Look Out -- the time has come to get back to blogging

 I am keenly aware that I have not written a blog post for several months. Nor have I written a letter to send out to keep people posted/up-to-date on our lives for many, many months. I have had intentions to do both, but good intentions tend not get the job done. So I'm writing a quick blog to inform you that I will be updating the blog over the next few days... so LOOK OUT!! There's a great possibility that you will see several posts from me (probably short and sweet ones) over the next few days/weeks.
 I'll make this post into a belated birth announcement-
On November 26, 2013 at 10:30 p.m. we welcomed "Gracie Cheyenne" into this world and into our home. She arrived after a 3 1/2 hr. labor. She weighed 7 lb. 10 oz. She is named after her aunts, (my two sisters), Suzanne "Grace" and "Anne". The picture I'm posting was taken in Dec. when she was several wks old. Photo credit goes to Yason Akinin my "nephew to be someday" (hopefully:))

 

oops, she's winking on this one...

 

 

We love her!!

 

Renewed the Vows

  I'm so thankful for 12 years of marriage!! I'm so glad for all that we've learned! It hasn't always been easy, and we aren't finishing learning yet, but- our love is stronger now then it was the day we got married. We have learned so much, matured so much, & grown closer to the Lord (which automatically draws us closer to each other) in the past 12 years.
  Two weeks ago we had the opportunity to renew our wedding vows!! There was a pastor and his wife here sharing w/ the on-site team and we asked them if they would be willing to have a little ceremony with us so we could pledge our love & devotion to each other once again!! Only this time we got to have our children with us which was special. ShaLyn's response when we told her what we were planning to do, "I thought you guys do have a good marriage."
 To which I responded, "This has nothing to do with how good or bad our marriage is. This is just something daddy and I want to know to remind each other that we're committed to the end."
 We wanted our kids to share that special moment with us, to feel secure in knowing that they have parents that love each other. And it really was a special time as we lit the unity candle together.

 

Random things I bet you don't know about me...

  It seems to me that those of us who blog can sometimes be misread. Since we can write and we tend to write about the good things in our life- somehow people get the idea that we have it altogether! And that my friend is so far from the truth- so to set the record straight I'm going to post some random things about me that you may or may not know-

1)I don't enjoy outside work, like gardening & pulling weeds

2)I like bookkeeping, office work, planning budgets, crunching numbers, and doing things with money etc more than cooking or cleaning

3)I don't like having tons of "stuff", to me- closets were meant to be empty, not full of storage

4)Sometimes I'm a little too independent 

5)I don't always think that Dutch has his ducks in a row, and there are times I think I could manage things better than he can😉

6)My fridge is pretty unorganized sometimes 

7) I like to start projects, but I often quit before the project is finished

8)I procrastinate and wait till the last minute far too often

9) Some people's first impression of me is that I'm snobby

10) I get upset at my kids 

11) I struggle to find quiet time w/ God on a daily basis 

12) Mornings are not my strong point

13) I don't always get my laundry folded on the day I washed it

14) The hubby says that I snore sometimes😊

15) Mis-pronounced words really bother me

16) I don't enjoy meeting new people

17) I don't like to bundle up in the winter, hubby often has to remind me to wear a coat- I just don't like that bulky feeling

18) It's hard for me to delegate work to people because its hard for me to "explain" in detail what I want them to do. 

19) While I WANT to eat healthy- some of my favorite foods are junk food!!

20) I despise exercise- I'd rather cut out the sweets than do any kind of workout!!

  So there you have 20 random things about me, that show that I'm very human and I don't have it altogether!! And you know what? I'm ok with that!! But  I'm NOT OK with people having a false impression of me😊.....

The withered hand...

