An Answer to Prayer

Late in 2011, an injury left me unable to do many of the things I used to, and those things all fell on Herb.  One of those things was me being able to drive down to Leahaven and spend 4 or 5 hours cleaning whenever needed.  As I saw Herb taking on one more burden on top of all he was already doing, I began to wonder if it was time for us to end our ministry at Leahaven.  I asked Herb if he thought we should sell.  His answer was a resounding no!  He loves this farm, he said, and wants us to keep it.

We can keep the farm without keeping up the ministry, I told him, but he wasn't ready to quit.  So I began to ask the Lord:  "If you want us to keep up this ministry, please make Your will clear to us."

Now that we've reached the end of 2012, Herb and I looked back over our bookings for the past year.  Since I began keeping records in 2010, we have had 17 bookings each year.  This year was the same--no more, no less.  What changed, though, was the requests that came our way.

We used to get mostly pastoral and missionary families wanting a low-cost vacation.  While we are glad to help them, that was not our vision in founding Leahaven.  Our heart's desire was to minister to hurting servants of God, those who were truly in need of a spiritual retreat.

And those are exactly the people that the Lord has brought us this year.  He's sent us people who were bereaved, whose hearts were breaking under burdens that moved us to tears;  people who were suffering physically and in pain; people who have gone through one trial after another; people who have poured themselves out in God's service till they had no more to give.

Of course it grieves our hearts to know that our brothers and sisters are suffering so deeply!  But we know they are suffering anyway, whether we are here to help them or not.  And as long as they are suffering and in need of a retreat, we thank our loving heavenly Father Who sends them to a place that He has ordained to be a place of blessing for them.  We are thankful and encouraged that we are, indeed, meeting a need that the Lord has called us to meet.

As we finish our fifth year of ministry at Leahaven and look forward to a sixth year, we give all the glory to God for His rich blessings on so many lives and for His many, many answered prayers.

"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
 it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the LORD."

Lamentations 3: 22-26

Annual Collegian Cookout

The collegian ministry at our church has established the annual tradition of a cookout at Leahaven in the fall.  This year we broke tradition with a beautiful, sunny day for a change.  It was a great day for a hay ride around the property.

 It was also a great day for kayaking, and several kids tried it for the first time.  A couple splashed themselves pretty wet, but we weren't worried about the upholstery for the ride back to the house.

The only two guys present ended up paddling several passengers all over the lake.  There's just something about a lake, a canoe and fall foliage that makes a day unforgettable.

God Is Faithful

I was just writing a thank-you note for a gift to our ministry here at Leahaven and realized I should share with everyone what I shared with this family.

This has been a hard year for us.  I had a bad fall last November and have still not fully recovered, and Herb has been carrying much of my load both at home and at Leahaven.

Last year was rather slow as far as people using Leahaven, and I wondered if there really is a need or if we just thought there was because many years ago WE had a need for such a place.

One day when Herb was preparing to go to Leahaven to mow and bush-hog, I asked him if he thought we should sell Leahaven, if it is too much for us?  He said no!  He loves Leahaven and wants to keep going.

So I asked the Lord that if we are truly filling a need for His people, if HE wants us to keep going, He would show me clearly that it is His will--not ours--for this ministry.

The Lord has answered me so clearly, and I want to share that answer with you, His people. Between July 1st and August 31st, there have been just 13 days where Leahaven was not being used.  Eight families with a total of 30 individuals plus one youth group with 13 kids and four adults have been at Leahaven.  So many have let us know that they were deeply blessed by their time there.

During one brief period that the house was empty, I received a phone call from a pastor asking if there was by any chance a vacancy for that night.  He and his wife had a heart-rending need, and they needed to get away and retreat to God.  While my heart was breaking for their grief, I was incredibly thankful that they had called at the only time (up till then) that I could have said "yes" to them.  I know that was from God!  And it was from Him that the lock-box code I had chosen for this year and told to the pastor's wife was a verse that was dear to her heart!  No human force could do such wonders!

By God's grace, most people who come to stay at Leahaven don't have such a heart-rending need, but whatever their need, we are privileged and blessed to be there for them.  I praise the Lord for His clear answer to me in my moment of doubt and weakness.

He is faithful!

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.'  The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."  Lamentations 3: 22-26

Blackberry Picking Time!

Blackberry picking time came earlier than usual this year.  Herb went out to Leahaven last week to bush-hog and mow, and he came back with nearly a gallon of wild blackberries.  So we issued an impromptu invitation to our church friends to join us for a blackberry picking party.

Really getting into it!

Looking at the spoils.

Blackberries everywhere . . .

. . . and lots more to come!

The younger generation conked out in the shade.

Rose of Sharon in the back yard near a few stray blackberries. 

New and Improved!

We're pretty excited about our new and improved website/blog--although to be strictly honest, that is not us turning cartwheels!


Leahaven has just joined the ranks of senior-friendly websites!  Out of consideration for our growing population of senior citizens (including the author of this blog!), our pages now feature a new, larger font.  (A few features, such as the introductory paragraphs on the blog header, do not offer a choice of type sizes and are woefully difficult to see in our opinion.)  


We now also offer links from one page to another within the blog and hope that this will help our visitors navigate the informational pages.


The right hand side of the blog features a new survey, offering you a chance to give us helpful feedback that will make our website even better.


As always, you are welcome to comment on any post or page.  It is not necessary to sign in; you may choose to comment anonymously and either end your comment with your name--or not.


Please, let us know how we're doing and how we can serve you better.

The Colors of Spring

We spent a day and a half at Leahaven, just resting and enjoying the beauty of God's creation as new life appears all around us.

The neighboring farm glows in the afternoon light.

A bee visits the grape hyacinths in the front yard.

Forsythia blooms next to the pump house.

The Bradford pear glows white against a deep blue sky.

Tiny field pansies pop up their cheerful faces everywhere.

Hero bounds across the grass, so green it almost hurts your eyes.

Budding maples burn bright red around the pond.

Their tiny helicopter seeds sprout like fireworks.

Bluets nestle among the grass.  No  earthly palette can rival that of the Heavenly Artist! 

Spring is Coming . . .

. . .

What strange weather we have had this year--"June"-uary, Feb"rrrrr"uary, and finally a somewhat normal March.  Chilly, but sunny . . .

. . ... perfect weather for daffodils to show off their beautiful faces!  Spring is on its way!

Tigers for Tomorrow at Untamed Mountain

http://www.tigersfortomorrow.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=124&Itemid=39

Visit the rescued big cats (sorry, no petting or photos) in the 10 acre preserve, take a picnic, and enjoy smaller animals in the petting zoo. Admission is $12 for adults and $6 for children 3 to 11, plus tax. Open year-round Friday through Sunday, 9-5 Central time.

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