. The plants, the trees, the water, the animals, the sun. Each one is a gift from God to us. And everything has a purpose. It’s like a chain where we all depend on each other.”

He speaks about his faith with a clarity rooted in experience. “I used to get angry when the rain came. I’d think, ‘Now I can’t work in the fields.’ But I’ve learned that even the rain has a purpose, like giving water to my coffee plants.”

Through his work with the nursery and reforestation, Leobardo has come to see God’s hand more clearly in the rhythms of the land.

“Taking care of nature has brought me closer to God. When you understand how Creation works, you begin to understand the Creator better.”

“Even in Drought, We Can Grow Something Together”

Leobardo has watched his land weather difficult seasons. “This year, we faced drought. The rains didn’t come, and a lot of crops were lost.”

Even more troubling were the wildfires. “There were so many this year… more than I’ve ever seen before. They destroyed many hectares of forest. It will take a long time to recover.”

But recovery has already begun through local action and shared purpose.

“We know we can’t fix everything overnight,” he says. “But we’ve seen how working together, planting trees, sharing knowledge, saving money, can make a difference.”

His Purpose Group hasn’t only helped financially. It’s changed how people treat each other.

“We’ve learned values,” he says. “How to treat others. How to solve problems calmly. We’ve learned that we each have value, and that we’re important.”

“It’s Not Just About the Trees. It’s About the People.”

What makes Leobardo’s journey remarkable is the transformation of relationships and identity.

“We all make an effort to save now,” he says. “We support one another. And I want to take full advantage of the lessons Plant With Purpose brings us, because I know the facilitators won’t be with us forever. We have to carry this forward.”

He speaks with the heart of a pastor and the humility of someone who’s still learning.

“I used to see the world through a different lens,” he says. “Now I see how everything is connected. Every part of creation points to something bigger than ourselves.”

Through his Purpose Group, his nursery, and his renewed relationship with Creation, Leobardo has come to understand something vital:

“We used to think we didn’t have anything. But now I see we already had so much. We just needed to learn how to care for it. To see it with new eyes.”

His gratitude extends beyond his village.

“To those who support Plant With Purpose: I want to say thank you. You’re not just giving money. You’re helping us rediscover our land, our community, and our Creator.”

He smiles as he adds, “Everything has a purpose. And now, we’re starting to live into that purpose.”