The Decision

  It's official-- The Fisher family will be leaving The Haft in January of 2018. As I took a stroll outside the other night from the Barn to our house, I wondered how we could ever leave this place? The moon was bright and shining on the pond. The stars, which always seem brighter here because there are no street lights, were softly twinkling. The peepers were peeping... these are all the sights and sounds of this mountain life we've come to love. 

  So why are we leaving? Well really it's because we're sensing that that is what the Holy Spirit is telling us to do. Two yrs ago, we committed to stay a total of 5 yrs at which point we would discern if we were to stay longer or not. As we talked about the future and staying longer, neither one of us felt like that's what we are to do. We've always said that our time here is only for a season. 

  So with the decision made to leave when our 5 year term was done, we began to discuss where we would move to. The number one option that seemed to make sense was to move back to Lancaster in the house next door to my recently widowed mother. Is Lancaster Co. where we really WANT to be? Not exactly, but we feel certain that that's the next step for now. And there are things that we as a family are definitely looking forward to in there- particularly things the that kids want to pursue. They are excited about the opportunities and options they'll have at their fingertips.

  We don't know exactly what it will all look like...?? The job or ministry role Dutch is to take on in this next season is yet to be determined. We have purposed to take our time and not rush into anything. We hope to take some time with our kids in 2018 to do some traveling and sightseeing. We haven't made the trip to Florida as a family for several years so we hope to do that as well as take a trip out west. We'll consider the first year back a Sabbatical year from full-time ministry.

  How do we finish well here? We want to put everything into these last 9 months here so we can walk away with the satisfaction of knowing that we put our all into this place until the very day we left. We are grateful for the opportunity we've had to be a part of this great ministry. We have learned so much!! And we do look forward to serving guests, and hosting retreats through the remainder of this year.

  We know well though, that when the day comes to say good-bye, it will be hard to leave this place, this life, this community... but the Holy Spirit will lead us, of this we are sure!!!