Yesterday I was taking with friends who said they were going to miss my Mango tree. The tree will be cut down soon because it blocks the view of a house being built in the property behind mine.

As they talked I was reminded just how much people relied on those mangos!

It is difficult to find consistent work in Barrouallie. Because of this somedays you don’t have food to eat for dinner. People know that they can at least eat a mango or two from my tree. Neighbors or those living close by have a standing offer to climb over the back wall, and pick or themselves.

Sadly there is nothing I can do about keeping the tree unless the land-owner can be talked into letting me cut it back instead.

So the last harvest will have to awesome!

Normally I will take whatever Margo’s fall on the ground, and put them on the wall for people to eat. This is good, but technically the best mango’s are the ones who haven’t fallen from the tree yet.

Often the ones on the ground have become “too ripe”” and soft (sometimes bruised). People prefer ones that are still green, and will ripen within a few days.

So for what will probably be the final harvest I’m hiring a neighbors son (who I trust) to climb my tree almost every day harvesting mangos. Of course he will be compensated with the best ones on the tree!! Then I will hand-deliver the very best mangos to those who need them.

This reminds me ministry is a beautiful thing….

But it must be efffective

I could keep giving out softer mangos and nobody would have a problem with that. But hand delivering a bucket of fresh mangos that had been picked less than an hour ago is much better.

So ministry must always be asking “how can I do this better?”

I’m still praying God keeps the mango tree standing after some pruning. But if it isn’t it’s my goal to make sure people won’t soon forget it’s last harvest.