Gina Sheets was a high-level agricultural official in the Indiana state government. Husband Travis Sheets was a farmer in Clinton County and a member of the county council. For fun, they would run long races, up to 70 miles.

Then in mid-life they were led by the Lord to serve as agricultural missionaries in the very troubled West African nation of Liberia. After five years, they are wondering if others will join them.

Ripped by civil wars and tribal conflicts, Liberia has become one of the poorest countries in the world. It used to have one of the stronger African economies. The Sheetses believe that better farming skills can turn the country from a food importer to a food exporter, giving rural families a way to feed themselves and develop small businesses. They serve at a Christian agricultural college near a small city in northern Liberia, about 50 miles from the capital of Monrovia.

The civil wars have orphaned many children, who sometimes flock to the college and the farming ministry for sanctuary. The Sheetses call their mission Hope in the Harvest. It is a mix of agricultural training, evangelism, and discipleship.

“A changed life results from a Christ-changed heart,” says Travis, who holds a weekly Bible study at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesdays. “The Bible is the best agriculture handbook, providing guidance and a framework for how to steward the environment,” he says. “This is our starting point in Liberia. Liberia doesn’t need relief; it needs engagement and development.”

They are sending an S.O.S. back to the United States. Would other farmers, perhaps in the second half of their lives, sense a call to this mission field? Or would a young 20-something mission-minded person sense a call to join the Sheetses for a year or two? The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. Their farming skills function like medical skills on the mission field—as door-openers to the gospel.

The Sheetses have counted the cost of their commitment and have lost Liberian friends to Ebola and other diseases. Malaria strikes easily at Americans, who haven’t built up natural immunities. Ebola hit the country hard in 2014-15, causing many deaths and a crisis for the underdeveloped health care system. Before Ebola, the civil war decimated the country in other ways as children were drafted by factions to become soldiers.

Despite these obstacles, they are hoping for the Lord to call others to join them for one- to five-year commitments. Support comes from back home in Indiana through the Hope in the Harvest board members, including farmers, as well as the Sagamore Institute—a think tank in Indianapolis. At Sagamore, RP elder Donald Cassell (Second [Indianapolis, Ind.] RPC) leads an initiative to Africa, including efforts in Liberia in support of the Sheetses.

While much of Africa was colonized by France or England in the 1800s, Liberia was settled by freed American slaves and became the rare independent country on the continent, with a semblance of representative government.

A 1980 military coup ended the long period of independence, leading to one civil war after another, with tribes and factions pitted against one another. Many Liberians have sought refuge in the United States, and United Nations peacekeeping troops brought some stability and peaceful elections in recent years.

The Ebola epidemic caused further hardship, but the Sheetses think the depth of suffering has opened a new door for the gospel, as well as an opportunity for farming initiatives.

Their plea on behalf of Liberia echoes what Paul heard across the water: “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”