  There's a story in the Bible about a man that Jesus healed. The healing took place at the synagogue, in front of the ever scrutinizing eyes of the self righteous Pharisees. It was the Sabbath no less, and the man that was healed suffered from a withered hand. In the story the Pharisees were watching carefully to see if Jesus was going to heal on the Sabbath, which is exactly what He did. BUT the part of the story I'd like to take a close look at is the man that was healed. He was in somewhat of a tough spot. See, first of all, you have to realize the rejection he could face by reaching for his miracle. You know how it was- if the Pharisees didn't like you, well, you were pretty much toast. They had the power and authority to have you thrown out of the synagogue, never to return. They had the power to turn the people against you. They were downright evil at times. So the man in the story is risking a lot by acknowledging that he had a disability. He could have chosen to pretend that nothing was wrong. He could have kept his withered hand hidden and only showed his good hand. He could have decided today is not the time or place to get healed, and be made whole. BUT HE DIDN'T!!! When Jesus said stretch out your hand- he did just that, he took the chance right there among the leaders who supposedly "had it all together". He exposed his withered hand- which is basically saying "I don't have it all together, I'm not perfect- but I know you can make me whole Jesus"!! "I am willing to risk it all to be healed- even if I'm the only person in this wrong that is not perfect, even if it costs me everything, I want to be set free"!!! And Jesus did just that, He healed him on the spot.

  What a lesson!! If we want to be whole, not just physically, but spiritually- are we willing to show that we have a withered hand? Even if it means doing it in front of someone we think has it all together. You  see, his healing came when he exposed his hand, when he acknowledge that he wasn't perfect. 

  Are we willing to be that vulnerable?? Or will we shove our crippled hand in our pocket and say, "It's not that bad, I can live like this." When in reality we're crippled and there are parts of us that are useless because we always have to keep them hidden. How long are we going to hide our "withered hands", our sins, our pain-  when Jesus really wants to heal us!! I believe that being set free is worth the risk! And we will be so much more effective in the kingdom!!!

I wished He'd speak audibly, BUT

 As the kids and I were reading our Bible bedtime story about David when he was running from King Saul, we got into a discussion about "hearing the voice of God". In the story several times David asked God what he should do in a certain situation, and God would answer him. The question that the kids and I had was, "Was God speaking audibly to David, or was it a response where David just knew in his heart what the answer was"?? Of course we all agreed that we wish that God would speak audibly, out loud like we talk to each other.

  Now in reality, I know God speaks in different ways- sometimes it's visions or dreams, sometimes it's an inner voice AND yes, sometimes people actually hear Him talk out loud. I find myself wishing tho, that on a daily basis we could converse with Him like Adam & Eve did in the garden, where He came & chatted face to face w/ them. BUT then the next question is- would we take the TIME if we would had that opportunity?? Because really that's the real question- if God would be willing to sit & talk audibly to me, would I stop in my busy day & chat with Him?? Some days I'm so busy w/ kids, laundry, cleaning, cooking and a hundred other things that I forget to start my day in the most important way- w/ God. 

 The truth is that it's not so much about whether he's going to speak audibly, but rather its about me making the time to come to a quiet place. It's about making time for what's important, then if God shows up and speaks audibly- wonderful!!! And if He doesn't, I will be satisfied because His Holy Spirit will show up & "speak" to my heart & I will be refreshed because I TOOK THE TIME to be in His presence!!!!!

Haft LIFE and Other Tidbits...

