Every table tells a story....
As I sit here a few weeks before Thanksgiving, I was taken back to November of 2016 to a moment in time where our family sat around the table to share ideas and plans for the future of The Farm. I think about this time of year and how many people have memories around their tables, sometimes good and sometimes not, but they are memories that shape who we are and who we become. This table here, is filled with history. My Mom and Grandmothers china, apple dumplings that my Grandmother Meyers made back in the day and a beautiful table made by my Father-in-Law from the old barn wood that we took down when we restored the barn. At that time, none of us knew what the future held, but from this moment forward my family walked beside me every step of the way with God directing my steps. He had planted a seed, that I could not stop thinking about, weddings in the barn.
Our Apple Dumpling Dinner at The Farm in November of 2016 - The year the Amish Crew starting renovating The Barn.
A special thank you to Stacy Salvatori Photography for capturing this special memory.
As I sit here a few weeks before Thanksgiving, I was taken back to November of 2016 , a moment in time where our family sat around the table to share ideas and plans for the future of The Farm. I think about this time of year and how many people have memories around their tables, sometimes good and sometimes not, but they are memories that shape who we are and who we become. The table pictured here, is filled with history. My Mom and Grandmothers china, delicious apple dumplings from my Grandmother Meyers recipe dating back to the 1950’s and a beautiful table made by my Father-in-Law from the old 1800’s barn wood that we took down when we restored the barn. At that time, none of us knew what the future held, but from this moment forward my family walked beside me every step of the way with God directing my steps. He had planted a seed, that I could not stop thinking about, weddings in the barn.
They all sat beside me at this table and many others to listen to the thoughts and ideas that I had for The Farm. They never once doubted me, they never once challenged me, even when I may have gotten it wrong, they just kept coming along side of me and helping me every step of the way. I’m filled with more gratitude that I can even share for these amazing people that I get to call my family. Gratitude by definition is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” I wish in my heart that each one of them knew just how thankful I am. My husband, my children, my in-laws and my Dad live here at The Farm and all play an active role in supporting this family business. I can truly say that its only through God’s love and grace that we care for each other so deeply. Even though most of the work that they do is behind the scenes, they are truly one one of the main reasons the Farm is such a special place.
So many people thought we were absolutely crazy, but somewhere deep in my heart I knew that God was paving the way to use this beautiful farm for His glory. So today, and everyday moving forward, I thank God for all that He has done here. From the people that He has brought here and the people that He has taken away, this small business has challenged my faith in more ways than I can even share, but I’m beyond grateful for each experience. We are humbled and grateful with each passing day. To be able to continue a piece of my families heritage with the bakery, while getting to serve couples on their Wedding Day, its truly a dream job come true. It warms my heart to think of all of the memories shared around the many tables here each and every weekend. To this day, people always ask me, “I’m not sure what it is, but this place is just so beautiful and peaceful.” I can only say it’s the Lord, “Then you will know that I, the Lord your God dwell in Zion…”. Joel 3:17. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we live on Zion Hill Rd.
We hope and pray that in the chaos of the world, that you find light in the darkness. That you spend time with those you love, sitting around the table and being present in the moment.
In our family, its ok to just have Apple Dumplings for dinner! So I would encourage you all, to start a new tradition this year and try some for dinner or order some amazing pies to create the sweet ending to your gatherings this holiday seaon. You will not be disappointed.
With much love and sincere gratitude,
Becca Lynde
Order your Thanksgiving Desserts by emailing
bakery@thefarmbakeryandevents.com
or clicking the menu below.
“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
and His faithfulness to all generations.”
Psalm 100: 1-5
A bump in Our journey......
The past couple of weeks at "The Farm" have surely been a whirlwind! Between the Barn renovation and the Bakery orders we have been beyond busy. Its been exciting, tiring and fun all in one. The builders are working tirelessly to restore the barn to its glory and these past couple of weeks they have started adding in the windows and some of the siding.
