The Move

  On your mark, get set, start packing... Yes, that's what we're up to this week. We are packing up, & in a way we are closing this chapter of our lives. Not closing it completely because a part of our hearts will stay here, & we WILL be back to visit from time to time, but we are moving back to our "other" life. We usually joke about the two lives that we have lived between this past year. We'd go home to Lancaster to our friends & belongings there, & then we'd leave & come here to the "other" life. We totally loved & enjoyed this life, but we are preparing to adjust to our old life. The actual "move back" date is January 31st.
  Was our year sucessful in terms of all the projects we had planned to do?? Yes! Dutch feels good about all that he has accomplished on the remodeling end of things. He just completed a project in the barn last week, where he framed, dryed walled, & painted one more area in the barn kitchen. It was an area where alot of cold air came in through an unused door. He closed off that area completely, thus taking away the last of the "drafts" in the kitchen. He has a few "small" projects today & tomorrow, & then by Wed. or Thurs. we hope to get serious about packing our belongings!! Wish we could push a button & have that all finished!!
  How can you help?? First of all by praying that everything goes smoothly, & pray for safe travels! We have a trailer & some guys from Lanc. coming on Mon. to help load up. We could possibly use a hand or two on Tues. in Lanc. to unload- if you're interested, give us a call 570.363.2405. Also there are some ladies in Lanc. that are planning to go in our Lanc. house on the 25th & give it a good cleaning, if you're interested in helping with that, contact my mom at 717.394.6062.
    Folks are asking- What's going to happen at the Haft after you leave, will Bruce & Joan be alone?? Actually in the beginning of Feb. there are two families moving on-site. The one family has applied to be part of the on-site team, the other family is coming here for a 9 month sabbatical & to lay out a vision for the next chapter of their lives. Sooo that is truly an answer to prayer!! We are thankful that Bruce & Joan will not be here alone after we leave!!
  Again we want to thank everyone for your prayers & support throughout this year. We've had alot of visitors who made the trip up here to check out what we're doing! We loved having each of you! Even those of you (you know who you are!!) that came in the 11th hr. :))  What I mean by the 11th hr. is that they almost waited till it was too late!!
  As for my blog in the future- I don't know if I will continue to blog after we return to Lanc. I'm thinking that I probably won't continue w/ it, but have not made a final decision about it. I figure that in Lanc. everybody knows everything about everybody anyway, what's the point of writing about it ;) JK. Seriously tho- I will have to make a decision about that, but in the mean time, thanks to all of you that faithfully followed our lives over this past year, it was a pleasure to have you on the journey with us!!!

D*a*n*g*e*r*o*u*s* WOMEN

  I love when people come up here to the Haft & feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in this place. I love when I go on Facebook after friends have left here & I find a status from one of them that says something like- "was blessed at the Haft" or "had a an awesome weekend at the Haft", because to me that is what this place is all about. It's a place to experience the "Father's love", a place to feel God's presence by being in His awesome creation.
 This weekend was another one of those "God" weekends where He showed up & we were filled with His presence. The ladies retreat was wonderful!! Thanks to all who were praying!! One of the things that always amazes me when I facilitate an event like this- I expect to be giving & serving, & I think that the event isn't as much for me as it is for the people I want to be a blessing to, AND then God turns around & does a work in my own heart- & I end up blessed as much as the group I'm serving.
 Ruthie Lengeman's topic this weekend was about the "spirit of okayness" & she shared her personal testimony of how God delivered her from that. The "spirit of okayness" are lies that women believe that keep them from all that the Father has for them. She also talked about the "Jezebel spirit". And as opposite as these two seem, they both actually stem back to the same root. The information I received this weekend was not new to me, but the revelation I had was. As much as I'd like to think that I've addressed these issues in my life, the reality is that God is never finished with us. There are always areas that He wants to bring into the light if we're willing to go there. I shared with he ladies on Sunday morning how it was revealed to me that I don't like to be vulnerable. I have always told Dutch that I don't need people, & what I mean by that is I don't have a need to have close friends, I'm independent. Which may be true to some degree, but He suggests that I may be like that "to self protect" & "control" my circumstances. (By the way, I'm making myself VERY vulnerable by sharing this!!) And I realize that deep down inside it's possible that I have told myself that if I keep people at arms length, I won't ever get let down or hurt. And I do not write these things on my blog so that people comment & say "no your not like that", I write these things to challenge others to look as things in their own heart, & become transparent. When we are willing to look at these areas in our lives, we can find great freedom & go to new heights with the Father.
 Thank you ladies who made the trip up here for this retreat!! I was thrilled to have you, enjoyed hearing what God is doing in your lives, & I pray your "journey" will continue. You will all become dangerous women for God as you continue to identify & demolish the lies of the enemy, & come to the realization that your true identity is in Christ!!

Qualified for the Job??

