Our Unexpected Journey to Spain & Creating Fruitful Hills Estate by Hazel

Five years ago…
'It's the end of the world as we know it... and I feel fine...' The chorus words to a popular REM song suddenly rang joyfully in my mind. I hadn’t listened to REM for years, and it didn’t feel like just a memory popping up in my mind. Over and over again, the words played, and they persisted until I paid attention. With bemusement, I pondered and prayed, “Why are the words I’m hearing so joyful, and how could it be ‘the end of the world as we know it... and I feel fine’? I didn’t imagine one could feel fine when it was the end of the world!

Still, I knew something dark, and evil was looming on a grand scale. An impending sense of doom just beyond the horizon was with me constantly. To help put words to my discernment, I began to research end times and scripture and listen to sermons by Bible-believing preachers who spoke with authentic boldness and holy spiritual power. It was a relief to hear others also talking about the times we were in - It was a heavy burden to carry alone.

I explained to Andrew as best I could that the hour was late. We are at the end of the end times. He half agreed with me that perhaps we were at the beginning of the end, but then he went back to his beloved BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) news and sport. The brick wall he had at the time was impenetrable, and I had no idea how to break the deceptive, mesmerizing spell he was under.

My prayers for healing, deliverance, provision, guidance and grace continued. Feeling alone, I cried out repeatedly, “God, I am here, at your service. Whatever is going to happen, use me; I choose you, may your will be done in our lives, on earth as it is in heaven”.

I often listened to Jabez's prayer, read psalms aloud, and pushed through my inner obstacles to be as close and obedient to God as possible.

Spiritual warfare raged, and despite my experience and knowledge of deliverance, prayer and spiritual warfare, the personal demonic attacks on me were draining, harsh and painful. Wherever I went (including the U.K. and abroad), I was aware of all sorts of evil. I prophetically saw giant black snakes slithering through the church pews; I saw in the spirit many people whose hearts were made of stone, and others, although they looked human and held respectable positions, were different from humans - like they had no souls.

Other than that, life went on as usual… Andrew diligently performed as the Associate Rector of Burnsall Parish, North Yorkshire. I took care of our young daughter Grace, did my best to recover from M.E./ Chronic Fatigue (which afflicted me 23 years on), and continued to try to cope with being an outside-of-mainstream-thinking person married to the local Vicar.

We felt blessed to live in such a beautiful historic house, village, and surroundings. We had planned to stay for many years and personally invested in improving the interior and garden, including purchasing antique furniture to complement the grand Georgian rectory.

However, for various personal/family reasons, after one and a half years of living in Burnsall, Andrew took early retirement from the Church of England, and we left the parish.

Not knowing where else to go, we moved to a rental property we had recently purchased in Knaresborough. The riverside location was fantastic, and Knaresborough was an attractive and interesting place to live. We had happy times along the riverside, spending time in the nearby historic castle grounds and surrounds, including St Robert’s cave which inspired us. Grace mastered cycling on two wheels and made friends with some local animals, including a one-eyed cat called Clyde and a hyperactive cocker-poo dog named Simba.

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that much was missing. Things just didn’t gel. We were supposed to be somewhere, doing something else but I had no idea where. I continued to learn, discern, listen and pray. God blessed me, and I privately experienced what I can only describe as God's open heart surgery. The love of God pierced my heart so deeply that I felt that my heart was not big enough to contain it all. At times his presence was so intense it was almost painful.

During our time in Knaresborough, Andrew, Grace, and I went on a camping trip in our new VW campervan that we had purchased for Andrew’s 60th Birthday. Grace (with Andrew's help) had volunteered to look after Simba the dog for a week while her owners went on holiday, and so Simba joined us on the trip. This lively ball of energy added to the fun, and we had a wonderful time exploring the North Yorkshire countryside.

