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4 of the most frequently asked questions

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QUESTION:

How much land should I look for?

An swe r s f r o m t h e MM M St af f

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e generally recommend a minimum of 5 to 10 acres, if possible. There are a few reasons for this. Having sucient land will enable you to grow enough timber to have a sustainable heat and cooking source. There are many variables involved in guring how much land that would take and these are unique to your area and particular situation. But as a rule of thumb, a minimum of ve acres of heavily forested land should provide sucient timber to be a sustainable heat and cooking source. This is under average conditions. Obviously, if one were in a very dry area where timber

growth is very slow or forestation is thin, this would not hold true. Now remember, that is ve acres of heavily forested timber. That would need to be in addition to the land required for o n e 's h o m e , s e p t i c s y s te m , o u t buildings, garden, orchard, etc. This is why having ten acres would be better, if possible. If you are unable to obtain ten acres of heavily forested land, there are some things you can do to improve your standing. Many National Forest districts offer permits to cut dead timber for a minimal cost per cord (1 cord = 4' x 4' x 8'). In many areas it is possible to buy a truck load of culled logs from a logging company. These may be twisted or otherwise not useful for lumber, but they still burn. Either

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of these options would enable you to sa ve the precious trees on your property while you are still able to buy wood from elsewhere. Thus your trees are saved for more dicult times when this becomes impossible. Another benet of having at least ten acres is the privacy buer it provides. On a tiny lot, whatever your neighbor does can drastically aect you. But when there is some buer between your home and the neighbor, you are less aected should they choose to "change the landscape" (such as logging). Having said all this, we do not usually recommend one family buying a huge parcel of land unless there is a good and important project which requires that much land. The property taxes for that much acreage could be a burden when times are tight.

train them for usefulness" (Country Living, p.5). We would encourage you to dig for these principles and apply them to your particular situation. God has also given us a mind and He expects us to use it. There are many pieces of criteria that one should consider when choosing a location. Population density, forestation, local laws, abundance of good water, timber, availability of work in your eld or in a new occupation you might be considering, and many other items are important to consider in order to make a wise move. For more in-depth information, we recommend viewing our DVD "Go Forward". This DVD is packed with information to help you in making a wise move and avoiding pitfalls. It is available by visiting our website and clicking on the DVDs section, or you may click on this link.

Q:

What is the best area or state to move to?

Q:

I have no moneyhow can I make the move?

A: "The secret of success is the union

of divine power with human eort." (EGW. Patriarch and Prophets, p. 509) "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Phil. 4:13) There is a principle found in many scripture stories and throughout Inspiration. We see that God does not usually act supernaturally in a situation until everything that could be done has been done by the people involved. "What human power can do divine power is not summoned to do. God does not dispense with man's aid. He strengthens him, co-operating with him as he uses the powers and capabilities given him." (EGW. Desire of Ages, p.535) "He cooperates with those who cooperate with Him." (EGW. Li" Him Up, p.301) So our encouragement to those asking the question above is, do what you can do

A: We don't know. In fact, no one

knows. Only God does. He has a place chosen just for you and He has a specific work for you to do in a particular area. We don't believe for a moment that God intends to lead everyone to the same area. He has given us no instructions regarding one particular state or country being a "better" place to be. However, He has given us principles to guide us in the choice of a location. Phrases such as "Get out of the cities into r ural districts, where the houses are not crowded closely together, and where you will be free from the interference of enemies" (Ellen G. White. Country Living. p.9) or "where they can raise their own provisions" (Country Living, p.9) or "Instead of the crowded city, seek some retired situation where your children will be, so far as possible, shielded from temptation, and there

now. Do everything you can do now. Be much in prayer and watching for the hand of Providence in providing a way to make this happen for you. Don't be stuck in the rut of wanting it to happen "your way," but rather be willing and ready for it to happen in His appointed way. God is not asking us to do the impossible in our own strength. He loves those without money just as much as those with money. "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?" (James 2:5) "Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will nd perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet." (Desire of Ages, p.330) So if God has asked us to do this, and we go forward doing everything we can with what we have, the power of Omnipotence is on our side! It may not happen as fast as we would like or in the way we expect it, but God is working even through these experiences to purify and train us. Some things you can do now: Downsizing and getting rid of "stu " not needed (yard sales, ea markets, Craigslist, and eBay are a great way to possibly even obtain some money for things that are useless to you) Education - there are many practical skills that city dwellers are often ignorant of and need to learn. If you can learn some of these skills now, you will be far ahead when you move. Skills such as gardening (do it in pots on your apartment porch if you have to), food preser vation (canning, drying, etc), occupational skills (if you might be needing to look into a new occupation), how to set up a homestead independently (so that water, heat and food are available without dependence on the systems), etc.