The past couple of weeks at "The Farm" have surely been a whirlwind! Between the Barn renovation and the Bakery orders we have been beyond busy. Its been exciting, tiring, and fun all in one. The builders are working tirelessly to restore the barn to its glory. The past couple of weeks they have started installing in the windows and some of the siding. However, after the first windows were added we realized that they were too big for the spots in between the beams and they ended up cutting some of the beams to make the windows fit. YIKES!!! After taking a look at the end result, we knew we had to go back and fix them. We are very passionate about restoring the Barn, but we also want to keep the integrity of The Barn, including the BIG Beams that make it so fantastic. Its hard to imagine that these beams and the structure of the Barn were built almost 200 years ago. The good news is they have now fixed the beams and we have come up with a solution to ensure the rest of the other beams stay in tact.
The builders were also able to replace one of the big corner beams that had started to rot because of the previous holes in the roof. Its huge and its amazing to see how they can take out the old and replace it with a new huge beam that will provide the support and structure to hopefully keep this barn standing for another 200 years.
We continue to be excited and continue to put all of our faith and trust in God every step of the way. When you go through a renovation of this size there will always be bumps in the road that can cause stress and worry. On Wednesday morning this past week around 7am, my father, Chris and I all joined hands in the Barn and prayed for peace and comfort as well as guidance to get us through the rest of this project. Only God can take all of those fears and worries away and give you a peace that surpasses all understanding. We are trusting God with every bump that may arise.
Until next time,
Chris & Becca
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:4-7
The "New" Roof is on......
It is truly amazing to watch these hard-working Amish gentlemen take the barn down piece by piece and then re-build it. They started with the roof. Their goal is to remove the old roof, reinforce the rafters and then put the new roof back on as quickly as possible to protect the structure and wood on the interior of the barn. We have been praying daily over all of these men to keep them safe, especially with how high the barn roof is, its actually kind of scary to watch. The project was started a little over a week ago and the roof is completely finished! It really looks amazing and had we not started this renovation I'm not quite sure how much longer that old roof would have lasted. There were actually two layers that needed to be removed, the old first shingle layer and then someone years ago must of repaired the roof by just placing slate shingles over top. The weight of the roof was so heavy that some of the rafters and beams had started to bend. They were able fix all of the issues and the roof looks amazing.
We still have a long way to go, but it's really exciting to see the progress!! I cannot wait to see the new windows and big barn doors that will go in to add some light on the inside and make "The Barn" a really special place to host a wedding or event! Here are some of the pictures so far! Make sure to sign up for our Newsletter for our weekly updates on "The Barn" renovation!! Check out this sneak peak on what the future holds.
One last thing, my Dad heard that every barn has a coin that is put in when it was originally built. We are still looking for the coin in hopes to find the exact year that the barn was built. Has anyone else heard this? When we asked our Amish builders they had not heard of it before, but we are still hopeful.
We continue to trust God every step of the way!!!
-Chris & Becca
"We live by faith, not by sight."
2 Corinthians 5:7
We are not looking back.....
Today is filled with so many emotions. The past couple of months have surely been a whirlwind with bringing back our little family bakery, to today as the barn renovations begin.
Today is filled with so many emotions. The past couple of months have surely been a whirlwind with bringing back our little family bakery, to today as the barn renovations begin. I came back from the gym and just walked around the barn, looking at all of the little details. It is truly amazing that this barn is still standing since it was built in the early 1800's. I wish the walls could share all of the history with us. We actually have a piece of old barn wood in our bedroom that has the date on it 98', with a bunch of initials carved in. It must be 1898, because if it was 1998 it would have been my brother and I.
I have so many memories of playing in the barn as a child. All the laughter, the exploration of all of the junk in there always hoping to find a hidden treasure. I cannot tell you how many times I climbed up this ladder as a child when we were playing hide-n-seek or just chasing kittens in the barn.
Chris and I have been asking ourselves over the past couple of weeks, are we crazy for doing all of this? But somehow I keep hearing Gods voice of peace and comfort to keep taking that next step. So today, its official, we have our permit and the renovation begins. I cannot wait to watch the transformation and see how Chris our Amish friend, will work throughout this project. His timeline is 4-6 weeks, WOW!!!
We hope you will join us in our journey of the transformation of The Barn. Our hope is it will be ready by the Spring of 2017 for Weddings and Special Events. Be sure to join us for our Blog updates and let your friends know to join too. We will be hosting a contest in the very near future to win a "Free" Wedding at The Barn!
Warmly,
Chris & Becca
