INSPIRASUNS

Yesterday I spent the day with some wonderful friends. This little blog fills you in on the backstory of our field trip. While the day was awesome, (filled with education along with the fun), that’s not what I want to focus on today.

One of our stops yesterday was The Good Mood Ranch in Naples. Now those of you who know the Naples area understand just how large the area is. I mean come on, we actually refer to East Naples, North Naples, etc. What I’m getting at is you might think of Naples as the beach, and the downtown shopping, however, there are parts of Naples that are very wooded and undeveloped land. Anyway, The Good Mood Ranch sits in a pretty undeveloped area.

We enjoyed some time at the ranch yesterday, filled with not only your typical farm animals but a variety of different wildlife. Turkeys and alpacas and even beautiful peacocks, oh and the pheasant chicks just born the day before, reside in this little gem of a farm outside of the hustle and bustle of the city. In addition to the animals, the owners Luc and Karen Goemoere are ramping up their little store to sell eggs, laid by the chickens on the farm, locally produced honey, and much more. Luc mentioned they’ll gather about 10 dozen eggs a day and at this point, they only take pre-orders because they just can’t keep them in stock 🙂 .

We spent a fair amount of time talking with Luc and learning about his future plans for the farm. Luc is from Belgium and his wife is I believe Chinese. Word of mouth is certainly bringing new visitors to the farm, (at this point they only have a Facebook page for marketing), and they are really focusing on kids. The addition of a new train and kids’ area for birthday parties and such are big hits, along with the dinosaur statues for kids to conquer. Luc explained his vision for the months ahead. He already has plans for an old-fashioned Belgium Christmas Market filled with hundreds of Christmas lights, little booths for vendors, Santa Clause, food and drink, and all the festivities these markets bring.

In an area of the farm still being developed Luc envisions large wooden gates that will mimic the entrance of Jurassic Park, large dinosaur figures placed throughout the woods, and a path for the train to take young visitors “sightseeing” just like in the movie. He’s got many other ideas, including wedding venue options, you can just see feel his excitement as he talks about the plans.

It was so refreshing to see a couple, who has migrated here, work to fulfill their dreams. They are working tirelessly and their goal is to have a place for the community, adults and children alike. I can tell you, our time there yesterday definitely left us all in a good mood!!

You could feel the presence of Father there yesterday. The animals were all relaxed, including the little goat that bounded into my lap as I knelt to feed him, the customers were happy, and the workers were so welcoming. I have a feeling this little area of our paradise will grow to become a place where people want to be. Luc and Karen, I wish you luck, keep those dreams alive and know that a community is here to support you!

Have a great day my friends 🙂 .

Proverbs 16:3
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.