A couple of months ago, Karolyna asked me for an Adventist Bible. I was confused by her request. She already had a Bible. Why did she think Adventists had their own version? After we talked awhile I realized that she wanted a Bible like the kind she’d seen in church, one that includes the Adventist hymnal. When my mother came, she bought one of these Bibles for Karolyna for her birthday. Last Sabbath was Karolyna's birthday, so after church I went to her house and took her the Bible, wrapped in red tissue paper. When I handed her the gift, she smiled and asked, "It's a Bible, isn't it?"
On Wednesday, I visited her again. She gave me a big bowl of cooked malanga. We talked for a little bit, and then Isaylin (her daughter) appeared in the doorway, returning from her afternoon classes. Karolyna told her to show me a couple booklets Isaylin had made for school. One of the booklets was about plants. One of the plants that was included in the booklet was an aloe vera. I asked Karolyna if they grow aloe vera in Muy Muy, and where I could get it. She told me to follow her. She led me outside to her neighbor's yard. She reached inside a fence and cut off a spine of aloe vera and gave it to me. I then asked her about getting a plant that I could grow myself. Again she told me to follow her. She led me to a house where aloe vera plants were growing. The owner of the house wasn't home. She called her nephew and his friend. Karolyna convinced them to get a couple little baby plants from the backyard of the house. She gave me those plants.
When we returned to her house, she dug up some culantro plants and gave me those as well. She also gave me one of her hierba buena plants (another herb). At the end of the visit, she mentioned that she had decided to read the Bible through. She had started Monday, and she had reached Genesis 11 by the time I saw her on Wednesday.
After seeing Karolyna, I went to Antonia's house. I talked to her a little bit. I showed her the plants that Karolyna had given me and asked her to let me know when she had seeds from the flower plants edging her property. She walked over to one of the plants growing in front of her house. She plucked a dry flower, from which I could get seeds, and gave it to me. Then, pointing to a little marigold plant growing in the path in front of her house, she asked me if I would like to have that plant also.
I stopped and talked to Lineth and her children for awhile. They also gave me seeds and seedlings.
The next morning, I planted all the little plants. Now I have four culantro plants, one hierba buena, two aloe veras, and three flower varieties. Those are in addition to two mango trees and one avocado tree that I planted a few months ago from fruits I had received from two alcoholics.
Thank you, each one, for your support. May the Lord bless you.
