A Time to Say Goodbye

Having served in the pastorate and as foreign missionaries, we know how draining full-time Christian service can be. In 1987, we returned from the mission field spiritually "beaten up". God provided a place of refuge where we could be restored in the beauty of His creation. In 2007, He granted us the fulfillment of our dream to provide a place that we could share with full-time Christian workers in need of a spiritual retreat. And that is how Leahaven came to be.


"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

II Corinthians 1:3-4


In 2020 due to Covid 19, we regretfully suspended our Leahaven ministry. In the past two years the Lord has led us in a new direction, and He has shown us that now is the time to say goodbye. We are grateful for God's many blessings and so many precious memories. Thank you to all who have supported and encouraged Leahaven's ministry. We covet your prayers for the future.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Winds of Change

In May 2013, due to changing life circumstances, it became apparent that we could not keep up with everything we’d been doing. As we evaluated what we could do without, we realized that the traveling distance from our home to Leahaven and the amount of work required made it impractical for us to continue maintaining two farms, one a working farm with livestock that required feeding twice a day. 


Regretfully we reached the decision that we needed to sell Leahaven and find a new Leahaven closer to home.  It has been a sad process and long, but the Lord worked things out in His time, and we have finally sold Leahaven to the son of the farmer we bought it from in 2007.  Talk about the "circle of life!"  Leahaven was this young man's dream farm, and he is as thrilled to call it home as we are comforted to know that it will be treasured and loved.  


This is not the end of Leahaven, however!  The Lord has led us to Cloudland Station, “a mountain and valley community rich in amenities and the natural beauty of the North Georgia Mountains.” We’ve purchased a beautiful creekside lot there and are starting to build a house which will continue to welcome missionaries, pastors, and other full-time Christian servants.


A wet-weather creek runs about 50 feet from the back of the future house and is one of the reasons we fell in love with this spot.  We expect it to be a favorite spot of guests both young and old, whether they play in the creek or enjoy it from the back porch.
From the creek you can peer through the trees to the little “town center” in the distance. It will be an easy stroll to the communal fireplace and patio, the little green schoolhouse meeting room, and a coffee shop.



From the moment you drive through the gate at Cloudland Station, the natural beauty and wonderful amenities are evident. Near the entrance, Lake Angela is perfect for fishing and canoeing. Beyond it flows a creek that begs to be waded in as it winds past a multi-level treehouse that is every kid's dream.


For swimming, there’s a choice between the fresh water swimming hole with a floating dock and a rope swing and the “endless” salt water swimming pool surrounded by a large stone terrace. The natural beauty of a waterfall, a cave and miles of mountain trails provide opportunities to explore. Rainy days can be spent in the game barn, while numerous outdoor picnic areas invite cookouts in fine weather. The mill house by the creek is always open and is stocked with cold drinks and ice cream treats to buy on hot summer days.

Leahaven at Cloudland will be located on a short loop of Valley Rim Drive with woods on two sides, providing privacy and charm. The house design will blend with the old-fashioned architecture of Cloudland Station, which creates a feel of having stepped back in time.

For now, the house looks like this, but we hope that it will be ready to receive guests by early 2016.



The best compliment Leahaven ever got was from a little girl who called it “that heavenly place in Alabama.” We love Leahaven, and it will forever hold a treasured place in our hearts. Yet Cloudland Station is so incredible that we think guests of the new Leahaven just might call it “that heavenly place in Georgia.” While the house will look different outside, we think that when repeat visitors step inside, they’ll know they’re still at Leahaven–a place of refuge the Lord has provided to be with Him in the beauty of His Creation.

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