by MelissaI wanted more information about what exactly is being grown and Dad said to talk to Pavlina and Wes. Pavlina Davis is one of the members of the board and is overseeing much of the actual labor at the farm. So, at the time of writing, we have had one market and are selling many kinds of potted herbs, such as oregano, marjoram, thyme, parsley, cilantro, fennel, sage and many varieties of basil, to name a few. We also have many potted flowers and hanging plants, as well as tomato and pepper plants. Pavlina and her helpers are also harvesting greens - several varieties of lettuces and spinach type greens. She told me that market has gone very well. For instance, 22 baskets of flowers were sold one Saturday and 26 the next. All this is also being sold at the First Fruits store. In regard to the field, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beets and carrots have been planted. By the time you read this, the direct seed planting in the field like swiss chard, zucchini, winter squash, melons, green beans and cucumbers will be done, as well as transplanting tomatoes and peppers. Most of these crops are also sowed in several plantings, in order to have ongoing fresh, ripe fruit.
Microgreens
Lettuces growing in the hoophouse
The number of lettuces and potted plants had not been reduced for this year, just the field crops, so Pavlina is feeling the pressure of much work that has to be done. But, she told me that the Lord spoke to her at the beginning of the season as she was seeking His face about this year on the farm. He told her how much should be planted and others came and suggested the same thing. God showed her the story of the boy who came with the five loaves and two fishes that Jesus multiplied to feed the 5,000. She said that God told her that the time will come when God will pour manna out of heaven for His people to eat, but until then, He needs something to multiply - thus her work on the farm must continue. As in the natural, so in the spiritual. She said that the gospel of the Kingdom must still be preached. God will save people without anyone ever preaching to them, but we must also continue to preach the gospel, so that He will begin to multiply it. She said, "I am pouring what I can into this season, so that God can multiply it." I thought of the Philippines as she was telling me this and how the labor that has been put into the gospel of the Kingdom in that country is expanding and people there are excited about it!
In regard to Pavlina’s work, she related a story of how a couple weeks ago, we desperately needed to get some things planted in the field, but it was too wet. Finally, it dried enough and then there was no one to do it. So she wanted to call Bibi and ask her to come but Bibi had already worked two days that week and Pavlina didn’t want to ask her again. So she went out to the farm and Bibi just showed up out there and said, "Do you need any help today?" Pavlina said, "It was incredible. I was so blessed that God thinks even about these little things that seem insignificant." Pavlina also asked God, "Could you please send someone to help me?" One day, someone called her and said that they had gotten a new ironing board and did she need any ironing done? Also, on the 12th, Johanna will be staying with the Davises while her parents are in Czech, so Pavlina is so blessed by the help she is going to be!
Weeding the lettuces in the hoophouse
Getting ready to plant carrots
I happened to talk to Pavlina on a day that five of the men from Jesus is the Way Prison Ministries had come to help at the farm. You may remember this is the organization that Brother Peter Schneider is involved with. Pavlina was so excited about it. She said, "The guys from Jesus is the Way were great! They got so much work done and in just a couple hours. Their attitude was awesome!" She said they did a lot of cleaning up in the fields and even laid some flat stone for a path between a couple of the greenhouses. This is so neat to me, personally, to see an example of ministries involving separate individuals begin to meld together and complement each other. Pavlina told me that the men were so happy to be doing the work. One even commented that he felt like he was really doing something meaningful.
I spoke to Wesley Schell about his involvement in the farm this year. He, too, expressed how much the Jesus is the Way guys have helped, especially in the more physical work. They have been doing much clean up around the farm. In addition, several people in the fellowship have been out helping with whatever needs to be done. Some of the children have helped plant in the field and others have done weeding and other jobs around the farm. I went out on a Saturday and my children helped clean up some rocks in the field. They had a great time because they got to ride in the trailer! I planted two beds of carrots and it was fun. I really enjoy being out in the sunshine and the breeze, getting my hands in the dirt. I was aware of the opportunity to be able to ask the Lord to bless every seed that went into the ground and that it would sprout and grow and bless somebody when it had matured and was ready to be eaten.
