Posts Tagged ‘Isaiah 61:3’

Hertzler Farm Fire: From the Ashes We Will Rise

{ May 11, 2025 @ 8:18 pm } · { Hertzler Farm & Feed, Quarterfield Markets }
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We were alerted to the fire at 6:54 p.m. on April 12, a Saturday night. It was a night we will never forget and crawled into bed at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning full of grief and exhaustion, mixed with lots of questions about the future and a sinking feeling of total helplessness. Sunday morning we realized it was not just a bad dream but a horrible stark reality. A stinky, acidity, smoky smell lingered in the air and the view from the kitchen window was witness to the stark reality of the overwhelming task before us. A firetruck had spent the night and was still maning the smoking ruins.

Our retail store-the main room.
Looking in the front door of the store.

There was no way we could drag ourselves to church. We were physically and emotionally drained and needed to be just us-a family in grieving. In the afternoon an amazing thing happened; cars and pickups started pouring in filled with caring friends and neighbors wanting to help.

For the next two weeks there were 25-45 people each day sorting through the ruins, picking up trash, cleaning and drying photos and personal items.

We had a storage room where Jill and I were storing household items and keepsakes as they were in the process of moving to Powhatan.

Track loaders, dump trucks, and excavators arrived. The farm shop and baler were also destroyed but most of the tools were salvagable and had to be moved to another building.

The burned up round baler that was in the shop. They had just finished maintanence on it earlier in the afternoon and had it ready for this year’s hay season.
Only a handful of treasurers were spared. An old milk can from Gene’s home in Denbigh.
On the left is a quilt made by my Grandmother Heatwole (Fannie Belle Heatwole) and on the right by my mother (Fannie Showalter Heatwole). I had put them in plastic totes to “protect” them in storage.
A bed spread made by my mother from scraps of material from my “homemade” dresses as I was growing up!!!
We had to build a new space for the pressure tank for our well water system.
The shop with the burned out storage area on the left.

An existing warehouse had to be readied to serve as new storage for the feed store. There was so much to do and so many willing hands to do it.

Repairing the dock.

Mealtrain was set up to provide food and for one full month I did not fix a meal. Many people benefited from those wonderful, delicious meals delivered with love. Go-Fund-Me and private donations provided the necessary funds to keep us surviving. Our church had a community barbecue fundraiser. We needed so much and so much was given. Boxes and boxes arrived from Amazon with office supplies and equipment. One Amazon driver said, “I have never delivered so many boxes to one place”. Local businesses helped us get our new office set up and flooring put in. Another got our water restored, another replaced an electric pole and another removed some trees.

A team of fifteen students came from Liberty University for a Saturday workday. After a hard day of work, a full belly of food and relaxing on the lawn they enjoyed a hay ride.

People were truly the arms of Jesus holding us up and helping us get back on our feet. The community of Powhatan and beyond truly was amazing.

A friend and former pastor came from Pennsylvania to sit with us. It was what our weary souls needed. Thank you Tim.

The transformation has been amazing. It is now been a month and the ruins are cleaned up. We have felt a strong mandate from the community to rebuild. Social media buzzed with a desire to see us rebuild and to pledge to help that happen.

Our feed store reopened in five days in a revamped version. The Farmer’s Market relaunched yesterday, exactly one month from the fire, in an outdoor tent setting.

An Old Hickory storage shed came in two days after the fire. It has become our new office and sales for feed, lawn and wildlife seeds, fertilizer, lime, shavings, hay and straw.

Our vendors from our Farmer’s Market, that had been open for only one week, gathered on our lawn several days after the fire and the mandate from them was clear. They were solidly behind us and wanted to be a part of a relaunching. A blog post about the relaunching will be coming soon. After the fire, channel 8 and channel 12 (local news stations) came out and interviewed us. One reporter said, “We heard about the fire and began to look at social media. We saw the support of the local community and noted that something special was going on and wanted to cover it.”

Relaunch Day-May 10: The market is set up and ready for business.

It was an amazing Relaunch day with absolutely perfect weather, lots of excitement and crowds of people. Until a permanent facility can be built, the market will be open Thursday and Fridays 8 am – 5 pm and Saturdays 8 -12 noon weather permiting.

We can never express our thanks adquately. Caring and sharing is never about public praise and so we are refraining from publicly naming people or businesses. You know who you are. May God bless you and please accept our humble and grateful thanks

This puzzle piece that was found among the ruins seems a fitting ending to this post. I had a puzzle library of over 500 puzzles that people could check out. The fire was furious and almost nothing survived it’s consuming fury. But the few finds were surprising and this puzzle piece was one of them. A fragile thin piece of cardboard, charred black, but still intack. I just wonder how! Sometimes it takes more than a fire to bring total ruin. From the ashes, we will rise.

The following verse is a comforting promise from God….good can come out of bad…. joy and beauty where they are ashes.

