The following are a few that have to do more with the past few weeks than the first year (from my starting with that intent as I started writing this post). However, they give some insights into the past year as well.
Floods
This past Saturday it rained, and rained, and rained. We have a known leak in our roof (that we can’t fix until we take care of some other related issues), so this made me nervous, but we’ve prayed and surrendered it to God, so didn’t worry about it much.The leak gave us no problems! At the same time, a number of our friends had flooded basements. One who lives near a river had the river bank expand over 100 feet and flood their fields and basement. Others in our church had similar issues. With roads being closed, church was canceled on Sunday morning. It was great to be together on Sunday evening and to worship together and hear how God protected and gave joy through the floods.
Free Pallets
While out running errands one of my boys and I came across a lot of free wood pallets. These are like gold. For now we are collecting them to build a free and movable goat fence. Goats are the escape artists of the animal kingdom. (They can climb trees!!! Just picture looking up at the sound of a singing bird and seeing a goat! The thought makes me laugh. :o) Anyhow, we’ve heard that crates, if used correctly, are a good way to keep them in.
Hospitality
One of our big goals is to have our homestead as a place for people to come, draw near to God through his creation, to fellowship, and to learn. When we first moved in, with all of the issues that came with that, that goal seemed like a distant dream that was running further away. It has been a joy recently to have people come visit. We’ve had several visitors from Ohio, some staying the night, and some passing through, as well as starting to meet and connect with others in the community. It is a joy to see this becoming a reality and seeing God’s provision.
Cooking, Schooling,
With all of the above, everyone still needs to eat. We all need to be intentional in learning, etc. I am so grateful for all the Elyse has done in these areas, not only to somehow get them all done (cooking from scratch for every meal!), but to involve our boys. It is wonderful seeing the boys taking responsibility and learning these important skills. Teaching slows things down, but is starting to bear great fruit as well.
3rd Culture Living 