The Backstory
In 2016, the brothers and their families spent a weekend in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. They described their retreat dream to their taxi driver who was a stranger to them. He mentioned he had the perfect place for them two miles from where they were spending the weekend. They pursued the lead the following day.
MaryLou — a retired woman — owned the 102-acre property. Her husband had built the foundation of their home before passing away unexpectedly. She didn’t have the property listed and had no desire to pursue selling.
As the Stoltzfus’s envisioned the land’s potential, they searched for a partner to assist with the retreat’s long-term operations and convinced a cousin to join the team. As they explained their plan for the property to MaryLou, she bought into the dream entirely. She loved it. In six weeks, they had a buyer’s agreement. Everyone was in awe. It seemed God was involved in the whole thing. The team was complete, and the challenge was officially on!