Paradise Falls Farm is a North American training location for Equipping Farmers International, and with the Lord’s provision I am the North American Regional Director for Equipping Farmers International. With these blog posts I will keep you up to date on both, the farm and EFI because they do go hand in hand. This blog post / newsletter has been weeks in the making. I have written and rewritten in several times. Thank you for your patience and understanding as I stumble into a new type of work.
If you are new to EFI and don’t know what it is, please take a few moments to watch this YouTube video. It explains it well. This is video is the reason I am working with EFI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp_344-ojGU
We held our Fall Equipping Farmers International ICCA trainings on the farm this past weekend. These are hybrid trainings designed with working people in mind. The training takes place over 2 weekends. One weekend is on-line through Zoom. Most of the classroom topics are covered during that Zoom call. The in-person, hands on teaching is taught at our farm here in Baltimore, a farm in TN as well as FL. This is in hopes to make the training more accessible, we are hoping to continue to expand those in-person locations. If you are interested in hosting, please reach out to me.
Preparing the farm for the training brings me joy. I know it is horrible to say out loud, but you always get more done on your to-do list when you are preparing for company. It is a beautiful thing! My family has been very supportive in helping to get the farm ready and were even more of a help making meals and hosting while I taught.
A huge prayer request we have is for the Lord to show us a housing solution for when people visit the farm. We do not have the room in our house to have people stay with us, and hotels seem so far and expensive. The training experience is a lot like a retreat. The community that happens around the table and the bonfire has so much value. When people have to leave to go to a hotel room, we loose some of that. I am open to suggestions and praying for discernment.
At this moment all of my North American Regional Director work, I do as a volunteer. My position is not compensated yet, I am raising support. Right now the support I raise goes towards my travel expenses. Some generous partners have supported me so that I am able to go teach the training in Florida.
I am currently raising support to travel to Birmingham, AL to do some networking and meet people who might be interested in hosting or attending a training. As support increases, I am hoping to travel to more churches and do more trainings/ talks.
If you are interested in supporting the work I am doing with EFI, thank you and this link will make that possible. Give to support Lavender with Equipping Farmers Int.
On the Farm
On the farm we are winding down Summer and preparing for the next season. the baby goats are gone till next spring. This fall the farm is welcoming turkeys, 2 pigs and chickens. The farm is a constant dance. Every part is connected to the next. There is a balance that has to be maintained. We were hoping to downsize the animals on the farm, however, when we do, we find that we are out of balance. Making cheese for example gives us a byproduct of whey. We use some whey to make bread, but is more than we can use and we would rather feed it to pigs than have it go to waste. We feel out of balance, not having pigs, while we are making cheese.
Trying to farm in a way that stewards all that the Lord has given us, shows us the next steps in our dance. Cleaning the chicken coops, is needed for compost. Trimming trees and weeding garden beds are also a blessing for compost. The goats straw provides mulch for the heavy feeders like corn. Whey to pigs, veggie scraps to pigs and chickens. They are all connected. EFI has taught me to look at the “waste” on the farm differently. God provides so much of what we need. We are trying to make this a heart posture on the farm.
Coming out of the garden right now is: Chard, tomatoes, basil, green beans, corn, lemon balm, mint, potatoes, peppers, okra, and elderberries. We have goats in milk and chickens are laying eggs.
Our favorite in season breakfast right now is chard and goat cheese omelette with seasoned potatoes.
