1. Start Saving
As you start your Journey looking for your rural home some people fail to realize the time it can take in finding the “right” home. In communicating with many homesteaders the venture in find the right home can take anywhere from 1 to 5 years (a lot of people including us took around 2 years). In that process I’ve seen many become frustrated and in the mist of frustration blow the money they earn. In this journey of rural living one must remember that the race is not for the swift (Ecclesiastes 9:11). In that process you want to do as much as you can to save as much as you can. We held off on filling taxes (knowing that we will receive refund), structured a budget with lean spending (but flexible for play), and my wife and I had created businesses which the Lord bless well). All these avenues of income not only help to meet down payment but you will find give you surplus to renovate and/or beat down the mortgage a lot sooner than later (Proverbs 22:7)
2. Start Researching and Make A Non-Rush Calculated Decision On Home and Home Type
Finding the right home is not just finding a beautiful house and a nice landscape. There are other things to think about. Here are a list of things we looked at. Hopefully we can go into more details in future article.
Water source (land without a constant water source can be costly to maintain because you will constantly have to ship water to you which can be a challenge during financial challenges. You can find a cheap home with a good price if you diligent in your search)
Good soil for planting
property not on wetland / wild life reserve limits what you can do on the land.
Sex offenders in area(we have kids we need to know)
House off the road secluded (reduces the sphere of influence. see book Country Living by Ellen White )
Low Population sizes of the community
Local hospitals and how far is it from the nearest town
State to live in (Each state have different rules and regulations on subject matters like, childrearing policy i.e. homeschooling, fellowship and congregation guidelines to name a few).
This is only a few of what was on our list. These things give you a perspective on of the new environment you plan to life in.
3. Learn to compromise
I remember speaking with a friend Monet St. Justine from Eden Lifestyle Center when we were discouraged not finding all these tings in our price point he reminded us that we need to pray and let the Lord lead. He reminded “That if you wait till you have everything you want you may never leave. You must let the Lord lead and move forward”. At that point we keep the list but strutted the must haves and made sure that was in our core factor in purchasing the home.
4. Practice the habits you want to have in your country home.
a. There is a sect of people desiring country living treat it like the great release. When I get my country home I will…… I say prepare for the country while your in the city. If you want gardening, garden now. We had a little 3 by 6’ raised bed on the only section of sunlight on our lot. But it was the best gardening lab for me and my children. We learned so much about gardening that when we started working on our 20’ x 21’ Lot it was applying the same principal just on a bigger scale. If you don’t have land volunteer at a community garden or take classes. Go to YouTube university. Whatever it is get the experience now in preparation to where God will take you. If you’re doing it to develop better character start now.
5. Be mentally and spiritually ready before the move
If you wait to have a country home to think you can start now having Christ like character, then you may be sadly disappointed. Seclusion helps, but will not gain you total victory if made It a practice before you get there (Especially in the day and age of internet and Facebook). Lets look at lot for example (Genesis 18 & 19). In Abrahams conversation with God we see that there was an appointed time for Lot and country living. When the angels came to move him to the mountains (rural) he beg the differ because he wasn’t ready yet but asked if he can move to the suburbs (Gen 19: 17-21). Him not being held to the city and never preparing for the move (he should have made in the first place) eventually left lost him his whole family. As you think on physical preparation please forget not the mental and spiritual preparation it takes to have a healthy, wholistic, peace and success it take to fully enjoy his nature and promises to us.
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