LOOKING BACK....
Well, I really should have started these blog years ago, but since I didn't I will do a quick catch up blog. Ever since we came back to Florida from our brief 2 years in Michigan at Uncle John's Cider Mill, we knew that Lakeland was just temporary. (Turns out temporary was 7 years!!) We purchased a home is a lovely neighborhood near great schools, but it was NOTHING to look at inside. Jeff and I began improving this house, we added a pool, added a pool door, re-modeled bathrooms, added new carpet, tile, laminate floors and last but not least re-modeled the kitchen with all new appliances. God gifted Jeff with SO many talents, (and a great Dad that taught him worlds of things!) that he can do anything! And what he can't do he taught himself!
Looking back now I know why God put us in Lakeland. I was blessed to be a stay-home-mom, blessed to be near my family, blessed to make great new friends, blessed to be near one of my dearest friends, Paula; and blessed to attend the BEST church in Florida, Family Worship Center!! I have always believed in God, ever since I can remember; but in the past 7 years, I have grown SO much in my relationship with God, I have learned SO much!
Jeff wanted to move YEARS ago, but I did not want to move our three girls again so soon. I did not want to move Becka during high school, so Jeff agreed to stay till she finished HS. She graduated in 2010 and we finished the kitchen re-model that same year. It took us a little longer to do house clean-outs, rent s storage building, get the outside of the house painted, etc., before we finally put the house on the market April 2011!! Yeah, we thought we were on our way!
Since 2008, we had made a few trips looking for our perfect farm in either KY, NC, TN or North GA. The mountains, rolling hills and beautiful streams had always been my FAVORITE place to be. Seeing rolling hills and clear streams just makes my spirit soar!
B4 FARM....
B4 came from our four children, who's names all start with the letter "B", Brian, Becka, Bailey and Blake. Jeff started putting computers together and built one for us over 13 years ago, he also put one together for my Mom and Dad, he took a little picture of a bumble bee and put it to the 4th power, for all four children; he would put it on these computers he was building, and so the B4 name was born!
About 2009, God began to work in us....our want for a farm was turning into something BIG! Jeff wanted to raise bees and sell the honey. From there it went to, we could sell the bees wax and make candels and add other things and have a gift shop....well I was all over that idea!! We had known, since we started looking for a farm that it would be the B4 Farm.
FAITH PUT INTO ACTION.....
As we grew in God and learned that you had to put your faith in action, we decided to have shirts printed up with our B4 Farm logo on them. We would talk and plan for hours on our B4 Farm, we would get SO excited planning a God centered, family friendly place that people could come to and feel the peace of God! I think it was in 2010 we started a web page for our farm. We now even have business cards printed up.....no address on them yet, but we have them!
THE PERFECT NUMBER...7...
In March, 2012, we finally sold our house, it took a little over 10 months, but we sold it to the right couple, a very sweet Christian couple with an adorable baby. When we closed on this house we had been there exactly 7 years, to the month! In the Bible 7 is the complete perfect number....so everything is in God's timing!
In the natural we lost LOTS of money on this house because of all the updates we did, but we did not ask God if we were supposed to do the updates....HGTV said that we should, so we did! But MY GOD WILL SUPPLY ALL MY NEEDS!
THOUGHT WE WERE GONE......
We thought that as soon as we closed on our house we were off to find our B4 Farm! But when Jeff went to his boss and asked to take his job with him for a while and work from out of state, they did not think that that was such a great idea. (Jeff programs computers, so he can do it remotely from anywhere) His boss wanted him to stay around for 3 months and train his replacement. That was a little disapointing, but he agreed to it.
That brings us up to date of where we are now....in a little appartment in Lakeland, on hold.
THE RIGHT PLACE......
I spend most of my day on the internet looking for property. Years ago when I started this, I printed out maps of KY, NC, TN and North GA and put all the RHEMA churches on them. When I find property that I like, I look to see if there if a RHEMA church within driving distance, if not....then I don't keep it.
We know if we find the church that we are supposed to be at, then we will find the right property and prosper!