It was quite the exciting day at the church garden yesterday. We were able to pick our first produce of the season! We planted, about three weeks ago, Saxa 2 Radishes. These are quick growing radishes that mature in just 18 days. As we have had plenty of sun and rain, they grew right on time and were ready for little hands to pick Sunday morning. An intense storm tried to put the kibosh on doing anything in the garden beds, but the little ones who are all a part of Green Thumbs Up for God could not be deterred! We headed out toward the end of church, marveling at the impressive growth of all of the plants over the past week (I swear each plant nearly doubled in size!). After picking a few weeds, it came time for everyone to come over and pick a few radishes. Almost 30 radishes were picked in total. They were a wonderful size and a beautiful sparkling red color on the outside. We were able to give all but one away to members of our congregation, who seemed overjoyed at the early "bounty" we were providing them.
This first harvest came at the perfect time. Our lesson on Sunday was all about how we are God's providers. We are given all the resources we need to be successful and to give to others and it's just up to use to use those resources to actually make a difference in the lives of others. It was so amazing, after having that discussion with the kids, to be able to go upstairs and actually live the lesson.
The final amazing thing to experience was the enthusiasm of the kids. These kids are not new to me. I've been hanging out with them for years, some since they were babies. But they never cease to amaze me (seriously, you guys, even with PFC, you never stop surprising and impressing me). The excitement coming off of them was contagious. It was not a lot of stuff to pick, but it was a thrilling moment. We even kept a radish to go and split between us so that everyone could try what we had grown. Mike had never tried a radish before and really was interested in what it might taste like. That kind of thing is a lot of what I'm about. He was interested because he had a stake in creating that radish. I hope we're able to do this with everything we grow this summer. I'm even going to participate when we try a tomato...even though I really really really do not like fresh tomatoes. But maybe my feelings on that will change as I get to experience that tomato grown with love with kids who I absolutely adore.
Success is the name of the game at the church garden right now.
The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. ~George Bernard Shaw, The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God, 1932
This first harvest came at the perfect time. Our lesson on Sunday was all about how we are God's providers. We are given all the resources we need to be successful and to give to others and it's just up to use to use those resources to actually make a difference in the lives of others. It was so amazing, after having that discussion with the kids, to be able to go upstairs and actually live the lesson.
The final amazing thing to experience was the enthusiasm of the kids. These kids are not new to me. I've been hanging out with them for years, some since they were babies. But they never cease to amaze me (seriously, you guys, even with PFC, you never stop surprising and impressing me). The excitement coming off of them was contagious. It was not a lot of stuff to pick, but it was a thrilling moment. We even kept a radish to go and split between us so that everyone could try what we had grown. Mike had never tried a radish before and really was interested in what it might taste like. That kind of thing is a lot of what I'm about. He was interested because he had a stake in creating that radish. I hope we're able to do this with everything we grow this summer. I'm even going to participate when we try a tomato...even though I really really really do not like fresh tomatoes. But maybe my feelings on that will change as I get to experience that tomato grown with love with kids who I absolutely adore.
Success is the name of the game at the church garden right now.
The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. ~George Bernard Shaw, The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God, 1932