For six years, friends of Helping Point, Dan and Fran Gowe have filled their backyard with exquisite dahlias. They have generously donated these to use in fundraising projects to help support Jhola Children's Home. Throughout the summer, the dahlias were harvested and made available for people in the Kerrisdale shopping district of Vancouver who gave a donation to Jhola Children's home when they chose a bouquet. In the fall of 2017, when the property the Gowes had rented was sold, it seemed that the dahlia fundraising had come to an end.
The new location in Richmond
Meanwhile, a woman named Amy Zou had purchased some land in Richmond for her business. She and several employees run the business out of the house on the property. In an empty piece of land on the property, Amy dreamed of creating a garden. She and her employees, Mimi and Katherine, dedicated the land to God and prayed about how to use it for His glory. One morning Amy woke up with a picture of a very large flower, then later that day, she attended an event that included a dahlia fundraiser for Helping Point. Seeing the large beautiful dahlias, she became very excited and believed that this had something to do with God's plan for her garden. She got in touch with Dan and Fran and a plan to transfer the dahlias to the garden on her property was put in place.
First blossoms of the season
Amy and Mimi grew up in large cities in China and had no gardening experience. Katherine grew up in rural Taiwan. There have been many challenges for them along the way. However, they have been keenly aware of God's provision through all the steps of this gardening venture. Their persistence paid off. After weeks of long hard work, overcoming many difficulties, in the middle of August, the dahlias began to flower. They too decided to donate their beautiful dahlias to Helping Point so that the fundraising for Jhola Children’s home could continue. These women have been faithful to God's leading when they knew very little about gardening or Helping Point. They are very excited about how God led them in creating this garden and how it can continue to help Jhola Children's Home. What a beautiful picture of God's provision for Johla Children's home and the beginning of new friendships for Helping Point.
Garden in full bloom
The Harvest!