We have been wanting to obey the Prophets and get out of debt for awhile now but we held back from selling our house until we could see no other way.
We bought 5 acres 22 years ago and Chris built our house himself, we hoped to develop a hobby farm, which it could be classified as with sheep and chickens, but it never really got going as we hoped. We planted an orchard and have garden beds but the soil is poor and water has been an issue.
So in January of this year we put it on the market and waited. Three months later we had some interest but no potential buyer. We began looking around and thought we would downsize and get a regular house and land size, but each place we found which we liked was sold while we waited.
Then came 2025 April General Conference.
Only the week before I was asked to give a talk on receiving revelation and I spoke about avoiding deception and following the Prophet, so I was keen to learn what revelation I might receive, and this one hit me harder than any previous conference has. (To read my talk click here )
Five times the Parable of the 10 Virgins was mentioned. I loved Elder Renlund's talk entitled Personal Preparation to Meet the Saviour and these three points referring to the Five Wise Virgins kept going around in my head;
"For they that are wise and
- have received the truth, and
- have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and
- have not been deceived—
verily I say unto you, they shall … abide the day."
Elder Renlund also highlighted, "Toward the end of His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ was asked when He would come again. In answering, He taught three parables, recorded in Matthew 25, about how to prepare to meet Him—whether at His Second Coming or whenever we leave this world. These teachings are crucial because personal preparation to meet Him is central to life’s purpose." (Personal Preparation to Meet the Savior, April 2025)
I love how Elder Renlund drew us to the question that the Apostles asked the Saviour wanting to know of His return found in Matthew 24:3.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, ...what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world...?
Then Matthew 24:21-55 Jesus answers this question and concludes his teaching with the parables in chapter 25. I've enjoyed coming to understand that often Jesus would teach the doctrine and finish with a parable, it's like concluding a lesson with a concrete illustration or something relatable to help solidify our understandings.
Anyway, as I was listening to all these references and particularly Elder Renlund speaking of the 10 Virgins, I felt the Holy Ghost stirring in my heart telling me there is something I need to learn and discover.
So I got out my scriptures, my pen and study journal and began reading, writing and of course praying.
It wasn't until I got to President Nelson's talk where I finally saw it all fall into place. President Nelson had shared in his talk entitled Confidence in the Presence of the Lord;
"We do not know the day or the hour of His coming. But I do know that the Lord is prompting me to urge us to get ready for that “great and dreadful day” and then his footnote also took us to Matthew 24! However as he has done before he not only referenced verse 36 which was what he was talking about but he added the next one verse 37 as an extra consideration for those who are searching.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Here we are brought back to the Saviour teaching the apostles about what will be happening at the Second Coming and we are guided to understand the parallel between our time and Noah's time.
As we go back to Matthew 24 and read what is said about Noah in verses 38 and 39 we learn some interesting things...
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
This is teaching us that most will be going about their normal daily activities and very much unaware until it is too late.
There is an interesting parallel between drinking and Isaiah warning us that in the last days the Ephraimites will be drunk, but not on strong drink but be spiritually asleep because they are too focused on Babylon, meaning many of us will be so intoxicated by money and the pleasures of the world, we will be numb to the warnings surrounding us (Isaiah 28:1, 29:9-10).
"The days of Noah were “corrupt before God” and “filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11–12; Moses 8:28). Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles affirmed this comparison between the days of Noah and the last days: “In terms of the sin, evil, and wickedness upon the earth, we could liken our time to the days of Noah before the flood” (“Our Lord and Savior,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 5). Furthermore, as in the days of Noah, many people will be living their everyday lives and ignore the warnings of the prophets and the signs leading up to the destruction of the wicked."(Student manual, chapter 8)
The rest of Matthew 24 is also very insightful;
29 Behold, I speak unto you for mine elect’s sake....
then He speaks of the separation, the servants being deceived and this warning;
53 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of and ends with the phrase there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
It is clear to me the Lord is talking to the elect and warning those who assume they will be invited to the ark or invited to the wedding ceremony as the five foolish Virgins were in the parable of the 10 Virgins, to be prepared. Non-believers will not be weeping and wailing and complaining that they never got invited as they are not interested, not even thinking about the Saviour's Second Coming, wanting to or expecting to be a part of it, so He is not talking to or about them.