“To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” This verse is often interpreted as a promise from God to replace sorrow and despair with joy and beauty.”  Isaiah 61:3

Loneliness

{ June 16, 2013 @ 3:58 pm } · { My Faith Journey }
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Loneliness is a desolate, windy path of potholes and snares.

Loneliness is a season of despair, fear and pity.

Loneliness is a brutal taskmaster as it distorts the truth and exaggerates the facts.

Loneliness is a time of sadness, pain, isolation and self-absorption.

Loneliness separates, isolates, traps and enslaves.

Loneliness is like quicksand, an ocean undercurrent, bog, pit, and dungeon.

Most of us at some time have crawled on the lonely path of loneliness.  There is no peace, joy, contentment, or light on this path.   Faith is weak, hope has despaired and the horizon is dark and stormy.

My most poignant season of loneliness occurred when we were experiencing the uncertainty of our newborn son’s health.  When our fourth child, Greg, was born we could not pronounce him healthy even though the doctors had given him a clean bill of health. Our second child had been born with a genetic disease that claimed her life at the tender age of 5 months.  When our third child, a daughter, was born her daddy declared her healthy.  That was that: no fear, no worries.  But with Greg it was different.  With Werdnig-Hoffman disease (SMA Type 1) the child can be born appearing healthy.  However, we carried the most acute form of disease, which meant by the time the child was six-weeks old the muscles would start to degenerate and life expectancy was less than one year. As we faced the uncertainty we didn’t know if God was preparing us for what laid ahead or Satan was binding us in fear.

My husband and I decided not to express our fears.  A clock began to tick; our season of loneliness began.  We would wait, hope, and worry. We would not bother any one else with our problem.  We would wait until “we knew” for certain the diagnoses.

One Sunday after church, I was standing alone in the hallway holding my baby and listening to the chatter of people visiting.  Deep loneliness washed over me. Sadness played its sorrowful tune. Fear sat on my shoulder and pity wagged a bony finger.

A few Sundays later we were ready and  our pastor shared our burden with the congregation.  The fellowship surrounded us with love, compassion, tears and prayers.  Greg Alan did have Werdnig-Hoffman disease (SMA Type 1).  Nothing was going to change that fact. But something happened that I will never forget.  Fear fled and pity evaporated.  My brothers and sisters became the loving arms of Jesus surrounding me. I was not alone.  I still had to walk a difficult path but there were now encouragers strolling beside me.  There were illuminated signposts showing the way and the potholes were covered in prayer. There were even flowers growing beside my path.

During a very lonely time Jeremiah cried out, “In dark places He (God) has made me dwell, like those who have long been dead. He has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my chain heavy.  Even when I cry out a call for help, He shuts out my prayer” Lamentations 3: 6-8.

Jeremiah was very lonely. He felt no one believed him and everyone was against him. He even felt shut out and abandoned by God.

Elijah had just witnessed an incredible miracle of God.  It was a mountaintop experience. God rained down fire on the alter in answer to Elijah’s fervent prayer.  A ferocious storm loomed on the horizon and Elijah pulled up his skirt and outran the chariot of King Ahab back to the city. When the wicked queen, Jezebel was told of the slaughter of her beloved priests of Baal she threatened to kill Elijah.  In panic Elijah ran for his life.  In fear he sat under a broom tree in the wilderness and self-pity became his sole mate.  In despair he prayed that the God of life would take his life.  Later God appeared to Elijah as he hid in a cave.  Elijah whined to God, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of host; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword.  I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”  I Kings 19:14

Elijah distorted the truth and exaggerated the facts.  God told Elijah to get off his duff and get to work.  God also gently reminded Elijah that 7000 people in Israel had not bowed their knees to idols.  Elijah just thought he was alone! His fear, pity and despair trapped him in a self-absorbed pit.

Probably the most poignant and heart-wrenching picture of loneliness is that of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane and later on the cross. In the garden his devoted disciples fell asleep when he needed them the most.  In fear and agony he sweated drops of blood.  On the cross he cried out in anguish, as he felt forsaken and deserted by God.

When you feel alone, think on these things:

  • Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be afraid; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you.  He will not leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
  • The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms.  He will thrust out the enemy from before you.  Deuteronomy 33:27
  • Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. Psalms 23: 4
  • Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers they shall not overflow you.”  Isaiah 43:1-2a
  • But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Have you noticed that….

  • The windy path of loneliness is through a lush valley.
  • Spring follows the winter of despair.
  • If we abide in God’s word His truth will set us free. John 8:32
  • God desires to give us beauty for ashes, joy for mourning and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3).
  • Light dispels darkness.
  • Those who experience the presence of the living God soar like eagles.

Like Jeremiah I can say, “Through the Lord’s mercies I am not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are renewed every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3: 22-23

Written February 15, 2004