Stepping into the Unknown by Hannah Misir
“…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
My first day at the Freedom Farm Community left me feeling very awkward. I walked in on a group of people working hard in the garden. I had no idea what they were doing. I had never worked in a garden before, but was enthusiastic about getting involved. I thought I was doing a pretty good job tilling the ground until I realized that Bill Byrne was behind me redoing all of my hard work. He patiently explained his method, but for some reason the dirt I was overturning didn’t look as rich as the dirt he was overturning. Then I felt a sting right under my eye. And I felt like the left side of my face was swollen but no one seemed to notice. Turns out that something stung me and yes the whole left side of my face was swollen including my eye. It was so embarrassing, I felt like the hunchback of Notre Dame for the rest of the week. I avoided eye contact with all the mirrors but I noticed that no one at the farm avoided eye contact with me even though I was so scary to look at. Not only that, they were so interested in me and seemed to think I was someone special. I began to realize that the people at the farm did not care what I looked like. Yes, I know – looks don’t matter. But everywhere I’ve lived before I have felt conscious of my outward appearance. For the rest of the summer I went to work without wearing mascara and these other things because I didn’t have to wear makeup to feel beautiful at the farm.
“Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.” 2 Corinthians 9:13
I remember the first day I took out the mower. I was so giddy – I couldn’t believe that I was being trusted with such an expensive piece of equipment. Not to mention I had only ever seen males use it so in my book I was breaking boundaries. It just felt so empowering even though I wasn’t getting anywhere because the mower wasn’t following my command to go straight and just kept jerking back and forth. To make matters worse it ran over a huge blue exercise ball and shredded it to pieces all over the lawn. Even after that they let me use the four-wheeler. It became evident to me that to the people at Freedom Farm these things were just that – things. They really believed that everything at the farm was shared and I was entitled to learn how to use these things regardless of their monetary value. They shared everything with me, their food, clothes, cars, and even their children. It was so freeing to be trusted in that way. I really felt like I was at home. After only a few weeks being there I was giving away things that didn’t even belong to me. Celmali, the summer camp director at Camp Deerpark, used to joke about how she’d never seen anyone come to the farm and leave empty handed. What a blessing it was to give. Throughout the summer we gave away so much produce from the abundance that God had blessed us with. It was a great reward to see the joy children got out of picking vegetables to take back with them to the city. Usually when the adults came to gather vegetables they would reminisce on their days of planting and harvesting. It was so much fun to listen to their stories and know that they were taking more than just vegetables back with them to the city.
Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
Oh the drama! For most girls my age it’s the same thing, boys. My boyfriend of 2 ½ years left me and I was heart broken. The night it all went down I felt like my life had ended. I knocked on Ann’s room and she sat with me all night. She listened to me talk about all the injustice and pain that I felt. To that she spoke words of comfort and reminded me of the promises that God made to me when I became His child. She watched me as I cried and dripped of mucus and she held me and told me that I was going to be alright. The subsequent weeks that followed every time I began to fall into the depths of despair I was encouraged by Edgar, Chris, Ben, and Elke; who shared their stories with me and also spoke words of life. I am so grateful for the friends I found in the community and have never felt so loved by a community before. Even though I no longer live at the farm, the support and love is just as strong. My mother is very ill and it has been difficult for me but the community is constantly checking up on me, encouraging, and praying for me and my family.
He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. Isaiah 30:23
I praise God for bringing me to Freedom Farm Community. I know that God is the center of the ministry of Freedom Farm Community. And because of that it will prosper.
