November 2025 - Magazine - Page 73
November 2025
My third and fourth grade students at Desmond T. Doss Christian Academy, in
Lynchburg, VA, are learning all about gardening this year. It all started when I
attended an agricultural class taught by Angela (add other teachers here)
during the NAD Teachers Convention in AZ this summer.
Since I have returned to teaching after being a stay-at-home mom, my gardening has been terrible. We moved to a location where our soil wasn't
great, and my time was more limited, so my garden was hit or miss. As I listened to the presentation, I felt God prompting me, telling me that I needed
to do this for my students. I told Him He knew I was a terrible gardener, this
was a huge project and that I couldn't do it because I was already so busy.
But as I listened to Angela, and then another teacher who was the only
teacher at her school, the wish kept growing that maybe I could do something small after all. The teacher of the one-teacher school was saying how it
was the biggest blessing to her, that it was even relaxing, it had been reaching people spiritually, and she had her little garden committee of 4 people.
Being the teacher of a one room school is the hardest and craziest job I can
imagine, and I figured if she could do it and love doing it, then maybe it was
possible to do. I loved the idea of growing this agricultural movement across
all our Adventist schools.
Having the hoop houses sounded so amazing, but knowing how horrible my
current garden skills are, I decided to start small, with raised beds. I knew it
would be a little pricey, but that I would at least be starting with decent soil. I
was able to find the top soil and compost for only about $3 per 2 cubic ft
bag! This is where God is really showing up! My husband and I donated the
boards for the beds and my school paid for the 48 square feet of soil.
The "Planting with Jesus" book has been so foolproof! I'm following it very
closely and it is fantastic! It also helps having our What's App group to
bounce ideas off and get encouragement. I was worried how I'd get the
boards to the school, but God took care of that worry. I was worried I wouldn't find soil so late in the season, but I did, and at a good price! God has
shown up again and again. My next worry is getting a decent hose and
wand for a good price, but I'm sure God has this in His very capable hands
too! We also need garden tools, and need to make hoops to place a cover
over to protect our plants from frost. We might not get our seeds planted until
the 1st 10 hour day in January, but it will happen in God's perfect timing. I am
already finding peace and joy in my heart during this project, because I am
trusting God to lead it every step of the way. He is THE master gardener and
He obviously wants us to learn how to do this.
The students are really enjoying this and the conversations are great and funny! They are learning a lot, moving their bodies, and doing something important and worthwhile. They are keeping me accountable and continue to
move this project forward! I am so grateful to the team with the vision and
hard work to put this together in such a remarkable way. It is obvious that
God put it on their hearts and He is blessing their efforts. God put Adam and
Eve in a perfect home in the new world He had created, a garden home,
and I know He will help us take care of our garden.
