Thank Yous and More
From the bottom of our hearts we thank you in the name of Christ for your willingness to host this event which so richly blessed us this past weekend. Words cannot express the fun we had and the fellowship was Holy Spirit filled. We look forward to seeing you guys again soon if we come to the area we will look you up and maybe spend a night or two. Our Lord reigns and can be seen through the hearts and walks of his people. This is what we seen in you. God Bless you and your wonderful family especially Mr. Mike White "Uncle Mike". I will forever cherish his kindness and his sharing of what Christ is doing in his life. Tell him we miss him and we will you guys as well.
Activities include frontier survival skills, horse training, music (many musicians, bring your instrument to jam), trading post (bring homemade items to trade or sell), food (food for sharing, too), rafting, camping, and more. Dress in era and get your picture taken.
~posted in the local news 2010
As others have already said, it was a taste of what we imagine heaven to be like. There was heartfelt praise to God through song, fellowship with other believers and an atmosphere full of warm fervent love.
While there was plenty of talent to go around there was not an ounce of pride from anyone. From the least to the greatest there was respect and honor for others.
What a wonderful expression of God's love through people!
Praise be to God and thank you Dagley family!
Please keep doing what you are doing and don't loose heart! The atmosphere at Prairie Days is something precious and rare in our day.
One day when I have a family I want to bring them to Prairie Days so they can see a great example of what a family can be.
Thank you so much!
"This has been one of the very best days of my life"
A Dad's View from the Prairie
When I first heard about Prairie Days, I knew that God wanted us to attend. To our entire family's delight, the Dagleys had created a touch of heaven on earth by integrating country living with homeschooling and Christian fellowship. Our boys had a wonderful time learning about such things as blacksmithing, flint knapping, weaving, debarking logs, lefse making, rope making lassoing, gun shooting, ax throwing, soap making, making waffles over the fire, stilt walking, tug of war on wobbly half-logs, seeing turtles in a tub, water rafting, zip-lining, goat milking, and horse drawn wagon rides, just to name a few highlights. However, I found myself most thankful to God for the opportunity to provide such an enjoyable experience to our boys in the midst of Biblically good, local, and modest company (1 Corinthians 15:33, Proverbs 10:1, 1 Timothy 2:9).
Our choice to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and align our lives with Scripture by the Holy Spirit is countercultural (Matthew 7:13). Therefore, we especially appreciate fellowship with like-minded families (1 John 1:7), which encourages faithfulness to God and spiritual mindedness in our boys. Our children noticed themselves that they were in the midst of particularly good company when observing how all the children kindly helped each other when using the zip line. What a powerful encouragement to our boys to continue to be examples of the believers (1 Timothy 4:12)!
During the afternoon, my wife and the two younger boys took a hay ride on the horse drawn wagon. My wife was very impressed with the display of patience by the driver/owner in how he quietly commanded his horses, how he taught a young girl to drive the horses, and his calmness when one horse was stung in the belly and began bucking with a young rider. She observed how such calmness, firmness, love, and praise were also Biblical methods of child training (Proverbs 22:6).
Our choice to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and align our lives with Scripture by the Holy Spirit is countercultural (Matthew 7:13). Therefore, we especially appreciate fellowship with like-minded families (1 John 1:7), which encourages faithfulness to God and spiritual mindedness in our boys. Our children noticed themselves that they were in the midst of particularly good company when observing how all the children kindly helped each other when using the zip line. What a powerful encouragement to our boys to continue to be examples of the believers (1 Timothy 4:12)!
During the afternoon, my wife and the two younger boys took a hay ride on the horse drawn wagon. My wife was very impressed with the display of patience by the driver/owner in how he quietly commanded his horses, how he taught a young girl to drive the horses, and his calmness when one horse was stung in the belly and began bucking with a young rider. She observed how such calmness, firmness, love, and praise were also Biblical methods of child training (Proverbs 22:6).
Join us for a fabulous old-fashioned retreat on the North Dakota prairie with the Dagley family and other homeschoolers. We will be singing during the event along with other families.
The zip-line is quite super fun!!! It's my favorite part about Prairie Days. ~ a boy of 14
Oh, what a wonderful day it was for our family yesterday!!! It was the 7th annual Prairie Days at the Dagley farm and many of our friends were gathered there. We enjoyed partaking in the simple delights of the "Good old days".
