WWJD Immigration Policy
While the two vitriolic sides in the immigration debate
continue to battle over amnesty and sealing the porous Mexican border, there is
a third side that DC politicians should check out. They’ll need to visit rural
Walla Walla County in the “other” Washington.
With over 6000 acres of fruit
orchards, farmer Ralph Broetje has a WWJD
(What Would Jesus Do) immigration mindset—he knows that when Christian faith
and business are combined on a single mission, God shows up.
In the 1980’s when Latino workers came looking for work at his orchard, Ralph Broetje didn’t just hire them; he got to know them.
When the season was over, he and his family followed them back to Mexico to find out where they lived and what challenges they faced.
That trip changed the lives of the Broetje family and in the thirty years since, it has changed the lives of hundreds of Latino farm workers—as well as thousands of impoverished lives in other countries.
Ralph Broetje will be the first to point to God for his
phenomenal success as one of the largest privately owned apple orchards in the
United States.
But something revolutionary is happening too—Broetje is
re-investing his “first fruits” in people. Farm families are able to build
lives here in America.
“Treat aliens living you as
native born” Leviticus 19:33-34
Seeing the need for childcare, Broetje built an on-site daycare. To make it affordable, he subsidizes the cost and workers receive $5000.00 per year to help pay for it.
Older children can take advantage of Vista Hermosa Elementary—a school created for the needs of Latino students—offering extended days and year-round school.
Affordable housing with ample yards and nearby playgrounds,
welcome those who desire to settle. For seasonal workers, over one hundred immaculate
and well-appointed cottages are available. Ralph Broetje and his family include
their year-round employees in an annual 5% equal distribution of profits. He
generously offers employees and family members computer literacy courses,
scholarships, ESL classes, social service outreaches, and youth summer camps.
And then, Broetje Orchards donates 50% of their profits to
help those in need around the world. Broetje’s Vista Hermosa Foundation has
donated $50 million over the past two decades to help rural and
agricultural development, education, and leadership training in developing
countries.
Immigration is more than fences and legalese—it’s about real
people. Ralph Broetje knows this fully. How? By getting to know the people who've come to work in his orchards.
He also knows that US farms need these workers. He's dedicated his life's work to giving hope and a future to people who deserve the kind of opportunity we've enjoyed. And he's proved that investing in people works.
So Congress, why not take a tour of his amazing operation—the vision of one man, his family and a WWJD immigration mindset that has been abundantly blessed by God.
He also knows that US farms need these workers. He's dedicated his life's work to giving hope and a future to people who deserve the kind of opportunity we've enjoyed. And he's proved that investing in people works.
So Congress, why not take a tour of his amazing operation—the vision of one man, his family and a WWJD immigration mindset that has been abundantly blessed by God.
He ensures that orphans and widows receive
justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food
and clothing. Deuteronomy 10:18