“Spring reminds us that resilience is only a season away.” —Angie Weiland-Crosby
The Serenity Garden has been a part of Catalyst Farms for five years. Two volunteers, Lis and Heather, co-lead the upkeep and projects for the Garden. They work within Catalyst Ministries as well as with the local community to grow and maintain the Garden. We have been blessed to receive support from the community through volunteerism and donations that keep the Garden running so food can be gathered and used by residents for meals, and also to ensure that a healthy ecosystem grows on the Farms property.
At times, Lis has the opportunity to garden with the residents at Catalyst Farms. During this one-on-one time, Lis says that the women talk with her about their plans for the future. “Playing in the dirt,” as Lis calls it, allows for the women to get a change of scenery and a different kind of interaction with their surroundings. These women are working to get their lives together, and tending to a garden is sometimes the last thing they think about in relation to their other activities and obligations. On the other hand, however, gardening offers a therapeutic distraction from the painful pasts the women are working through in their heads during the healing process.
Read our previous blog post here: Catalyst Love—Knowing I Am His Beloved Changes Everything
One resident used peat pots and grew flowers and herbs from seeds. She took care of the plants, even transplanting them to another part of the Farms when pesky groundhogs tried to eat them in the Garden. Lis detailed further, saying,
“It was very therapeutic for her because she doesn’t have a pet, but there must have been 25 of them [plants], and those plants were just her babies.”
This setting is one that some women may not have been able to experience previously in their lives. It is a good thing, Lis says, to be close to nature. It is a way to grow close with God. There is a magic to knowing you are working in creation alongside God and His handiwork.
“I always feel closer to God when I am closer to nature.”
When working outside, Lis is often reminded of the Parable of the Sower. A man goes out to sow grain, during which the seed falls across multiple places. The seed often fails to take root and grow, but some seed falls on good soil, producing corn. The parable is an allegory for the messages God sends to His children – to you and me. The good soil represents His children who hear His messages (the seeds) and live those messages out in their lives. To have strong faith in God and His teachings, especially through adversity and challenging times, is what makes us good soil in this world. It is an imperfect journey filled with moments of grace. This journey is one we all may choose to pursue, and it is one that Catalyst Ministries works hard to create with the women we assist and help to heal. The journey is not instantly paved when the initial seed begins to fall and take root within us; we must care for ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to work on that journey. God grants all of us creation; He grants the women who seek refuge at Catalyst Ministries re-creation.
The Farms also has a butterfly garden on the property. Last butterfly season, the Garden Team and the residents raised and released the winged beauties themselves. The residents were able to witness the many stages of the butterflies, from the chrysalis all the way through to the metamorphosis. It is the perfect metaphor for what occurs at Catalyst Farms with the women who are rescued from trafficking.
As this spring approaches, it is important for us in the Catalyst Ministries’ community to recall the importance of rebirth and growth within ourselves as Christ followers, and within the women who we support in rescue, rehabilitation, and re-creation. Reflect back on the quote at the beginning of this blog: “Spring reminds us that resilience is only a season away.” This is true for all of us, and especially present for the women who come to Catalyst Ministries. We must remember that although spring is a season of growth both at the Serenity Garden and around us, every season provides an opportunity to lean on God and grow in Him. Please consider how you may be blessed to give or volunteer through Catalyst Ministries, especially with regards to volunteering with the Garden Team at the Farms. Your support will help us to promote resilience and re-creation in the women we support in their own springs.
— Deanna
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:8-9