Sitting on a bed of pine needles in the middle of a pine forest, I reminisced about the past 8 years. The night before, I had done the same in a wooden cabin over pizza. It’s crazy how fast time goes by and how 8 years can seem like 4. 

It was January, 2018 when this whole adventure began. I held my first retreat- a Beauty For Ashes retreat in the same cabin I was eating pizza in. Vividly, I could remember where each of my friends sat, where we shared communion, and the nervousness I felt at leading this new thing. We all came back changed by the Lord and we knew it was only the beginning of something more. 

The retreats continued with my sister by my side. She faithfully said “yes” every time I wanted to have a retreat and she somehow managed an entire kitchen and whole weekend of meals for 10 people by herself! We were a team of 2 and the grace of God on us was plentiful! He gave us endurance and energy to somehow do it all and it was special. After some time, the Lord brought Brandy to be by our side to help, serve, encourage, lead, and teach. It became a beautiful partnership and friendship that I have cherished. Next came the dreams and the birth of Sixty-One Acres. I can’t count how many times we answered “where is your property?” To which we had to reply, “we don’t have any.” Always an awkward feeling! A short time later, Jennifer at Spacious Place came into our lives, complete with the property and retreat space God had promised. It wasn’t ours but it was just what we needed and an incredible provision straight from the hand of God. Our partnership has remained one of my favorite God-stories of all time! 

Over the next several years, God would build numerous retreats, discipleship groups, one-day retreats, would bring our first official employee and would prepare me to begin formally coaching and counseling clients. He built a beautiful team of people with different giftings to share the load and expand our reach. I remember a few years in, Brandy planted the seed about fundraising. Brandy has often been the seed-planter for me- a sometimes painstaking role that can take months or even years to reap the harvest! She discerns the Lord’s voice, shares it gently with me, and then waits. Eventually, my heart catches up after God massages the idea or thought into it. This was the case with our first fundraiser. I had always loathed the idea of fundraising for Sixty-One Acres. Instead, I wanted God to simply send us a yearly check in the mail or have it drop like manna from Heaven…That didn’t happen. I have realized that even Paul fundraised. If Paul can do it, I guess I should be open to it as well! 

The Lord has taught me so much through surrendering to His idea of raising funds for His ministry. I started learning to lay down my reputation and what people thought of me. (Something I still have to work on!) I learned about the gift of others joining in the ministry through giving. There is such encouragement and edification that our leadership team receives every time someone supports us, whether through finances, prayer, or affirming words. I have learned further what it looks like to step out of my comfort zone and the closeness that doing so brings with the Lord. And the list goes on. 

We had our first fundraiser in 2024. Led by our hiking ministry, Sixty-One Miles, we had a walk-a-thon that helped us raise over $10,000! We were blown away! Then in 2025 we had our first dinner fundraiser and it helped us raise over $30,000. Again, completely blown away! It not only provided for our yearly expenses, but also enabled us to begin saving for the future. This year, we are going back to a walk-a-thon and our need is $15,000. Of course we would love to raise $30,000 to continue saving for the future and we fully believe God can provide that! Our desire is to be a transparent ministry that is open with our needs, trusting that God will give us exactly what we need and more if that’s in our best interest right now. Only He knows what is in store for this next year with Sixty-One Acres and we trust His timing and His plans. 

We have a 3 step long-term fundraising goal and we trust God’s timing as we fulfill each step! Your support in our Walk-a-Thon will help 61 Acres sustain our current operations as well as save for STEP 2 of our long term growth plan. 

Step 1: Fund an employee for day-to-day operations. This will free up the leaders to develop materials and curriculum, strengthen the leadership, and expand our retreats. DONE!

Step 2: Fund a meeting space or “headquarters” here in Lakeland where we can have office space and hold 1-day events.

Step 3: Purchase a larger property with a retreat center.

We NEED your support! Please consider joining us for our Walk-a-Thon on October 10th. If you cannot come, please consider donating. You can register and donate here. Sign up with a friend, your spouse, or even your family and let’s walk together into another year of Hearing, Healing, Growing, and Giving! 

Who: YOU, your friends, and your family

What: Sixty-One Acres Fundraiser

When: October 10th, 8-11am

Where: Lake Mirror Promenade, near Hollis Gardens

Why: So others can Hear His Voice, Heal from their hurts, and Grow with Him. 

See you there!

Christi