Tai Po Organic Farm 2

On the Saturday of February 22, 2014, I went with another group of students to an organic farm in Tai Po. In total, there were 6 students that signed up for this service. All participants were from my grade. We met together at 9:00 in Tai Wo station. We took the 25K to the village where the organic farm was. We walked a distance to reach the organic farm.

Our school rented a small area for us to plant vegetables. It was an awesome opportunity for all of us. We all received a pair of gloves. First, we had to remove the small unwanted weeds/plants that were growing on our plot. We were given a hoe to help us remove those plants. If we left the plants there, they would take in all the nutrients from the soil away from the plants we are about to grow. This reminds me of the parable of the sower. It is similar to "thorny ground". It still allows the plant to grow, but the "thorns" would take in all the nutrients and eventually, cause the plants to die. In our lives, the weeds are like riches and temptations. It takes all our time and attention away from what really matters, God. Right now, I think my faith is in thorny grounds. I get distracted by all the temptations. That is why we need to remove the things that distract us (weeds). It would allow our faith to grow stronger in Christ.

Afterwards, we loosened the soil. Then we put fertilizer in the soil to help the plants grow. It looked like dark soil. The "fertilizer" in our lives would be anything that helps, not hinders, our faith in Christ. This can include reading the Bible, praying, doing devotions, going to church, listening to Christian lectures or music. We then pushed the soil up to make our plot higher, the soil looser, and to cover up the fertilizer. Then, we put bamboo sticks to guide the bitter melon plants and showing them where they should grow. So, when they grow, they won't grow all over the place, but straight, wrapping around the bamboo stick. In my life, the stick would be God. I need to wrap myself around God and make Him the center of my life. Finally, we removed baby plants from their small containers and planted them in our soil. We planted 3 different kinds of plants: romaine lettuce, bitter melon, and something else. We had to be very careful and not accidentally break or rip the roots or leaves. The plant is like our faith. It is very fragile when it is small and new. But as time passes by, our faith grows larger and stronger, like a plant, and is able to withstand more trials.

This is one of my favorite services. It constantly reminds me of my faith and trust in the Lord as I tend to those plants.

Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.