Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING] Do you like weeding? Oh, sure I do. Everybody loves-- Everybody loves weeding, huh? Yeah! This garden is the miracle and the joy to all of us. I never have a dream it's going to be like this. Pepe Pilcher is one of the neatest ladies that I've had the opportunity to meet with. She will go out of her way to make someone else's day better and happier. Pepe had this big, unused field, and her husband took care of it for her. When we first moved here, we mowed the place every summer. And it was hard to take care of. This is me and my husband up there. My husband passed away, and mostly all my children moved away to other states. So it was hard for me to take care of it when I'm alone. The field became a burden because if we didn't take care of the field, the city will fine us because of the fire hazard. One of the leaders of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he asked me if we could turn this field into a garden. We decided as a group that the best way to use it was to turn it into the community garden. This way the community could benefit from it. Those that wanted to learn how to garden could benefit from it. I jump for joy. It was just like a burden lifted out of my shoulder, that we put the field into good use for our neighbors. Because this garden was made for my neighbors, not just for the members of my church. Once in a while we just have a weeding party and a barbecue, and we just announce it and say, "Come and bring something to eat and to share, and come and participate. Help with the weeding." They did this for people-- can come and get their vegetables and stuff, and to help the community and to get to know each other. It's one big, happy family when we come down to the garden. We've got corn that should be here, ready pretty soon. We've got squash right here, cabbage. Our broccoli's ready. Our tomatoes are ready. The peppers are ready. Onions are ready. If you want something, you've got to come and help keep it up. That's all it is. I think it's an inspired blessing for all, a chance to get together, work together, enjoy the fruits of the garden. Pepe? Yes? Do you have any gloves? Yes. Where? I'm [INAUDIBLE]. Do you expect me to get up? I was watching some of the kids laughing and running around and pulling weeds, and I thought how marvelous it is to teach our children like this from the beginning. People that come here and work in the garden, they're following the teaching of Jesus Christ. When you do service, you just get a feeling that you can't get when you're doing things on your own. One of the best things that we can grow in a garden is ourselves. Jesus Christ told us that everyone is our neighbor, and if we love someone we should serve them and help them without wondering what's in it for me. And that's why we do this. Extra produce that we have we take down to the rescue mission or to Saint Ann's center. We try to get it out to someone that can use it. It's just a wonderful opportunity that was provided by this lot that for the longest time was barren and vacant and unproductive. For me it's just marvelous. It's wonderful. I'm sorry.

I can get up in the morning and look out the window. I saw corn and all the vegetables that's coming up in this little field.

It doesn't matter who you are. You're here to grow and learn and serve and love one another. [LAUGHING AND CHATTERING]

Pepe’s Garden

Description
Pepe had a large empty field that she could no longer care for. The ward came in and turned the field into a community garden where neighbors— members and nonmembers alike—work together to plant, tend, and harvest crops.
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