Silent Night and The Empty Chair
December 21, 2023
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We have two new music videos to share with you and some updates from the homestead. Vanessa and Andrea recorded “Silent Night”,
Family Update: New Web Store
Galen Horst
Galen Horst
This post features some of the highlights of the last months for our family, the latest news being our newly opened online store. If you read our book Chance and Change and have not yet purchased a copy of my daughter Vanessa’s music album Someday I’ll Know, I invite you to order it online today. This CD is a must-have companion to the book. Vanessa’s testimony and beautiful music is sure to inspire your faith.
Dreams for the Future of our Online Store
Patricia and I have dreamed for over a decade that some day we’d operate an online store and our goal used to be that by the time Amanda is eighteen we’d be getting started. This year if Amanda were still with us she’d turn eighteen.
The products we hoped to offer in our store were tools and supplies for small farms and homesteads but for now we are only offering our book and Vanessa’s CD. We used to dream about offering some core products that we manufacture and supplement that with retailing other items. We did build cheese presses and some unique farm gate hardware in the past and hopefully we can add these items to our online offerings soon but for now we can hardly keep up with our existing work in our welding shop without these projects.
Pictures and Updates of Family Life
In this photo Vanessa is baking raspberry cream pies, something that used to be Amanda’s specialty. A few weeks ago we passed a bitter-sweet milestone_ Vanessa is now older than Amanda was when she died. It’s a glaring reminder that Amanda would now be seventeen and I wish I could be watching her grow up. My next daughter Andrea is now the age Vanessa was when Amanda died and watching the girls interact again reminds me of when it used to be Amanda and Vanessa.
The binding shop that bound our books gave our family a tour of the plant. We picked up a few skids of books but they were still working on the rest of the order when we were there so we had the delight of watching our book being produced.
This book project has brought our family lots of new experiences. Suddenly most of the children are working on books of their own! The little ones books are pretty simple but Andrea is quite serious about her writing, a historical fiction book. She learned how to use a word processor and is many chapters into her story. As homeschooling parents we like to encourage the children in productive interests and there is much she can learn through this project. When she thinks she’s finished I hope to connect her with one of the editors I worked with on my book. I warned her editors are pretty tough teachers and she may be re-writing much of her story!
In the above photo Tabitha and Shaphan are building a house, out of a large cardboard box, for a Christmas present for Tamara. They come up with big ideas all the time and once in a while they are able to get it done.
I intend to post updates about life on the farm every few months as it fits into my busy schedule. All the best, until next time.
PS. Don’t forget to order a CD.
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More to explore
I Know that my Redeemer Liveth
April 7, 2023
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We are excited to present another music video, this one produced in entirety by Andrea and Vanessa with some drone footage by
Bigger is our God, New Music Video
November 10, 2022
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We are pleased to present another music video by Vanessa, “Bigger is our God,” written by Amos Raber. Someone shared with me
3 thoughts on “Family Update: New Web Store”
I bought your book from Grafs, at the Birds Creek Feed and Supply store for my husband for Christmas. I am a friend of Margaret Burkholder and Wanita Landis and knew a little of your story – the loss of your dear Amanda. Our daughter Angela went to be with the Lord April 30, 2009, and we still miss her daily but find peace in the knowledge that we will see her again. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book and felt like many parts were our story too. I hope we can meet you and your family some day.
Hi Judy,
You’re welcome to stop by the farm anytime. We’d enjoy getting together and hearing your story. We can try planning something ahead of time if that works better.
Galen
This is an exciting development! I’ll be glad to be able to direct friends to your online store for the book and CD.
Also thank you for the update! Blessings to you and yours.