The David Ray Ministry Klear-Vu Initiatives Story
While the current focus of David Ray ministry is helping low-income people in Haiti and Uganda it is important to understand some of David's life-story to understand this ministry.
After the Great Depression, David's Grandparents, Rodney and Gladys Ray, purchased a run-down farm in Southeastern Pennsylvania so they could feed and care for their family. It has been said that it was possible to lose a horse in the eroded ditches on the farm. The chose to call it Klear-Vu farm. Through diligent use of practices such as contour strips and crop rotation they were able to make it a very productive dairy farm
David learned farming from his grandparents and Uncle by working on Klear-Vu farm during summers in n his teens. he also learned much about agriculture from his father, Paul Ray, who was in the crop seed business and then in the farm machinery business. His family often had large vegetable gardens to provide the family with nutritious food.
David obtained a background understanding of the bible and church history through while growing up through participation in Protestant churches. Shortly after graduation from high school, he decided that he needed to decide if Christianity was real. Based on diligent study of the bible books of Mark and Acts, David met Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He soon felt a call to be an Agricultural Missionary. In his uneasiness about going off to College, he made two requests to the Lord.
1. Introduction to a woman to be his wife to serve with him as an agricultural Missionary
2 A Christian roommate
Both requests were answered. David met Kathy who was his life and ministry partner for 46 years. He met Christian Elliot who continues to be one of his best friends, a precious brother in Christ and ministry partner.
David got a solid agricultural education at Delaware Valley College (now University), graduating with a degree and Dairy Cattle Management.
Following graduation, David and Kathy went to Eastern Bolivia under the Mennonite Central Committee to provide extension education to cattle cooperatives intended to help low-income people to make progress in their lives. Much important work was completed during this time and the Bolivian friends expressed appreciation for what they learned. David and Kathy learned much too.
After the term of service in Bolivia, David and Kathy raised their family in the United States with occasional trips to Latin America. David worked in agriculture and information technology in the United States. In 2004 they moved to the Lower Rio Grande Valley area of Texas that borders Mexico to help a ministry that works with low-income residents of that area.
As David moved into a semi-retired phase of his life he felt called to move some of his focus back into agricultural missions even if that needed to be virtually. In 2023 he purchased a half acre property in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas to serve as a home and a base to experiment with crops and practices that would be similar to the crops and practices that would be beneficial to be used by low income people in the developing world. In honor of the Ray family heritage and its purpose to model as much as possible simple self-sufficiency, this property is named Klear-Vu Manor micro-homestead.
About the same time David entered into discussions with Chris Elliott, who upon retirement from pastoral ministry and full-time farming began working as a Church of the Brethren missionary in East Africa. First David helped him with prayer and a small amount of finances for projects in Uganda. Later David made Ugandan friends of his own through Facebook. As mentioned earlier on the home page, David was able to connect his new friends who are from other Christian denominations with training sponsored by the Church of the Brethren. The circle of Ugandan friends of this ministry has grown to include prayer partnership with the Bishop of the South Rwenzori Diocese of the Church of Uganda (Anglican). The seriousness of the impact of the cycle of drought and floods with landslides will be discussed elsewhere on this website.
David also entered into conversations with Ebed Paul who is the director of Mission Evangelique du Nord d'Haiti (MENH). Ebed is an old friend who went to school with my daughter and son-in-law. I was in Haiti with Ebed of a week some years back. MENH has churches, schools and a clinic in Northern Haiti. Ebed asked me to help him to develop a program to teach sustainable gardening and small livestock care to families of students of the MEMH schools. Soon after that I made friends with James Israel who is director of the J & I Ferme Agricole (Justice and Integrity farm). This ministry ministry is near some of the Schools under MENH. It urns out the the two men were acquainted and interested in collaborating on agricultural projects.
David affiliated with Commission Ministers Network in 2024 to function properly as a faith-based ministry.
https://www.cmnetwork.org/cmn-ministers-n-r/david-ray/
While it is necessary due to the type of organization that is appropriate for a ministry of this size it is named David Ray Ministry. However, there is no desire to draw attention to any individual other than the Lord. This ministry is about helping people to be good stewards to the earth that the Lord had given us to care for as we care or our families. That was the purpose and to great extent the accomplishment of my family on the original Klear-Vu Farm. For that reason our areas of focused ministry will be called Klear-Vu Initiatives.
In Memoria
Kathy Ray went to be with the Lord on August 1, 2024 after life of service to the her Lord, her family and many people including the poor and hurting. She beautifully demonstrated the fruit of the Spirit as she went through an extended Alzheimer's journey. This will always be David and Kathy Ray ministry not just David Ray ministry as what she learned, accomplished and stood for will be represented in the work that is done.
A more complete In Memoria page is planed for the future.
