December 2007

 December 2007

That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works.  Psalm 26:7

Greeting in Jesus’ name,

I knew that I should speak of something relative to Thanksgiving but kept getting hung up at the very idea of thanksgiving.  What makes the attitude of thanks occur? 

We think before we thank.  We receive something as a gift; we express our appreciation after we consider the significance of the gift to us.

What thoughts lead us to be thankful?  It is healthy when our first thoughts are of God.  It is a great place to start thinking.  What comes to mind?  Power, grace, kindness, patience, longsuffering, wisdom, mercy... On and on!

In Romans, Paul looks at man’s slide toward a baser life and says, “Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were they thankful...”

Why is it that we are not more thankful?  Maybe it is because we don’t stop and think.  All the racket in our minds; every sense is flooded with stimuli.  Music, advertising, Internet, television, signs, noises, schedules, and a steady stream of superfluous white noise overwhelm our consciousness and make it difficult to contemplate anything!  A contaminated cacophony sabotages the work of thankfulness and gratitude, and we cease to be refreshed.

Thankfulness and gratitude are much like a small stream.  The more we intentionally clear the way, remove obstacles, and trench out the silt, the faster and fresher it flows.

This is why, at His Mansion, we stress to the citizens here for healing the importance of a quiet time, and personal devotion.  The ongoing process of healing is stimulated by active praise and gratitude – thanksgiving.  Onward to Thanksgiving!

We enjoyed a wonderful season of thanksgiving late in November.  The family followed a pattern that has become a tradition at His Mansion.  On Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving Day, the entire family (now more than 80!) filed into the dining room for supper only to find oatmeal and peanuts to eat!

During the first two years of our history (’72-’73), all we had to eat for many meals was just that--and we were thankful for it!  We now call this meal “Old Mansion Night,” and after feasting we watch a hundred slides depicting people and events of thirty-plus years ago.

This year, I narrated the slides and told “war stories” to the present  population:  stories of eating squirrel, turtle, and rabbit; feasting on horse meat brought home by men in the program who worked at a local slaughter house; and of cleaning hundreds of pounds of flounder donated by a Stonington, Connecticut fisherman.

The true accounts of God supplying bread, after we’d run out, through a deliveryman carrying bread to a camp in the mountains.   Another time a trucker, carrying supplies to local stores, drives up saying he felt God was urging him to stop and give us bread.

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, the family gathered in the dining hall and wrote thank-You letters to Jesus.  These letters, many of which I’ve collected over the years, record men and women pouring out thanks for parents who’ve loved and endured, siblings who remained faithful, and often grandparents who rescued them.

Some of the loveliest, most poignant expressions of praise and thanksgiving to God for His saving grace are written in these notes.  The notes are then pinned to the walls all around the dining hall on Thanksgiving morning to be read at leisure over the course of the holiday.

I am thankful -- thankful for each one of you who thinks of us, prays, and supports us financially.  I’m thankful that God continues to entrust us with that which is closest to His heart--broken people.  I’m thankful for the many new births we’ve witnessed this year!  I’m thankful for the wonderful staff He has provided.  And I’m thankful for an exciting vision for the future.

The only folks not thankful and lacking in the excitement of the occasion were the turkeys!  Andy has been feeding several dozen birds for a couple of months and they were just plump enough.  Nate designed a slick contraption allowing the turkey to be placed inside, upside down, with only his head and neck hanging down.  A clean, surgical move with a sharp knife did the rest. The expired turkey was then dipped into scalding water to help release its feathers.  A team of eager -- and not so eager -- men pulled off the feathers and cleaned the birds.  Next stop: stuffing, and the oven.

The tables were heaped with the fruit of the residents’ labors:  squash, beans, potatoes, sauces, stuffing, relishes, breads and rolls, and yes, turkey.  There were no sentimental diners on this day!

Then came the feast!  The laughter.  Family.  For many it was the first joyous, fear-free celebration of its kind.  No one needed to call attention to the fact that it is God we thank.  That came naturally enough and God was praised.  Many of the “Thank-You-to-Jesus” notes mentioned you, our partners.  You were there with us and we appreciate your role in our lives.  Thanks.

One of the mega-highlights of this Thanksgiving season was the graduation on December 1.  It was the largest ever!

Wendy Crowley, Michele Lilly, Jeremy Broshear, and Justin Hite will all be returning to serve in the Leadership Training Program, while Dustin Kahafer, David Wolfe, and Randy Buckley will head out to grow in the greater garden of life.

It was a tremendous celebration with relatives and friends coming from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Rhode Island, New York and Connecticut.  Several His Mansion “veterans” returned to honor the graduates, as they had a role in their lives when these graduates first arrived.

All this growth leaves you, our partners, with an exciting challenge.  There will be around 32 residents at Christmas time – approximately 12 women and 20 men.  The sorts of things that are appreciated, for those who love to send small gifts, are phone cards, gift cards (perhaps from Dunkin Donuts, MacDonald’s, or Wal-Mart), postage stamps, journals, stationery items, “good” laundry detergent, warm clothing...  Use your imagination!  We sort and package the items, and direct as appropriate for distribution on Christmas morning.

This will be the last newsletter of 2007, so please remember the staff (missionaries) you know in your year-end giving.

If God has prospered you and you appreciate this ministry, would you consider including His Mansion in your Kingdom investment this year?  His Mansion is expanding.  We will build a new facility this coming year, enabling us to offer an academic component of our Healing in the Context of Community to colleges and universities.  This is long overdue, but we’ve waited for God to provide a director who has the credentials and character to lead us in this exciting expansion.  God has provided His man, and we’ll share the good news in January’s newsletter.  The costs of construction are very high and although we’ll use as much “in house” and volunteer help as we can get, we’ll need lots of financial help.

It has been many years since we’ve taken on any major construction and I’m shocked by the increase in the costs of materials.  Please consider helping us complete this next chapter in our work.

As supporters and prayer warriors, you are so much a part of this thriving, blessed work.  I perceive us as working together.  Bless you.  We are able to pay every outstanding bill and believe we will end this year with a small surplus.   I trust you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Stan Farmer