In Joshua chapter 4, Joshua calls the leaders of each of the twelve tribes to pick up a stone, carry it with them, and lay it down on the other side of the Jordan. These stones would serve as a “remembrance” for generations to come as a sign of what God had done for them.
So tonight as I gathered stones at Teaberry Acres and laid them one by one around the fire, I remembered. I remembered that God paved the way for this very acreage to land THE121 on. I remembered all that HE HAS DONE.
So chances are when you come to Teaberry Acres, I’ll ask you to pick up a stone and lay it down around the pit. I’ll ask you to remember and tell me the story of what God has done for you. And if you don’t have your own story, I’ll tell you one of mine.
I had the privilege to visit THE121 this past weekend!!! It was nearly surreal to step inside my home WITH walls for the first time! Enjoy a Sneak Peek! (You didn’t think I was going to show you the entire house did you???) Nope, you have to wait for that!
No trim yet and I’m pursuing colors to paint the front door…Got any ideas what and where this is??
That’s all I’m disclosing for today but it’s fair to say…we are getting MUCH closer to bringing THE121 to PA!
While this may not seem too terribly exciting for some, for this girl it is another step forward!
I can continue to dream and visualize where THE121 is going to land, where the garden is going to grow, where the chats will happen around the firepit…it’s all becoming much more tangible!
So please join me in praying for the safety of the crew as they bring in their heavy equipment, there’s still a few very large trees to come down and some very large boulders to move!
You know you’re building a house when you get excited about going to Lowe’s to buy a bathroom faucet!
You might be thinking “that doesn’t look like a bathroom faucet!” And you might be right…however when you design your own home…you get to be creative…and when you live with an artist…you get to be even more creative!! So I cannot wait to reveal what is going to happening in my bathroom! But for that…you must wait…
Until then…I’ll be going off grid for a few weeks…the Lord has willed for me to have another surgery on my stomach. So while I rest and recover…THE121 will continue to develop behind the scenes in Ohio!
Prayers appreciated! Thanks for going on the journey with me!
Have you ever heard the phrase “Find your people?” I’m so grateful God has allowed me to Find my people here in PA! It really does take a village sometimes…
Shortly after I closed on the land my people showed up. And boy, did they show up! They showed up to help cut down 18 trees! Not only did they cut them down but they chopped them up and helped stack some of the wood.
Teaberry Acres is completely wooded and well…THE121 needs a place to land. So the clearing has begun and what a glorious sight it was to see the sun shining through…because after all sun 🟰’s solar which 🟰’s energy!!!
So enjoy some pics of my friends doing what they do best, helping.
Elena is a beast! This log was actually quite heavy! Mike and Jim cutting up a very large pine. I love these kids and their servant hearts! Their parents raised them well! TIMBER!!!
Change is happening! A HUGE thank you to those who sacrificed their Saturday to help get Teaberry Acres ready to receive THE121.
Remember my last post when I mentioned I was out “looking” for land and I came across the ‘For sale’ sign? The lady pictured above is the one who demanded encouraged me to take a picture of the sign and call the listing agent…and that’s how it all began!
But seriously Carolyn has been my biggest support from the very beginning. She drove COUNTLESS miles with me alllll across the Back Mountain and beyond and usually along the way she’d tell me a story about so and so who lives there… She knows the area like the back of her hand!
She was also the one who sat in my truck while it was running out of gas so I could hop in my realtors vehicle to “go look” at the property that I now own. She sat in my truck to assure it wouldn’t get stolen, all the while, without concern for her own safety! But if you know Carolyn, you have no doubt she could hold her own with anyone who threatened harm!
Carolyn has taken countless trips with me out to Teaberry acres, offered her vast amounts of knowledge and support, and has dreamed the dream right along side of me. She prayed with me at the property when I committed it to the Lord and has encouraged me beyond measure.
So tonight. Tonight we celebrated. I am a firm believer in celebrating what God has done. We ate and gave thanks for God’s abundant provision.
I want to publicly thank Carolyn for not only housing me for the past year while THE121 was being built but for always walking along side me in what (at times) seemed like such an endless and daunting process!
To know Carolyn, is to love Carolyn and I am grateful.
It started with a blind phone call. I was out “looking” at land and I saw a ‘For Sale’ sign. I snapped a picture of the sign and went on my way.
It wasn’t until several weeks later I called the number on the sign. Turns out the seller was Angie. And it also turns out, the land had already sold.
No big deal though because this stranger offered to show me other properties…but little did she know then that it would be a 7 month process!
Angie spent several Saturdays (and weeknights) In the middle of winter in subzero temperatures driving alllll throughout God knows where showing me property after property. She even came to my rescue when I nearly ran out of gas…that’s a story!
When I say she went above and beyond, I mean it. There were two properties before Teaberry Acres that were under contract. She called zoning boards, she called townships, she fought hard to bring THE121 home! She returned every single phone call and was truly my advocate.
Jehovah Jireh is one of the early names of God. Abraham used it to proclaim that God does indeed provide AND today I can continue to proclaim that God is my Jehovah Jireh!
This afternoon, I was able to close on a beautiful 2 acre piece of property! It is through your prayers and the amazing and diligent work of my realtor (who will have her very own post!) that this part of the journey (that began in October!) came to fruition! What Satan tried to thwart, God got the victory!
The land is covered with 2 acres of teaberries so I didn’t even have to think of a name! These delicious little berries have a wintergreen taste and it’s just another practical visual of how God provides even for the birds (or JB if I get hungry!) and He will always provide for me!
The location will not be disclosed (unless of course you want to come and visit!) for privacy purposes. But enjoy some pictures of God’s beautiful creation at Teaberry acres.
Tiny little pinecones…so cute! My new neighbors! Teaberry leaves. The birds already enjoyed the berries they produced! Wild blueberry bushes getting ready to produce fruit.
It’s an exciting day to celebrate what God has done!
There are so many verses that talk about bringing our requests before the Lord. James tells the readers in 4:2 that we have not because we ask not. Not in a haughty way but with humility. And of course there’s also Matthew 17:20 where Jesus tells his followers if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, the mountain can be moved.
So I’m writing today asking you all to pray that God will move this mountain. What is the mountain you ask? The mountain that stands before me today is the seller of the land that is under contract.
Clearly I can’t go into details but suffice it to say, they have wanted to “play games” for unknown reasons. So will you pray today that God would move in their heart to commit to the agreement they made or accept my counter? Will you pray with me that God would direct and lead as He sees fit and that Satan’s evil schemes would be thwarted?
Thank you and I will keep you posted as God answers!
THE121 