As though He needed anything

I received an email from one of our members this afternoon as part of a mass emailing he had sent to our members of Center Hill Community Church.  It was an encouraging letter as he spoke of things happening at Center Hill, people who have encouraged him in the past and the faithfulness of several of Christ’s servants on the mission field.  It included a link to an article in Credo Magazine about these faithful servants which I highly recommend you read.  I have his permission to post his email here on the church website.  Read it to be encouraged by his examples of faithfulness of Godly missionaries and encouraged by our church’s commitment to the same principle of discipleship seen in their lives.

soli deo gloria

 

 

Howdy Pilgrim Disciplers!
This email may be a bit lengthy, but I felt led to share this missionary story in light of some of the curriculum we are using in our age 6-10 Sunday School Class here at Center hill. 
While Monica and I were in east Tennessee, we saw God, through our small church, raise up a young couple to be pioneer missionaries to unreached people groups in the jungles of Papua New Guinea – Bill and Kelley Housely along with their two young daughters Madison and Sabra.  As a young boy Bill was raised in Papua New Guinea as the son of a missionary couple named Jack and Jane Housley.  Jack and Jane Housley had a generation before attempted to be pioneer missionaries but soon found that they were not gifted in this area.  But God had a better plan for them – they became support staff to new missionaries in the jungle – sort of like “parents” to new struggling missionaries – their ministry was to encourage the discouraged.  Monica and I lived in a house we purchased from the Housley family and we ran our lawn and landscape business out of a building we rented from Jack, so we had a lot of contact with him – he certainly was an encourager!  Jack helped me through some struggles I had with the fear of man in a really big way.  Needless to say, when his son Bill and daughter-in-law Kelley wanted to go to the jungle they were tickled to death, but had no idea how the Lord would use them.
Following in Jack and Janes’ footsteps, Bill and Kelley became New Tribes Missionaries (www.ntm.org) to a small tribe of indigenous people in the village of Itutang accessible only by a three day hike or helicopter flight in the middle of a mosquito infested swamp.  Itutang is part of the greater Inapang language group.  As part of one of their sending churches (http://www.gracetn.org/) in East Tennessee, Monica and I have followed them since they left in 2003.  I will paste a recent article the Housley’s wrote in Credo Magazine (http://www.credomag.com/the-magazine/march-2012/) entitled “As Though He Needed Anything” about God’s great work in Itutang in the body of this email.
I am encouraged to know that while God may not always fulfill our desires through our own lives, He may choose to fulfill those desires in the lives of our children, grandchildren or other spiritual “children”.  Jack and Jane Housley so desperately wanted to learn a new language, translate the Scriptures  and share Christ with unreached people groups.  Though discouraged at first, by perservering in the background role of encouraging pioneer missionaries  the door opened for their next generation to fulfill those desires in God’s timing. 
So what is the connection between Papua New Guinea, the Housley’s and Center Hill?  Some of the Sunday School curriculum (New Tribes Creation to Christ) we teach is the same curriculum that Bill and Kelley use in the Jungle to disciple people from unbelief to spiritual maturity in Jesus Christ!  It seems that God is greatly pleased when we take the time to truly learn about each other and take on the slow and often painful task of living with and diligently teaching each other about Jesus Christ from His beginning acts of creating the world to His incarnation, death, resurrection and His future glorious culmination of uniting Himself to His bride, the church!  I hope that this modern mission’s account will inspire and encourage you all to be a part of God’s calling to disciple people from unbelief to spiritual maturity in Jesus Christ.  This may mean teaching Sunday School; discipling your own children and grandchildren at home; discipling individuals at work; encouraging others in their discipling; or it might even mean going to a mosquito infested jungle to learn a new language in order to proclaim the glories of Christ!  If you are a Christian, you are a minister of the Gospel!
In Christ,
Hank

1 thought on “As though He needed anything

  1. Hi!
    I am SO encouraged by the recent posting of the missionary work of Bill and Kelly in that though we may not see our efforts fulfilled the way we think that they would or should be, God often has a MUCH BIGGER picture of which, praise His Holy Name is a blessing to see fulfilled in our children or grandchildren! I am blessed to be a part of the children’s and music ministry (to name a few) in our church and pray that the mission field of our own surrounding communities will be touched by the living, working power of Christ thru His Holy Spirit working in and through each of us who are allowing this to happen in and through our very own lives to the Glory of God our Father In and thru Christ Jesus and His Holy Spirit! What a complete Blessing and honor! I’m SO GLAD that I’m one of HIS Kids and Servants! I am truly blessed to see God working so much in our own (rather His) Church! I’m also SO very glad that we have a pastor and servant of God who brings God’s Ministering Word home to those who will listen and hear it, because only God and His Word through His Holy Spirit Speaking to hearts has the power to change lives today!

    Blessings & Love In Christ 4 the Glory of God-
    Val D.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.