Maleah Downton: A week of Discovery, Prayer, and Community Pt. 1

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Maleah and David high-five after completing laying the tile board


Day 1: Orientation and Tour

I am not going to lie, I was really nervous. Despite my fears, this sense of community has immediately pulled me right in. It's contagious. The joy and love of the residents at J-Farm literally radiates off of them. From the hugs upon arrival to the shared birthday dance (shoutout to my B-Day twin Sept. 13th.) I have already begun to feel surprisingly at home.
In our opening prayer of the retreat, we were asked to anoint ourselves with oil that was paired with one of the four cornerstones (Simplicity, Community, Prayer, Service) Jerusalem Farm that we wanted to grow in or have more challenge with. I chose Prayer. As I embark on this journey, I hope to hold prayer close. I want to continue and grow my prayer techniques and practice. While this might sound cliche, I feel God here. I feel His presence. As a non-denominational Christian, I have always had this sense of not necessarily being worthy. I have always just pushed this feeling down. However, just being in this environment pushed me to own my Christian identity. Going away from this experience, I hope to take from the values and ideas taught here at Jerusalem Farm (J-Farm) and discover where they fit and align into my own life. I'm excited, I think this experience will be truly eye-opening. I am going to try my hardest to focus on living in the precious moment. I am going to follow the reflection from this evening. I am putting my outside distractions tucked away on the shelf. As I begin to submerge myself in this environment and atmosphere, I want to do so with an open mind, body, and spirit. I hope for this to be a transformative experience. Words cannot express or contain the excitement and eagerness I hold for the days to come. Tomorrow I'll get my first work assignment. I'm ready for this journey to begin.
Side note: I am still a little nervous about these early mornings. I wouldn't exactly call myself a morning person, haha. I guess we'll see how this goes. I'm still super excited!
Peace,
M.

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