[MUSIC PLAYING] For the last 25 years, I've managed the welfare farm here in Idaho Falls.

A few years ago, with some of the ways our pivots work out here, we noticed that we had ends that were not used because of the irrigation. And so, with our stake president and with Brother Thompson, it was decided that we would open those remnants of the field up to members and those not of our faith to be able to come and use them for their own private gardens. The word goes out through the stakes and wards that plots are available, and it's really on a first-come, first-served basis for the space available. We do all the preparation work, so we go in and rotovate it. They also water the gardens twice a week, all summer long. So those who have the garden plots have their work reduced dramatically. They have to plant and weed-- and then, of course, harvest. Over the years, I've seen families that have depended completely on what they get out of that garden to sustain them all the way through the summer, and a good share of what they eat in the winter. It blesses a lot of people. It does. It blesses my children, my grandchildren. Specifically this summer, it has kept me sane since I lost my job, and I'm grateful for that. I can be self-sufficient and I'm learning how to grow in Idaho, where I live, so my family will be OK. We won't go hungry. And I have the skills now to take care of my own. Part of growing a garden and doing it is teaching your children how to do it. And I want them to know it from me, how to take care of themselves when things are going to get tough. I think that there are wonderful things that you learn. You learn about stewardship. You learn about discipline. I've seen families come out there together. I've seen friendships develop. I think it softens your heart and gives you more gratitude to the Lord when you watch His creations and have a part in it. I see people reaching out more and sharing. Part of the fun of growing the garden this year has been helping some of the sisters in the ward. I like to sneak up to their house and leave stuff on the doorstep. And I can do that, you know? I have enough for my family and I have extra, and so I can share and I like to do that. I think that is the overwhelming feeling you have when you're here. You see how the Church-- and how the Lord, then-- feels a sense of loyalty to the whole individual. That if we can't feed them right, they're going to have a hard time with the spiritual sort of things. And so the whole commitment to the individual here is something that we get a chance to see. So yeah, I definitely have a testimony that this is the work of the Lord out here on the stake farm. I sit out there between my rows of green beans, and Heavenly Father and I have conversations.

By the time I get done picking my beans and harvesting, I'm OK. I can go home and deal with it.

I think that's the best part, the solitude you find and the answers you find and being able to share.