“No one is really working for peace unless he is working primarily for the restoration of wisdom” 

(E.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful: Economics as If People Mattered. 1973 New York: Harper & Row, 1989. p33)

What does it mean to work for the restoration of wisdom? We believe it means attending not only to the kind of work we’re doing, but to the manner in which we do it. My mother often reminds me that “love is not efficient,” and the wisdom of that statement has informed how we approach the work we undertake alongside our neighbors and volunteers. We seek out projects that inspire creativity and craftsmanship. We value work that has room for conversations and questions. We imagine how children might join the day’s tasks. We strive to establish sustainable patterns and rhythms for ourselves and those who work with us.

Our work here is not efficient, but it is good. At the end of the day, we can smell the sweet drying lavender or look out at the branch-foraged fence we built, and know we did wise work, good work. Most importantly, we can look at our work and know the love it represents: growing friendships, careful attention, shared stories, strength and stability. In short, we look at our work and see the love the builds a home.

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Had we been aiming to make our garden precisely tidy or even perfectly satisfying, we could have removed the dill. Had I coveted that spot for something I thought tastier, we would have pulled it out. But we left it standing, knowing that to a caterpillar, these flowers say, “Welcome home.”  When we make the flourishing of others our telos, hospitality is hardly a sacrifice: it is an exercise in delight.

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As I watch these diligent herbs take root and set their blossoms here at the Village, I can’t help but think how fitting it is for such a life-giving little plant to grow here. I might even say that this yarrow is an emblem for the relationships that are at the heart of the Village: they take root when we least expect them; offer healing to those who take hold of them; bless and beautify the ground that welcomes them.

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We married in 2015, and, unified in our calling to live as “ministers of homemaking” at Community First! Village, we moved into an RV here on the Village property. From our front window we can see the tiny house that serves as the Community Inn office, and we have already begun to welcome our first guests. Those guests do not simply come into a rented room, but into an extension of our home. In light of that fact, we hope we can draw on the foundations of our home–our faith, our call to live at the Village, and our experiences as a farmer and a scholar–to make your time here meaningful.

For Steven, this means continuing his work as “Good Soil Developer.” That’s the job title Steven chose for himself when began the garden program, and it’s a beautiful description of what he hopes to do as an innkeeper. As he gets to know our guests, trains our resident contractors, manages the inn facilities, and plans service and educational events, Steven is preparing rich ground in which relationships can take root.

My skills as a scholar and teacher have also found outlets in much of the inn’s meaningful work, particularly developing curricula for seminars, retreats and training programs. I’m also having such fun studying and reviving traditional “homemaking skills” for our Community First! micro-enterprise programs and volunteer opportunities.

We love our work here at the Village, especially when we can connect our old wisdom with the new work of running an inn. Thus, you’ll find plenty of garden beds and growing things all around the Inn, and I’m aways ready to talk about the latest book I’m reading. (Currently, it’s a volume on ancient practices of Christian hospitality. Talk about great inspiration for an aspiring innkeeper!).

Steven and I have come home to the Community Inn, and yet we are just at the beginning of this exciting journey. As hosts, we look forward to meeting you, welcoming you, and hearing the tale of your journey.

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