If He Is Calling You Out of the System, Trust Him

If Yahuah has put it on your heart to get away from the city, to get back to a more basic, a more intentional, self-sufficient lifestyle, this article is for you. There are some things to look out for and keep in mind when choosing a property as you start this journey.

Location

When my husband and I started this journey, there was a scripture that kept circling around our minds.

Matthew 6:26–34
“Look at the birds of the heaven, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into storehouses, yet your heavenly Father does feed them. Are you not worth more than they? And which of you by worrying is able to add one cubit to his life’s span? So why do you worry about clothing? Note well the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, and I say to you that even Shelomoh in all his esteem was not dressed like one of these.

But if Elohim so clothes the grass of the field, which exists today, and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more you, O you of little belief? Do not worry then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For all these the nations seek for. And your heavenly Father knows that you need all these. But seek first the reign of Elohim, and His righteousness, and all these shall be added to you. Do not, then, worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow shall have its own worries. Each day has enough evil of itself.”

If He is calling you out of this system, trust Him.

When we were looking for land, the first thing we did was go over the states.

Some of the biggest things we asked were:

• Which states have more relaxed homeschool and homestead laws?

• Which states are lenient on building structures?

• What is the average depth of a well in that area?

• Is the rainwater collection monitored?

• Are permits required for septic systems, or solar systems?

• How cold does it get?

• What growing zone is it in?

• Can you hunt on your land?

• Is there a support network of family and friends close by?

• How expensive is the cost of living in that state?

Depending on your family and how you live your life will depend on what state you want to be in.

We mulled over Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas (of course), and Mississippi. Going back to Texas wasn’t an option, as land is too expensive now, and staying in Florida was the same. There are still some places in North Florida that are affordable, but it wasn’t where Yahuah was calling us to be.

Environmental

When you start getting an idea of where you want to be, the next step is looking around that area for any environmental hazards and don’t be afraid to talk with the locals. It would be unfortunate for you to leave the big city only to discover you live by an environmental hazard that could risk your or your family’s health.

Things like commercial agriculture have lots of waste, tend to use pesticides, not to mention the smell of things like large scale chicken houses, hog farms, and the like.

We learned from talking with local landowners that the eastern side of Arkansas is heavily industrialized, with many chicken farms and steel mills. This often leads to polluted land and water, so it’s important to consider what is upstream from your future homestead—and what flows downstream as well.

Also, consider things like nuclear power plants, data centers, cell phone towers, and any area with a heavy commercial industry should be a red flag. So, take your time and do your research on this.

When looking for land, make sure that if you want to live in an RV, yurt, or even build your own house without a trillion permits, that you can. How frustrating would it be for you to buy land, pack up and move, only to discover you can’t live in an RV full-time?

Basics we need to survive

As Yah’s creation, we don’t need much, but we will always need shelter, heat, water, and heat in cold months.

A) Water

When choosing a piece of property, make sure you have water (spring, creek, well, etc) on site or at least readily accessible.

PRO-TIP: You do not realize how much water you use until you’re having to carry it up from the creek every day.

We chose a piece of property that has a creek in several spots, plus we decided to drill a well. If you choose to drill, be mindful it can get very costly.

Yahuah truly blessed us with our well as we have fantastic water, and they only had to go down 45ft. This cost us around $6,000 for everything, but some wells go to 1,000 ft and can cost around $40,000 so be mindful of this and do your research and take all things to Yah, it is never a guarantee you will hit water but Yah is faithful and will provide for your needs.

Proverbs 27:12 says that “A clever man foresees calamity, hides himself; The simple shall go on, they are punished.”

One of the ways this verse can be practically applied is by redundancies, which is why things like having a creek and rainwater collectors should be on your radar should one fail or break down you are not without.

We also made sure that there was no industry dumping anything into the creek upstream of us.

B) Shelter

You can start small with shelter if you plan correctly.

For example, when Ray and I started this journey, we fully intended to buy bare land and stay in our canvas tent until we could build a house out of shipping containers. As it turns out, Yahuah had other plans for us, and we couldn’t have lived in a tent through a Montana winter.

So, when you move, plan accordingly.

If there isn’t a house on the property, you can absolutely get creative with what structure you live in, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. I have seen people living in yurts, RVs, school buses, converted storage sheds, tiny homes, mud homes, shipping containers, and the possibilities are endless.

The previous owner of our land painstakingly harvested the pine and cedar trees from the property and built this log cabin himself—which saved him tens of thousands of dollars in doing so.

C) Heat

Heat can come from a few sources.

For us, we are still connected to the electrical grid, though we are remote enough that during storms, power lines will go down and have been down for up to 6 weeks, according to the neighbors.

Because of this, we did buy a solar system to get off the grid early next year, and we knew we didn’t want a huge monthly bill in the winter heating the cabin. Trying to keep our bills as low as possible is our goal. This helps you to get out of the system and be self-sufficient. We knew we wanted a wood-burning stove and so this is a cheaper alternative; it just requires some elbow grease and planning. We have plenty of trees on our 10 acres to use as firewood, which is also a way of caring for the land, you can remove standing dead trees, trees growing to close together and taking away nutrients from other established trees its and ecosystem much like your garden.

D) Food

Now onto food.

If you plan on having a garden, one of the most important things to consider is what is native to the area or grow zone? As an example, in southern Florida we heard some people say “I just want to grow a salad” but something like a tomato while they grow, we had way more abundance with native species like everglade tomatoes.

