Weighing the cost…

     Just as I was about to make my break from the "Faith Farm", I recieved a unexpected final paycheck for my accrued leave time I had not used from the Dept of Defense Civil Service.  I was planning to go to West Palm but now I had finances to go to any community I wanted to! I looked at all their places and saw they had a farm in Vermont! Wow! One of the few states I had not been too and who wants to stay in Fl. in July? I had recruited a buddy to go with me, even offering the price of the train ticket. He backed out at the last minute so it was off to Bellows Falls, Vermont on a Amtrack.          I called ahead but there was no one at the train station when I arrived. Well, they must have just forgot or ran into problems. Vermont was gorgeous and cool compared to Fl. I called the farm and a warm and friendly  woman answered the phone. There was multiple voices of children and kitchen noises in the background as she told me she knew nothing about me but would send a disciple to come pick me up. A disciple!!! One of Jesus’ followers was coming to bring me home!!!

         A few minutes later at the empty station, an old beat up Ford econoline van pulled up and this skinny, beleaguered longhaired man with a short cropped ponytail, scraggly beard and shabby clothes walked up to me with a forced smile and a limp handshake. You could tell he was preoccupied with something other than my presence and reluctantly helped me with my bags as we got in the van. I was to find out years later that this young man of 30, who looked 45, had given up a wealthy family and a inheritance of a  million dollars to purchase the farm we were headed to. His name was Daveed Bekor. Everyone who made a covenant to God and with them would take on a Hebrew name. The name was to reflect the persons true being and personality. Names used to be like that. Many reflected your occupation or whos son you were. Like Baker, Painter or Johnson. Bekor means "first born" and Daveed is "loving". He was the first disciple to be recruited out of California…

         I can see Im going to have a hell of a time "condensing" this thing. What do I skip? I havent even gotten to the farmhouse yet and I only lasted a week there before I got tired of howing in the echinacia fields for 10 hours a day, surviving off of millet and vegetables, and ran off to my folks home in Wisconsin ten pounds lighter. I had blisters on my hands, a terrible case of diahrea and was dying for a smoke. I was sleeping in the "single brothers room" which was a rustic loft in a barn with 5 sets of bunkbeds and smelled like a neglected locker room. Some of the beds were empty and some seasoned and well outfitted by there occupants.

         We arose before the sun everyday and everyone gathered for the"Minchah" which means offering. The TT (Tweve Tribes) believe they are the spiritual offspring of Abraham and the Twelve Tribes of Jacob and are all priests serving Yahweh. They are being prepared as  the true "Bride of  Messiah" for His return. They believe their homes are the inner courts of the Temple and they gather every morning and evening at sunrise and sunset to offer up their bodies as living sacrifices to God. This is announced by the blowing of the shofar (rams horn) 5 minutes before. Everyone, men, women and children, gather in a circle in a large room and start the gathering with singing songs. They sing whatever the "Spirit" puts on their hearts to sing, and you have to start it as the musicians pick it up for you and put it in the right key. All their songs are written by them and most taken directly from the scripture, psalms and the prophets. You’d usually have only a piano player or guitarist but depending on the community, you might have violin, bass fiddle, clarinet, oboe, flute,piccolo and dumbeck (Isreali drum). Most songs have Isreali circle dances that go with them, which those with the talent to dance and some not, dance these whirling dervishes as others sing along. Mind you this is all happening at the crack of dawn and your lucky if you got a cup of mate’ ( brazilian green tea,NO COFFEE!) to help you wake up before. Between the songs, whoever wished to "share" what the spirit had put on their heart ( something that may have happened to them the day before, a teaching they were thinking about, a scripture that they read or an article from one of their self written publications called "free papers", would share… When they were finished speaking, everyone would give them a audible "Amen" or a nod of the head. If you got a "Hmmmm…" You knew you were off, and were getting a cryptic,kind and gentle "We need to talk about this after the gathering" response.

