The latest from the homestead

Unconventional. God often works in unconventional ways. He told Noah to build a boat when no rain had ever fallen. It took Noah 120 years. He told Abram to move with his family and all his belongings but didn’t give him a location. Abram packed up and started going. Can you imagine him telling his wife: “We’re moving.” 

Sari: “Where are we going?”

“I don’t know. God just told us to move.” 

There is a choice there: Do what God has told you to do or follow the world’s advice of doing what makes sense in our human understanding.

As I reflect on not only this last year but the last 20 years, I too see God’s unconventional workings in our lives, as we make plans to move away from the community that we have lived in since 2004. I started working in the equestrian program at Camp Redcloud the fall of 2004, met Jordan there in 2009, we got married in 2010, had our first 3 babies from 2011 - 2014. Jordan started working for the sheriff’s office in 2012. 

Redcloud sold and closed in 2014, which happens to be the same year that we got the call to go work in Russia. We raised support and managed to get there within the next year. It’s still a miracle that happened so quickly. The next three years were filled with language learning, cultural changes and the joy of seeing that family and friends are just as important in other cultures, maybe even more so, as they are in America. Heartache hit, we had to leave Russia. 

We loved it there, had our 4th kid there and we were committed to staying there forever. We left not knowing where we were going, where we were living or what job Jordan was going to. God told Jordan to resign from our mission organization. But, God, that’s our source of income, how are we to live? We don’t even have a home! We obeyed. The next day Jordan received a message: we have an opening for a deputy position here in Hinsdale county. We’d like you to come back! So, we moved back and God provided housing again miraculously in that little valley. We came back to the same community that we had thought we’d left for good. 

We purchased our first home, had our last baby and then tragedy hit again. Jordan’s dad passed away. That opened up more heartache and struggle as we navigated what this meant for our family and his mom. She needed a place to stay that was her’s, separate from our home, but close so she had company and family at her fingertips. Once again, God miraculously provided the perfect home with an above garage apartment that we affectionately called Pop’s and Nana’s Cabin. It was a perfect setup. We acquired sheep, moved our chickens, and was given an old camp horse that we will keep until she passes. Turkeys were our next adventure, a little mustang off the Mesa Verde National Park and then a donkey for Nana. 

Life was looking up. We still had ups and downs, but God continued to show His faithfulness to us. This summer we were once again faced with heartache. Turmoil, descension and unfortunately bitterness that drove people to not communicate and hold fear in their hearts and minds, within the sheriff’s office and community. Jordan felt it was wiser for him to completely step away and remove himself when the sheriff decided to step down. We had a couple of months where we were praying about whether Jordan should run for sheriff or not. God had given him a vision for the office and a passion to care for the community as a peace officer. We ran a clean campaign and thought for sure he would win. Unfortunately, or fortunately, he lost. In the moment it was devastating as this signaled for us that God was moving us away from this community, to minister and work in another. The upside is that we wouldn’t be packing our lives up in 12 suitcases and traveling halfway around the world with no home to call our own. God continues to be faithful and we are excited to say that he has found a job! It is taking us completely away from this community, but God doesn’t need us here anymore. He is calling us to serve elsewhere. We will miss our friends and will continue to pray for the people of Hinsdale county. 

Let’s chat about effects of white processed flour. This is the most common flour that baked goods are made with. The problem with flours like this are that they have been stripped of any nutrients. This means when you eat it, your body literally can do nothing helpful with it. So, why yes it tastes amazing it does nothing for you. 

Here is what I’d like everyone to do. Take an introspective look at why you eat what you eat. There is a saying: Eat to live, don’t live to eat. Something to consider, especially as we head into the holiday season. Why are we gorging ourselves on empty calories? Because of the habit of doing it on the holiday? Because the foods that are served aren’t normally served the rest of the year and you want to get your fix and a lot of it? Take some time and dwell on why you choose to eat what you eat. Some of us are working to eat, to fuel our bodies for the long term. If you’re like me though you are still asking yourself what can better? Can I have a little bit of some of those sweets and feel ok in the morning? What is my limit and how much will it set me back? This sets me up for success so that even if I do eat a sweet treat, I plan for just a bite or two and I go for what I KNOW will be amazing! I use to eat the sweet thing I got because I got it and how rude of me to choose to not eat it. Now I know better. If I’m not thrilled with it, why am I forcing myself to finish it. It’s like staying in a bad relationship because you kind of like it in the short term, but long term it does nothing for you. 

The same is true in our spiritual lives as well. It always good to stay in connection with the Holy Spirit, asking what should I do different? What is encouraging is that the Holy Spirit will let us know if we are in constant communication with Him. Simplistically, read the Bible, prayer and fellowship. 

As we get ready for the Thanksgiving holiday week, let’s also reflect on our blessings, our wins with gut management and the fact that there is not failure, there is only the lessons learned and the next step. A great essential oil to use when doing this is Gathering. Place a drop in your hands and inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Do this 3 times and reminisce on the blessings God has provided, thanking Him for them. 

I started my hunting season with high hopes of tagging out the first morning. We had seen elk in our spot second season and there is almost always elk in there. I had no doubt I’d be bagging one the first day. Well, God had other plans. 

