With the arrival of 2014 we have reconvened our Journey with Sowers Ministry. We arrived at Pioneer Village, located in central Florida just outside of the town of Wauchula, on Saturday January 11th.
The village is a 25 acre farm that serves as an oasis of God's creation for families who's lives have been broken by destructive lifestyles. www.pioneervillagewauchula.com
The farm is an integral part of recovery for men and women who commit to a one year program aimed at breaking the bondage of past sin and equipping them to resume life in the victory of Christ.
The farm is an extension of Lydia's House http://lydias-house.com/ and The Mercies of David http://www.merciesofdavid.com which are the group homes for the ladies and men. These homes and the farm are the vision of Sherry White and her husband Mark.
Sherry envisioned a late 1800's village for weekly family visits to begin the process of rebuilding relationships. A safe and fun place that would have a general store and farm animals that moms, dads, and children could interact with. Chickens, rabbits, goats, buggy rides and a Family Center for fellowship dinners and events. It would have some cabins for overnight stays and a fishing pond.
Well the vision is coming together. The animals are here, the Family Center is built, the first cabin is almost complete, and the pond is ready for fishin.
The farm is also used to grow produce for consumption by the folks in the recovery program. The ladies are canning many varieties of vegetables as they ripen. There are shelves loaded with jars of pickles, corn, tomatoes, beans, okra, peppers. This is Florida and the growing season continues on. Mark was tilling new beds today getting ready for a new crop of produce.
Our Sower partners on this project are Reta and Vernon Esch from Lancaster PA. They have been sowers for eleven years and do 4 to 6 projects each year. They served at Sandy Cove a few years ago and have also served with Doris and Frank Hutchison, the couple we were with at Sandy Cove in September. This is their second time serving at Pioneer Village.
Jane and Reta are working in the Thrift Store the ministry operates in the town of Wachula, which is about 5 miles from the farm. Today, Monday the 13th, is our first day of work. Vernon and I are building some racks for storing rakes and shovels, etc. in one of the outbuildings. Mark has a laundry list of projects for us to do over the next three weeks. They sure appreciate the help the Sower teams provide.
We enjoyed attending the Worship service held in the Family Center on Sunday. The ladies shared praise music and one of the staff, Rita, shared about her own journey over the past year, as Sunday was the first anniversary of her stepping out by faith to serve the ministry full time. Her story was a fresh reminder of God's faithfulness.
We appreciate your continued prayers for safety as we work here. Also my lower back has been acting up for several months and I covet your prayers for God's sustaining power.
We are a little under two hours from Rachel and Mark in Bonita Springs. We plan on visiting them on the weekends. Rachel is due to deliver our second grandson on January 21st. Your prayers for her are appreciated as well.
Thanks again for joining us in the Journey.
Godspeed, Glenn and Jane
PS
At our last project our Sower partner Doris was hospitalized with pancreatitis. We are glad to report that she is fully recovered. We had dinner with Doris and Frank, along with other Sower couples that are serving at projects that are near ours around Lake Wales.
