May 2011
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God's great mercy he has caused us to be born again into a living hope, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead.” -1 Peter 1:3
Greetings in Jesus’ Name,
This is the Easter season, vividly marked by suffering, death, resurrection and hope. This is such a powerful story exemplifying all that Easter speaks of that I feel led to share it as the core of the newsletter this month. A young woman’s (Emilie) mother shared this story at her church and sent me a copy of the text. With her permission, I have edited the testimony somewhat. I believe it will minister to you with hope and faith.
“Hi Mr. Farmer: Our daughter, Emilie, spent some precious time at His Mansion a couple years ago and had such an amazing restoration that I still am in AWE of the AWESOME GOD that we have. Emilie has been very ill since June and unable to function but her testimony during this time has blessed so many people. His Mansion is where my daughter began her incredible love for the Lord and she is using that love to touch lives.”
I brought my fancy yellow bucket. I bought this last summer with the intention of using it for collecting various things in the yard that needed picking up…stones, dog toys, sticks and other dog “presents”! This spring, the water was still in the bucket but it was contaminated with all sorts of mucky particles and creepy spider bodies that stagnated in it through the seasons.
I had another bucket that I had used before this one. It was blue. It suffered the same fate as the yellow one except eventually it dried out and cracked and finally couldn’t hold any water. In essence, it “kicked the bucket!” (Ha ha, get it?) It reminded me of a song:
"There’s a hole in the bucket, Dear Liza, Dear Liza, a hole in the bucket, Dear Liza, a hole…well fix it Dear Henry, Dear Henry, Dear Henry, well fix it Dear Henry, Dear Henry, fix it.”
My mind tends to meander all over the place and so I went from thinking about the bucket, to the song, to thinking about our bodies acting as a bucket that holds the Living Water Jesus pours into us. Sometimes we are just being saturated in His love which makes faith so easy during that time. Once in awhile, we get hit pretty hard and the water sloshes out or sometimes our faith drains completely because of a crack in our bucket…a situation that we cannot understand.
A few years ago, our daughter went through a very serious and dangerous time of severe depression. It was overwhelming and scary. Through those years (and it was years) of her struggling, I hung onto Jesus like I was in a white water raft and HE was in control of my safety. I had my life preserver on and it was JESUS!
Emilie made a complete and total turn around. It was a miracle!! Her time spent at a place in New Hampshire called His Mansion solidified her trust in the Lord. She came home shining brighter than that yellow bucket!! She was on fire for the Lord.
Her first year at college was filled with excitement and excellent grades… The highlight of her first year at Delhi was that she was awarded the coveted peer mentor scholarship for the fall of 2010 and we knew that God was going to use her in a mighty way. In June of last year, just before she was to return to school, she had minor surgery on her arm. Within a few days of that surgery, the incision became infected, then it began to split open, then she needed a skin graft a month later. About 10 days after the skin graft, she developed a septic infection and spent a week in the ICU. Emilie had no choice but to give up her first semester back to school along with the scholarship. I began to get a hole in my bucket of faith.
In November, Emilie became septic again. This time, the infection went to her heart and she was in the hospital for 3 weeks… Each month since November, Emilie has had some type of infection or illness that has landed her back in the hospital for days and weeks at a time. There are seemingly no answers and after dozens of doctor visits, gallons of blood drawn and test after test, no answers have come. For nine months she has been unable to drive or read or stand for more than a few minutes at a time. She has severe light sensitivity and says she feels as though she is being electrocuted from the shocks going on in her head. This illness has incapacitated her…and me right along with it.
I could feel the bucket getting more leaks in it. In essence, I had taken my bucket of Living Water and put it outside on the patio and let other things accumulate; contaminating my vision to see Him clearly. I was not filling myself with more of Christ; I was becoming stagnant.
And who did the Lord send to help me through this difficult time?? Emilie!!! She has taught me so much…how to see God when you don’t understand what He is doing. She has helped me repair the leak in my faith and as Dear Liza, Dear Liza and Dear Henry, Dear Henry find out, the only way to fix the bucket is with the Sword, which is the Word of God, sharpened by the Rock, who is our Heavenly Lord and bathed in the Living Water of the Holy Spirit…and then faith becomes sparkling clear.
As I speak today, my daughter has not improved physically. In fact, she is once again in the hospital with another infection. A few weeks ago, Emilie said, “I was beginning to wonder if God had abandoned me, but then I realized that God restored and healed my soul; I have been healed. This physical body may not be doing what I want it to do, but it can still be used for his glory. If I could go back to those days when my soul was sick but my physical body was healthy and trade those days for now, I wouldn’t consider it…because the peace that I feel at this moment knowing God as I do, is far greater of a healing than anything I could ever possess in my physical self.” God DID HEAL ME…and HE is doing great things at this moment with this situation…
The entire text can be found as a note on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/hismansion.
I shared a couple months back on Facebook regarding the passing of a dear Mansion friend, Leroy Griffith. Leroy first came to His Mansion in 1975, desiring to get involved, after I had spoken at a local church the week prior. This was the beginning of a long relationship with Leroy and his wife, Barb. Leroy served as a board member for a number of years before joining us as staff in 1986. Leroy blessed His Mansion as he shared his knowledge and experience with us through serving as Construction Manager for over 10 years. Yet Leroy was best known by his love for Barb. Hand-in-hand, they could be seen walking up and down the hill.
