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Thursday, September 01 2022
 Early morning at the farm Saturday, August 27, 17 women gathered for a retreat in a place called Land Alliance Folk School, which is on a farm south of Oxford, Iowa. The title of the retreat was Curds & Honey: God’s Provision and the Tension of Trust. Sponsored by St. Paul’s United Women in Faith (formerly known as United Methodist Women), all women of St. Paul’s and their friends were invited. The speaker for the day, Anna Geyer, is also owner of the Folk School. An enterprising woman with many interests, she is a farmer, a mother, an artist and preacher with a Mennonite upbringing. Her endeavors include Anna’s Cutting Garden and floral arranging, Geyer’s Oven pizza on the farm, the Folk School, and teaching courses in entrepreneurship: “the economy of enough.” Anna Geyer Anna’s source material included quite a few chapters of the Book of Isaiah, and a look back to Chronicles. We had a bit of a history lesson to see what two kings and nations did in times of threat: how did they respond to fear? One trusted God. King Jehosephat went to God and asked what to do, and the nation humbled themselves with fasting, and approached their enemy singing praise to God. The other, King Ahaz did not trust, but sought the protection of another nation that in turn oppressed them. The difference was their orientation toward God. Anna’s suggestion for how to become oriented toward God is Sabbath. Whether that means taking a literal Sabbath day of rest, or finding other practices in which we regularly humble ourselves in the presence of God and allow ourselves to be refined. This takes courage! It’s like Anna shared, that God’s presence is like water: it can be a gentle pool, and a mighty flood. But that courage to live in God’s presence allows us to be formed in a way that shapes every other part of our lives. “Provision” art print by Stephanie Heifner Another theme from the day is the provision of God, even in times of destruction. In Isaiah, the agricultural fields are overtaken by briars, bees, cows, and sheep live there, and the people have curds and honey to eat. I created some art to accompany this theme, including the print above. When I imagined the thorns and briars, I saw blackberry brambles, and they remind me of the sweetness and abundance that can be found, even as I am threatened by the sharp prickles. One of the other art pieces that I created to display at the retreat is a papercut wreath. As I was preparing for the retreat, I kept thinking of the quote, “Even a wounded world is feeding us,” from the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. So the plants in this piece are plants that the author wrote about in the book, including wild strawberries, sugar maples, beans, and squash. I also added blackberries to connect the piece with my other work. Title TBD, papercut by Stephanie Heifner It was a beautiful day in a beautiful setting. We were visited by the friendly farm cat and chickens. We had time to spend in the open air in solitude or visiting with each other. There were paths to wander in the garden or among the trees, and spots to sit and rest. Kristin Simon shared, “I miss the ‘farm life’ and enjoyed the location very much. I even picked green beans which brought back many good memories. It was good to visit with all the ladies and learn an unusual Bible lesson.”
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