haha! speaking of sweet fruit, my companion is from madagascar, and in
madagascar there is this fruit that grows on a cactus, it is very much like
a prickly pear. anyway, it grows here too, ALL OVER THE PLACE, and she has
been tirelessly marking the ripeness of the fruit every day while it grows
up. anyway, it has been nearly three weeks and every day as we drive down
the road, she looks like a little kid in an aquarium as we pass the
bounteous prickly pear fruits. she continues to call all the people in
franistown crazy because no one seems to take advantage that the sweetest
fruit is growing like crazy right on the side of the road. so naturally, we
made plans to pick some. we finally found the perfect moment, pulled out our
plastic bags and harvested the little pears. the problem was, there were so
many stickers all over them. no wonder the locals never picked it! we took
the fruit home, cleaned it, ate it and then pulled the stickers from our
hands one by one. we are still itchy. so much so that we have labeled it as
the forbidden fruit. will we eat it again someday, probably!

i just realized, our experience with the "forbidden fruit" is like
missionary work. you wait, and you wait, and you wait until the person is
ready for the picking. if you go too early, they won't be ready. you make
plans to pick them, then you go and reap. picking them is not for the faint
in heart because it is often itchy, painfull and uncomfortable. everyone has
a deffence that they put up, but eventually, through care, the prickles and
excuses are taken away. most people think the sacrifice is not worth it, it
is uncomfortable, painful, hard, etc. (that is the reason we are able to
pick, people don't see how sweet it truly is, they are only focused on the
temporary discomfort) but the sacrifice is worth it because we know that
they are special to God and they just have to be shown. when they are clean,
they are able to see that they are sweet. we partake of that sweetness as we
help them see who they truly are. not a prickly, mean, full of excuses
cactus. but a clean, sweet, and wonderful fruit made by God himself.

how often in our lives do the sweetest of fruits go untasted because of the
sacrifice it takes to pick them? find something sweet that you wish to have
and make a plan to pick it. i know that heavenly father will bless you as
you do so. and someday, you will be able to partake of the sweet reward that
God has in store.

there is so much fruit here, mangoes, papaya, cabbage (not fruit, i am
aware), tomatoes, and a whole selection of local produce not grown anywhere
else. they grow all over, big, healthy and strong. Botswana truly is a land
of plenty, the soil is fertile, you put something in the ground and it
grows. i am sure that if a person were to live in the bush, there would
never be a want for anything. as long as they did what it took to pick it
(thus we see another refference to you must act to gain the reward)
anyway, i love you and am happy for the lives that you live. may the lord
continually bless and keep you.

how sweet is the reward!
sister blum