  Ever been given a job that you do not feel qualified for? Or maybe you thought you were qualified for the job, but after you took the position you realized you had no idea what it entailed? Well I have found myself in that position. I am the mother of four children, & honestly I had no idea what all was involved with being a mom when I got promoted to the position. Don't get me wrong, I WANTED the position- & even after having several children I thought I had it figured out. My first two kids weren't that hard to train in any area, & so yes, I felt I had mastered this thing called "mothering". But these days I find myself shaking my head more often than not, & I say to myself, "What ever made me think I had the credentials I need to do this job & what made me think I had this figured out"? And to top it off, lately my oldest child reminds me of my inconsistencies with the younger ones ("Mom are you going to let her get away with that"?), & that makes me wonder if I have become lax as a parent, & am I just too easy on the younger two kids- OR are my younger two kids more energetic, & more outgoing, & more demanding then what my older ones were? Even if my younger ones are more high maintenance, should I not still be using the same training techniques that I used with the first two?? Let me paint a scenario for you- Shay & Matt are doing school, one of them as a question & right at this particular moment Gabby chooses to want to be held, I pick her up. MaKayla sees that she is not getting attention at this moment, she seizes her oppurtunity. Suddenly she has one of her many sweet cravings (she has eaten more sweets already in 3 yrs. then the two older ones put together!! ok, that's stretching it). So she whines for a piece of candy, (now remember I'm holding a fussing 1 yr. old, & trying to answer a math question) & MaKayla can be relentless, & persistant. I say "no" to MaKayla, she doesn't take that for an answer, now Gabby sees the candy & wants one too, & the poor child with the math question is rather disturbed by the disturbance. Guess who gets her way? MaKayla. And probably Gabby too. The child with the math question shakes her head!!
   OK, OK so this is just an illustration, but in reality I do have days where I know I'm not consistent, & I wonder about the outcome of my career. But then I remember that, whether qualified or not, being a mother is a HIGH calling. And I have a Father in Heaven that I can call on!! He is proud of us mama's, & He will help us if we just ask Him to. He gave me this job position, & I wouldn't trade it for any other. So since mothering was His idea, I know He has a plan to help me reach my full potential-- by relying on HIM!!!

Time Flies!!

  The next couple weeks will buzz right by, I know they will because we will be busy, and when you're busy- time flies. Here is a little update on what the next few weeks will hold for this clan...
-- Tomorrow (Monday)- our family, along with Bruce & Joan, will make a trip down to Willaimsport. We plan to shop, eat somewhere, & find something "interesting" or "educational" to do. It's just a day to wrap up last minute shopping, & to do something fun together. Prayers are appreciated- Dutch will be hobbling on a sore foot (he dropped a trailer tongue on it), & our sweet little Gabby is cutting "eye" teeth, which makes her more of a Crabby Gabby then a sweet one. So the day should be interesting, to say the least!!
-- The rest of the week-  Dutch will spend the rest of the week, working in the barn, where he continues to wrap things up before our Haft departure the end of Jan. I will be doing the last minute Christmas things, schooling the kids, & preparing for a quick trip to Lanc.
-- Friday (the 23rd)- we head for good ole Lancaster Co. We will find ourselves a place to sleep, if there is room in the inn, & then on Sat. we will spend the day with Dutch's side of the family. On Christmas morning we will be worshipping at Spring Garden where Dutch will have the message, after which we plan to grab a quick lunch & head back to the hills of Bradford in time to welcome my side of the family to the Haft. My family will be here Sun. through Tues.
-- Thursday (the 29th) through New Years- Twin-Mar Const., Dutch's construction crew from Lanc., will be here at the Haft. We will have a Christmas Banquet for the employees one evening. The rest of the time will be spent catching up, reviewing things from 2011, & looking ahead to 2012 and our return to the company.
-- After New Years- At this point, I think we will need a little time to breathe, but we won't get much of a break since we will need to start packing our belongs for the move back to Lanc. I didn't think that we brought a lot of stuff here when we moved a year ago, but we have accumulated A LOT of stuff or something, because we will be taking home more than we brought.
-- 2 Weeks after New Years- (Fri. eve Jan. 13 through the 15th) I, along with Annie King, am hosting a ladies retreat here at the Haft. This idea came about one weekend when Annie came for a visit & to spend time with the Lord. Somehow we came up with the idea of having a ladies retreat here in Jan. before we leave. This is what we came up with- We are planning to have Ruthie Lengeman, a motivational speaker, come here & share on "The Dangerous Woman". Annie & I are super excited about this!! AND the retreat is NOT full, we have room for a few more ladies, so if you're interested in coming to this retreat contact Annie King at kinganniemarie@yahoo.com.
  So as you can see, the next few weeks will be busy, we will be traveling, & we are asking for your prayers. God has been faithful throughout this year, & we know He will continue to do so throughout these coming weeks!!! May you all enjoy this Christmas season & may your New Year be above & beyond what you expect!!!!!

