JEAN'S ON HELPING OTHERS

While Kevin and Bridget are away Old Order Mennonite will be at their farm milking the cows, collecting the eggs, feeding the animals, plowing their field and planting done.  Even Bridget's garden has been planted and flowers planted where she wanted them.  When they arrive home, it will be like they hadn't left.  We ladies have gone over and cleaned their house from top to bottom.  Also, there will be meals done and some in the freezer.  Baked goods will be there.  Even groceries will have been purchased for them. Martha sold some of their eggs at her roadside stand and will give them the money when they return.

As Joseph and Martha had three son's in Oklahoma, we also helped them with milking, plowing, planting and more.  Work doesn't stop because three of their children are doing service.  Many people have set their work aside to help all of them because they needed it.  When they are not needed anymore they take care of their own work on their farms.

When we help someone, we do not ask for payment.  Our way is that we are to serve others.  Others come first.  It is nice to know if we needed help, people would come and help us.

It is our way that the husband is head of the household and supports the family. So they usually have two different jobs or more.  Like David's a farmer, he also makes wood furniture and does home remodeling during the winter.  He also started skinning, slicing and packing deer for hunters which leads to the thing he likes best on our property.  What came with our farm is a section of one of the barns that is set up for slaughtering, skinning, slicing and packing.  David's favorite in there is the walk in freezer.  Since the place in town that did slaughtering and food storage went out of business the former owner of our farm had been slaughtering and storing meat for people.  We sent letters to the people that have meat stored letting them know we are the new owners.  David really likes that freezer.  It opens from both the inside and outside-so you can't get locked in there.

Kevin is trying to decide what other jobs he would like.  He is a farmer, but also repairs equipment, washers, dryers and horse buggy repairs.  When one of our tractors had problems we couldn't fix -we called Kevin who came out and repaired it.  He is not into construction, taking things apart, repairing them and putting them back together is what he likes.

One of Kevin's friends mentioned that Kevin would like one end of his barn set up where he could do repairs for people.  Martha and Joseph came up with Kevin's plans, so David and some of the other men got together and did over that part of the barn.  Another of the men had retired  and turned the farm over to his son.  He had a flatbed wagon that his son had no use for so he was giving it to Kevin in case Kevin had to bring any item back to his shop for repair. Some of the men sanded the wagon down and refinished it.  The men also put a sign on the shop door that say's Kevin's Repair Shop.   The sign can be taken off in case Kevin wants to change the shop's name.

Kevin, Bridget and his brother's should be home from Oklahoma, tomorrow.  He will have a surprise when he goes to his barn.  I want to get one of them to do a post on Oklahoma here.

Also, my Grandmother, would like to do posts on canning vegetables, fruits, jelly, jams, meats and more.  She thinks it will take a whole week to do it, so she has been offered three different weeks and still hasn't picked one.

Be With God,
Jean