Many things happen on a daily and weekly basis around here that I never take the time to write about. And I know we all have things like this... little everyday things and even big "God" moments that we are in awe of but never take the time to share them. Today's blog is a compilation of events, updates and God moments that have taken place since the last time I blogged.
The Ministry-
God has been using this place of rest to touch so many people. There is a steady flow of guests coming and going. And we, as an on-site team, interact with nearly all of our guests at some point. It might be anything from sitting with them for several hrs. through a "counseling" session, to having a meal together, sitting around the campfire together, or spending some time in prayer. It varies so much- the people, the needs, the time spent... but one thing that doesn't change, it is evident that the Holy Spirit is at work here. (I know there are people on-site (and abroad) who are praying on a regular basis, and that directly affects the Kingdom work being done here). Many people testify to feeling a peace while they're here. We praise the Lord for what He is doing!!
Highlights-
The experience that one of our most recent guests had while spending time alone at The Garden Cottage, brought a renewed sense of joy and awe at what God can do in a person's life when they are ready to surrender to Him. "David" (name changed to protect identity) came here in desperate need of something, and in his heart he knew what that something was. He knew He wanted to find God in a real, tangible way. He had been raised in church, but said he had never really connected with God in a real way. When he arrived here, Dutch and Dan were actually praying with three brothers and their dad that had come for the day to work through some tough "guy" issues. Dutch invited "David" to join them down at the barn. One of the brothers experienced a major breakthrough and he had a desire to be baptized. Hey why not?? Here's someone who has a revelation, all the stuff he's known in his head finally reached his heart and he wants to outwardly show what just took place inwardly. So we headed to the pond. All the while "David" was taking all of this in....
"David" told us later that what he saw that afternoon and evening with the brothers and their dad, and the baptism and all- seemed real to him. And that was what he was looking for- real Christians. He also told us that when he sorted through what was going on in his life, he had a desire to be baptized as well. To make a long story short- "David" connected with God during his week here, and to see the change that took place was awesome!! He was excited to go home and live out what God had started in his life, knowing, of course, that this was only the beginning of the journey. Challenges would lay ahead of him, but change had come and he left here different than he was when he came.
To add to the story, "David" returned last weekend, bringing with him his wife because he wanted to show her the place where God had started changing his heart. He also wanted to be baptized. After church on Sunday, we, along with quite a few of the folks from LHF Fellowship, headed to the Loyalsock creek to allow "David" to publicly confess that he believed in Jesus as his Savior and was ready to die to the old, and walk in the new!!! It was so refreshing to see his excitement about what he had found, his hunger for truth, and his desire to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit in every decision he makes!!!
Shay & Matt-
ShaLyn had mentioned earlier in the summer that she had a desire to be baptized. We talked about it some, but didn't make any official plans. We knew she was ready, but were waiting for the right opportunity. When, LHF Fellowship, the church we attend up here, held an outdoor service here this summer, several people were baptized in the pond that day. If Shay had known ahead of time that that was planned for that day, she said she probably would have done it then. So when the decision was made to baptize the one brother (from the story above), we asked her if she wanted to take this opportunity and be baptized as well!! It only took her a minute to decide- YES!
We also gave Madison the option of being baptized since he had made a commitment to Jesus a while back and we knew that baptism was something he desired as well. He also decided to get baptized. So on the evening of Sept. 9th both Shay & Matt took the "cold water":) challenge for Jesus. They were baptized in the name of the Father, His son Jesus, & the Holy Spirit- they made a public statement that they had died to self and the world and were ready to follow Jesus!
Gracie-
The last time I posted about Gracie, we were scheduled to have a surgery to put tubes in her ears. Well, that appointment happened to be scheduled on a very busy week here at The Haft, and I could not see pull everything off. I cancelled the surgery!! So as of now, Gracie does not have tubes in her ears and the surgery has not yet been rescheduled.
As for her overall progress- she is really doing well. She has been healthy! She is learning to get around!! She doesn't venture all over the house like a typical child her age that can see far and wide, but considering her seeing handicap she is doing QUITE well. She pulls herself up on furniture, she interacts with her siblings, she half crawls, half scoots with her head and makes her way from one area of the room to another. She is very social with us her family, but when others talk to her she often puts her thumb in her mouth and lays her head on the shoulder of the person carrying her. We've discovered recently that she loves to be outside. She also loves when we sing (more on that below).
"Holy Moments" w/ Gracie-
Gracie absolutely loves when I sing to her. I have started recently to intentionally sit on the rocking chair at some point in my crazy day and just rock her and sing. I really love to sing to begin with, so now I finally found someone that really appreciates it.:) I often sing old hymns that I grew up singing in church- Amazing Grace, Just As I Am, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less, and many more. Gracie simply positions herself, head tilted, and looks directly in my face and watches me for as long as I'm willing to sing. And you know what? Time stands still!! And Gracie and I worship together. I refer to these times as "Holy Moments". I have no doubt that this child will sing and worship in a powerful way one day. I also told the kids recently that if Gracie can't see well in the physical realm, she will certainly see into the spiritual realm. It will be exciting!!
The Suburban-
I find myself writing this blog right at the same time we get a call from the garage where our Suburban is once again having work done to it. And the repairmen says to Dutch when he answers the phone- "I'm afraid you don't want to hear what I have to say".
Our Suburban has served us well in that it has made many trips back and forth to Lancaster and beyond, but this vehicle has not been without its many problems. Every garage visit, or so it seems, is not a small deal- it has had rust issues, therefore causing many parts needing to be replaced. When we purchased this vehicle we would have told you that God provided it at just the right time since we needed something on rather short notice (back in 2011 when we moved to the Haft the first time). We were not planning to trade in our minivan (that never caused us any problems) until plans changed and we realized we couldn't use a truck from Twin-Mar Const. to haul our trailer back and forth. We had to have a vehicle that could pull a trailer and we knew a car dealer that had this Suburban on his lot, so it seemed like the perfect fit. We purchased it a week before we moved North. If any of you recall- the very first weekend we were planning to head back to Lancaster, this same Suburban had a major leak in the gas line. We didn't know it then, but that was one of many issues we would have with it.
I say all of this to say- pray for us that we have the wisdom to know what to do? Do we continue to fix it? Do we trade it in? I still believe God provided this Suburban, but I certainly question why it has had so many issues.
And one more thing- we had planned to take a family day tomorrow, go off-site to Cabela's, and celebrate Madison's 10th birthday. Now that the vehicle is not fixed, we may have to change all those plans, which would be disappointing for all of us... so if you think about it, say a prayer for the Suburban situation.
The Rest of Us-
As for life in general, and how we are doing overall? We are blessed, and most days we're excited about what God is doing in our lives and the people around us. Of course, we feel completely overwhelmed some days and even get burned out. We appreciate all the prayer support we can get!!!! We love hearing from our friends whether it's through FB, email or phone calls.
PS- And we're looking for someone to come serve here at The Haft with us. Is God calling you????
Be blessed!!