Seeking God’s will and wondering what to do and where to go,  the word 'Marbella' appeared in my mind. Marbella? What? Really? I hadn't been to Spain since I was a young teenager and that was only for a fortnight’s holiday. Andrew had only been to Spain as a young adult for a holiday. Neither of us spoke Spanish or knew much about southern Spain. "Marbella" appeared in my mind several times again. I looked on a map to see where it was and watched a few documentaries. Oh wow, I thought, how on earth do I approach the subject with Andrew?

I tentatively spoke with him about what I had heard and began to google research 'Montessori School Marbella'. Highly sensitive Grace had not settled at school, so I hoped that sunshine, beach and another Montessori school would be the answer. After many internet searches, I was excited to discover that a small, high-quality-looking international Montessori school was opening up an elementary class in September.... six weeks away!
Andrew and I called the owner/director in Spain. There was an instant rapport, the school sounded great, and it seemed like a beautiful place for Grace to grow and thrive. In a moment of boldness, Andrew and I decided to go to Marbella.

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans. That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. William H. Murray Forbes quotes

Somehow, with supernatural help, at great speed and efficiency, we packed up, sold and gave away most of what we owned. We stored what we could in our garage and filled our VW campervan with ‘essentials’, ready for Andrew to drive over later.

Still in high season and not speaking Spanish, finding suitable accommodation proved tricky, so we booked ten days in a hotel with the plan to house hunt when we arrived. In the meantime, Andrew listed our Knaresborough house with a letting agent, and we said our goodbyes. Not everyone approved or thought we were wise or of the right mind! It probably did sound somewhat concerning to some… Firstly ‘Church of England Vicar marries former model 19 years his junior’ (July 2011 tabloid headlines), then he quits the Church of England and then moves to Marbella - not a place known for its spiritual purity! I suppose it did paint a somewhat questionable picture!

We pushed through the human and spiritual opposition, and then off we went - one-way plane tickets to Spain, eight suitcases (containing mostly Grace's precious things to help ease her transition!), three bikes, a bioresonance therapy machine, and many prayers.  

We arrived in the middle of the night, tired, disorientated and sometimes wondering what we were doing. Andrew had hired a long-wheelbase van to fit all of our luggage in, which didn’t fit particularly well in the airport carpark. And after spending far too much time lost in the airport car park, we eventually headed for San Pedro de Alcantara, Marbella. Navigating the complicated maze of Malaga roads was tricky. Still, thankfully having owned a holiday home in France for many years, Andrew was experienced diving on the right-hand side of the road. Eventually, we found our way and arrived at the hotel. We slept well that night!

The pressure was on to find a place, and we eventually settled on a beachside terrace house in attractive urbanization. The residence was habitable with positivity, prayer, and a thorough clean and re-arrange. The urbanization was owned mainly by families who lived in the north of Spain. They rarely visited, so we were one of only a handful of families in residence. We felt blessed with so much space and privacy just off the beach.

We loved our time in San Pedro. There wasn't much to dislike with sunshine, a family-friendly feel, play parks, high-quality new-builds and infrastructure, neatness and order, cycle tracks, beach, oceanside promenade, organic restaurants, and fantastic weather. Grace made friends with children in the school and began to pick up some Spanish. Andrew heroically drove our V.W. campervan from the U.K. We soon began house hunting. We were keen to purchase a family home.

Through a contact on Facebook, we fortuitously met a local lawyer called Marcelo, who came to be called our Lawyer Angel. Fluent in English and Spanish and having just returned from six years working for a top U.K. law firm, he understood our British ways and wanted to get legally settled and make Spain our home. Brexit was looming, and we knew we had to be wise and organised.

With a lot to learn and many pitfalls to avoid, we had Marcelo research the purchase of eight different properties - he put in a lot of work, but each one didn't work out for various reasons. Marcelo had the patience of a saint with us, and we remain appreciative and grateful for all he did for us.

For various reasons, permanently settling in San Pedro de Alcantara at this time was not to be. Wondering what to do, a helpful friend suggested another Montessori school in the countryside, near Coin, Malaga (30 minutes from Marbella). We had never been to the area, so she kindly took us there. It seemed a nice place, and we liked the new open space of the countryside, so after a few more visits and still not knowing what else to do,  we decided to move to Coin. We negotiated a two-month winter rent for a holiday home near the school - with chickens, a pool, and lovely views.