Christmas in the Hills

  Okay so now that we've wrapped up the Thanksgiving season, & we're finished being thankful for ALL the "stuff" we already have, suddenly my children have aquired the gimmies for the coming holiday. No sooner have we finished our "I'm thankful for" list, when we start our "I want" list. But never the less, we are in the holiday mood at the Haft. So what does Christmas look like in the hills....
  Christmas Tree ~ so we need a tree. Why spend to buy one when they are growing all around us. Madison found a descent one, & he and I worked (with a hand saw) to cut it down. We dragged it to the front door, & Dutch takes it from there. As of now it has a hand full of ornaments on it & no skirt- & we'll see if we get around to finishing the decorating. Up here we have no Jones' to keep up with ;) ;)
  Christmas Shopping ~ we need some gifts, so where shall we shop locally??? Ummm, lets see, our options include Dollar Train, Dollar General, 2 small grocery stores OR 4 hardware stores. You know what- I think I'll do my Christmas shopping online this year.
  The Menu ~ What shall we cook up?? Well, we could have venison from the first deer that we ever butchered ourselves, OR we could have bear meat that we're getting from a friend (who shot a bear when Dutch was hunting with him) OR we COULD have Dutch shoot a goose this week & freeze it till Christmas morning OR beaver OR snapping turtle OR... we could let the cooking to my mother. Which is exactly what we're doing!! We are so excited that my side of the family is coming up here to spend a few of the holidays with us!!
  Holiday Attire ~ what to wear?? Camouflage is very fashionable here. And top it off with a bright orange scarf!!!!
  Okay, okay, I'm getting carried away with it- but this was a fun post to think up & write!! And I hope you are all enjoying the pre-Christmas spirit. It is truly a wonderful time of the year!!!!!!!

There Would Be No Me

Okay so my writing juices have come back to life. I used to "journal" & write poems, etc. back in the day, but in recent years I haven't done a whole lot. Well, I don't know if it's the Lord or not, but recently have I have felt the creative side of me begin to enjoy writing again. This poem came to be after I snapped a few photos of my MaKayla coloring with her daddy's mom...

Today I thought about

Just how I came to be-

I traced it back to you

On our family tree.

I'm glad you fell in love with Grandpa,

And wanted a family.

And when you started having kids-

You didn't stop at 2 or 3.

'Cuz my daddy's #6

But to me he's #1.

I'm glad you took good care of him,

Because he was your son.

You taught him about Jesus

And now he teaches me.

So the lessons that you taught,

Will be a legacy.

And I will pass them on-

Someday when I have kids.

And I will do a lot of things-

Just like my daddy did.

So there are many things,

That I should thank you for.

I've only named a few,

But there are many more.

But I'm so thankful you had my dad,

Because most importantly-

If you would not have had him,

Then there would be no me!! RFF/11

So Much Happening...

  NovembuRR!! It's here!! Time is flying by~ things are happening~ the holidays are approaching!! My oh my!! Where to start on this blog?? First of all we'll talk about the wood!! The wood shed is now FULL w/ close to 40 cords of wood. Thanks to several youth groups & indiviual volunteers, the wood is cut & stacked and not a moment to soon either with October throwing us an early winter blast!! Dutch can now check the wood project off the list.
  What else is happening?? Dutch is wrapping up the barn heating project. Hopefully, after a visit this week from JM Lapp Heating, Dutch will be able to cross the barn heating project off the list as well. He will have some finishing up to do after they're gone, but it shouldn't take him long to wrap it all up. After that I believe he will be doing little odd jobs, finishing touches here & there, but no major projects since we are planning to pack up here & head back to Lanc. the end of Jan.
  Speaking of which~ To all of you folks who predicted we wouldn't move back to Lanc. again, sorry to disappoint you, but we are heading back. It WILL be bitter sweet since we love it here. We enjoy the area, the wild life, the slower pace, the people, the ministry, the family time & so much more. We have a lot of great memories from being here, in fact, Dutch and the kids are out making memories right now!! He decided to take Shay & Matt out hunting for fall turkey. It's the little things like that that we can't do in our backyard at home, that have made this year special for us!! And more than that are the friendships we have made this year. We so have enjoyed the people at the Haft & the fun folks at Living Hope Fellowship church!! So to think of leaving here isn't easy, but we feel it's important to go back to Lanc. for now. Will God call us here again for a longer period of time sometime down the road?? I don't know!! But we're so glad we got the priviledge of being here this year.
  What else is happening?? Our personal schedule for the next few months is filling up. Of course with the holidays there are travel plans to make etc. We are so excited that my side of the family is coming up here for three days to have Christmas up here. That's amazing!! We also have friends that haven't been here yet that are calling to see when they can come for a visit. Sooo it feels busy, but we love have folks come & enjoy this place with us!!
  We are still working on (in our coaching w/ Bruce & Joan) our vision & mission etc. for our family. This is not easy for us. Putting things on paper that are in your head and heart are not easy. It's not easy to put thoughts into words, let alone put words into actions. So if you want to know what you can pray about on our behalf~ pray for clarity. That we can see exactly what God desires from our lives. How can we be effective in our community, our church, & ultimately our world??