 Do your research. Start learning about dierent rural areas and see if the Lord seems to be leading in one direction. Search for available land or homesteads online (the Multiple Listing Service is a great place to start--websites for realtors local to that area often have a page where you can search the MLS for that area). While it is true that the time will come when you need to go there in person, you can do much of your preparatory research on the internet now without any cost. We would also encoura ge you to consider renting for a period of time in the area you are looking at. This enables you to become familiar with it and learn where the good and bad areas are. It is not usually a good idea to buy in an area that is totally new to you. Also, being there in person gives you an advantage in nding excellent deals that may not be possible to nd long distance.

with prayer, creativity and persistence, you might be surprised at how this can be arranged. We have seen it happen with a number of people who were working in an oce setting and would not have normally even considered working remotely. With the Lord's blessing and their reputation for being honest and hard-working, they are now working from home (some with a limited amount of travel periodically). Others may nd that, while unable to continue employment with their current employer, they are able to nd a similar type of job at their new location. Perhaps a small amount of additional training will be required to familiarize them with slight dierences in the new job, but nothing major. An important factor to research here would be the availability or demand for that kind of work in your new location. Then we come to those who, for whatever reason, determine that no employment similar to their current line of work is available in the new location. They are now faced with a choice. Either consider a dierent location where work is available or "retool" and move into a new line of work. While we do not recommend transitioning into a job that will require a long and expensive education, it may be possible to find a new occupation that does not require a great deal of time or nancial outlay to get started. An excellent place to start might be a previous occupation from years ago (even if it was only for a short period of time). This means you already have some exposure to it, have an idea of how to get back into it, may still have some tools and/or skills relating to it, and may still have some connections in the industry that will help. Once again, it is very important to make sure there is a demand for that particular job in your new area. We are often asked specics about what jobs are conducive to living in rural areas. This is dicult for us to

answer for you because, as stated above, employment is so dependent on many dierent factors about you and your abilities/training/experience as well as the location you are moving to and the current economy. But here is a short list of possibilities that come to our minds. Please do not consider this to be exhaustive by any means. This is only a start to help stimulate your thinking. Auto mechanics. We notice "shade tree" mechanics quite frequently in the rural areas we are exposed to. When one gains a reputation for being honest, clean and reasonably priced, they seem to stay fairly busy as best we can tell. Computer related jobs are a huge arena that is often very friendly to working r e m o t e l y. Even troubleshooting type work is now possible with the capabilities to take control of someone's computer remotely. Just a few possibilities are web or graphic design, Computer A s s i s te d D e s i g n , o r te c h n i c a l support, among many others. Even a remote teaching position could fall under this categor y (we have a professor friend who was teaching a distance learning college class from an entirely dierent state). High speed internet is widely available to those in the country as well, with possibilities including satellite i n t e r n e t f r o m Hu g h e s Ne t o r WildBlue or Wireless Broadband from Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint. Some areas even ha ve wireless available from microwave antennas on mountain tops. Construction trades may be a possibility, but be aware that some rural areas may be economically depressed and do not have a great deal of construction going on. Or there may be an abundance of contractors already in the area. These are things you need to nd out. On the other hand, there are country areas that are seeing a great

Q:

What can I do for work in the country?

A: Occupations are quite unique to

everyone as they really do depend on many factors: ones natural abilities/ talents, what previous training and experience one has, current demand for that job in the geographic area, one's time constraints (i.e. a mother wanting part time work from home or a single person willing to travel a lot, etc), and how much effort one is willing to put into it. Having said that, here are some suggestions to help you get started in the right direction. If your current occupation is one that could be conducive to this, it is very advisable to explore the possibility of taking your job with you by working remotely. With some jobs that require a physical presence in a particular location, this may be impossible. But

inux of population from people leaving the cities and there may be plenty of work. This is very location specic. Agricultural work can be a very rewarding occupation that is denitely rural-friendly. We have been given much counsel regarding the importance of this work and the p o te n t i a l f o r m a k i n g a l i v i n g . However, this is not something to jump into without experience. Friends who do make a living in agriculture have expressed their advice that, when getting into commercial agriculture for a living, it is best to gradually transition rather than jumping into it all at once. As far as a "recession-proof " or "depression-proof " occupation, it seems to us an excellent possibility considering that everyone must have food. As transportation becomes more expensive, people are likely to turn to locally grown produce. And it is denitely a growing market. Healthcare jobs may often be easily taken with you most places.

There are a wide variety of cottage industries that may be feasible (depending on the particulars of your situation). Manufacturing hand crafted items that are sought after and sel ling on the inter net or elsewhere is one possibility. We know of people raising special breeds of dogs for which there is less competition (and selling them on the internet). It may be possible to earn a living with these industries, but you may nd that it needs to be treated as a supplementary income. An important pointyou may nd it necessary to do a combination of se veral ty pes of occupations (a s opportunities present themselves). Rural areas are usually less conducive to job specialization (due to lower population base). So generalizing is a good route to go. Another point you should consider is the dierence in wages. Most people nd wages in rural areas to be less than those in a large city. But you must remember that money saved is money earned. If one is careful, it is quite

possible to live on much less money in a rural environment. This is all part of the country living package. It is a lot more than simply changing one's zip code. It is a lifestyle. If one leaves the city lifestyle behind, and adopts a simpler and more independent lifestyle, it can greatly reduce the amount of money that is needed. And will hopefully allow for more family time. You may nd it necessary to get a "transitional" job in a city nearby, but we personally recommend doing what you can to end up with one that is closer to home (if not working from home, which is ideal). Being self employed certainly allows greater exibility and removes many possible conscientious issues, but it does require initiative and is felt by some to be more "risky". In our opinions, it is wise to transition into being selfemployed, if possible, to provide the maximum amount of freedom in these last days. But once a gain, each situation is dierent and you need to take yours to God in prayer.

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Urban Danger

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Urban Danger
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