Meet a Princess: Rebecca Jo Aughinbaugh

In Acceptance Lieth Peace

Please tell us about yourself, your interests, goals and values.

My name is Rebecca Jo Aughinbaugh and I am 18 years old. I live with my family on a small (25-acre) farm here in the northwest corner of Missouri. We enjoy raising and caring for a medley of livestock: cows, sheep, hogs, cats, and dogs; plus, the newest addition, a hive of bees!

Since a very small child, I have been fond of cows. When I was six years old my dad gave me a Holstein heifer, which I raised as a bottle calf. He taught me how to hand milk, and ever since, we have kept a few dairy animals on the place. The years have seen changes, however; now I have switched to Brown Swiss cows and milk by machine. The machine is faster and cleaner than milking by hand, but I miss the sound of the milk in the bucket and the simplicity of only one bucket to wash! I own two registered Brown Swiss cows and one heifer, plus we also have two Holsteins, the old Guernsey that I learned on, and one other grade Brown Swiss. I have a small business selling whole milk to friends.

On sunny, mild days, even in the dead of winter, you will likely find me in my flower garden. Last spring I decided to “overhaul” my very small, untidy flower bed. I expanded it, made a path, and put a little fence around the edge. It has given so much joy. In the fall I put in a few perennials, and I am looking forward to seeing how they do this summer. I also planted bulbs, and when I ventured onto the muddy path a few days ago to check for signs of spring, to my surprise and delight the crocuses were pushing up through the snow!

My other interests include piano, ear-training (learning to recognize by sound the different intervals that make up music), sewing, training my horse (a colt I raised), cooking, and studying God’s Word. I enjoy reading, and do as much as I possibly can. I’ve found that I benefit most from sticking to a few select authors and reading them over and over. For the past few months, I have been tremendously blessed by the insights of author Hannah Hurnard. My life can never be the same since reading these books: Winged Life, God’s Transmitters, Kingdom of Love, and of course the classics, Hind’s Feet on High Places and Mountains of Spices. The scriptures have opened up to me and my love for them has increased. I know I am just beginning to uncover the hidden treasures the Lord is waiting to reveal to me; my only sorrow is that I have been blind to basic truths for so long. The patience and long suffering of my Lord with me is just beautiful beyond words. I would highly recommend these books to all.

Please tell us about your family.

My dad’s name is Joe. He is a rural mail carrier; he delivers our mail every day! This job takes up most of his time, but he has seasonal sidelines such as shearing a few sheep, and raising chickens and turkeys for our freezer. He has a sense of humor and a lot of common sense. When we have questions or a problem, Dad always knows the best thing to do!

My mother’s name is Glenda. Her interests center around growing things—from flowers to vegetables or herbs; from saving seed, to using herbs medicinally and figuring out ways to store our produce over winter… she is deeply interested in all aspects of gardening and being more self-sufficient. She is blessed with robust health and strength, and practically lives outdoors from spring to fall! She is relying on the Lord for grace to accept His will this spring… to be content with life indoors nursing Grandma is sometimes a struggle, because she is missing the excitement of getting the garden started as the new season bursts forth.

I have one sibling, my brother Adam; he is 16. I am very thankful for him—he has taught me many things, in some ways indirectly. We have a very close relationship! It is nice to have a “protector” when we go places alone, and he helps me out so much with chores, doing all the heavy lifting. In turn, I enjoy surprising him with baked “goodies.” I am so grateful God gave me a brother! Adam’s main interest right now is raising hogs. It started with just fattening feeder pigs for market; now he has three sows that have just weaned their first litters. They were cute for a while (he thinks they still are) but so mischievious! Always getting out and underfoot!

Is there any special blessing from the Lord you’d like to share?

I have so many special testimonies of God’s goodness I could share! It is overwhelming to think about. I know that many of you will identify with this feeling.

It seems appropriate to share how the Lord is sustaining our family at the present time….

