The agriculture community has always been supportive, with farmers stepping in to help their fellow farmers during a time of need. It’s a tradition that stands strong, despite trends of the fast-paced world.

A farm family from Attica in Fountain County, Ind., experienced this earlier this summer. Dozens of family members, friends and community members showed up on the doorstep of Chris and Michelle Mickle’s home ready to help.

Chris had always dreamed of building his wife, Michelle, and daughters, Makayla and Katelyn, a barn for their livestock, but when he became sick, plans were put on hold. As time progressed, Michelle got the idea to host a barn raising. She thought this not only would result in a barn for the family, but also would serve as a light for Chris, who had been battling cancer for many months.

Michelle knew people wanted to help their family through this trying time, but they weren’t sure how to help. She believed hosting a barn raising would give friends and family an opportunity to help.

Spread the word

Not knowing just how the idea would go over, Michelle presented it on the family’s Facebook support group page. Almost immediately, people began saying they would be honored to help.

Michelle and her daughters began nailing down the final details. On June 8, the barn raising took place. The only plan the family made was calling two friends to ask if they could oversee a meal.

When the day arrived, the Mickles stepped outside at sunrise and were greeted by more than 70 friends, family and community members with trucks full of tools and equipment. They gathered from right around the corner to all the way from Alabama, ready to help. The family knew many of the volunteers, but there were many who they had never met before who were there simply to lend a hand.

“I expected maybe 25 people, certain family and friends,” Michelle says. “I never in a million years expected this.”

In addition to the volunteers who took initiative in building the barn, community and church members took initiative in providing a home-cooked meal for everyone.

Those who came to help naturally fell into groups to take on certain tasks, starting with taking apart the Caterpillar crates — large wooden boxes from Caterpillar engines that Chris, as an employee of Caterpillar, was able to bring home for free.

Family and friends donated their time to level the ground, plus materials and time for the electrical components, and materials for the roof.

The planning crew worked directly with Chris, who knew exactly what he wanted. “It was all in my head,” he says. Chris was able to talk his way through his vision, while those around him drew it out on paper.

After the first day of work, the barn took shape. Nearly 67 wooden crates were transformed into a frame. Volunteers chose a second weekend date to finish the work and raise the roof. As the day came, the farm lot filled with nearly 50 volunteers.

BARN TAKES SHAPE: Working together, volunteers were able to lift and secure the large beams for the barn frame during the first day of the barn raising event.

The family never imagined that this many people would assist in this project and that their vision would become a reality. While building a barn during such a trying time seemed a little strange to some, Michelle and her family knew that building the barn was much more than giving their livestock a place to stay warm in the winter.

“Some people are like, ‘Why would you build a barn in the middle of all the chaos?’ because people were looking at me very shocked,” Michelle says. “What they don’t understand is that Chris has provided for us for so many years, and this was the one thing that he wanted to provide.”

“It was also a motivational tool,” Katelyn adds.

Michelle agrees, saying, “He had to use his brain again — and he had to, because many people had no idea how to build. When you look at that barn, every bit of it was in his head. It is amazing.

“I believe that God had a plan and knew that we needed something good to come out of something bad. It may be just a barn to other people, but to me, it tells me how wonderful people really are. People cared to give their time and support.”

In many cases, people donated money, which is always appreciated. The Mickle family is grateful for all donations they’ve received, as that money has helped them greatly throughout this time. In addition to monetary donations, the family is thankful for the time — a priceless gesture —  their friends, family and community gave in raising their beautiful new barn.

More than a barn

The farming community has always been known for lending a hand in a time of need, but having over 70 friends, family members, church members, community members and complete strangers gather to give their time was much more than the family ever thought possible.

The Mickle family can look at their barn and immediately become flooded with visions of volunteers working together on every aspect of the structure, from leveling the ground to putting up the walls to laying the last piece of the roof.

“The barn was another way for people to see something good come out of this,” Chris says. “To [help them] remember people can come together and bring hope.”

“When I look at this barn, even through all of the things that have happened, we think about all of the amazing people that made this possible,” Michelle says. “That barn is so much more than a barn. That’s all I can say. When I look at the barn, I can see every single person’s face that helped build it.”

If the walls of the Mickle barn could talk, they would share the story of a family’s faith and strength, and the unmatched love of a rural community coming together in support of an incredible family.

Young is a senior in agricultural communication at Purdue University. She writes from Waynetown, Ind.