Planting Tree Seedlings
Bruna Carvalho de Lima from Canoas, Brazil
The Canoas Zion planned to perform a voluntary service together with the Department of Environment of the Municipality of Canoas. Our job was to plant tree seedlings in a park.
On the day of the event, we met early in the park. An officer from the Department of Environment and an invited environmentalist thanked us for participation and talked about the importance of planting trees.
“It is said that we should drink at least eight glasses of water a day. In the future, however, water will be so expensive and scarce due to environmental pollution. Not just water, but air will also become more polluted. Many countries will have to make big artificial lungs to get fresh air. The thing that we can do now to mitigate environmental pollution and damage from it is to plant trees.”
The environmentalist said that trees not only produce oxygen but also emit a large amount of water into air, which contributes to forming rain clouds and to cooling down the heat. This encouraged us to get ready to plant trees all the more.
First, the brothers dug the ground of the sidewalk and collected the stones. Then the sisters removed pieces of cement and dirt, and planted seedlings. As time went by, the sun shone strongly, but our faces were full of smiles. They all looked beautiful, working in unity.
While working together with the brothers and sisters, I remembered what I had learned at school: Trees are more sensitive than we think, so they can take root and absorb water and nutrients better when they are planted in good soil; and when they grow taller, they need to be supported not to fall.
I thought the souls who have received the truth are like trees. We need to have good soil if we want a soul to accept the water of life and take root in faith so that the soul can live. For this, we ought to be always filled with the words of God and do good deeds. We also need to support the soul with love to grow strong in faith.
We all want to be good trees that bear good fruit. Like trees that provide oxygen and moisture after absorbing water from good soil, we should preach the precious truth of life that we have received from Heavenly Mother, the source of the water of life, to all people.