Why Life in Beranville?

Beranville is not a place; it's a state of mind really. You see, Beran is our family name (pronounced like the word barren). We live in rural Iowa. Our closest neighbors are all related to us.

When I first married my husband and moved here from Indiana it was quite an adjustment. I had gone from living in town only 5 minutes from the mall to living on a gravel road where the nearest Wal-Mart is 45 miles away-and the mall 60! As a single gal I had been constantly on the run. Now here I was out in the middle of "no where" surrounded by people who say things like, "You betcha" (something we never said in Indiana!). I felt so all alone, secluded and out of place.

I was fed up one day when I told my husband, "I'm so sick of being stuck out here in Beranville!" It wasn't a loving comment at the time, but the title stuck.

But you know what those lonely times did?  They drove me closer to Jesus.  I learned to rely on Him more, and others less.  I also began to leave (all else) and cleave to my husband.  It was a time of stretching and growth.

Since then I have grown to love my little, quiet corner of the world that I now so lovingly call Beranville. I've embraced my place here, seen God at work in ways I never thought possible and I am thankful to call it home. Because really it's not about WHERE you live, but HOW you live that matters. I'm lovin' my life here with my husband, my son and my Savior, Jesus Christ. Life is good because God is good!

I love how the LORD just keeps working on me here, in Beranville, my cherished home

Ahhh... sweet contentment!