New Freedom Farm, a 501(c)3, was founded in 2016 with a goal of providing a supportive place for veterans with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, substance abuse issues and other trauma they battle. Men and women who have served their country and their family members are welcomed free of charge to experience the peaceful environment at the 13-acre farm.
Lois opened the farm with just a few dollars left in her bank account. She’s built New Freedom Farm into what it is today with her faith and the support of thousands of followers around the country. Lois, a Navy veteran who is open about sharing her own experiences with PTSD and substance abuse, has become an advocate for awareness of the 22 veterans each day who die by suicide.
Quick to tell you she is not a public speaker, Lois has been invited to speak in front of crowds of thousands, including at a recent engagement in Washington, D.C. on Memorial Day weekend. Her unfiltered and heartfelt personal experiences have reached hurting souls in the audience. It’s not uncommon for someone in the audience who has contemplated suicide to seek Lois out after she speaks. They feel an instant connection to her honesty and she’s quick to offer support and guidance to help them find professional help.
At New Freedom Farm, home to 18 equines, including The General, veterans find kindred spirits. Many of the farm’s horses were rescued from slaughter. Those rescued horses serve as an example for the hurting souls who visit New Freedom Farm.
In his first days at the farm, The General, Lois said, “taught her patience. One must move slow and introduce things one at a time. Trust. Determination. How to be a better advocate.” When he arrived at the farm, Lois kept The General in a round pen with a horse trailer fixed to it to allow him some shelter from rain or the beating Virginia sun. The General was wary of people but with Lois’s daily patient interaction and the consistent availability of hay and clean cold water, The General quickly learned to trust Lois.
Although she’s rarely off her feet with a farm and nonprofit to run, Lois spent many of those first few days dragging a lawn chair into the round pen, sitting near The General. Occasionally, she brought a book with her.
Lois was eager to love on The General and groom the dust and bits of mud from his mane. But he reminded her he was still learning to trust. If she moved too quickly, he’d back away, sighing. The General wanted so badly to become a member of Lois’ herd and fight the instinct to run away. Together, they learned.
After 12 days of practically living in the round pen and horse trailer with The General, building trust, Lois was able to lead him around the round pen. Within weeks, Lois was able to touch The General with two hands, get him to follow basic commands and she even got to kiss him on his nose. “I just love you to pieces,” she frequently told him. Lois kept her progress with The General updated on her Facebook page.
On May 6, The General’s 21st day on the farm, Lois posted on Facebook several photographs of The General, including one where he had a POW/MIA flag draped over his back and another of a book Lois was reading while sitting in the round pen with him. “General MacArthur completed his first assignment of carrying our POW/MIA flag,” Lois wrote. “He was amazing today. He allowed me to brush his mane. He even took a treat off my book sitting out in the round pen. Books, flags and even chairs are typically very scary. The General is a very brave gelding. He tries so hard to be willing. Each day he builds more and more trust with me.”
In short order, The General has become accustomed to seeing Lois at the start of each day. In the mornings, as she drinks her coffee before dawn, Lois hears The General whinnying for her. The trust he has built with Lois in just a couple months will serve as an example to veterans who have their own trust issues and seek solace through the gates of New Freedom Farm, which sits thirty minutes north of Roanoke, Virginia along the interstate 81 corridor.
Often, veterans overcome with guilt about their choices, or wrought with anxiety or fear about the future have difficulty staying in the present. But when you have a wild mustang at the end of the lead, Lois said, “your mind can’t be anywhere else.”
Lois welcomes you to connect with her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/loisnmitchell and the farm at https://www.facebook.com/NewFreedomFarmVA/. You can also follow NFF on Instagram, @newfreedomfarmva. New Freedom Farm is a nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of its supporters. To learn how you can support New Freedom Farm, visit www.newfreedomfarm.net.
Lois, a Navy veteran who is open about sharing her own experiences with PTSD and substance abuse, has become an advocate for awareness of the 22 veterans each day who die by suicide.
Lois speaking in Washington DC