I thought it might be interesting to give a little history of Ishwar’s Prashad Garden here at the Dera in Bruce. In the summer of 2016, the construction work of the Meeting Hall began and a small number of sevadars joined the effort. This work continued from then on and the idea of growing our vegetables to feed the sevadars seemed a natural progression. Ishwar blessed this endeavor and in the spring of 2018, a small dedicated group of sevadars started planting a garden from scratch!
We looked at the field of weeds and got to work!! I remember this year very well and I am still in awe today at the amazing harvest we had despite all the problems we faced!! Many other projects were happening this year – a new entrance was opened up into the basement (kitchen/office), a new driveway, and the first shed/greenhouse building started in late summer. Then we had the Mitti Seva event in September with our beloved Ishwar, with a huge tent in the hole on top of the hill (at the construction site).
Many people came and helped with the harvest and clean up in the garden.
The garden has evolved and grown in size since those humble beginnings. It seems the garden has played an important role in keeping Ishwar’s Dera dream alive, especially during the 2 years of the pandemic. In a way, it has become the heart of seva activities as local sevadars and visitors have an opportunity to do seva either in the garden or the kitchen cooking and processing the vegetables. Plus everyone enjoys healthy, fresh food that is blessed (Prashad!) Therefore the name “Prashad Garden”
We are all so fortunate and grateful!
