A Different Angle....

Ever getting tired of reading the Bible in the "usual" way? By usual I mean reading over it & trying to apply it to your life, but sometimes feeling like the meaning of it is over your head. Well one of the exercises we did at our training in Myrtle Beach was to take a passage of scripture such as Psalms 23 & write it down from a different angle. We personalized it as tho it were written from us talking to our Heavenly Father. I will write my version of that here for you, then I encourage you to take a passage of scripture & personalize it. And see how it speaks to you!! Here's my personalized version of Psalms 23-
1) Father God you are my Shepherd, you are my provider, you supply for my needs.
2) You cause me to refresh in lush places, you lead me to places of rest beside the quiet waters, & my soul is refreshed by you my Father, my Abba, my daddy.
3) You guide me in the right path, the path you want me to go for your names sake, so people can see you- the Father.
4) And Father even when I walk through the darkest valley, the dry places, I don't have to fear because you are right there with me. Your rod & your staff are comforting to me.
5) You Father, prepare a table for me right among my enemies. You've anointed me & called me, my cup overflows with your love.
6) Surely your goodness & your amazing love will be with me all my days and I will dwell with you forever.
Isn't it cool how personal that makes it when you write it from a different angle. I believe there is so much more to reading, understanding, & personalizing scripture than what I have done over the years. I'm excited to see how God will use this to speak to me.... And I encourage you to give it a try!!!

Ladies Retreat

Ladies!! Please get your name in ASAP if you are planning to attend the ladies retreat at the Haft in April. This is on a "first come, first serve" basis, so I need to hear from you...
Email me at- thedutchclan@icloud.com
Or call me at- 717.278.7115 or leave me a message at 570.363.2405

I need your full name, phone number & email address ( if you have one)

Also here's a little more info about our speaker-

Mary Wilson, pastors alongside her husband of 28 years, Patrick Wilson, at Living Truth Fellowship in Christiana, PA.  She oversees the women's ministry, intercession,and the  children's ministry.  

 

Presently, Mary's call is to "Awaken Hope" in all people and in every circumstance.  She imparts hope through the ministry of healing and faith.  She has a deep passion for the Word of God and preaches from a platform of freedom.   

 

Patrick and Mary reside in Gap, Pennsylvania.  They have a married son, and a daughter in college.  They are currently enjoying the blessing of grandchildren.  

And the retreat sessions are as follows-

Session 1.  Seeds of Hope

Session 2.  Blossoms of Hope

Session 3.  Harvest of Hope

He restored my soul...

First of all, I have never been separated from ALL four of my kids for more than two ( or maybe 3) nights at the most. So last week was a new experience for all of us. Leaving the children at a sitter for the whole week was a stretch for me, but it was actually a good thing. Absence does really make the heart grow fonder!! Thanks to Noah & Suzie Zook (in S. Carolina) for unselfishly caring for our children while we enjoyed our training week at Myrtle Beach. We experienced a much needed soul refreshment.
I don't know how to even sum up what we experienced last week, but I'll try to wrap a few words around it- We had times of teaching by Steve where he explained how things work in our spirit & soul areas. He talked about strongholds & lies we believe from the enemy. We had times of listening to each others journeys (there were 13 couples at this training). We laughed & cried together. We experienced "church" in a new way. We prayed & worshipped together, ministered to each other, fought the enemy together, exposed ourselves, & tore down strongholds. We learned that we are all swordsmen. And there was a "call" for everyone of us to carry our "swords" & learn how to use them without hurting people, to cut the chains off of the people around us without cutting them. And there was a call to the "lion hearted" to take back their rightful place, to lead, & not be led astray by "Jezebel".
Along with the times of teaching & ministering, we had the afternoons off to rest. Dutch & I took the opportunity to enjoy each others company, relax on the beach, & even took a cruise to get Starbucks a time or two😃:)!! This week long experience was so refreshing & I can truly say as the psalmist says- "He restoreth my soul"!!! Hallelujah!!!

Ladies Retreat

Ladies Retreat at the Haft

April 26^th & 27^th

Arrival time 6-8 pm Friday – Departure at 5:00 pm Saturday

“Awakening Our Hearts to Hope”

Guest Speaker ~ Mary Wilson

Come away to the hills of PA. for a retreat. Drink in the beauty of nature. Hear from our “Spirit led” speaker. Take time to refresh your soul & be awakened.

Retreat Includes~

Worship

Teaching Sessions

Ministry/Prayer Time

Lodging & Food

You will need to provide your own transportation,

carpooling is encouraged!!!

Cost per person - $50

Price includes food & lodging. A love offering will be lifted for the speaker.

For more information or to sign up...

Contact – Rosa Fisher

570.363.2405

thedutchclan@icloud.com

Build with the Gold...

  For our school Bible reading the other morning we were reading in 1 Cor. 3 where Paul talked to the Corinthians, and he is rather disgusted with them because they are getting caught up in following man. They were saying stuff like "I follow Paul" & others said "I follow Apollos". And Paul is telling the people, "Look Apollos & I are just servants & we are each assigned our tasks. I planted the seed, Apollos watered, but it was GOD who made it grow." And he goes on to say- So its not about the one that planted or watered, but only GOD who makes it grow. Which is so very true & so often we get things all mixed up & think its about us and our abilities etc. etc.

