Many farms were severely damaged by heavy rains in summer 2020. Members in Gwangju planned to help farmers in hardship. We were in a hurry, hearing that the Hwangryonggang River was flooded and all the agricultural lands and greenhouses nearby were submerged in water.
Upon arriving at the site, we divided into groups and scattered into fields and greenhouses. I was assigned to clean up the inside of a greenhouse. As the water that had filled the greenhouse drained, all the crops were washed away and only the waste vinyl and iron rods were scattered all over. Seeing us, the farmer couple felt relieved and thanked us for coming to help them, saying that they didn’t really know where to start.
I pulled out the remaining iron pins, removed the waste vynyl, and carried them outside. As time went by, the temperature inside the greenhouse increased, and the beads of sweat trickled down our faces. But thinking that we had to hurry up for the farmers to recover their strength, we couldn’t stop working even for a while. Other members were also flushed by the heat, but they worked diligently. Thanks to that, the work ended earlier than we thought.
As we were saying goodbye to the farmer couple, they said with tears in their eyes, “We don’t know how long it would have taken for us to finish it if only two of us tried to do it. But thanks to you, we could finish it so quickly. Thank you so much. I think we can plant something now.” I was greatly moved to see the farmer couple preparing for a new beginning despite the great trials.
I, too, will not be discouraged even in hardships, and take them as opportunities to refresh my mindset. If I plow up the ground of my heart and sow the seeds of joy, thankfulness, and consideration in my heart, I will surely have even greater hope for the Kingdom of Heaven.