Odds n Ends

Projects Update- thought maybe I should update you all on what Dutchs next major project will be. Since the better part of the barn "punch out" list has been completed, Dutch has been doing odds & ends around the house here. It seems that after he completes a major project he needs a little time to re-group before starting his next big project. So now he's gearing up for the next undertaking- he's going to be building an office in the barn for Bruce. Bruce's office presently is a tiny area outside of his bedroom- in fact, when we lived in the barn MaKayla said, "Bruce sleeps in his office". And she was pretty much right on, beings that the office area is the entrance to his bedroom. So starting next week, Dutch will be setting out to make a bigger & better office for Mr. Bruce!!!
Wild Life Update- Ok, so I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs about the deer that we have here. Well let's just say that the warmer weather has added to our list of interesting creatures that frequent our front porch & side yard. We now have several hummingbirds coming to the feeder, an indigo bunting, & several other "cool" birds. We see Garter snakes on a regular basis (the kids have gotten brave enough to pick the little ones up by their tails). We've seen a beaver in his lodge on the pond, & Snickers (our dog) came nose to body with a porcupine (Dutch had to pull the needles out of Snickers nose). And the lastest creature- a "cat-like" something... to put it in ShaLyn's words "it was about the size of Snickers, had whiskers & a long tail". Dutch checked with the Game Commission about the possibility of it bein' a cougar, & of course they said that they highly doubt that thats what it was- soooo for the sake of the Game Commission, we'll call it a "Bobcat". ShaLyn saw it from our kitchen window!!!!!!!!!!
The Ministry of the Haft Update- People often wonder if the Haft (the guest rooms in the barn & what we offer here) is being used, in other words, is anything going on here- are people coming to be refreshed, & retooled? The answer is yes! And as people are finding out about the Haft & what's available here, we are getting more phone calls, etc. We are not booked solid, but we have people coming & going!! It's exciting to see God at work!!
*Please continue to pray for the Haft, & for us as we serve- we're trying to make the most of our year while we're here. Time is going by so quickly.
*By the way- feel free to leave comments on our blog or drop us an email. We LOVE to hear from our friends far & wide!!

10 yrs. & counting...

  Allow me to reminisce a bit- grab your self a coffee, get cozy, & travel back in time with me. Back to when I was younger, thinner, single & dreaming. When it came to a husband & my future I had my ideals, things I wanted in a man, & things I wanted to do & be in the future. The following is a list of the some things I planned for, hoped for, & wanted for my future: we'll start with a husband- I used to say "I want him to have blond hair, blue eyes, wear blue jeans (HA), & love the Lord." I remember saying "short is okay". Okay so I'd say "check, check on that. Next I wanted to get married, wait a yr. or so, & then have four children before the age of 30. Again, "check, check".
  Then there were things we wanted, hoped & planned for the future that didn't happen. We said on our honeymoon that for our 10th anniversary we want to go to Alaska. (This isn't exactly Alaska!!) We also said we want to take our family to a third world country someday just to experience it (this could still happen in the future).
  BUT guess what? There were things I DID NOT know, think of, or plan for the future... like- I never dreamt I'd be a pastor's wife, didn't plan for my hubby to be a pastor, had no clue we'd live in Bradford Co. for a yr., had no idea I'd enjoy being a wife & mother as much as I do, I did not know that marriage gets BETTER with time & I'd love my husband more now then I did back then (a deeper kind of love), and I had absolutely NO CLUE that 10 yrs. would go by so QUICKLY!! It has been a journey- not perfect by any means, but wonderful!! I heard statistics today on the radio that said many marriages don't make it past 7 yrs- those poor people jumped ship to soon. They miss the good part. Marriage is like wine- it gets better with age!! I don't know about you, but I'm in it for the LOOONG haul- lookin' forward to what the next 10 yrs. may hold. 

