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November 2008 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22, 23. When I stand at the summit above His Mansion and gaze out on the valley below ablaze in the colors of fall, I can only appreciate it because my eyes tell me to. The passage refers to those with good focus and those with double vision. Jesus is saying that the person who tries to focus on both God and their possessions [or addictions] has no clear vision and will live without clear orientation or direction. God is the ultimate Ophthalmologist, and we have the joy of being assistants to Him as He does the work. Here is a recent testimony from a mom who sees healing in her child’s eyes: Dear Stan: It was very nice to meet you. I wanted to send you a quick note about something I noticed in our daughter while we were visiting. We had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with her on Saturday and again on Sunday to celebrate her birthday. On Saturday afternoon, she was standing in the parking lot of our hotel room and telling me something. To be honest with you, I have no idea what she was saying because I was focused on her face. I noticed her eyes are a different color than they were when I dropped her off five months ago at His Mansion. Odd, huh! At that time, they were a deep, dark brown. They are now this lighter, brighter color... a cross between light brown and hazel. As she was talking, I could see the light and joy in her eyes. The darkness that was in them for years was gone! I couldn't believe it. They have completely lightened! The deadness is replaced by life, the dark by light, sadness with joy! She laughed more during this visit and hugged her dad and me more than she has in years. Thank you for helping my daughter find Christ again! She was blind, but now she sees and as her mom, no words can describe my ultimate appreciation to you and the staff at His Mansion. Thank you, my brother!
[Mom] Ground Preparations Begin for His Mansion Institute A major focus (no pun intended!) at His Mansion is to lead confused, addicted, soul-sick men and women out of darkness and into the light. During our 38 years of operation, we have gained a fair amount of insight and seek to share it with others. The new His Mansion Institute, overseen by Dr. Michael Tso, will provide a way of doing this while aiding dedicated men and women in their pursuit of training and certification. In order to accommodate the institute candidates, we will renovate the men’s dormitory and build a new one to replace it. This has turned out to be the most cost-effective means of achieving the goal. Enough money is in hand to begin, and He will provide funds to complete it—even in these tough times! On a north-facing hillside, an ideal spot was chosen for the new construction. Standing on it, I gazed out over the valley and hills beyond and began to praise Jesus. This is right! The woodlot crew went to work clearing the trees and hauling away brush. The site was cleared. Time to dig! A neighbor made his 312 Caterpillar excavator available and Sam Farmer, my grandson, volunteered to take a week off from his job and operate it. At 23 years of age, Sam has run heavy equipment for his dad for 12 years. I was very excited. The heavy steel treads rumbled and tumbled as the tracks slowly carried the monster up to the site. With bucket fully extended and earth plunging to earth, the sound of high-tempered steel hitting New England granite rang like a bell over the hill. My heart sank. The depth of soil averaged anywhere from 6 inches to 2 feet. Finger-ledge, much like that extending out from islands into the ocean, was gradually exposed. The new facility calls for a basement, but solid granite is very costly to remove. An older man and his son, who have been blasting for several generations, came and gave an estimate. The architect’s guess: $20K. Sam concurred with the estimate. The price came in at $10K. Dy-No-Mite! Holes were drilled, sticks of dynamite pushed in, and steel mats rolled over the area. Everyone moved away. An innocent switch was flicked and the ground rumbled, followed by a loud crack. Dust flew, pieces of rock soared, and the blast mats finally settled down, leaving a 100’ x 30’ field of large broken stone. Sam was on the excavator and our five-ton dump truck (also God’s provision) began the process of removing and disposing the shattered rock. Here it is: the open space that we shall build upon. Solid Rock! Construction has begun. I am excited. We plan on loading pictures and video on the webpage so that you can follow the progress. Preparing for Change Changing subjects, the disappointment of not having my personal choice win the presidential election is softened by the knowledge that I’ll not have to listen to the annoying cacophony of sound bytes for a couple of years. I awoke the morning after and had to put the brakes on my emotions, accepting God’s reminder that I am high upon a wall doing valuable work for him and that He is, after all, God! The cultural change that has been creeping into western culture over the past few years is not especially friendly to a conservative, evangelical worldview. Our values are not the values of the majority. Our views as to what is naturally normal and healthy are not embraced by the majority. Our belief in the reality of