My name is Dawn DesJardins, and I'm writing with my husband Mark. We live in northern Michigan, and we believe God is calling us toward a small community of believers — people who love Jesus, work with their hands, and want to be ready for what's coming.
A little about our family: together we've raised seven children. Our youngest, Emma, is 10 — a sweet, creative girl who loves animals, and she'd come with us. We lost our home in a house fire last year and have been rebuilding from the ground up since. That fire took a lot from us, but it burned away a lot of what didn't matter too. What matters is Jesus, family, and being where God wants us.
Horses are a big part of our story. Since 1995 I've mentored kids and teens every summer in horsemanship — teaching responsibility and confidence through daily horse care — and I take in horses people have given up on, rehabilitating them with patience and consistency. Mark has been my right hand around the horses for a couple of years — feeding, handling, helping with groundwork — though the training and breaking is my department, not his. Animals have always been one of the ways God uses us to reach young people.
Caregiving is our other calling. I'm a Direct Support Professional — I work with people with developmental disabilities, administer medications, and follow treatment plans. I'm CPR certified. Earlier in life I owned and operated a Christian childcare and learning center serving mostly underprivileged youth. Mark spent years in home health care too — wound care, feeding tubes, medications, the unglamorous faithful work. Between us, we're comfortable with medical needs, kids in crisis, and the daily routines that hold a household together.
I also do ministry in the ways I can — I write faith-based music, and I built a free survival and Scripture app called Ready & Rooted (ready-and-rooted.pages.dev). It's fully offline with no ads and no accounts: the Bible in 1,300 languages, survival and first-aid guides, kids' Bible stories, and live weather alerts. Every week we're adding around 20 new Bible translations in languages that never had Scripture before.
Mark is a musician and does electrical work — he trained under his father, a licensed journeyman electrician, so wiring, troubleshooting, and repairs are second nature to him.
We're self-supporting with our own income, and we have a camper we can live in, so we wouldn't need housing right away. We also have a small dog and our cats — they're family.
We're not looking to be served — we're looking to serve. Land to clear, buildings to raise and wire, horses to gentle, kids to love on, medical needs to tend, a worship night that needs a guitar — we're there.
If this sounds like it could be a fit, we'd love to talk more: about your community, what you need most, and how we can be praying for you even now.
God bless you all,
Dawn
Desacc26@gmail.com
9894770040
