In the interest of bringing everyone up to speed (since there are new names on the mailing list all the time), I want to tell, once and for all, the amazing story of how we were blessed with this wonderful building.

Almost two years ago, we kicked off the fundraising campaign for a desperately needed new barn. I met several times with a draftsman, and we designed a gamble-roofed, 2-story, 60 x 36-foot barn. The price tag, without labor or foundation, was $50,000.

We begged for donations. We applied for grants. We sought contractors who might contribute materials and labor. We sold memorial bricks. We begged some more. But despite the generousity of sanctuary supporters, we were never able to get much past the $20,000 mark.

Meanwhile, last summer, the Sheltons, our neighbors across the street, were also building a barn. In fact, they were building our barn: a gamble-roofed, 2-story, 60 x 36-foot barn. John Shelton was building the structure to use as a hobby shop for his vintage car restoration work. Jon (my husband) and I visited while the barn was under construction, and were amazed by the similarities it had to our plans. But John Shelton's barn was even better than the one we had hoped to build; John came from Louisiana, and didn't quite believe that we don't have hurricanes in Michigan. He built his barn to withstand just about anything nature could dish out... using 2x6s where he could have used 2x4s, on 16-inch centers instead of 24... specially made roof joists for extra-heavy weight-bearing capabilities, and 3-dimensional, heavy-duty shingles on the roof. Inside, he installed power outlets every few feet, and dozens of overhead light fixtures. Trap-doors and windows were installed upstairs. John Shelton's dream barn was even more deluxe than ours!

Fast forward to last winter. We had not been able to get our barn started before the weather turned. I was feeling depressed and guilty about the conditions that our animals were having to live in. I was extremely discouraged by the shortage of grant money and all the denial letters, and I knew that Grateful Acres' supporters were starting to experience "donor fatigue" with regard to the barn project. Finally, I went back to the architect (Skip Hill, with Hamilton Lumber, a man with skill and patience to spare) and told him that we had to give up our dream, and instead build something in the price range of $15,000. He drafted a plan for a small, one-story pole barn. I was sick about it, but prayed that I would be "granted the serenity to accept the things I could not change." Despite my disappointment, I knew that God was still overseeing the project, and I tried hard not to lose faith.

In January, John Shelton died, very suddenly. John's lungs had been damaged by the petro-chemicals he worked with for decades, and when he came down with pneumonia just before Christmas, he could not recover. This was a terrible and unexpected blow for his wife Glenda, but also a sad occurrence for our own family, as we had become friends during the short time that John and Glenda had lived across the street. We found ourselves much closer, suddenly, as Glenda grieved and tried to adjust to life without John. We visited and helped Glenda as much as we could over the rest of that long winter.

In early spring, Glenda informed us that she was sick of looking at that huge barn in her back yard, that it made her sad and angry and all sorts of unpleasantness, and that if we could get it out of there, we could have it. Trust me: it came up that suddenly and out-of-the-blue! We had barely even mentioned our barn plans or problems... only once, way back when we visited and told the Sheltons that we were going to be building the same barn as theirs. Glenda's offer shocked us, to say the least. We poo-pooed the idea, believing she was just thinking out loud, and was not to be taken seriously. It was only after she brought it up three more times that I finally asked Glenda if she was really serious about donating the barn. She was, and I began contacting house-moving companies that very day. By the first week of June, that dream barn was on our farm.

Without wanting to cut the story short, I'll spare you the detailed account of permits, contractors, and the rest. Suffice it to say that the project went more smoothly than we could have imagined. The contractors, from the foundation up, were trustworthy, reliable, and skilled. The actual move came off without a hitch, and provided our neighbors with some excitement that is not often seen in these parts! The construction and the move were so uneventful that we felt certain angels were supervising every aspect of it. We simply could not have asked for anything more perfect. Even the money fell right into place; the urgent appeal I sent out to you all generated almost twice what we needed to make the move. Of course, that was good, because there were lots of miscellaneous expenses that came up. But nothing we couldn't handle, and the bottom line is that we now have a $100,000 barn, and we got it for a quarter of that amount.

As of late fall 2002, the animals were all moved in, and we were making preparations for winter. A generous and unexpected grant from the Humane Society of Macomb Foundation enabled us to complete the barn project with sturdy doors to keep the cold out!

Life is good for the people and animals at Grateful Acres, and we are reminded of that fact every time we step outside.