Under the Moreton Bay Fig Tree

Last blog I wrote a little about the unexpected. Not all of life's
unexpected situations are frustrating though, and here is one that was
a happy surprise when we first encountered it and continues to have a
quiet significance in our lives.....it is a Moreton Bay Fig
Tree.......well two of them actually.

"What is a huge Australian Moreton Bay Fig Tree doing at the edge of
the Kalahari Desert?" you ask. Well, we don't exactly know, except
that I guess at some time, someone planted two seeds and we now have
two trees. We were very surprised to find them here too! These two
trees are the main features of the carpark and alfresco restaurant at
a wonderful plant nursery (the only one of its kind) at the edge of
town. When we go there, we normally park our car under one of the
trees and then eat a meal under the other one.

In Australia:
For those of you who don't know, I grew up right beside "Moreton Bay"
in South East Queensland and I have particularly fond memories of
those wonderful trees at a little place called Wellington Point where
my Grandfather used to take my cousins and I swimming. They are huge
trees maybe 10 meters across and about the same in height and great
for climbing! We used to go and sit under them or climb them after we
finished swimming.

In Africa:
We have had many significant times eating a meal under that restaurant
fig tree as we have shared a meal with friends or with our 'kids'. We
learnt last year that one of our more recently 'adopted kids' had
never actually 'celebrated' a birthday so we took him out to lunch at
this spot for a memorable meal together. Another time we took a
little family to lunch to do something special they had never done
before (there is also a terrific kids play area there) On yet other
times meetings, mentoring and times of counselling and fellowship have
occurred under the fig tree. And it is also a place that we can go
and enjoy some 'time out' just my hubby and I amongst the beauty of so
many plants and trees and flowers. And we can even buy some fresh
herbs and vegies from their 'farm stall' before we leave......and
there's something strangely comforting and restful about those big
trees that remind me of home.

But we pray that as we have interaction with folk here, whether it be
under the huge Moreton Bay Fig Tree, or in a local yard under the
shade of a thorn tree, that God might use us to also plant some seeds
in needy hearts, that many years from now might grow and produce lives
that are 'big and strong' in Christ and bring the comfort and love of
Christ to others around them.