Agápē (ah•GAH•pey) is the word for the truest, purest form of love; God’s love.
Brian and I stumbled on to this property in the Sam Houston National Forest by pure luck…it was one of those “God Things.” The house was old, like your great grandma’s house type old. No central a/c or heating, no insulation. Unsealed windows, which means whatever seasonal bugs are out and about also become your roommates (think: lovebugs, flies, Asian beetles, wasps, scorpions, etc). Pier and beam floors that creak with every step and whatever the current weather is creeps up through the cracks chilling or heating your toes. The buildings were run down, pasture untamed and over-ran with 100 years of hoarding from the previous owners. It was love at first sight. Looking back, I see how ridiculous it seems, but we called our realtor from the property and begged her to put a contract on it before we’d even seen the inside of the house. She delicately talked us out of that (because she’s good at her job) but we just knew it’s where we were supposed to be.
The truth is, at no point in our, at that point, 10 years of marriage had we even discussed having a farm. Quite the opposite actually, having grown up on a cattle farm, my husband swore he’d never choose that life. As usual, God (and my husband's wife) had other plans. Before we had even signed our names on the closing documents, we felt the culmination of so many beautiful traumas and their subsequent, and even more beautiful, "trauma blessings," and God leading us to this place…we unintentionally began calling it Agápē Farms. God's love. That's what we want to farm here.
So here we are, not really knowing the first thing about farming! Brian handles all the farm projects, demo, repairs, re-building, pen & paddock maintenance, land clearing and cleanup. Meanwhile I, Brandi, with the help of the best business partner, have an unconventional “9-5” running a business, with the most amazing, forgiving and reliable employees. And when I’m not doing that, I manage our animal husbandry, daily animal snuggle sessions, along with livestock record keeping, research and farm planning/organization. Our children have become huge contributors to our success and motivators for all the crazy things we decide to take on.
Today our homestead is focused on increasing production of our four primary crops: QUAIL, DUCK, RABBIT, LAMB. We can be found in and around the City of Montgomery hanging out with all our favorite local businesses, restaurants, farms and other local hangouts (but mostly at Wilderlove Coffee). There, we will most likely be planning the next Agape Farms adventure that can help us:
Increasing our ability for our family to become self-sufficient growing and lovingly harvesting our own food.
Connecting and serving our community and our neighbors.
Learning and educating children on farm life, animals and animal husbandry.
Offering our food, livestock and abundance whenever we have it available.
Exemplifying and sharing the gospel and God's love.
.......through our farm, through our food, through our family and through our faith.
Be-it the food itself, farm life, employment, access to the animals, farm tours, farm knowledge, a sanctuary, retreat or farm boot camp, or as a ministry, we are anxious to grow what we love into something other people can love, or a place to feel loved, too.
We are here to serve.
The Chrisenberry Family
Chris, Britt, Caden (11), Gage (8), and Sawyer (2) are our resident farmhands and close friends. They are proof that you never know what an innocent farm tour could lead to around here. Britt manages the farm, garden and farm store all while juggling mom life, homeschooling her three incredible boys, and signing on for any and every cause that supports God, life, and liberty...but also community, cannabis, CBD, holistic health, small business, homeschooling, farming, and Texas. She's also the reason behind all our best photographs. While Chris and the boys are the men, behind the hands.
Brothers Chuy and Isaac make up our Agape Farms Muscle Department managing our construction projects, security, animal protection and the Founders of our Adopt an Animal Best Friend Program. They can be found butting literal heads with Gnome the Goat in the back pasture, snuggling Ross the emu, whizzing around the farm on foot and the tractor and striking sexy poses.
Jess is our managing partner and connector extraordinaire. As our health and wellness consultant, holistic healing and diet coach, garden volunteer, biggest cheerleader and encourager, she is our local Montgomery Show Up, Take Action, Hands On, World Changer, Warrior Queen. If she's not continuing her education on holistic health, wellness, homesteading or gardening she's consulting individuals and families, ministries, single mom's, veteran's and her friends while ALSO doing the whole mom of three teenage daughters and wife thing. NBD! She likes to squeeze a little volunteer gardening in at Agape Farms from time to time too. We don't know how she does it. But we love her!
Our authority on all things homeschooling, holistic medicine, colloidal silver and Bone Thugs and Harmony. She is our Master Child Wrangler, usually chasing after her brood of two overly-just-perfectly-theatrical, singing sensational, pre-teen daughters and one maniacally magical son Asher.
An artist in the kitchen and behind the {tattoo} gun, Michelle is a newhire at Homeschool Co as All Subjects and Ages Teacher Grades K-Life. She's usually got two award winning huggers in tow, Hudson and Ellie and they can be found completing fun projects, like outdoor movie nights and art and farm activities or simply helping out around the farm.
Unifying the community for a day of fundraising, food and heartfelt family fun at Agape Farms!!!