A Mother's Reminiscing
_"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" ~Psalm 131:1
This is the verse that came to my mind when I pondered the Prairie Days at the Dagley farm. The sweet spirit that we all enjoyed together could only be called "Unity" and it was very pleasant to our family!!
Lynette asked me to share how we were inspired that day and I'm sure we would all have very different answers. My daughter was inspired by how easily she made a friend when among kindred spirits. One of my sons was inspired with ziplining and my other son, with the wind turbines, so there was something for everybody. What inspired me most was the sweet, sharing spirit of those present to help us take a step back in time and learn a bit of the old ways of doing things. I have to wonder--was that spirit PART of the old way of doing things? Is that why we're all drawn to "Old" movies and books? Does the heart long for those times because peoples' lives were slower and people were more important to each other back then? IS that sweet spirit available for us today if WE slow down a bit and try our hand at learning something OLD???
I enjoyed ALL of the demonstrations that day, but what I enjoyed most was the peaceful way that the day unfolded for us. We enjoyed learning a bit more about raising chickens from one father. The boys were thrilled to see a rope being made and, of course, my oldest son had to make one for himself. Dr. B's ice cream was "One of a kind" and the children are still talking about the wonders of liquid Nitrogen. To think that someone would go through the trouble to set up a forge or cook waffles over an open fire just to relive the "Good old days" is truly inspirational.
We also enjoyed the handiwork on the loom. Seeing someone take rags and make useful, beautiful items for the home was encouraging me to think "Recycling" even more. I also enjoyed watching a friend spin, as I've dreamed of learning how to spin. To see all of those hands working ALMOST made me feel guilty for sitting on the grass under the shade of a gorgeous tree while doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. However, when I pondered the hectic week I'd had in the hay field that week, I relaxed and enjoyed the view of what it must have looked like 100 years ago here on the prairies of Dakota when the women got together in the afternoon to relax.
Another friends' soap was the highlight for me. I've been wanting to learn to make soap FOREVER. I tend to dwell on how hard something "Must be" and I talk myself out of trying something until I have an opportunity to SEE someone do the task. Then the fears diminish and "I can do that" enters my mind and "All things are possible". Thanks, dear lady, for taking the time to stir and stir and stir that soap in the warm afternoon until, right before supper, it was soap!!!!! I can do that too.
The games that were available to all were an inspiration too. My then-12-year-old son had made up his mind before we left that he was going to learn how to walk on stilts. Now mind you, it wasn't the BIG stilts that he conquered, but he DID learn to walk on stilts. The trampoline was my other sons' favorite place that afternoon in the park of the Dagley farm. We all took our turn falling off of the log pull game and learning how to throw the rings with the "Chopsticks". The zipline had to be the most popular place for the young and courageous. Those of us who weren't either enjoyed watching them zipping across the creek and back. Guess what the children all want to get for our farm now????
No party could be complete without music and the music that day was the wholesome kind! We need music with MEAT and there was plenty of it at the Dagley's farm. Songs about God and family were the theme with a few patriotic ones thrown in for flavor. What a delight it was to sit on our blanket in the shade, munching on our lunch and supper, listening to families praising the Lord together with voice and instrument. There was even old-fashioned fiddling in the afternoon that sounded just like the music PA made in the Little House series we grew up with.
Our hearts were drawn toward home as the day waned and we knew that the goats' bags were getting fuller and fuller. We longed to stay and hear more praises in the evening, but we needed to start thinking of our own responsibilities so we said our goodbyes and left. As I drove out of the yard, we all looked back on the happy scene and sighed, wishing we could have stayed longer. As I took my last glimpse, a sudden thought entered my mind and I said to the children, "This is what I picture Heaven to be like when we get there!" The older children smiled and nodded their heads, but my youngest (then 7) stared at me and asked, "Really Mom? Is that what Heaven will be like???" I answered my son, "Well, that's what I picture Heaven to be like, with everyone praising the Lord together in their own way and doing the work set for them by the Father". My son thought a moment and then said enthusiastically, "now I REALLY want to go to Heaven!!"
Thank you Mark, Lynette, children and all those who shared in some way that day. Thanks for making Heaven real to my son and thanks for making that day a "Heavenly" place for all of us to go to in our memories. May Heaven bless you all!!!!!
