Pikes Peak, close to heaven…
Manitou Springs, which is nestled in at the base of Pikes peak, is a sleepy little artsy town were the "big money" hasnt come in and turned it into a playground for the rich yet. The residents have passed many laws to thwart this from happening. "No ski resorts allowed!"
So you have a bunch of gift shops and alternative shops run by a bunch of old Hippies and the rents are not unreachable for the working man. But housing is scarce and not much new building is allowed.
The community had a large farmhouse which was a part of a old nursery in past times. They was a long cinder block build building that was a garage and they turned it into a dormitory styled struacture which had about 10 nice sized rooms in it and a place for 3 showers and 3 toilets.
As I said, when I arrived, they were winding down the community. There was at one time 65 people there and now there was about 25. They did have a large house framing crew run by the single brothers and a few of the married men. They made good money until the Mexican crews came in and under-bidded every job available. So they sent them elsewhere. They did have a small crew that did some building and odd jobs which barely sustained the community. The cafe was just breaking even. We had to make a 25 minute commute every day to run it. They started going 24 hours a day and had the bakers do the midnight shift.
Like all their businesses, they were closed on Sat. which is their Sabbath. Its the biggest money making day of the week and I respect them for that.
As a single brother, I had it made there. I worked at the cafe where youate better then most and always had a contant flow of mate espressos to keeb you going. I got to "evangelize" the customers that were receptive to it and I was in charge of making sure the TT publications where in stock and in plain site for all to take. I had a room with only one other older single brother who was rarely there. Unlike other single brother rooms where they would put 10 sweaty guys in 5 sets of bunk beds.
Manitou Springs sits at 6,000 ft elevation and is gorgeous year round. All 4 seasons are present and the humidity is always real low. They found a large house through one of our customers and construction employers who was selling his house and buying another. He also is the owner and editor of the local paper and gives them good press. Thats a biggy! Although the town is full of Wiccans and other assorted kooks and they fit in anyway.
I had gotten permission to email my daughter (Canda-Chan for all who know here) and as I would do this, I would "stray" and look at other sites like the factnet disscusion board and other anti-twelve tribes sites. It slowly opened my eyes. I also got permission to open an OD so I could read my daughters. I then started to evangelize the whole spiritual circle here on OD! I got in some heated debates with atheists and christians alike! AUUB and Nasreddin where two of the major factors in my leaving. Its a shame I cant look back at how I was due to the big OD crash last year.
One day, when I was pondering why I was living this life, I was approached by a customer with a magazine article in the "Free American" magazine about Paulene Christianity VS the Gospels and the Essene Christianity. I was awestruck! If this were true then all of christianity is off! Is wrong! I found out there were 100 gospels written and only 4 chosen by the Canonization. And THEY were Catholics who the Twelve Tribes abhor!!! The Fallen Bride! The Harlot of Babylon! And the TT is following their choice of Gospels! Needless to say, I now think it is all myth and hogwash. Thank God! Actually I DO think it was a higher power of some sort that helped me "SEE THE LIGHT" and guide me out of this destructive high control group.
The TT alsosays that NO ONE has had the Holy Spirit since the First Church until the TT recieved it! So, that means the men who picked the books of the Bible where doing it under their own power and not the gudance of the Holy Spirit!!! So I hadnt planeed on leaving and as I said, in the TT standards, I had it as good as it comes. But when I received this "revelation" as soon as I got off work, I went to the phone, called my Dad and told him I needed to come home and think this one out. He promptly told me that there was a bus ticket and some traveling money waiting for me at the Greyhound station. Luckily, all of the elders were out of town at the 4th of July event they have at Washington DC every other year and I asked my friend Nadiv (willing in Hebrew) to take me to the bus station. Oddly enough, he was the same brother that took me to the bus station in Warsaw Mo when I left in 2000.
I arrived home in Madison WI. to my unconditional parents love and promptly got on the internet to find a place to belong. I knew in my heart at that time that I needed to live in "community" but only if it were secular. I didnt have much luck at first. They all had some kind of bend or they were vegetarian. Yuck! Im strictly a meat eater! But I do like my veggies too. Actually I love vegetarians! They taste like chicken! LOL.
During my web surfing I came across http://www.meadowhaven.org/ . While in the TT we were told of the beast of a man called Bob Pardon and that he was a enemy of the Tribes and of God Himself. Bob runs Meadow Haven and I later found out that he is the most caring and sincerely loving man I know.
Mate’ will put a smile on your face!
NEXT: Meadowhaven and lost loves…