The fact that the five foolish virgins also took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom indicates they were expecting to participate in the wedding and then begging the Lord to let them enter shows that despite procrastinating their preparations they assumed they would still participate. Remember according to JST, it was the Lord who shut the door both on the ark and to the marriage ceremony.
Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy made this observation about why the unwise virgins found the door closed and why they were denied entrance: “The closed door is a poignant reminder that ‘this life is the day for men to perform their labors’ (Alma 34:32). … The fact that the five foolish virgins knocked, expecting to enter the marriage supper, indicates one of two things: (1) they thought they could prepare themselves after the Bridegroom came, or (2) knowing that they at first had not been prepared to enter, they were hoping for mercy. Either way, the door was shut” (“Oil in Our Lamps,” Ensign, June 2007, 47).
Things get really interesting if we keep reading chapter 25 along that same vein that the Saviour is speaking to the elect, His seed, His children. We've discussed the 10 Virgins and most members are aware this parable is referring to endowed church members, and keeping with this theme takes the parable of the talents and the parable of the sheep and the goats to another whole new level.
D&C 63
54 And until that hour there will be foolish virgins among the wise; and at that hour cometh an entire separation of the righteous and the wicked
The clarification in Doctrine and Covenants 63:54 that “until that hour there will be foolish virgins among the wise” means that even among the Latter-day Saints there are those who will be found wicked and who will be separated and cast out from among the righteous, as in the parable of the wheat and tares (see Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43). (Doctrine and Covenants Student manual) And I would add the parable of the talents and the sheep and the goats.
As one can see, as I studied the words of our Prophets and the scriptures especially Matthew 24-25, there was much to glean and I came to understand that the Lord wanted me to learn something important about preparing for the last days.
Matthew 24
51Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
52Who then is
- a faithful and
- wise servant...
53Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
We can be faithful and just stewards, but it's another thing altogether to be wise.
D&C 51
19 And whoso is found
- a faithful,
- a just, and
- a wise steward
20 Verily, I say unto you, I am Jesus Christ, who cometh quickly, in an hour you think not. Even so. Amen.
So how does one be wise in their preparations for the Lord's Second Coming?
D&C 78
13 Behold, this is the preparation wherewith I prepare you, and the foundation, and the ensample which I give unto you, whereby you may accomplish the commandments which are given you;
14 That through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world;
15 That you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Zion, who hath established the foundations of Adam-ondi-Ahman
This scripture teaches us that we are meant to stand independent above all other creatures, a generation or two ago we as a society were much better at this, and we felt the Lord nudging us that if we want to accomplish the commandments given, then we need to do better. (Edit to add this is exactly what Pres Oaks invited us Oct 2025 to do, "In times past, one of the great influences that unified families was the experience of struggling together in pursuit of a common goal—such as taming the wilderness or earning a living. The family was an organized and conducted unit of economic production. Today, most families are units of economic consumption, which do not require a high degree of family organization and cooperation...Parents also have a duty to teach their children practical knowledge apart from gospel principles. Families unite when they do meaningful things together. Family gardens build family relationships. Happy family experiences strengthen family ties...Parents should educate children in the basic skills of living, including working in the yard and home")
So I took my thoughts and understanding to Chris as the key holder of our family and he went to ponder, pray and receive revelation for us. He took the day, went for a drive to the countryside and came back with these key ideas:
Therefore to be wise stewards/servants/virgins we needed to find a home where we could strive to stand independent or be self sufficient with the potential to be off grid.
This included:
1. Unlimited water supply
2. Great soil and already established garden
3. Plenty of timber and land
1. Unlimited water supply
2. Great soil and already established garden
3. Plenty of timber and land
We went online and immediately found exactly what we were looking for, 23 acres of bush and pasture, six spring fed dams, river frontage and a fully fenced organic garden bigger than the house. It also had the bonus inclusions of a one story home with no stairs and facing North with full sun (smaller details, I secretly hoped for).