I taped my toe to my other toe, had my ridged shoe insert in my winter boot and was ready to go. I knew it’d be slower going as I navigated that healing broken toe. The doctor had warned: You can hunt, but if you dislodge that bone you’ll be looking at surgery. I took what he said seriously, but we also needed to fill our freezer. So, off I went on my first morning hunt. It was cold, about 8 degrees, with real feel about 1. I’m no stranger to those temperatures hunting and I was hopeful I’d only have to experience it one time. He had other plans. I saw and heard nothing. The rest of the time hunting followed this pattern. It was into day 3 that I started believing I wouldn’t fill my tag, that this season would be like 2021. Where I hiked around for 9 days, hunting morning and evening, coming up with nothing. I mentioned to Jordan that I didn’t think I’d get anything and for some reason I thought this season was only 4 days! It was actually 5. Anyway, he made some calls and I called a friend to see if she would be on call for the kiddos as Jordan was going to go out with me the next morning. We headed out the next morning and found bulls but not cows. We headed home and about mid day got a call that someone found cows! They even offered to tell us where they were. Sometimes as hunters we’re not willing to share where our “spots” are. If you’re a hunter then you know what I’m talking about. So, we swore ourselves to secrecy and headed out. It was an awkward shot and I used way too many bullets to bring her down, which bothers me so much, but God provided the people to guide us to some cows and even a couple extra people to help us pack her straight up a mountain side. It was not an easy pack out but we are no strangers to packing out of hard spots. We were blessed by the works of faith by others and in the same way, we were demonstrating our faith by believing that God would provide. In our actions, even if our heart and mind thought we wouldn’t tag out, we still went out and looked. In that way our works showed we believed. 

Having works to demonstrate our faith can come in a couple of avenues. Demonstrating our faith through caring for others. Not in a check the box kindof way, but in a genuine, I care for this person and want to take care of their needs. Another demonstration of our faith is when we actively trust that God will provide for us through His people. This is when we are on the receiving end of those demonstrations of faith. Yes, it takes faith to receive care from other people. Sometimes our pride of, I can do it myself sneaks into our hearts. Instead of being willing to accept those “works” from other people, we can sometimes think, I’m not in need, I don’t need help from them or, I’m waiting for God to help us. Not realizing it’s that image of people stranded on their house top during a flood and a boat and helicopter come by to save them and they refusing saying, “I’m waiting for God to save me!” Not realizing God is helping you through the use of His people. Do not turn down the help from other people, as this is God’s way of blessing you and in turn they also receive a blessing! Therefore, you are denying them a blessing by turning down their help. Whew! It can be so hard but I’m sure if you reminisce, as I have done, you can recall when you have not only been on the receiving end of help but also the blessing of the giver. God supplies us with exactly what we need when we need it. Wait on Him. 

How have you received blessing or demonstrated your faith by caring for others and in turn receiving a blessing yourself?

Also, one final parting gift, there are some products I use that help me through strenuous physical activity. I don’t know about you but I don’t hike 4-6 miles straight up and back down mountains everyday. I’m pretty active but not that active. So, my body needs some extra help and the products I use are as follows: Aminowise - Muscle recovery powder, BLM - bones, ligaments and muscles supplement. I actually take this everyday, but up to twice a day during strenuous activity, Deep Relief roll-on - for those sore muscles after the fact, Cool Azul Sports Gel - another product for muscle recovery, and Thieves Vitality essential oil - this went in my hot water with honey to sip on, in the cold, while waiting for the elk. Boosts your immune response. Here is a link to those products: Hunting essentials

I had horrible allergies as a kid. A few times I even had an anaphylactic reaction and was put on a Benadryl drip. Another time I received epinephrine. That is something I NEVER want to experience again. I was told that if I felt a reaction coming on that I should take 3-4 Benadryl right away. Yes, you read that correctly. That was from a doctor because my reactions were so bad and all we knew is that I was allergic to trees and grasses. Later we found out I was also allergic to pork. I took a daily allergy tablet and we thought I would live with this for the rest of my life. Fast forward to when my sister and I were officially out of the house; my mom discovered essential oils. She shared them with my sister and I. We used them off and on but not on a regular basis. 

However, this is what propelled us into the world of natural medicine. I watched my mom change her diet, not consuming any flour (including nut flours or seed flours) or any sugars (not even honey or maple syrup!). I decided to follow suit as I could see a huge difference in her health after she did that. That is what started healing my gut, even though I had no idea that is what was happening, and eventually I noticed I did not have the post nasal drip and the constant feeling of gunk in the back of my throat! What an amazing transformation for me too! At this same time I also started using essential oils and essential infused products on a regular basis (Young Living brand) and that contributed to the healing process of my gut. This is only a piece of my story with this amazing products but this is the brand I know and trust because I’ve been using it for coming up on 9 years! Guys, if they weren’t working for my family and I, I wouldn’t use them. Also, if they were too expensive, I would just make them myself. But, this is not the case. 

I would love to know your story about how you started down the path of healing your gut. Please share for everyone to glean from. 

Starting this challenge has seemed to be the best thing for me and hopefully for all of you as well. I know we all have busy lives and can get help and motivation from a myriad of locations. However, I just wanted to say thank you! Thank you for being apart of our group, whether you do this challenge later or live, I appreciate what you bring to the group. We all have our own experiences and backgrounds. Our family currently is in a bit of a quandary as we don't know where we are heading next. Jordan has been applying to different places and one of the places we were hoping for turned him down. This means we will be moving from Lake City in the near future. Even though this definitely throws us into the unknown, the one area where we can stay consistent is with our health and wellness, especially now! Continuing to work on our gut health remains a priority. I hope you will also finish out strong, despite Thanksgiving and then Christmas preparations. Make a plan now to know what supplements you'll take with you for Thanksgivings, what you will choose to eat and what you will avoid. No judgement here! I will more then likely indulge in those pies and breads. But, the following day, my plan is to get back at it. Hope this is encouraging to you and helps you as you plan ahead as well. With that in mind here is some great information on prebiotics vs. probiotics:

You can check out the full facebook post here: Prebiotic vs Probiotic

 

To get the Do The Gut Work wishlist go here: Gut Work Wishlist