As I sit here and reflect on the 2021-2022 school year it is hard to describe how I feel; it almost feels like being buffeted by waves on all sides but you are not really going anywhere. This year was a wild one for our family as we lived in a season of sacrifice and trusting the Lord. In the fall Bobby and I entered into an intensive discipleship school at our church. We've spent the last year really asking the Lord to search our hearts and line us up with his purposes and plans for our life all the while learning to help others come to know Jesus as Lord. We have grown so much individually and as a couple, this year and I am so thankful for the life change we have experienced. Because there was a commitment of our time both to class and outside assignments we did not have the extra time we needed to really grow our bee yard this year. So, we basically just let it go! We gave the colonies we had what they needed and we kept an eye on them for signs that they needed more space. We kept them happy, removed a few swarm cells, made a quick split if needed, and then left them alone. I prayed over those feral hives a bunch this year hoping they would make it to the spring. They were strong all winter long and we never even had to add feeders this year. We had some really amazing bees and they have gifted us with some pretty incredible honey.
Our three colonies were able to produce just over 12 gallons of honey so far! We were pleasantly surprised to see how well they have done this year with so little maintenance. It is a real blessing to us for sure as we are using the proceeds from this year's harvest to help offset the costs of a family mission trip. We had no idea if we would even have bees left to produce honey at this point and now we are sitting here looking at three robust colonies that are packing in honey with a quick purpose. The Lord has been so good to us here. He cared for their needs the whole time. He gave them a thicket of wild blackberry bushes and honeysuckle and a backyard that protected them from the winter winds. He provided for them so they could provide for us. Our God is so good and I am so thankful!
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