A Visit to Merindol Farm

The moment Danie and I realised we had found something special in each other, he invited me to come and visit on the farm for two weeks. I was excited yet apprehensive at the same time. What was waiting for me on the other side?

The drive to Magaliesberg was breathtaking. Mountains, valleys, lush and green. It was all so beautiful I had a hard time focusing on the road.

Next to Danie's farm stood a large feedlot where approximately twenty two thousand cattle a day were fed. He had failed to tell me this. Naturally, when I turned onto the Merindol farm road with thousands of cattle to my left and peach trees to my right, I thought it all belonged to him. While trying to take it all in, a stench suddenly hit my nostrils with such a force it caught me unawares. Cow dung mixed with urine! The smell was strong, almost like acid. I gagged for breath. The first thought that crossed my mind was, "I could never live with this."

I ventured on down the narrow road and finally turned left up a long lane to the farm gate. When I entered the gates, I thought I had arrived in the Garden of Eden. So much green, so much colour. It was filled with life. Water cascaded down rocks into a rock pool below.

I drove up the driveway, stunned at the beauty of the place. The stench I'd just experienced was no longer present. Birds sang, leaves waved to me in the breeze and Weeping Willows bowed as I passed. This is Paradise! I reminisced on the stench life had thrown my way, contrasted with the beauty of Christ stooping down, picking me up, and setting me in a "Paradise Place," assuring me He was always there with me, not matter how hard it may have been.