Not long into the holiday home let, I suddenly felt an urgency to look for a place to rent. It seemed early days to be looking, but we went ahead anyway, scouring the internet for possible homes. Then “wow”, we found a fantastic hilltop villa in the countryside in the neighbouring town of Alhaurin el Grande. Being lovers of peace and beautiful spaces, we appreciated the Mijas mountain views, quality build, high ceilings, huge pool, avocado orchard and secret garden. The fully furnished property was ideal as we no longer owned many household belongings. We managed to be first in a long queue of people hoping to rent it, and as we were potential rent-to-buy customers, we secured a 12-month lease.

We loved the place, but before making such a large purchase, we house-hunted far and wide, even making initial offers on two properties in the Sotogrande area near Gibraltar. These didn’t work out either, and finding anything suitable, eventually, we decided to purchase the house we were renting. Andrew was keen to get started on development projects, and we were both more than ready to settle down somewhere.

But then I began to lose sleep as I deeply sensed that all was not well. Something was wrong with the property underground, and there were hidden things we did not know about. We wished this was not the case, but my inner alarm bells would not stop ringing. There were problems, and I could not rest until we paid attention. We prayed for things that needed to be revealed and went ahead with exploring purchasing the property ... thinking perhaps it needed some building work which we were open to doing. However, the purchase was stopped when our Angel lawyer Marcelo discovered a legal problem with the roof, explaining that we could be subject to a hefty fine or worse if the house were deemed illegal. We later found out that other professionals had concerns about subsidence to the property terrace walls and previous repairs.

Another property on our potential purchase list was a house I loved. The owners were away, so after a second viewing, we would visit, explore and picnic. The house was much smaller than we were looking for, but the land and the location were good. Andrew didn’t like it so much, but to me, there was something special about it and the area. I could have happily made a home there. We had it valued, made an initial offer which was turned down… and then sold it to someone else!

Nearing the end of our 12-month tenancy and under the threat of having to pay expensive holiday rental rates, which increase significantly in the area, the heat was on to find somewhere fast. Nothing we looked at was correct. We had no idea what we were to do.

The search continued, and much prayer and inner work went on for me as I firmly believe the inner reflects the outer. Then a specific property flashed into my mind. It was a run-down ramshackle place we viewed over a year ago. A nightmare of a project that we felt way more than we were willing to take on. Interestingly it was next door to the house I loved, so we knew the area well, but Andrew was adamant that he would not look at it again. No way, he insisted. Absolutely no way! The idea would not leave me, the Holy Spirit kept prompting me, and since nothing else suitable was on the horizon, he eventually agreed to visit "just to humour me"!

We knew it suited us as soon as we stepped onto the property. Somehow things had changed. Andrew was excited and full of enthusiasm about the potential and possibilities. We returned a few times armed with questions and various professionals. We soon made an offer - a substantially lower amount than its original listing price, which meant we had funds to invest in the much-needed repairs and improvements. And as a bonus, just as we had prayed, the property sale was a timely blessing to the previous owner, who urgently needed to return to the U.K for personal reasons.

Fortunately, by 'chance' at a horse-riding event, we met a builder Angel called Roland, an English man fluent in Spanish who had previously owned a successful building company in London and had since lived and worked in Spain for over 20 years. Creative, knowledgeable, highly experienced, well-networked and enthusiastic, he patiently advised us (and still does) on our many questions, obstacles and challenges and offered his additional ideas and inspiration.

All things work together for the good of those who love HIm and are called according to His purpose… Romans 8:28.

Things worked out, and on Feb 26th, 2020, we became happy and relieved property owners. My parents flew over from the U.K and kindly helped us to move, working extremely hard for us and putting up with uncomfortable beds, barely working bathroom plumbing and 1970s decor.
Patience, expertise, rubber gloves, and much elbow grease were needed to get the place habitable. The site was a fixer-upper - much more than we initially realised at purchase, so we celebrated whenever we discovered something was functional and working correctly.