sin and its consequences do not resonate with the masses. Perhaps we will find ourselves not only in the minority, but a persecuted people. It is in this regard that I am encouraged to read the testimonies of the believers in China, India, and nations under the thumb of Islam. God is at work. Staff Updates Joan has returned from her total knee replacement. It was a great success and she is able to walk, climb stairs, and keep me from starving. I want to thank everybody who e-mailed, called, and wrote letters. What a marvelous family we have. Joan had the joy of discovering many nurses, aids, and staff at Concord Hospital and the Pleasant View Rehab Center who love Jesus. Several nonbelievers saw something in her countenance and attitude that drew them to her. Soon they were pouring out their troubled hearts and Joan prayed with them. I left autographed copies of my book Fool on a Hill to be given away to each of them. Pray that God will give life to the seed sown. “If it looks to good to be true, it probably is!” Several years ago, God provided one of the best co-workers and friends I’ve had during all my years of ministry. Paul and Robin Atkinson left their position at Parkwood Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina to serve at His Mansion, New Hampshire. Paul has served as Corporate Administrator for three years. His special gifting has left a tremendous imprint upon this work. Paul has served on the board of Gateway Missions, a mission to prisons and orphanages in central Africa, for many years. He and Robin are veteran short-term missionaries with that work. Last spring, the CEO of Gateway suffered illness while in Africa and had to be flown home. The board laid the burden on Paul to provide stability to the 67 national workers supported by Gateway. God won out, and Paul has returned to North Carolina. Don and Annie Fuller have come on board to take Paul’s place. Don is retired from True Value Hardware after 23 years, and owned and operated a home remodeling company for 13 years. He has his BA from Hawthorne College and attends Bedford Community church in Bedford, New Hampshire. Welcome aboard! Year-End Support Needs This is the month to remind all our prayer and financial supporters to plan their Thanksgiving and Christmas giving. This year will present hard challenges to all of us who enjoy being generous, yet God is the Provider and we wait upon Him. Despite the tough economic times, His Mansion will end the year free of all debt, once again. We praise Him and thank each one of you. A large percentage of our annual income comes in during the next couple of months. Please consider His Mansion in your year-end giving plan. Those of us serving as full-time missionaries here at His Mansion do so without salary, retirement benefits, or ministry-provided health care. We are totally dependent upon fellow believers, upon whose hearts God places us. Here is a list of Long Term Staff who serve here and depend upon your support: Stan & Joan Farmer, (CEO); Michael & Emily Tso, (CTO); Don & Annie Fuller, (COO); Fritz & Gretchen Maurer (Director of Counseling); Seth & Karen Hilliker; Dave & Diane Hultgren; Dwayn and Brianna Merrill; Ryan and Jacci Miranda; Jim & Linda Hogue; Cliff & Linda Buxton; Diane Weber; Kim Sauder; Jeff Devilbiss; Cindy Margason; and Byron & Rachel Norsworthy. If you know any of these folks personally, or have a special burden for their support, you can send a gift, made out to His Mansion, and indicate that you would desire to see it applied toward their financial needs. His Mansion does not withhold any fees for facilitating this giving. The missionary receives every dollar you send for them. Please remember that for most, nearly a third of their yearly support comes during the holiday season. There are many other men and women serving short-term throughout the year. If you know someone serving here in that capacity, please use the same procedure to gift him or her. Because the family has grown in numbers, we do not encourage folks to send clothing for staff Christmas gifts, though these items are always needed throughout the year. Please consider sending journals, disposable cameras, phone cards, gas cards, postage stamps, or gift cards (i.e., Dunkin Donuts, Subway, MacDonald’s, Target, WalMart). If you wish to send a Christmas gift to His Mansion in general, yarn and other craft supplies or sports equipment would always be welcome (baseball gloves and equipment, soccer balls, volleyballs, etc.). If someone has construction equipment they would like to donate, we can issue a tax-deductible receipt for “in kind” gifts (excavator, pickup truck, plow, tractors, etc.). This also applies to any material gifts you may no longer need, and that we might use. We have at least seventy-five percent of the funds in hand which are needed to complete the first facility (dormitory). Perhaps you are in a place to designate significant funds toward a project. Please contact me at: 603-464-5555 or email me at stan@hismansion.com. We look forward to our annual Thanksgiving celebration and will give the harvest tally and dinner report in the next newsletter. Once again, all bills are paid and we carry no debt. You are God’s stewards and are very generous to us. Thank you. Joyful in His Service, Stan Farmer; CEO
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