People Of The Palouse

people

OF the palouse

Let’s get to know our neighbors, those like us and those who are different from us. Please send any introductions to: Heather@homeandharvestmagazine.com

by gayle anderson

Lisa French

Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects. ~Dalai Lama~

This quote captures the true essence of two amazing people who are the face and transformation of Deary, which is now a “must go to” destination. Like many small towns across the USA, the remnants of vacant buildings, often on the edge of decay, sit quietly as testaments to a once vibrant business. This is a story about how one couple, whose hard work and passion coupled with their dedication to injecting new life into old structures all while seeking the good for the community is a recipe for success. And with that, let me introduce you to Webb and Lisa French.

When I arrived at the French farmhouse located a few miles outside of town, I was warmly greeted by Lisa and the first thing I noticed was the large dining room table that seats at least 12-14 people. Lisa explained that they have 10 children, 8 boys and 2 girls ranging from 14 to 32 years of age. Four are still living at home, 5 are married there are 9 grandchildren. And on Monday evenings they all gather for dinner except for 2 sons who now live in Texas.

Lisa went onto explain they and 15 families are part of a Christian community and that there are 130 members living in and around Deary. When I asked if there was a religion that they identified with, she said they were Anabaptist, which meant that they believed in adult baptism, that occurs usually between the ages of 18-20 years of age. Their community which has a mission statement on its website says: “Heritage Idaho is an agrarian and craftbased intentional Christian community. We aim for simplicity, sustainability, self-sufficiency, cooperation, service and quality craftmanship.”

Lisa explained that for the last 20 years they had been in a larger community based in Texas. And 14 years ago with the desire to escape the heat of Texas summers along with the desire to expand their agricultural school outreach was the catalyst for taking a 2 week tour of this area looking for piece of rural heaven. Webb and Lisa French found just what they were looking for when they arrived in Deary, Idaho. A perfect farmstead with ample acreage was ideal and the French’s became Idahoans. Webb explained that Northern Idaho has the feel of being about 30 years behind the times in the way that the area is safe, laid back, that there are multigenerational families living close together, and it is a great place to live and work.

Lisa recalls at first the residents of Deary were a bit leery of the family of 12. She explained that there were concerns about their intention to replicate the Christian Homestead Heritage which sits just outside of Waco, Texas, wherein self-sustainable classes are taught and can often draws up to 100,000 people each year. And while that was never the intent with the French’s, they only wanted to replicate the self-sustainable classes, definitely not the crowd. Webb and Lisa are very sensitive to the impact of the rural community, and they, as well as the locals love their rural location along with the peace and quiet. After the French’s had been in the area for 3 ½ years, other Anabaptist families began relocating to Deary from Texas and other areas. Lisa describes their community as very close knit wherein they help each other out with chores and enjoy close friendships.

Not long after the French’s settled in, Lisa began making cheese and selling it. Soon she outgrew her creamery at home, and they began to look for a building in Deary in which to house the cheese operation. Webb’s occupation is a contractor and he loves rebuilding old structures. When the French’s (along with 4 other families) bought the old vacant Mobile gas station building, it was in near ruins. Webb and his sons who work with him, restored the building, along with assistance from their community. Webb & Lisa’s daughter and daughter-in-law both loved to bake, so the bakery was started in the newly renovated space along with the creamery plus an area to showcase local artisans.

And today the bakery business is owned solely by their son, John. When starting this business venture, Webb and Lisa felt this would be a wonderful way to interact with the Deary residents as well as being a bonus to the town by adding another business. Through word of mouth, they quickly gained the reputation of mouth-watering baked goods and delicious cheeses. And today Lisa noted that the members are very involved in Deary by sharing their skills through teaching classes that range from making cheese to quilting to blacksmithing. Members now either own and operate businesses in Deary or work in town. Many volunteer on the local EMS and all are committed to keeping Deary a vibrant town. Solid friendships between locals and the Heritage Idaho community have flourished. When I asked Lisa about outside members attending their religious services, she said many people regularly attend, some for years, some not so much. Some locals have joined their community, while others choose to only embrace the Christian community friendship and fellowship. Either way is fine and as Lisa mentioned, she and her community strive to create a common ground with others where friendship and community closeness is valued along with sharing how to live a more wholesome sustainable lifestyle. I also had reached out to a local with long time roots in the Deary township, and she confirmed that the general feeling of the community is that they love what the French’s, along with their community members have done to promote new life in Deary. Enough success for businesses to flourish without losing the small-town homey appeal.

And as their culture is based on skill and old-world quality craftmanship, the home-schooled children’s education, aside from the basic requirements, will also receive special attention on promoting their natural interests and talents. During the school year, their class schedule is Monday-Thursday and whatever aptitude is of interest to the child, that every effort will be made to seek out the knowledge and training, which sometimes includes college on-line courses or apprenticeships. As an example, one of the sons was interested in building boats, so Lisa found someone who was skilled in that trade in order to provide the best education possible. As a result, each child hones their interest in order to support themselves when reaching adulthood.

As the interview concluded, Lisa personally gave me the tour of other business ventures that were created, such as restoring the old train station that now is the home to her quilt/hand-craft store that also has 2 Airbnb suites in the back of the building. And for the train enthusiasts,-there is a train caboose that was relocated and restored and is also an Airbnb next to the train station building. And outside of town is a fully restored train car which is also available on Airbnb. (These spectacular renovations on the train cars can be viewed on the Magnolia network & www.visitdeary.com) And the tour concluded with the newly refurbished farmstead home and barn that will focus on “farm stays” for the urban folk. Overall, this down home, unassuming couple stays true to their dreams and find ways to revive structures from our past and makes them into unique business opportunities. And this leads them to connect with others to share their love of agriculture, nature and teaching us the lost art from what our grandparents knew and practiced.

Once again, I came away from the interview revitalized by the inspiration and innovation on the positive aspect that each person can make when we utilize our talents. We all benefit, and in the end, it makes a beautiful difference in the world, as Deary is living proof. That each of us has a natural God given gift and how we choose to share that with others depends on us. I often wonder where I would have ended up if as a young adult that I had focused on what interested me, rather than just taking a job in order to support myself and family. My takeaway was about following your passion and honing that talent, as you will be living your dream and making your little corner of the world just a bit better. Maybe this will be your wakeup call and give you the courage to take that next step. And the million-dollar question is…. Are you living your best life? And I truly hope that we all take a page out of the playbook of Webb & Lisa to find what inspires each of us and to pursue that goal whether it is big or small. And in the end, I’m confident that your small ripple of doing something good will have some wonderful long reaching effects just like the French’s.

P.S. Rod & I attended one of the weekly home group services and it was a lively and beautiful gathering wherein it centered around, faith, family, food and friendships. We enjoyed it and I have a feeling that we will make the drive and attend a few more every now and then.