TERRANCE GOODING'S MUNIFICENT HELP

and the Discovery, by one of our Farm School students, of the two most important
words in the English Language

The Pamela Martinez-Pathway Agro-farm for children, which is located in a sprawling 60 plus acres of land, aims at a number of things simultaneously, besides offering young children highly eco-friendly lives which many of us in overcrowded cities perhaps cannot even dream of. This farm can afford to give the children high quality and unpolluted living facilities, which in turn can bring about pure and inspired thoughts, thinking guided by well-educated and qualified and inspiring teachers in the school. In this article you will find one such thought brought up by one of our students.

The children are offered quality English medium matriculation education here with all its attractive and beneficial trappings and prospects, with simultaneous emphasis on development and growth in mother tongue of the child, expanding his horizons.

The agro farm apart from providing all these offers ample provisions and opportunities to help children study Nature's miracles firsthand, of fruit bearing, flowering and growing of various plants and crops. To make the agro farm more scientific as well as easily and economically manageable, it was envisaged that the farm should acquire some equipment and vehicles which would be of great help in this direction.

Things started working in this direction with the blessings of the Lord, most unexpectedly, to our surprise delight and overflowing joy, with the wonderful visit of William Benac Sr, one of the loyal and great supporters of Pathway.

William Benac Sr, a corporate financial expert, simply loves Pathway and its work. Along with our great advocate and supporter, our esteemed patron Judge Sheffield, he has done so much for the children. With the dedicated efforts of William Benac Sr , Dr Terrance Gooding was affectionately persuaded to assist Pathway in realising a list of wishes.

A 'Wish List' of all the things that were required for the farm was prepared with care. This list basically contained those items which would make the agro-farm better equipped in various ways, such as, to help improve in agricultural activities and operations, to help bring better output, assist in harvest, help in planting, and also in transportation of staff and children. We wanted a Harvester, Planting machine, Thresher, Tiller, plus an utility vehicle and a van. Pathway is exceedingly grateful to Dr Terrance Gooding for his contribution, which helped Pathway to procure all these, and also gave us the confidence that much more would be forthcoming. That is, if we are absolutely sincere for all the help and show and prove how truly thankful we are for every gift.

How does the giver know you are thankful unless you say it in so many words and gestures? asks some great Author; just now we are not able to get that particular Quote's Author name right but our children are looking into the books; meanwhile, we publish below the Discovery made by little Rajesh of our school, who suggested that we convey our gratitude just with two simple words: "THANK YOU!"

Prasad had asked me in this matter to draft a generous thanks letter for my putting up to his signature, and I was trying very hard to make it overflow with powerful emotions and sentiments. Rajesh who happened to be sitting beside me at that time in Prasad's office saw my predicament and came to my rescue, though at first my instant reaction to his advice was dull and flat and uninterested. What is the big deal about two simple words, while here I am striving to expand the thought and put down on paper something much more powerful, a real outpouring of genuine gratitude from one's depths of being, in words never before so eloquently cascaded , for which purpose I have been sadly and agonizingly struggling for appropriate words all day, feverishly sweating like a schoolboy preparing for his nightmarish annual examination?

It was at this point that the boy came to my rescue, almost like the little boy who guided St Peter to go back to Rome when Peter asked Quo Vadis, Domine? He was in a quandary, a real impasse where to go and in what direction, and do what, when The Voice spoke through the little one, Go Back. Two short words. Go back to Rome and be there, for I am going to be crucified a second time.

Print this whole article, my young friend suggested, extending towards me the copy of THE ENSIGN, November 1998. Article on page 17: "THINK TO THANK" by President Thomas S. Monson. It had a subtitle: Do we give thanks to God for "His unspeakable gifts" (2Cor:9:15) and His rich blessings so abundantly bestowed upon us?

It seems Robert W. Woodruff, a prominent business leader, was touring the United States giving lectures on "A Capsule Course in Human Relations". His essential message was always: the two most important words in the English Language were these: THANK YOU!

I felt an overwhelming desire to contact someone and get the whole set of his speeches on the expansion of those two simple words, but for the present not only would I eagerly devour Pres. Monson's article in the Ensign but also I would entreat Prasad to print extracts of the article in our Pathway home journal, as part of our tribute to Dr. Gooding and also prayerfully acknowledging all the help that he and his friends are giving us.

Pres. Monson's article begins with Luke 17:11- 19. It is a story, which many of us might remember. As Pres. Monson starts it, in a land far away, and at a time long ago, Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem. He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when Jesus saw them, He said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, even as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, only one of them, mind you, when he saw that he was healed, came back and with a loud voice glorified God, fell down on his face at the feet of Jesus, giving Him thanks…, and he was a Samaritan.

...............from Venu