This is the verse that came to my mind when I pondered the Prairie Days at the Dagley farm. The sweet spirit that we all enjoyed together could only be called "Unity" and it was very pleasant to our family!!
Lynette asked me to share how we were inspired that day and I'm sure we would all have very different answers. My daughter was inspired by how easily she made a friend when among kindred spirits. One of my sons was inspired with ziplining and my other son, with the wind turbines, so there was something for everybody. What inspired me most was the sweet, sharing spirit of those present to help us take a step back in time and learn a bit of the old ways of doing things. I have to wonder--was that spirit PART of the old way of doing things? Is that why we're all drawn to "Old" movies and books? Does the heart long for those times because peoples' lives were slower and people were more important to each other back then? IS that sweet spirit available for us today if WE slow down a bit and try our hand at learning something OLD???
I enjoyed ALL of the demonstrations that day, but what I enjoyed most was the peaceful way that the day unfolded for us. We enjoyed learning a bit more about raising chickens from one father. The boys were thrilled to see a rope being made and, of course, my oldest son had to make one for himself. Dr. B's ice cream was "One of a kind" and the children are still talking about the wonders of liquid Nitrogen. To think that someone would go through the trouble to set up a forge or cook waffles over an open fire just to relive the "Good old days" is truly inspirational.
We also enjoyed the handiwork on the loom. Seeing someone take rags and make useful, beautiful items for the home was encouraging me to think "Recycling" even more. I also enjoyed watching a friend spin, as I've dreamed of learning how to spin. To see all of those hands working ALMOST made me feel guilty for sitting on the grass under the shade of a gorgeous tree while doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. However, when I pondered the hectic week I'd had in the hay field that week, I relaxed and enjoyed the view of what it must have looked like 100 years ago here on the prairies of Dakota when the women got together in the afternoon to relax.
Another friends' soap was the highlight for me. I've been wanting to learn to make soap FOREVER. I tend to dwell on how hard something "Must be" and I talk myself out of trying something until I have an opportunity to SEE someone do the task. Then the fears diminish and "I can do that" enters my mind and "All things are possible". Thanks, dear lady, for taking the time to stir and stir and stir that soap in the warm afternoon until, right before supper, it was soap!!!!! I can do that too.
The games that were available to all were an inspiration too. My then-12-year-old son had made up his mind before we left that he was going to learn how to walk on stilts. Now mind you, it wasn't the BIG stilts that he conquered, but he DID learn to walk on stilts. The trampoline was my other sons' favorite place that afternoon in the park of the Dagley farm. We all took our turn falling off of the log pull game and learning how to throw the rings with the "Chopsticks". The zipline had to be the most popular place for the young and courageous. Those of us who weren't either enjoyed watching them zipping across the creek and back. Guess what the children all want to get for our farm now????
No party could be complete without music and the music that day was the wholesome kind! We need music with MEAT and there was plenty of it at the Dagley's farm. Songs about God and family were the theme with a few patriotic ones thrown in for flavor. What a delight it was to sit on our blanket in the shade, munching on our lunch and supper, listening to families praising the Lord together with voice and instrument. There was even old-fashioned fiddling in the afternoon that sounded just like the music PA made in the Little House series we grew up with.
Our hearts were drawn toward home as the day waned and we knew that the goats' bags were getting fuller and fuller. We longed to stay and hear more praises in the evening, but we needed to start thinking of our own responsibilities so we said our goodbyes and left. As I drove out of the yard, we all looked back on the happy scene and sighed, wishing we could have stayed longer. As I took my last glimpse, a sudden thought entered my mind and I said to the children, "This is what I picture Heaven to be like when we get there!" The older children smiled and nodded their heads, but my youngest (then 7) stared at me and asked, "Really Mom? Is that what Heaven will be like???" I answered my son, "Well, that's what I picture Heaven to be like, with everyone praising the Lord together in their own way and doing the work set for them by the Father". My son thought a moment and then said enthusiastically, "now I REALLY want to go to Heaven!!"
Thank you Mark, Lynette, children and all those who shared in some way that day. Thanks for making Heaven real to my son and thanks for making that day a "Heavenly" place for all of us to go to in our memories. May Heaven bless you all!!!!!
When we arrived there was plenty of action going on, so the boys jumped right in. This is a wonderful event, as so many of our friends (as well as new friends) attend and it is great fellowship for everyone.