The first 'Emergency Lockdown' in Spain was declared one week after we moved in.
Thanks to holy spirit discernment, many years of truth-seeking and personal growth (including seeking to understand persuasion, influence, mind control, cult tactics, The New Age/Occult deception) and having experienced the dark side of specific industries through searching for recovery from long-term M.E/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I knew right away things were not what the mainstream narrative claimed. Seeing so many people unquestionably buy into and fiercely defend the deceptions was challenging to witness and experience. I felt dumbfounded to catch most of the world in a trance and walking in lockstep. Satan was undoubtedly having a hay day!

Trusting in God, I declared, "Great good comes from this!” and wrote down questions like, “How can we thrive?” I was determined that we would thrive and serve God regardless. Much prayer and seeking God went on, and I did my best to use the craziness to inspire growth and development. Becoming more self-sufficient as a family, including learning homesteading skills, certainly seemed the way to go. And growing in biblical knowledge and wisdom and deepening our relationship with Christ (King of Kings, Lord of Lords), I knew was essential and became a high priority.

Being an introvert, happy to be alone (because I am never alone with God as such great company!), the social lockdown was not much of an issue. We were in such a physically beautiful space; we had endless to-do lists and a big spiritual/prayerful clean-up on the estate (including removing the giant red-horned devil fountainhead and many hidden, occult objects the Holy Spirit led me to). We found excellent resources online and learned from many gifted people. It was clear that miracles had happened for us. So much beauty, potential, many things to know, and so much work to do on the house and estate; there was no chance of us being bored!

We smiled and were encouraged to identify biblical aspects of our location too… ‘Alhaurin’ means God’s garden. The hillside community in which we live is translated as “Vinyard of the Lamb.”

I related to the bible scripture Deuteronomy 6:10–12 10

And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12 Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of †bondage.

We hadn’t quite got a vineyard on the estate, but the vibrant grape vines and many mature olives, citrus and almond trees produced beautiful fruit. The towering eucalyptus tree provided abundant shade, and its many fallen leaves provided a pretty, natural (and weed preventative) covering for the nature trails Andrew has been creating. The expansive views, giant cactus trees, year-round nature, mature plants, and the increasing amount of wildlife daily reminded us of God's fantastic, intelligent design and order.

"Grow me a garden that's bursting full of life" was the next song that frequently streamed into me. This time with such profound love and beauty - even now, I want to bow down and cry when I sense it. God is with us - how awesomely awesome!

On hearing these words and following his inspiration, Andrew, a lover of projects and having something to do, sprang into action. Learning that we needed to plough ridges along the contours of the land to retain the bouts of heavy rainfall and making permaculture compost, (both learnt from Geoff Lawton’s permaculture videos https://start.geofflawtononline.com/permaculturecircle/), planting trees, distributing the countless skip deliveries of manure from our friends equestrian centre etc. etc. the list went on.

And slowly but surely, things began to be sorted out - a clean bath in a luxury bathroom with powerfully running hot water - aah, lovely!

We set up two of the apartments as holiday rentals - beautiful spaces ideal for relaxing and enjoying the beauty of Andalucia. Being blessed to be a blessing was our intention and what we prayed and worked for.

We welcomed guests and received excellent reviews.

“The place and the people inspire a lot of peace which was what we were looking for. The garden is a paradise only 25 min away from Malaga. The house is completely new and the details are very well thought. The bed is extremely comfortable!!! Andrew and his family were very welcoming and accommodated all our questions.”

— Big thank you! Muchas gracias! Michelle and Guillaume

Now, as I wonder how to conclude this writing, I become intensely aware of my knees and a sense that NOW is a perfect time for us all to be on them. I sense the following scripture, which seems to be scripture for all who will hear…

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 King James Version

With love, Hazel Allington