"And if the leprosy covers all of the skin of him who has the infection from his head even to his feet, as far as the priest can see, then the priest shall look and if the leprous disease has covered all his body, He shall pronounce him clean of the disease." Leviticus 13:12, 13

Dear Friends and Family,

Only when a person sees themselves as being utterly lost, hopeless, depraved, destitute, dead and completely covered by the defilement of sin, with no part free from the infectious pollution, when he forsakes all righteousness and resources of his own, and pleads himself filthy before the Lord, only then is he ready to be cleansed and washed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Grace of God. Hidden, unfelt, unconfessed, secret sin is the true leprosy. When sin is seen, felt, and confessed, it has received its death sentence as the Lord looks upon the afflicted one with eyes of mercy. Nothing is more deceitful and contemptuous than self-righteousness and self-esteem: "Jesus said, 'If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains'" John 9:41. We must know and confess that apart from Christ, we are nothing but blind and leprous sinners before a Holy God. No confession short of this will be the whole Truth. If the Holy Spirit is truly at work within us convincing us of this sin, then this confession will not come with difficulty. It may come with pain, tears and brokenness, but it will freely flow. I don't know about you, but I find incredible comfort in this truth: That no matter how grievous and offensive my sin is it will never shut me out from the cleansing forgiveness and grace of Christ. Jesus said "The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out" John 6:37. We cannot come too filthy into the presence of the Lord to receive His cleansing forgiveness. "And behold, a leper came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, you can make me clean" Matthew 8:2. Jesus Christ is willing.

One of the difficulties that we face as biblical counselors is that we are constantly on the lookout for sin to raise its ugly head in those who come to us for help, all the while potentially becoming more and more blinded to our own sin as the speck grows large and the plank grows small. It doesn't have to be this way, but it certainly is a danger that must be guarded against lest hypocrisy creep in and destroy us. Calling a spade a spade is important, especially in a culture where Truth is placed on the slippery slope of relativism. However, we must never forget who we are and where we come from that's deadly stuff. We are healed lepers, all of us indebted to the Great Physician.

The season of fall is upon us, complete with all of the colors and smells that makes this time of year my favorite. Golds, yellows, greens, reds and browns combine together in a majestic artistry, just outside the office window, that gives testimony to an artistic, creative and omnipotent God. With this season comes a 'controlled chaos' around here as we busily prepare for the blanket of white snow and sub-freezing temperatures that we know are just around the calendar's corner. Believe it or not, I'm already hearing the faint tones of Christmas music!

Here is a list of what's been going on here at TFR during our harvest time as we prepare for winter:

• Over 3000 quarts of fruit, veggies and anything else that could be preserved in a glass quart jar!
• Over 70 tons of hay put up in the barn. That's over 2500 bales of grass, alfalfa, and oat hay!
• Over 20 cords of wood cut, split and stacked so far. We are still in need of about 5 more!
• 5 pigs, 30 chickens, 2 cows, 1 deer (donated, I missed!), and 10 turkeys. All of them are home grown.

Yes, things have been busy here and they continue to be busy as we aren't quite done yet. The last of the garden produce (potatoes and carrots) is coming out today. The Lord has been extremely gracious to us and we have much to be thankful for.

This blessing of bounty is extra meaningful this year as we consider the state of our nation's economy and the significant financial squeeze we are all under. We have had to tighten our belts as well as we continue to look for ways to raise the bar of our financial stewardship even higher. One of the ways we are going to do this is by trimming down our 'snail mail' newsletter list. Newsletters are extremely expensive with the cost of postage, printing, envelopes and paper. There may be many who are receiving this newsletter via hardcopy (USPS) who could receive it through e-mail instead. If you are one of those people, could you please send us a quick e-mail or call us and let us know that you have e-mail capabilities? This would help us out a great deal! Also, there are some that have been on TFR's newsletter list for over 7 years that we have never heard from, one way or another. Could you please send any type of correspondence our way just so we know you are alive and still desiring to be kept in TFR's information loop? You can call the office and talk with Dawn, or send us an e-mail or smoke signals or anything to show us life! Thanks everyone.