LHF Ladies Retreat

  The ladies from Living Hope Fellowship (the church we attend up here), had there annual Ladies Retreat this past weekend, and it was here at the Haft. So that made it really convenient for me, Dutch was able to hang with the kids while I was in the barn hangin' out with the ladies. So from Friday evening until Sat. around 6:00 pm. we worshipped, took in teaching sessions, had professional massages, ate, chatted, laughed, applied Scripture, oh & did I mention "stayed up late talkin'" together. It was a grand time, & the amazing thing is I was one of the youngest women here. The one "gal" (as she called herself) is 72 yrs. old., & she's still excited about the Lord. I told her that I used to think 70 was old, but lately I keep findin' these 70 yr. olds that are still kickin'!!! But you know what- that's how I wanna be when I get old- excited about the Lord... & willing to look into the Word to learn more about him. And I realized that we are never too old to impact people, cause the women really had an impact on me,  & not just a spiritual impact... They were alot of "fun" too, in fact the 72 yr. old was in my group when we had to "act out" the story of the 'Little Red Hen' to portray Diligence vs. Laziness, and she was laying on the floor playin' the part of one of the lazy farm animals that always replied "Not I". What a sport!! Hangin' out with these ladies made me realize we can learn alot from older people, after all, they've been around quite a bit longer than we have- & I know they have some wisdom to offer if we're willing to take the time to watch & learn!!

Special Moments

                                          

   Call me old fashioned but I would much prefer seeing my son hang out w/ his dad doing "guy things" than sittin' around playin' video games or watchin some video. I'm not a fan of any of those gadgets like DS or XBOX though I am well aware that at some point my son & daughters will be asking for them. But anyway like I was sayin'- I LOVE when Dutch & his son get moments like the one above, to hang out. This was yesterday mornin', they left the house before daylight a little before 5 am. & headin to a farm that they had asked permission to turkey hunt on. Of course they could give you all the details, but I'll make the story short- they  were watchin five "Jakes" together feeding, & Madison sat looking over Dutch's shoulder & whispered in Dutch's ear "Dad call". So taking Madison's advice, Dutch "called" softly, & the turkeys started headin' toward them. When they were in range, Dutch whispered to Madison "Should I shoot"?? To which Madison replied, "Yeah Dad"!! So Dutch pulled the trigger on the biggest one- a 5 1/2" bearded jake. What a moment of celebration for father & son, with the typical high fives, hugs & "praise the Lord". Mission accomplished!! It was a special moment and Madison's smile was worth it all.

   There were a few other "projects" that Madison & Dutch worked on together. They built a rustic lookin' bird feeder, & also made a "homemade" bow and arrow. All these moments are a highlight for Madison, & Dutch enjoys them as well, but for most of us, these moments don't "just happen". We have to take time from our busy schedule & "make" those special moments happen for our kids if we wanna have a close relationship w/ them. I see it the same way with my Heavenly Father- I need to "make" the 'one on one' times happen with Him if I wanna stay "connected"!!!!

                      

Our God is Greater - Chris Tomlin

We're not staying forever!!!

tem·po·rar·y
adjective

1.

lasting, existing, serving, or effective for a time only; not permanent.

 

   Since we've moved to the Haft, I have learned the meaning of "temporary". We lived in the barn "temporarily", we are now in the Gatehouse but it's only "temporarily" since we're only committed here for a year. Once a month we go home to Lancaster, but we're only there "temporarily"... Okay, so what is my point in saying all this?? Well, ultimately, we are all here on this earth on a "temporary" status, so why are we so geared to think permanently?? We busy ourselves maintaining our earthly things that have no lasting value, and don't get me wrong, I like things nice- but there are certainly times where I have completely missed the fact that we are not staying on this earth forever. I miss the "big picture", & get wrapped up in my own agendas. But here's the scoop- we get one shot here on this earth to get it right, prepare ourselves for the eternal, and bring as many souls with us as possible. So what would happen if we all took seriously the fact that our time here is short?? What would we change in our lives to make more time for the things that really matter?? Would we spend more "quality" time with our kids, would we complain less, would we just take some time to "be still" & get in tune with our God?? Would we stop focusing on our earthly kingdoms? How would YOU change things if you lived with a "temporary" mindset?? Listen up- our kids need us, there are people around us that need us, & people need to see REAL christains (the world isn't tired of God, they're tired of "goofy" christains)- & sometimes we miss these oppurtunities because we're busy with "life". I think it's time we focus on the important things, keeping in mind that our stay on earth is temporary, & then make the most of our time while we're here!!!