An outlet for community

Starting a farm has been one of the best things I’ve ever done…

but not for the reasons you would expect.

When I started the farm, I THOUGHT it would give me an outlet to:

• Work outside in the fresh air, ditching the 9 to 5
• Protect the environment, stewarding my little farm ecosystem the way God intended
• Take control of my food supply, relying less and less on the grocery store
• Benefit my physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing
• Have daily interactions with animals of all kinds, both farm animals and wildlife alike
• Grow pretty food and flowers, getting to enjoy the visual fruits of my labor
• Never be bored due to the endless projects and activities that can come with farm life
• Be a lifelong learner, learning something new every day
• Connect to where my food comes from

While yes, farming has given me an outlet for most of these things at some point, the one thing that’s been increasingly and unwaveringly true, regardless of the seasons or circumstances, has been this:

Through farming at Kingdom Gardens, God has given me an outlet to connect with my community.

From relationships with other farmers to deep friendships with farm customers, I didn’t expect farming to make me feel so at home in my city.

When we moved here, the first thing I did was start the farm. Although we had followed family here, we didn’t have a history in Rock Hill and knew very few people. We hadn’t found a church home yet; we didn’t have friends.

Nearly three years later, I’m still learning my way around town. But what’s so cool is that when we visit new places, I feel like I belong. I run into people I care about, feed, and talk to every Saturday at the market.

I spent my whole childhood moving from place to place, becoming all too familiar with the pains of starting over. The Lord used the farm to ease that transition for me, and for that I’m grateful.