Once a month, on a Monday night, our women have been getting together for a 'fun-night' activity. They each take a turn as the planner and host and it can be anything from an enjoyable dinner cooked by one for the entire group, or something athletic, or maybe a movie night. Last week one of the gals decided it was Polar Dip Night! So they all got into their swimming apparel and hit the lake at like dusk! Mind you it's been dipping down into the high teens in temperature around here lately, and the water temperatures of the lakes aren't much better. I enclosed a picture on the back for you to see the participants post Polar Dipped.

Well, I wasn't kidding about hearing Christmas music already. Our women's singing group, named Harvest, is planning on doing a mini-tour this Christmas season as we try to increase this ministry's exposure and do our best to bless the Church with Christmas music. Here is a list of our current Christmas concert itinerary:

• Northgate Gospel Chapel (North Seattle): Friday, 12/5 @ 6:00 (tentative)
• Judson Park Retirement Center (Des Moines, WA): Saturday, 12/6 @ 2:00
• Sea Tac Bible Church (Auburn, WA): Saturday, 12/6 @ 6:00
• Vespers Service @ Judson Park (Des Moines, WA): Sunday 12/7 @ 6:00
• Tonasket Bible Church: Saturday, 12/20 @ 6:00
• Tonasket Community Center: Monday, 12/22 @ 12:30
• Tonasket Assisted Living: Monday, 12/22 @ 4:30
• Curlew Community Church: (tentative)
• Tonasket Free Methodist Church: (tentative)

If you would like to inquire about having 'Harvest' perform a Christmas music concert in your area or Church, please give us a ring and we'll see if we can work something out!

Our building project continues to look extremely encouraging as we target the spring of 2009 for our major building activities to begin. Depending upon Providence, we may be able to begin on some of the necessary foundational work such as water, power, septic and excavation during the winter months. We have been receiving lots of great offers of help that will assist us in this project. It has been very encouraging to see so many throw their proverbial hats into the ring. If you have some building expertise and are willing help out in any way, please give us a ring! We'll keep you up to date as this project continues to progress.

As the Christmas season approaches, we pray that many of you will be calling or writing to see how you can be of help and support to a TFR woman or staff member. Many of the women here at TFR have little to no support anywhere, other than in their new found family in Christ. None of our staff, from the director to the interns, receive a salary, health benefits, retirement, or even an occasional stipend. They are all supported as 'domestic missionaries' through the generosity of the Church. Therefore, if you would like to have a name or two to 'adopt' for the Christmas season, or perhaps your church or small group would like to help out in a different way, please don't hesitate to give us a call in the office and get whatever information you may need. Any help or thoughtful gesture goes a long way in bringing encouragement during this time of the year. Our contact information can be found below. Thank you.

I would like to close this letter with a quick word of encouragement and reminder. The Sovereign One, our Adonai, sits upon the throne and governs the affairs of men with perfect and total control (Psalm 103:19). I know that at times it looks as though this world is completely out of control and that nothing but wickedness and chaos reigns. This can seem especially true in the political realm and it can be extremely disheartening, especially when we consider the foundational truths that our country was founded upon. However, wickedness and chaos do not reign and things are not out of control. Quite the opposite is actually true. "For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God" Romans 13:1b. I know that this truth can create more questions than answers at times, but during the many times in life when we cannot trace His Sovereign Hand, we must trust His heart of compassion and mercy. Even these current elections, which have so much meaning and consequences, that do not go 'our way', will ultimately work together for our good and for His Glory (Romans 8:28!) Vote with your biblical worldview firmly in hand, and leave the results up to Adonai.

Thank you all again for your love and support of this work of the Lord. May He bless you and keep you as we long for Home, and together, await the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

"Jesus the sinner's friend, to Thee, lost and undone for aid I flee. Weary of earth, myself, and sin, open Thine arms and take me in." (Charles Wesley.) "This Man receives sinners" Luke 15:2.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Craig Lofthus

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Tomato Sauce Galore! 2,000 POUNDS!

Polar Dipped Icicles!

A Mountain of Hay!

Mounds of Green Onions

A Multitude of Onions

Lots of Firewood for Winter!