 Oh my! Where has time gone?  I know it has been ages since I've written a post, mostly because I've been busy and partly because I haven't had some burning topic to write about. So I decided to just sit and start typing, hopefully I can give you an update as well as some encouraging words along the way.
 Summer has been busy here!! We have served lots of people- married people, singles, pastors & wives, etc. Many people came looking for a quiet place to get away, and to spend time with the Heavenly Father. Some came and wanted counseling/coaching (Dan & Connie often get the counseling job around here, they're gifted in that area). We also had several engaged couples come to spend time in prayer, etc. before the big day. All of our guests were served to the best of our abilities.
 We have also been part of ministry off-site of the Haft as well- Dutch made two trips to Somerset prison this year to share with the growing church behind bars. We've also made several trips to Lanc. for weddings where Dutch had the oppurtunity to preach. Dutch & I are always looking for ways to speak into peoples lives (not necessarily preaching, but engaging in peoples lives in general) so when we have oppurtunity to do ministry outside of here we're willing to consider traveling to do so because they are open doors to share the love of Christ.
 As things are slowing down a bit, I find myself taking a deep breath. I've enjoyed the past two Saturdays where I had no guests to be responsible for, and no where that I had to be. I could just enjoy "being" here at the Haft- not "doing" much of anything!! But of course the not "doing" anything will be short lived, since I have a 10 wk. count down to Baby #5!! I find it interesting that with my first born child I had everything well prepared in advance- the nursery was set up in plenty of time, and every item was NEW!! Well Baby #5 will have a place to sleep by the time it arrives, but probably not too many days before... and all of Baby #5's equipment (crib, changing table, car seat, swing, & etc.) will be in USED condition. But that's ok, we will LOVE this child just as much as we did our first one :):)!!!
 As for the ministry this fall- well fall and winter, I'm sure, will be somewhat of an "off season" for us. But that provides a great oppurtunity to plan events, retreats etc. for 2014. I hope to have dates for some of those events posted in the near future. IMPACT was a mentoring program that Dutch & Dan were working on for Sept. 2013-Aug. 2014, but since they didn't have enough applicants for the Aug. 1 deadline, they decided to postpone that program for this year. They are tweaking it and hope to offer it again sometime in the future. We do, currently, offer adventure trips through the Haft through our DARE program- in fact, one such trip will be going to the Adirondacks this Friday. Last I checked there was still room available for a few more people. These trips are designed to take you out of your comfort zone, into a different enviroment, where you can experience a time of personal growth and development. Each trip is led by an experienced guide with wilderness trip training. If you have a group of guys or a group of Father's & sons that would like to do this kind of a trip- contact us at the Haft and Dan Lapp would be happy to help you customize your trip. There are a variety of trips to choose from- such as backpacking, hiking, canoeing, etc.
 This post is becoming more of a letter, so I'm guessing I should wrap it up soon. I just want to had a few words of encouragement...  Life is about so much more than our earthly eyes can see. God is at work in His Kingdom and that is what we as Christains should be looking to be a part of. We get our eyes fixed on everyday living, and earthly kingdoms, but God's work is so much more than that. It's about living and seeking Him and His Kingdom- it's about knowing what God created you to be doing on this earth. It's operating in the gifts and abilities He's given you... and doing it for His purposes. Oh that we would grasp the overall picture- the BIG picture, and be a part of it!!!

Fisher family update...

This is a letter I wrote to send as a newsletter. I'm posting it electronically for those of you that aren't on our personal mail list. Those of you that are on the mailing list will receive a hard copy of this in the mail in a week or two....　

FISHER FAMILY NEWS

1 Haft Lane ~ New Albany PA. 18833

Greetings once again from the Fisher family~

Just a letter to update you on our lives here at “The Haft”!! God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!! Yes, there are days that we lose sight of what God is doing. And yes, there are days we become weary in well doing, but the richness of what God is doing in our lives and the lives of the ones that we serve, far outweighs the bad days!! It seems like we’ve had a lot of people in and out here lately. Some are good friends of ours that we love to spend time with and encourage on their “life journey”. Others that have come are looking for a quiet place of rest, and they enjoy having a quiet time with the Father, seeking direction for their lives.

Several exciting things that are happening here- DARE Wilderness Trips and IMPACT Discipleship Institute are programs that we are now offering through the Haft. DARE trips are short wilderness trips that we custom design for your group. The goal of these trips are to build character and draw closer to the Father through the wilderness and the great outdoors. IMPACT is a year long mentoring program that consists of monthly events throughout the year. It consists of weekend classes at the Haft, a hiking trip, hands on experience such as a prison crusade and a trip to Asia.

As for our personal lives- juggling all our responsibilities such as showing hospitality to guests, working together on the administrative duties, working on program development, plus raising a family provide a continuous platform for ridding ourselves of any and all things in our lives that are not from God. While many think we have endless hours of family time, there is a great deal of sacrifice on our part as well. Any time you’re serving others, you sacrifice your own time. Let me put it this way- we have to be “intentional” about creating family time here, we have to schedule it!! And once in a while we get to do something really special like father/son 2 day canoeing trips!! J

There are ways that you can help us at the Haft. You can be a daily prayer partner for us. Praying specifically for Gods presence to be on this place, that every person that sets foot on this property will feel His presence. Pray for safety for all the on-site team (there are 12 children on this property). Another way that you can help is by partnering with us. Financial support for us personally is huge. Its what enables us to do what we’re doing. Yes, Dutch has the option of getting a job several days a week, but at this point we see that taking away from the ministry we are trying to build. God has provided in amazing ways, and we trust He will continue to provide as long as He’s called us here to serve!!

Blessings~

The Fishers - Dutch, Rosa, ShaLyn, Madison, MaKayla, Gabby and Baby #5