  However, if you continue reading, Paul says the one that waters & and the one that plants have a PURPOSE, & they will be rewarded according to their labor. Because we are CO-WORKERS in GOD'S (not ours) service, you are GOD'S FIELD, GOD'S building.  And he talks about how he (Paul) laid a foundation which is Jesus, & another man will build on that foundation- he might build with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw. And he says, "Their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, & the fire will test the quality of each persons work." OK let me try to sum up what I got out of this, I'm sure there are many different takes on it. But it spoke to me because it was a reminder that everything we do ultimately comes down to GOD. We can't take credit for what we do or the people we help because we are all just servants with jobs to do & that job is to lead people to the Father. And how we go about that, or whether we do our job well or not (remember the gold, silver, hay etc.) is going to show up down the road because the Day will reveal it. So we can choose to put our hearts & minds into what He's called us to do & we can give our best (which to me is the gold & silver) or we can choose to do things half heartedly and  we can try to receive the honor & glory for ourselves (which is the wood, hay & straw), but our motives will be revealed!!

  When I read this to my children, my eyes were opened & I was enlightened!! And it made me want to "go for the gold". It gave me a desire to bless every single person we get to host here, and go out of my way to serve them. I want to do things well & I realize I/we are only a small part of the big picture!!  I can choose to serve well whether its washing linens, cooking for guests or just encouraging people-

I need to do it all for GOD & and build with the GOLD....

Just an update~

This blog post is actually a newsletter I wrote to send out by mail. I am waiting to send it until I have my "prayer cards" made, so in the mean time, I am sending it out electronically. Some of you will be receiving this same letter by hard copy in the mail in a week or two...

~ Fisher Family News ~

Dear Friends-

It is with great joy that I write this letter!! We are back in the Endless Mts. of PA. & it feels like home. We are back at the Haft & it feels right. I will say this tho, we are here in a completely different role & that part will take some getting used to. Dutch, who knows carpentry well, is slightly out of his element working on the computer & studying P&L reports. So his new position is stretching him. His task also inludes decision making, keeping Dan & Jason busy with on-site jobs, & doing other administrative tasks. On top of that he is seeking the Lord for wisdom to direct this ministry in the way He (the Lord) would have us go. Somebody quoted this the other week & I like it- “from small beginnings, come great things”!! So we are excited about how the Lord is going to use us, our on-site team, & the Haft itself to bring honor & glory to Him.

A little bit about the Haft. The word “Haft” means “the handle of a tool” and it also means “a dwelling like place”. Our motto is refresh, rebuild, retool. This is a place where people can come & feel the presence of Jesus. A peaceful place of rest & refreshing. Our facilities have many uses, they are being used for retreats, for individuals who are seeking direction in their lives, & for sabbaticals etc. And currently we are working to develop a discpleship & mentoring program that we can offer to young people. So as Dutch & Dan meet together, & seek the Lord, we ask you to partner with us in prayer that God will go before us to lead the way.

Looking ahead- for us personally we have a busy month of March. We are planning to leave here on March 8^th & travel to Noah & Suzie Zook friends of ours in South Carolina. We will be leaving our children with our friends & driving 3 ½ hrs to Myrtle Beach to a week long “Discpleship Training” course taught by Steve & Dorcas Stutzman. After this intense week of training we will head back to our friends house to re-unite with our children. From there we will head further south to the SUNSHINE state where we will be taking a 10 day family vacation in Florida. You might ask why we would take a vacation so soon after we've arrived here, but the trip was planned back in 2012, before we knew we were moving back to the Haft. We considered cancelling the vacation, but decided against that, knowing we would probably need it following our training week in Myrtle Beach.

We covet your prayers! The following are areas you can pray about- Pray for Dutch & Dan as they develop a discipleship program, for safety for all of the on-site team, & pray for our family personally as we travel many miles in the month of March!! Also be in prayer that God will provide finacially for our needs personally & for the Haft itself. This is again a journey of faith for us. We have a budget that we try to live by. And we receive a small monthly stipend from the Haft, & a rent check from our home in Lancaster but beyond that we trust Jesus to provide in whatever creative ways He chooses. If He chooses you & impresses it on your heart to give, our address is at the bottom of the page. Gifts given on our behalf are tax deductible if they are made payable to “The Haft” & should be noted “for the Fishers” on a seperate piece of paper. Any gifts made payable to “the Haft” but are not specifically marked will go into the Haft general fund. Gifts can be made payable to us directly, but are NOT tax deductible.

Thank you for taking the time to read our update!!

If you're interested in keeping up to date with our lives you may read our personal blog... thedutchclan.blogspot.com

Blessings as you serve Jesus right where He has called you,

Elmer (Dutch), Rosa, ShaLyn, Madison, MaKayla, & Gabby

1 Haft Lane ~ New Albany PA. 18833

Matthew's Begats

  The kiddos & I have been memorizing this song for school the past week!! I love the tune of it, but more than that I love the fact that God chose to bring Jesus to this world through a rather "messy" family line. Now it may seem funny to say that, but if Jesus would have come from a pretty "perfect" line, what would that say for the rest of us. I believe God clearly demonstrated through Jesus' genealogy that He can use anyone, in any family, with any kind of past. For instance in Jesus family line you have Rahab a harlot, Ruth a Moabite (check out how the Moabites came to be), Solomon who came from David's wife Bathsheba who actually came to BE his wife because David had her husband Urriah put on the front lines of the battle to have him killed because he (David) committed adultery  with her (Bathsheba). Messy messy stuff. And that is just naming a few of the details, a thorough study of OT history would fill you in all on the details. So as my children & I discussed this it was so neat to see them connect with what I was telling them & Madison said, "I didn't realize that Jesus came from that kind of a family line". We talked about the "imperfect" people that God chose to use & how we're thankful that we serve that kind of a God!!! Because even "good" people are "imperfect"  in God's eyes so in reality those of us who think we are "better than" the harlot or the adulterer because we have never done that stuff, are still sinners just the same. We need a Savior whether we grew up "good" or "messed up"! Discovering that truth is so foundational, & important because it's what keeps us from becoming "self righteous"!!!!!
My conclusion- God wants to use ALL of us for His glory & He will, when we realize it's all about HIM  & not about who we are!!