Trying to grow what some northern states do didn’t work well for us in tropical Florida but if you change your mindset to eating what is more native to the area, your garden will flourish. Additionally, checking out the soil should be a priority, but let’s just say you found the perfect property, but the soil is lacking. There are ways to amend the soil and create a healthy biome for all your growing needs. Just make sure to make the time to get the soil prepared prior to the growing season and remember it’s okay if it’s not. Your property will always be a work in progress. Ensure you have seeds on hand and have a couple of different spots you can plant in.

Livestock

Now let’s talk about livestock.

What type of animals would you like on your land? Are you buying land based on livestock?

For example, our land is too mountainous and not enough pasture to raise cattle so we would need to go have goats or a small herd of sheep. We also raise chicken and plan to raise quail for meat. Something important to consider for the animals is their feed. Something like chickens can be fed from your garden, consider planting grains and fermenting their food for longevity. Table scraps are also a welcome addition and not mention they love bugs! So, they will forage if you let them. But figuring out a way to sustain your livestock without a monthly cost should be a priority.

If hunting is your jam, what are the hunting laws in the state?

Some states have a minimal acreage requirement for hunting.

Are there national forests or BLM land you can hunt nearby if you don’t have enough land to hunt on?

Food Reserves

Have food reserves on hand for any environmental uncertainties.

Where we are, you must cross 4 creeks to get to our property. When the creek gets too high, we are unable to leave our home. The same goes for if there is a thick layer of ice on the mountainside where we drive down to get here.

We keep the pantry stocked full of food plus freeze dried meals for when this situation arises. Beans, rice, canned goods, a freezer full of meat, and noodles.

Buying the land

So, you’ve narrowed down the state and location of where you want to be.

Buying land is different than buying a home. They won’t give you the same terms. unless there is a house on it. You typically only have a handful of years to pay it off if you go this route, or you can owner finance, or buy outright.

A site I have heard time and time again and does right by you is Billyland.com to find properties that owner finance. One thing we have discovered is that the locals have a wealth of knowledge, and someone always knows someone who is selling property. We discovered after we bought and moved that there are three properties close by that owners are willing to sell but don’t have it listed. So, visiting the area and talking to locals is a way to find property. People are plenty friendly here and don’t mind sharing information.

Yahuah the Waymaker

When I say Yahuah blessed us with this land, I mean it.

As we were looking for property, we were telling family of our plans to move into the middle of nowhere, start showering in buckets, live off the land, and be free of the system that’s in place, Yah showed His hand in this adventure of ours.

Before I reveal what happened next, I want to make everyone aware that I moved out when I was 16, lived on my own, paid my own bills, struggled sometimes with putting food on the table, have made hard decisions on what bills to pay and not to pay without any help from our families.

We come from very low to middle-class families, and the only assistance we would ever get, if any, would have to be paid back.

But Yahuah, He is a way maker.

I received a phone call from my mom while we were in the property-hunting stage of our journey. She recently retired from her long-term career as an accountant. And what she said brought me to tears; she said that helping me out now would be more beneficial for me than when she passed, so she was giving me my inheritance in the tune of $100,000. My mom had worked her butt off for 25 years and always let me learn my own lessons and make my own mistakes never cosigning for a vehicle or helping when I couldn’t pay for something, but she now was giving me the money to start over.

We used that money wisely to find land with a small unfinished cabin, so we don’t have a mortgage. We sold belongings to gather extra funds. We used the meager equity in our last home to start over and pulled out my husband’s retirement.  But this is where Yah wanted us to be.

Our land isn’t perfectly flat; some of it is half a mountain side, and we jokingly consider ourselves rock rich.

Being Rich but Not in Dollar Bills

Now in all seriousness, we are rich.

Rich in family time, rich in Yah time, rich in earth worms and medicinal plants and herbs, rich in slow mornings where we can sit by the fire and have conversation without rushing out the door trying to get or be somewhere, we are rich in a beautiful hard-working life where we can be together as a family and show our daughter what she can accomplish.

These things money can’t buy.

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

From gathering water from the well and bringing it up to the house for daily use, to climbing on top of the very steep roof to caulk around the flue pipe or crawling under the house to fix the water drain that cracked so we can finally shower.

Be ready to put in hard work and sometimes step out of your comfort zone.

You will be sore and get dirty but for my family, every lesson and every day is an exciting adventure that Yah allowed us to have.

And we have learned nothing is ever as simple in practice as it is in our heads!

Get Creative

Of course, there will always be bills to pay in some form or another.

But when you aren’t paying $3,000 a month to just survive, money stretches more.

Prior to moving, get your bills down as much as possible and sell unnecessary belongings for extra cash. The goal should be to simplify your life.

When you get to your property:

• Start a garden

• Buy seasonal bulk produce to save on healthy food

• Start canning or freeze it

• Work seasonal jobs in the area or find a remote position

• Use your homestead for income that fits your family

Have you ever wanted to keep bees? Fantastic! Sell the honey, make beeswax candles, maybe even offer classes.

Have an extra guest house on the property you’re buying? Awesome, turn it into a BnB.

Have a green thumb? Lovely! Sell trees and starter plants in spring, summer, and fall.

Think outside of what we were taught in school and what societal norms say you should be doing and get creative.

Yah gave each of us different gifts so don’t be afraid to use them, take a leap of faith and trust in Yahuah.

Psalm 62:8
Trust in Him always, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; Elohim is a refuge for us. Selah.

I think that the most important thing of all is to trust Yah.

Proverbs 3:5–6
“Trust in Yahuah with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path”

If He is calling you out of this system, trust Him.

He will always give you what you need. With Him, you will not fail.

So, take a deep breath, pray, and start your homesteading journey today.