My mother’s parents live about 9 miles north of us on the farm where she was raised. On January 20, my grandma, who has osteoporosis, was putting letters in the mailbox when she slipped and fell, breaking her hip. The (difficult!) decision was made to nurse her at home, instead of going to the hospital. Over the years, my mother has gained much experience and wisdom in the use of herbs for healing, so she has been taking care of Grandma full time since that date. My grandpa also has health problems, and before Grandma fell, she was quite busy keeping up with his requirements… so Mom has two patients!

Grandma is completely bedfast, so for over a month they all have been up every few hours around the clock, turning her and attending to her needs. Only one of Mom’s five siblings lives close enough to share in the care of Grandma—Aunt Ruth lives 60 miles away, but has been coming up and staying a few days at a time so Mom can get a little break.

My responsibilities have increased since Mom left. Looking back, it is amazing how the Lord was preparing me to take over for her, in the weeks and months leading up to the accident. We had a calf that was sick, and Mom was spending a great deal of time in the barn taking care of it, and studying what herbs to use. So I began helping out more with the meal planning and preparation, taking over completely at times. Also, I have had poor health for several years; headaches and fatigue have been my daily companions (and have taught me many lessons—but that’s another story). Last fall I began improving, and about ten days before the accident I was well enough to take over the morning milking again. For over a year Mom has done that because I have always felt so bad in the mornings. He really provided for me—there is no way I would’ve been able to do all I am doing now if my health hadn’t improved.

Since Mom is my closest friend as well as my mother, I have really missed her! I realized that if I was truly anchored on Jesus Christ, He would satisfy all my needs for companionship. It has really driven me closer to the Lord, to leaning totally on Him.

Since I can’t share all my thoughts and testimonies with Mom as we work together, I have turned instead to my journal to express what I am feeling. It is not quite as easy to write things as to speak them—it requires more care. One of my faults is just speaking my thoughts and ideas as they come to me! I hope I am maybe learning to be quiet and think things through more, before sharing.

I have been blessed by my mother’s silent testimony as she gives all her time and strength in caring for the needs of others. It has been a physically exhausting job as well as emotionally stressful to her. (She wanted me to be sure and add that the Lord has really blessed her to be able to serve without resentment—it is a gift from Him, and only His grace enables any of us to accept His will for our lives at this time without growing bitter.) We know that “all things work together for good,” and that the Lord is teaching us lessons that will ultimately be for His glory. I know we will look back on this time, in the future, and be able to see more clearly the working of His hand.

Would you mind sharing a favorite book, poem, or recipe?

I hope this poem will bless your readers as much as it has me. It has been a source of strength and comfort, especially in the recent weeks:

In acceptance lieth peace,
O my heart be still;
Let thy restless worries cease
And accept His will.
Though this test be not thy choice,
It is His—therefore rejoice.

In His plan there cannot be
Aught to make thee sad:
If this is His choice for thee,
Take it and be glad.
Make from it some lovely thing
To the glory of thy King.

Cease from sighs and murmuring,
Sing His loving grace,
This thing means thy furthering
To a wealthy place.
From thy fears He’ll give release,
In acceptance lieth peace.

—Hannah Hurnard

I would also like to share our favorite brownie recipe; it is the result of some “tweaking” of a recipe to get something similar to the mixes you can buy:

Rebecca’s Brownies

• 3/4 c. cocoa
• 2/3 c. plus 4 T. shortening, butter, or oil
• 2 c. Sucanat (or sugar)
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. whole spelt flour (or 1 1/4 c. white)
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt

If using shortening or butter, melt in a large saucepan with the cocoa. (If using oil, combine oil and cocoa). Remove from heat. Mix in Sucanat, eggs and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread in greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool slightly before cutting. These are very moist and chewy—be careful not to overbake!

In conclusion, is there anything else you’d like to add?

My prayer is that the Lord will use my attempt at sharing with you in this interview, somehow for His glory. In closing, I would pass on what He has patiently been trying to teach me lately: The Lord is faithful. He knows what He is doing in your life even when it doesn’t make sense. Just trust Him and lay your will down on the altar. Cling to Him during those periods of trial and disappointment. His Word will bring you comfort and strength.

He will bless you beyond your highest expectations!

Ephesians 3:20-21: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

—Rebecca Aughinbaugh