From: Dennis Moe
Moe Farms Apple Picking
The Call Was Made And The Saints Responded!
WOW! A week and a half ago, Nancy and I posted on my personal Facebook page, on Restoration Co-op and Garland Schnack posted it on his 'Restoration News' email list that we needed help in picking our apple trees at Moe Farms. I usually pick them myself (which usually takes a couple of weeks) but I am now in stage 4 of lung and brain cancer. From the response of the church people we were expecting about 35 people to show up on Saturday, September 25. The evening before, a youth group showed up from the Remnant church and picked for a few hours which we were so grateful for. It just pleased my heart to see the young people having so much fun down in the orchard. The next day, Saturday, I was outside and at 7:45 a car pulled in with my good friend Jamie Brownlee. As we visited for a few minutes and the time nearing 8:00, we could hear the cars coming up the dirt farm road and did they ever come. I had them park in one of the empty fields but they just kept coming and coming and the field was soon over flowing. The friendly smiles of the Saints burst out of the cars and pickups and shook hands and greeted us and anxiously said, “Where are the apple trees? We are here to help you.”
I cannot tell you how surprised I was and how joyful I was to experience such brotherly and sisterly Christian love as I did that day. The joy I experienced that day was close to the joy Ammon felt in The Book of Mormon.
So, how many people were there? I don’t rightly know. This much I do know, there were over forty-five cars and at least two people per car. That would put the number at ninety people but there were teenagers and children piling out of those vehicles also and running toward the orchard. That put us well over a hundred people. There were Latter Day Saints everywhere! Everywhere!
Also, I must mention the foreign exchange students who showed up to help pick. The expression on their faces was priceless as they experienced picking the apples. One of the girls was amazed when she picked a really big apple and I told her to take it home with her. Her face just lit up with joy! Before she left she asked me if she could have a red apple also, which I had the pleasure of saying yes!
Within a couple hours, the hundred apple trees were stripped clean, boxed up and put into the cold room for storage. So did the people pack up and leave. NO! They milled around the orchard and the cold room visiting and watching the children running and playing in the orchard. It was good to see friends that I had not seen in a while. There was one dear friend who I heard was in the orchard so I drove around in my UTV looking for her but to no avail. So I decided to walk around and was just standing there and I saw this young lady with the biggest grim coming toward me. It was her. Riane Marsh. It was such a pleasure to talk with her and the others!
Through out the day people kept coming to the farm to help pick but were surprised to find out the task was complete and the Saints had gone home. We had phone calls and emails until early evening of Saints checking to see if we still needed help. Many of the Saints wanted to know if there was any other farm work that needed to get done. Man, I love our Latter Day Saints!
Moe Farms (Nancy, Hannah and I) cannot express in words the outpouring of help and love we received from our brothers and sisters. We were richly blessed that day and we truly thank each and every one of you who came forward in our time of need. Most of all I would like to praise my Heavenly Father for providing a beautiful Fall day in which we all gathered together in a common cause, in one heart and one mind!
I will never forget this day and shall take this memory with me to my next adventurous journey as I cross through the veil!
Blessing to you all!
Dennis
No comments:
Post a Comment