Several months back, Barb surrendered to cancer and on February 8, 2011, Leroy left us to join her for eternity in Heaven. A service will be held in memory of Leroy on Saturday, May 7th at 11AM here in Hillsboro at Valley Bible Chapel. If you are local enough to attend, it will surely be a beautiful time of reflection on the life of an incredible man in whom God used to bless many lives.
Now, a word from Paul…
As Emilie’s story gives testimony to, it is an incredible thing to be a witness to this type of life transformation as it occurs here at His Mansion. It stirs me to think of our upcoming graduation that will be held on Saturday, May 7th here on the hill. We give thanks and praise that twelve individuals, eight men and four women, will be moving on from their time here at His Mansion and entering the world as new creations, transformed by the selfless, redemptive work of our Savior. These residents are currently preparing to share their testimonies with all of us on graduation day. The preparation for this speech becomes a time for each individual to reflect on where they once were and what Christ has pulled them out of and allows them to boast in the saving work of our Lord. Hearing these declarations of God’s truth as it has been revealed in each life is the high point of each graduation day. I look forward to being able to share the excitement of this event in next month’s newsletter.
The month of April brought with it a mix of work groups, each blessing us in a very special way. Community Christian School brought a team up from Tallahassee, FL while Big Bone Baptist Church made the long trip to serve here from Union, Kentucky. And our faithful family from East Hartford, CT made their fourth trip here over the past year to spend a week volunteering. Each group worked hard as they committed themselves fully to whatever work site they were on, whether processing maple syrup, harvesting lettuce from the greenhouses, cleaning up fallen brush from the winter, stacking wood, etc. We were blessed through it all.
Community Christian School- Tallahassee, FL Big Bone Baptist Church- Union, KY
Karla, Dwight, Rosemary, Timothy, Tiffany and Emily- CT
As I was thinking on the groups and family that volunteered here this past month, I suddenly realized what was so unique about it. Each of them has a connection to His Mansion through a current staff member. What an encouragement to see the support of both our staff and His Mansion through eager hearts desiring to know more about how loved ones serve here and the desire to enter into the community to experience it on a personal level. I would urge others who have friends and family who have committed a season of their life on this hill, to consider making a trip to volunteer here as you express your support with “hands on” participation. As the Lord continues to do mighty work in the lives of those living here, He is also faithful to do so in the lives of those who visit.
I wanted to share with you all an incredible story of God’s provision and blessing that recently occurred here on the hill. The Sunday prior to Easter, Cheryl, who serves as a mentor on the hill, was working as the head cook in the kitchen that day. Cheryl begins telling this story by explaining how at 6:30AM, she put three pork roasts into the oven in preparation to have them ready for lunch at 12:30. As typically is done on Sundays, Cheryl returned to the kitchen after church and fellowship around 11AM to find one roast fully cooked, one almost cooked and one not even close to being cooked! “I was thinking there wasn’t going to be nearly enough meat to feed each of the tables. What were we going to do? I couldn’t make the roast cook any faster than it already was and that wasn’t going to be soon enough!” As Cheryl wrestled with the panic of what action to take to get everyone fed, God was already at work.
A little before noon, a gentleman walks into the dining hall and casually asks, “Do you all need any meat?” He further explains that he is from the Deering Fire and Rescue Department and they had a party the previous night where the attendance was less than they planned it to be. They happened to have four briskets and seven pork tenderloins left over, smoked, seasoned and cooked to perfection! Did we want them? There was God, answering the prayer as it was still being prayed. Cheryl spoke of the unbelievable relief of the situation and gave praise to God’s provision as she was able to share with the family the blessing of the lunch. Thank you God and thank you Deering Fire Department for this miracle!
HIS MANSION ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION- 40 YEARS OF MINISTRY!
It has been so much fun to watch the list of those who have registered to attend our celebration grow and grow!! Familiar names from many years ago have appeared and I have entered into my own reminiscing of days past at the Mansion. I don’t think I realized that I could become even more excited for July 30th! I continue to encourage you to register online as you incorporate this historic event at His Mansion into your summer plans. The link for registration is accessible from the homepage of our website, www.hismansion.com.
The other reminder I have for you in regards to the celebration is we are continuing to collect your stories and memories related to your time and experience here at His Mansion. Countless lives have been impacted and transformed through Stan and Joan’s 40 years of dedication to the vision, creation, development and running of this ministry. Please share with us how you personally have been ministered to during time spent here so we may in return bless Stan and Joan with these inspiring stories that speak to the powerful ways the Lord has worked through His Mansion. Each personal record that we receive will become a part of our “Story” book to honor the Farmers. We are asking for you to email your stories and pictures to sharethestory@hismansion.com or feel free to use regular mail if that is more convenient. We look forward to putting together the final product to be presented to the Farmers in July. I hope you will be here for that very special moment!
Closing comments from Stan…
Eternity alone will reveal the tremendous dividends returned for your prayer and support for this work. Emilie’s story is one of many. Multiply the “Emilies” with all the individuals that God is working in and through and you have the countless lives that have been transformed and given hope. You, our partners, share equally, in the blessings those of us who serve at His Mansion experience. Your faithful support, even in trying times, is very much appreciated. Also, please remember the individual missionaries that you know who serve at His Mansion, as they serve by faith, trusting Jehovah Jirah for their support.
Once again, by His grace and mercy, we are able to proclaim that we’ve been able to pay every outstanding bill and have incurred no debt! Thank you!
Joyful in His service together,
