Someone once said that "if you go to bed with something on your mind, & you wake up with it on your mind, perhaps you need to find out why it's there, & what God is trying to say"!! In July of 2012 Dutch & I both started talking about returning to the Haft. We talked about it when we went to bed, & when we got up in the morning. On top of that, Dutch was dealing with a decision concerning selling his partnership in his construction business, Twin-Mar Const. His business partner proposed a change in the set-up of the partnership from 50/50 to 75/25. Dutch began to think about that, and he wondered if God was speaking to him through his business partner. Was God telling us it was time to cut more ties & seek something else that He had in mind?? We prayed about it, & talked about it. And we reached a decision- we would sell our share, closing one door to see what God would open next. Not long after our decision to sell Twin-Mar, we found out that Bruce & Joan Boydell (directors at the Haft) felt that it was time to move back to their home in West Chester. They were not sure why they felt a restlessness at the Haft, but they felt like God was saying move on even if their are no directors to take your place. They set a date in Oct. to move back home. Wow! So there was an open door for us. We could take their place, & move back to the house we lived in a year ago. But of course there was doubt. Dutch said, "I don't think I'm qualified for the job". And were we really supposed to come back only a year after we left?? We prayed about it, thought about it. Then one evening when Dutch was with a group of guys that he was leading in a Bible study he told them that he was carrying a burden, a decision he needed to make. He said "guys, right now I'm laying this down. I'm not going to wrestle with this anymore. I'm willing to let go." The very next day he came home from work & said- "We're going". As it turns out, Jason & Carolyn Stoltzfus were also praying about the Haft. They were here in July with their church leadership team for a weekend of prayer & seeking the Lord. During that time Jason's connected with the Haft & felt a sense of belonging here. After seeking the Lord, & seeking the blessing of their church where they were youth leaders, they decided to move here in Nov. They have commited to one yr. Their role here is first of all, to refresh from their busy life in Lanc. as youth leaders, refocus where they're heading, & also to serve as part of the on-site team. Jason does maintenance around here etc. And Carolyn helps out where needed with cleaning, cooking, etc. Plus they homeschool just like we do, & and that can be a full time job in itself.
There is also a third couple living here- Dan & Connie Lapp. The story of how they came to be here is also another interesting one, but I won't take the time to share it. They moved here in Jan. of 2012 several wks after we left. They came here for a time to refresh after after living & working at Camp Andrews for 6 years. Their original plan was to be here for 9 months. When the time came to decide where the Lord wanted them to go from here, they felt that God wanted them to stay.
So you might ask- "what are we actually doing at the Haft??" Well let me start by saying that when we came here the first time we (Dutch & I) knew exactly what we were supposed to do. Dutch, who knows carpentry well, was committed to refresh the facilities here. He used his carpentry skills nearly every day here. He remodeled the entire barn where the guests sleep plus remodeled the house we live in. We were also coached by Bruce & Joan during that time. Now coming back as directors, & looking at the ministry side of it, it looks quite different. Our job is to oversee the on-site team, along with scheduling, fundraising, & administrating. It will certainly stretch us. We also feel the responsibility of "making it happen" here. We have a great place to serve people, but if we don't have people to serve, then what?? Bruce's original vision here 5 years ago when they first began to re-build this ministry was to reach leaders who needed a place to go to refresh, retool, & rebuild. The idea was to make this a place where you could come during a sabbatical, or if you were in transition you could come here to seek direction from the Lord. We still feel that the Haft can be used in that kind of way, & Bruce & Joan are willing to come here onsite short term to walk with leaders or individuals in that kind of way should we have those kinds of clients. Bruce has the credentials for that very thing. However, we personally feel that with the staff that we have here now, we are more geared to walk with people in a discpling/mentoring role. And not just leaders necessarily, but young people & couples. Dan & Connie also have some experience counseling & dealing with heart issues. Along with that, Dutch & Dan have some of the same heartbeat when it comes to the young folks in Lancaster Co. & abroad. They see the need for them to be guided, & for them to establish purpose in their lives. Also in the future we will be hosting some retreats here. Right now we are looking at doing a weekend retreat in Feb., using the series "Embracing the Father's Love" by Jack Frost as our topic. I'm also praying about a ladies retreat (possibly in April), where I will have a speaker come & share. The retreats that we as a staff facilitate here will be open to anyone that wants to come. And of course dates & details will be posted in the future.
I will wrap up this lengthy post by saying, "We don't know what all God wants to do through us here at the Haft. But we are excited about all the potential." And let me add, we love hosting people here. We love to encourage people. So you're welcome to come, take some time off you're busy schedule, & we'll sit & chat. Even if you think you're coming to "visit & bless us", we look at every person that steps on this property as someone we can encourage & serve. Just so you know- you become "ministry material" when you set foot on this place. We look forward to seeing YOU here.