        After the gathering, there was a bustle of activity as several single brothers would bring in large folding tables and chairs as the "breakfast team" would set up the tables with condiments of olive oil, celtic sea salt and cayenne pepper. Then the large bowls of steaming hot millet, which I thought was only for the birds! LOL!,  and chopped onions and tomatoes. If you were fortunate, there were scrambled eggs to accompany it. Mason jars of hot mate’ flowed, chased with water. Lots of water… One of there high commandments. "Drink your water!". After the meal, everyone headed off to there respective jobs and tasks for the day. The men to the fields or the construction job they were subcontracted for, and the women to the laundry, kitchen or classroom.

        This went on for six days a week, working from sunup to sundown and past. Rarely a moment for yourself. You couldn’t even find time to read. (no tv, radio, magazines or newspapers. The Bible, free papers and a few, very few, approved books only, were to be read) You might get in a few minutes at bedtime before you passed out from exhaustion. The only thing you looked forward to was the Friday night "Celebration" (that’s unless you were on the dinner team and had to bust you butt for several more hours as you served the meal and cleaned up afterwards) This was for entering the Shabbot(sabbath). This signified the day of rest. (Actually that’s what we really looked forward to) The day when Messiah returns and rules and reigns with His bride on earth for a 1000 years of peace. This was the night when all "outsiders" were encouraged to come and see a "living demonstration" of  Gods chosen people and a taste of heaven on earth. Outsiders were also offered to stay overnight and spend the Sabbath with them and join them in their Sat morning week in review gathering and have brunch. Then there was the Sat. night gathering which included a children’s story and the "Victory cup", a large goblet of red wine, which those who felt they overcame the "Evil One" the previous week would partake in and share why they felt this. Also those who didn’t partake explained were they failedand how they were "going to do better next week". After the gathering, there was "Breaking of the Bread" which was an exclusive meal for those who were baptized, in the Tribes that is.(no where else counts) A special room is prepared, cleaned and not entered unless invited. This was considered the "Holy of Holys" were only the High Priest of old Israel was allowed in. A special unleavened "Loaf " was baked and a simple soup accompanied the meal. It was 6 months before I ever experienced this. That is to come later. The guests for the night or those who were visiting, contemplating joining, "weighing the cost", would have a special meal prepared for them, usually by a married couple who would forgo the breaking of the bread, to sit with the visitors and answer questions and tell them of their life"In the Body of Messiah".

                I have to stop for a moment here and wipe the tears from my eyes. The ex- Twelve Tribes members who are reading this have got to be feeling what Im feeling right now of how odd all this may sound to others but THIS WAS OUR LIFE!  We gave our entire being to it! Why couldnt it have been REAL? Most of us miss alot of it but loathe the thought of returning.  OK, I think I can go on…

                Most of us( Look there, I went from them to us. I see Ive been doing that as i re-read this. Were do I fit?) spent the Sabbath in bed, all day, trying to catch up on all the sleep you lost the week before. Thats unless of course you had child care to give the frazzled mothers and single mothers a well deserved break. If you were a super zealot, you would never, ever get any rest. I no longer wonder why Daveed Bekor looked as he did…

 

                                                                                               I booked, only to return…

                

 

                 

Solsbury hill

Climbing up on solsbury hill
I could see the city light
Wind was blowing, time stood still
Eagle flew out of the night

He was something to observe
Came in close, I heard a voice
Standing stretching every nerve
I had to listen had no choice

I did not believe the information
Just had to trust imagination
My heart was going boom boom, boom
Son, he said, grab your things, I’ve come to take you home.

To keeping silence I resigned
My friends would think I was a nut
Turning water into wine
Open doors would soon be shut

So I went from day to day
Tho’ my life was in a rut
’till I thought of what I’d say
Which connection I should cut

I was feeling part of the scenery
I walked right out of the machinery
My heart was going boom boom boom
Hey, he said, grab your things, I’ve come to take you home.
Yeah back home

When illusion spin her net
I’m never where I want to be
And liberty she pirouette
When I think that I am free

Watched by empty silhouettes
Who close their eyes, but still can see
No one taught them etiquette
I will show another me

Today I don’t need a replacement
I’ll tell them what the smile on my face meant
My heart was going boom boom boom
Hey, I said, you can keep my things, they’ve come to take me home.
                                                                                       -Peter Gabriel