The last six months here at the farm, we’ve been so busy with upkeep, chores and taking care of the animals, that we haven’t had the time or means to do much traveling. So the few trips we have taken have been extra meaningful for us.
On one of them, in late November, I traveled to Waco, Texas to speak at a special event held at Homestead Heritage.
Every Fall, ten thousand or so people travel from all over the world to come to their yearly Homestead Fair. To come see for themselves what this unique place is and the experience the abundant fruit their lives have produced over the last 50+ years.
Last year, Rebecca, Indy and I came to the fair and had a wonderful time. But even more than that, we left incredibly encouraged and inspired in our lives. We, of course, put on a festival of our own each year at our farm that has been very succesful and meaningful for us and many other folks, but what they're doing there in Texas is incredibly unique. Unlike ours, or most other homesteading fairs or festivals, theirs is a showcase of their own craftsmanship and experience learned over the past 50 years. From the hand-hewn buildings to the furnishings, food or crafts inside them; the artisan craft booths and village with blacksmithing, woodworking, grain milling, loom weaving, glass blowing, etc... to the incredible food, to the afternoon and evening concerts and music to an audience of more than 3000 people... it's all done by them. Pretty much everything you see, hear, touch, smell or taste has been carefully and beautifully created by the 1200 or so individuals and families there. No small feat in itself.
This year I was blessed to have the opportunity to come be a small part of it. To spend an hour with a room full of people who had come to see what all this is about, sharing my perspective on Homestad Heritage and other things.
The title of my talk was ‘my journey to a sustainable life’, and I did cover a good bit of that, but mostly it was about the faith journey I’ve been on and how it led me there, and ultimately here. To me sitting here this morning writing this blog post right now.
To say that this last year, especially since this past summer when I got baptized, and married, has been challenging, is an understatement.
Looking out the window at the farm as I type this, I’m reminded how much has changed in the last six months. Not a week (or sometimes even a day) goes by without someone calling or texting, or even stopping us in a grocery store and asking, "are you guys alright? We've been praying for you." And I smile and tell them, "yes we are. We're doing amazing!".
I think that surprises people. With all they see, watch or read on the internet and hear other people saying... they scratch their head, probably thinking, 'how can they be so hopeful, and happy?"
But the truth is that as challenging as some of it has been, this last year has been absolutely incredible. Our faith, our joy, our peace and our excitement about life and the path we're on has grown exponentionally... not in spite of all this, but honestly because of it.
Some of the changes and difficulities we've experienced have of course been very hard to understand and even harder to figure out how to manage, but overall it has been truly amazing to see God’s hand at work.
In other blog posts I've shared how we first came in contact with some of the folks at Homestead Heritage ten years ago when Indy was born, and how their lifestyle and ours led me to start making trips to learn more about them.
Since then - little by little, visit by visit - to Waco and also some of the smaller communities in Idaho, Montana, Wisconsin and Virginia, Rebecca and I have had the opportunity to not only get to know hundreds of families and have deep conversations to hear each of their stories, but also to ask lots of hard questions and dig deeper into the church and community history and the journey they've been on.
Like us, they've had their share of mud thrown their way...for fifty years. And that continues. Unfortunately, it has gotten much worse for them since July when I became part of the church. And yet, if you find yourself passing through Waco or one of the other communities, and meet some of the people there, I think you'll quickly see that all this is just causing their faith, their hope, and their love to grow too.
If you have 45 minutes, this is the talk I gave in November. As I mention early on, I'm much more comfortable sitting behind I guitar singing songs, than I am standing at a lecture giving a speech. But I am very passionate about home and family and sustainable living and about the Homestead Heritage community and the example and impact they've made on my life.
Like you, God has given me a story. A testimony that is still unfolding. In the end, it is all we truly have to give.
I can't wait to see what the next six months holds in store.
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PS: We will be traveling back to Homestead Heritage again this Spring for their first ever Homesteading Conference on April 25-26. Joel Salatin, Rory Groves, Shawn & Beth Dougherty and many other wonderful speakers will be there, and at this one I'll be singing a few songs too. It's going to be an incredible weekend at an incredible place.
If you'd like to find out more, go to www.thehomesteadconference.com
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