I was interested to note the home included a timber home with wooden panel walls in the kitchen/dining area. This was also a bonus detail due to a dream where my step-father (whom I'm sealed to) had visited me in my home in a dream and I knew that it wasn't my current home. I'd said to Chris back in January, if we find a house with milled wooden walls, then we will know it's the same house. I didn't put too much weight into this initially but I was excited when I saw that this house ticked that box too, it was everything we hoped for.
I had the thought that one of the reasons we had not sold our house yet was because we were not looking where we were meant to. We thought due to our age that downsizing was the logical option, but apparently the Lord had other ideas for us.
We visited the house three times. It's a rural area called Upper Castra near where my mum grew up and as I recalled lovingly visiting my grandparents on the farm as a child, there was definitely an emotional pull to the area. As I looked at the majestic mountains, rich brown/red soil and fertile farming paddocks, it felt like coming home. An added extra is, it's only 25 minutes from the quaint seaside town of Ulverstone with supermarkets and all our retail needs plus the beach!
The second time we took Eve to show her and she loved it too. We took her to the local school but as she walked around and looked through the windows she didn't like it, I tried to talk her into home schooling but she wants to be social, so hesitantly we took her to look at the school in the other direction which is twice as far. However as we got there a teacher (who would be her teacher) was there feeding the animals and we learnt the first school only has 14 students with 11 boys and 3 girls, whereas this school has 40 students with a lot more girls and a lovely cohort for Eve to join. Chris knew this teacher's mother as she had been his first principal when he began his teaching career and he answered all our questions and allayed all our fears. Meanwhile Eve had been exploring the school and was very happy. A farm school to boot! The decision was made, 10 minutes drive wasn't so bad afterall, plus there is a bus service.
The property we claimed as "Wheeler's Ridge" had been on the market for 12 months and the owner had knocked back previous applicants because he had built it and developed it himself over the past 30 years and was struggling to walk away, but he approved of us and so we acted in faith, put a deposit on it and signed a 90 day contract.
Now we just had to hope and wait.
But we didn't wait idly. We began packing up, clearing out and preparing, wanting to show forth our faith.
We fasted and prayed, received promptings and revelation to help us know we were on the right track. Both Chris and I were born and raised in the city we've lived our whole adult life in, (besides a brief time for him living in England as a child and even briefer time for me moving to another city as a young adult) we were very settled in our home town of Launceston. Our now adult children live there, our extended family and church community were there, we have been blessed to receive the help we need from the Lord to be prepared to leave and move on. Chris even has a pet saying which he repeats to me often, Lannie(that's me) loves Lonnie. Fortunately Launceston is only 1.5 hours drive away, so hopefully we will visit often and receive visitors in return!
It reminds me of the story shared by Elder Eyring when he was counselled at his sealing by President Kimball to be prepared to walk away; "Live so when the call comes, you can walk away easily". (I Love to See the Temple, April 2021)
We need to be prepared and willing to walk away from all we know, especially as we consider Matthew 24 and 25 and the imminent physical gathering and separation we understand comes prior to the Lord's Second Coming before the Great and Dreadful day. (See this post for more on this)
It's now been 5 months since we put our house on the market and one of the main things the Holy Ghost has reminded me of is a revelation I received a few years ago; I was waiting for something to happen and fall into place and I was talking to the Lord and I heard a clear and distinct voice say to me, "timing is everything". As we've been waiting, this revelation has been brought back to my remembrance and I've known this has been my opportunity to act in faith, trust the Lord and await till the timing is right.
Of the 90 day contract we had on "The Ridge", it was day 57 when we could finally extend a purchase contract. After 5 months of anticipation we finally had a buyer for our property(a developer) and was able to move forward on purchasing our new home. We look forward to adapting to our new lifestyle and moving in within the next 2 months!
Update 23rd July 2025:
My dad passed away 2 weeks ago and Im feeling a bit stressed with everything that's going on. Our buyer has requested an extension to the financial clause in our contract as he is having difficulty getting finance. He initially had til July 21st, so two days ago we found out he needs more time. We are fasting and praying all will fall into place. With another 2 weeks to get finance it brings us up to 4th August, we then only have 11 days til settlement. We REALLY have to act in faith and keep moving forward otherwise if we wait to confirm finance, it won't give us enough time to pack and be ready to move. This is nerve wrecking but we have had enough confirmation to let us know this is the right path, so we will continue and look forward to breathing that sigh of relief when its all over.
