Mangoes, Coconuts & the Gospel

One of the joys of living in a different country and culture is learning new ways to try to explain the hard to explain. 

When we were missionaries in the Bahamas we became well acquainted with mangoes - all sorts of mangoes - This site indicates there are over 400 varieties. Some mangoes were mostly seed, some were "stringy." It was said that Willamae, a member of our congregation in Nassau, had the very best mangoes on the island. They were certainly delicious - big and fleshy and very tasty.

Recently juice dripped down my arm as I ate all the goodness off the huge mango seed. I thought about Keith's lesson in Sunday School in Nassau. He was talking about the deliciousness of the gospel and how much there is to devour and relish. He struggled to convey how special the gospel is. Then he started describing the total pleasure of eating a good mango - going into great details about the taste, the texture, and the juice dripping down your arm. He then likened that to getting totally involved in Christ's gospel. That's what I think about every time I eat a mango.

In Nassau the members of the congregation always cleaned the church building and grounds on Saturday. Many people brought their own machetes and there was usually at least one person willing (and able) to scale a coconut tree to get snacks for the workers. One of the men would whack off the end of a coconut, drink the water and say 'Coconut water - the next best thing to eternal life!" 

mango image from pixabay