Working on the watering system
Wes is responsible for the field planting and maintenance. He has taken up the baton and put his hand to the plow! He told me that at the beginning of the Spring, they first had to go through the equipment on the farm, find out what worked and what needed repair. They found out that the disk, which is older, didn’t work. This is a big issue. Wes said that you can’t do anything without first disking the dirt. They weren’t sure whether to rent one, buy a new one or fix the one they had! But Barak found one place that sold the parts they needed and ordered them. When they came, Barak fixed the disk in about two days. Now, previous to this, it had rained off and on and been very wet for about two weeks. The disk was fixed on a Friday, after about three dry days, and Wes spent all that day disking the fields. The disk worked great! The next day, he rented the special equipment to plant oats and alfalfa and spent all day planting. The next day it rained again. And it rained for a few more days! He was so glad for the window of opportunity that the Lord made because after that it would have been too late to plant oats and alfalfa. The rest of the fields will be planted in buckwheat around the end of May or beginning of June.
Going back to when I listened to Dad talk about the farm and the work and everything involved in it, I asked him, "What is the purpose of continuing the farm at this point?"
He answered that we must have a vision for the farm that goes way beyond just growing and selling. Selling produce is necessary right now in order to pay for the supplies and equipment to run the farm. But we see it as an opportunity for believers here and coming from anywhere else to honor God, to learn how to work together as a body, to develop godly character, and a place to provide teaching about sustainable agriculture. He further said that we believe God has given us the land. It has been improved over the last 15 years or so, so that it is chemical free - the soil is good. We need to preserve the quality of the land and be good stewards of what God has given. We believe that hard times are coming and the whole concept of the ministry of this fellowship and the building is that it will be a place of refuge. Having food to eat is a major part of that. We desire to share produce with needy people, maybe in the church, as well as any out there who are less fortunate than we are. Of course, there are many ideas for the future, too, like raising goats or cattle. We want to have a sustainable farm and that includes saving our own seeds. Another vision for the farm is to teach the children about growing things and give them the opportunity to have an entrepreneur type experience. In fact, there will be a special section of dirt this year especially for the children to plant things and take care of them. There will be practical ways to exercise the gifts God has given us individually and be encouraged in those gifts. Dad said, "We are inviting brethren to join in the farm work. If you feel God wants you to be a part, then come. We want to encourage the gifts and talents that you have if you want to be a part." To sum this up, the farm needs to be done on principle, not on profit, and the Word of God gives us those principles. If we do what is right before God, He will supply the people and the funds.
Some of the children help clear rocks
Volunteer help watering the raised beds
We would appreciate your prayers for everyone involved with the farm. Please consider before the Lord what your part might be - monetarily or otherwise. I look forward to sharing with you in the future what is happening here in Mahomet, out in that wonderful dirt on the farm!
Bagging broccoli and cauliflower 
Bibi comes out to the farm every Friday and one of her specialties is picking the edible flowers - right now there are pansies and calendula. She picks the perfect looking ones and packages them in clear containers. The bright colors look beautiful. I could just see them decorating someone’s gourmet salad or topping a cake!
Stacy recently planted the fall mums in pots. Her girls and my girls helped put dirt in the pots and then put the plants in. These mums will grow in the greenhouse all summer and be those gorgeous flowers we see in the fall. They weren’t looking very good last week and Pavlina found out that mums don’t like their leaves to get wet when they are watered, so she has been careful to water only the dirt. We are learning things all the time about plants and their certain preferences!
They also toured the fields and saw the rows of broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, etc. They saw how broccoli grows. Pavlina said that the kids were so interested and it was fun to show them how these foods they eat actually grow. They were very impressed. They got to plant some green beans out there in the dirt. The beans are planted in black plastic, so the kids were shown how to poke a hole in the plastic and push the seed down into the dirt. It was interesting to end up with crooked rows and holes in all these different places in the plastic. But the kids had fun! Each one got a cup of dirt to pour a little over the bean seed they planted, then were given a seed to plant in their cup to take home. They also got a little chocolate for a reward for helping plant. The littler ones were so cute, Pavlina said. One little girl asked, "May I please have one for my sister?" Then all the kids began to ask for one for their sister or brother and one piped up and said, "May I have one for my aunt?" They saw how a rototiller works and how it is used for tearing up weeds in between the rows and the different pieces of equipment for farming. They saw the children’s garden, too. After that, they left on the bus. The following Saturday, Pavlina said one of the mothers came to market and said that her daughter told her everything about the farm - and the daughter had been one of the quietest kids.
The upper greenhouse