Update Mon 4th August:
Our buyer has requested a further 2 week extension on the finance clause plus a 2 week extension on settlement date. This brings our new settlement date to 29th August. We now have 25 days to move which gives us more time and relieves some of our stress. We are acting in faith and trust in the timing and can see that moving closer to Spring is a good thing when it's a bit warmer. We still have much to do and are grateful for a little more time to get it all done.
Update 18th August:
Our buyer requested another 2 week extension on settlement date, a lot happened this fortnight and I was very grateful for the extension. Chris' parents have needed a lot of our attention due to their health and we havent had time to even think about the things we need to do. The Lord knows what's in our future and I'm feeling secure in the knowledge His timing will be done.
Update 25th August:
New and final settlement date is 15th September!
Update Mon 22nd September:
Despite numerous extensions and a desire to buy our property, this developer was not able to access the funds. Chris felt prompted to visit The Ridge and speak to the owner and explain our predicament, fortunately he was in no rush and was happy to wait for us.
On the 6th September, the day before my first fathers day after losing my Dad 2 months ago, we were expecting another potential buyer and I was feeling emotional thinking of my Dad. I wanted to share with him the update on our house and see him for Fathers day. I only knew that a couple of investors were coming and they were Doctors. When they arrived later that day, I learnt that the main investor was in fact my Dad's doctor who we had met at the hospital before my dad passed. He had been absolutely wonderful and we had really appreciated his help with us negotiating end of life decisions.
I said hello to the doctor and he remembered us and my dad, I knew there and then that I wanted these men to buy our place and wondered if not only Dad knew but had had a hand in it all somehow.
Well, 2 weeks later we signed the contract and these doctors are in fact buying our property. Not only are they buying it but after conversations with our real estate agent, they spoke of needing a developer and he put them on to the original guy who wanted to buy it and they have all gone in together, win/win for everyone.
Our new settlement date is Nov 21st. We just have to get through the Due Diligence phase and be unconditional which is 31st Oct, considering past experience we're not getting too excited until that happens.
Its been 9 months since we put our house on the market and we have had to trust in the Lords timing, there have been a number of reasons that we have been relieved that we are still in Launceston. God knew what was in our future, if we had our way life would have been much harder and we would not have been able to do what we needed to do. I am so grateful to trust in an almighty being who knows the end from the beginning, who loves us and has our back. Who we can rely on and have full confidence in. We are hopeful now the timing is right, if it's not we know its for our best and we will look to the Lord and enquire what is needed for us to continue on our path as we strive to be wise stewards in the lead up to His Second Coming.
Update: Sunday 23rd November
This Friday is settlement day, we are prepared and ready to move to Wheelers Ridge in Upper Castra. It got pushed back a week as our buyer wanted to change from a commercial to a residential loan, he has decided not to subdivide immediately. Our buyer is an Indian Doctor and wants a home to sponsor other migrant doctors to come to Launceston and have a place to live. Last week he came through with his builder and they discussed converting downstairs into a separate living quarters and all the renovations they want to do, it means that we dont have to clean and do much as it's all getting ripped out, so thats good news. They are keeping our sheep to keep the grass in the paddocks down, so all things to make moving easier.
Meanwhile my Dad's house sold in the first week and they are ready to go as soon as probate goes through. His property included a caravan park which he set up, the new owners are going to keep it going and expand on it, so thats wonderful.
Something that Chris found which excited him was finding out that the word Castra, the name of the area we are moving to, was named after the Latin word fortress because it was initially set up as a military retirement area for ex-servicemen who had served in India. The very word fortress is the word that had been coming to Chris' mind for the last year or so and he had been saying to me, to prepare for the Second Coming we need to have our home as a fortress. How cool is that!?
Its been 11 months now since we put our house on the market and Im grateful for the lessons we have learnt, but I'm also grateful and excited we are finally ready to start the next chapter of our lives. There have been so many tender mercies to help us know we are on the right path, what an amazing blessing this whole experience has been!
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