The Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission | Rick + Clifton

Words by Steven Potorke

    Like any piece of ground that brings a harvest, life thrives at The Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission.  Be it the droopy heads of wheat waiting to be threshed, or the freshly-painted school desks drying in the sun, the cows lazily making their way back to the dairy; the real heartbeat of this place belongs to its children.

      With nearly eighty orphans who call The Mission (or “The Farm”) home, there is never a lack of laughter, childhood inquisition, and that beautiful desire to explore and explain.  Amid the tremendous variety of teachers, directors, volunteers, staff and visitors, stand father and son Warwick “Rick” Shipway and Clifton Shipway.  I immediately took to their relationship and what it means to the children here.  

    Their partnership is unique.  They both live at, work, and pastor the place that covers and feeds everyone at The Farm.  And like any parent/child interaction; they’ve had their ups and downs, but like any fruit-bearing relationship they've learned to resolve matters quickly and maturely, with correction directed toward their purpose; to mirror love.  I found it easy to admire their respect and earnestness toward each other.  Although I have never been in total disagreement with my own father, I can’t readily recall a time where we fully united to accomplish something.  To be honest, I still carry some abandonment and fatherly “gaps” in my own heart.  He worked very hard as a surgeon, was disciplined in his craft, and was ultimately gone a great deal.  When he was home, my dad was either catching up on much-needed sleep or recharging through some quiet reading.  I withdrew and questioned my definition of “son” as I grew into a teen and early twenties.  To both our joy we’ve recently regained contact, albeit some years later! And now as I tuck into my thirties, I realize the tremendous need to connect, grow, and catch up for this lost time.  With the years and miles that often separated us, I have come to the massive truth that a “partnership” can start anywhere.

    Maxton Strong, Rick’s father-in-law and Clifton’s grandfather, founded the school and settled the land The Farm sits on after driving his tractor from Bombay to Banbasa in 1948.  It was a trip that spanned several weeks, and took him and his wife over 3,000 kilometers.  This legacy of ardor, and going great distances, permeates these two men’s lives as they live and work The Farm.  Such a tremendous sense of balance between the two.  Rick is direct in his speech, contemplative, and more physical; as years of scars and scabs from “the shop” will attest.  Clifton, a self-proclaimed “nerd,” is thorough and witty, an organizer and diplomat.  The amount of character-overlap is uncanny, as anyone who spends a week with these two men can see.  Both are calm and inviting, concerned fully with the children, making sure all visiting are comfortable, and ultimately modeling biblical selflessness.

    These two are both sons, both fathers to biological children and their children at The Farm, and ultimately “fathers” to the countless who simply need compassion, grace, and the affirmation of a Heavenly Father.  Sitting in the shade of the mango orchard, Clifton tells me that, “Working with orphan children is the most basic, and purest form of God’s love for us.”  He’s seen it and lives it.  A perfect mirror.      

Thanks to The Archibald Project for inviting us to partner with them.  The Archibald Project is an orphan care advocacy organization that uses storytelling to educate and inspire.  Please check out their website and follow stories on Instagram.

If interested you can find The Good Shepherd's donate page here.