In this compelling conversation, Darin and Monica Strong share what they learned from building their early homestead in the wrong order and how those lessons now shape their approach to preparation, community, and faith. They explore what “building your ark” looks like today— from prioritizing food storage to decentralizing your resources and refusing to homestead in isolation. With bold conviction, they urge us to cultivate discernment in this cultural moment, listen for God’s leading, and remember that growing our faith is the most important step we can take toward being prepared for what is next.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Darin & Monica realized they built their first homestead out of order and what they now believe every new homesteader needs

• A fresh take on “building your ark”: how Noah’s obedience, timing, and spiritual posture are reflected in the modern homesteading movement

• Why long-term food storage is the first layer of peace, not panic, and how one bulk order can jump start your preparedness plan

• What happens when you acquire animals before infrastructure (including the milk cow story that changed their plans!)

• A call to break out of isolation and rebuild the kind of agrarian, interdependent communities our great-grandparents lived in

• How homesteaders are decentralizing their food sources and reclaiming territory

• Why homesteading often looks “irrational” from the outside and how that mirrors Noah building an ark before rain existed

• Discernment for this cultural moment: knowing when to stay, when to move, and how to listen for God’s voice above the noise

• A bold reminder that faith (more than skill, money, or land) is the foundation of resilience in the storms ahead

• Encouragement for the families feeling stirred or called into something new and why obedience now matters for what comes next

Thank you to our sponsors!

KubotaUSA.com | Providing the right equipment to keep us moving, shaping, and growing America's farms, fields, and construction

Premier1Supplies.com | Your one-stop shop for a variety of homesteading supplies and expert advice

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Gain access to the conference videos mentioned in this episode by becoming an HOA member

Get a copy of Monica's Azure Standard Pantry Stock List

Find out if there’s an Azure Standard drop near you!

Check out the previous HOA episode with AJ Richards

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CONNECT

Darin & Monica Strong | Website | Instagram | YouTube | X

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GET MORE FROM THIS EPISODE

Watch this episode on YouTube:

View full show notes and transcript on the blog: https://homesteadersofamerica.com/e52-before-the-storm-preparing-your-homestead-and-heart-for-what-is-to-come-darin-monica-strong/