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Tim and Judy Heath

Resigned

TCM Update

July 5, 2018

Dear Friend of Things to Come Mission,                                                      

I am writing this letter to inform you that Tim Heath has resigned as the Development Director of TCM.  In recent years he has been the primary caregiver for his mother, former TCM missionary Eunice Heath.  Eunice is 95 years old and needs more time and attention than Tim is able give while also carrying out his responsibilities as Development Director.  Due to the need for him to devote himself to caring for Eunice, he and Judy have decided to leave TCM.

Tim and Judy have been a part of the TCM family for over 40 years.  They served as missionaries in Malaysia from 2010 to 2014 and most recently as the Development Director.  Prior to that Tim served as a TCM board member and led a number of groups on mission trips to various fields.  Tim’s commitment to the cause of Christ through cross-cultural mission has been an inspiration to many and his contributions have been tremendously appreciated by the TCM Board.  We will miss Tim and Judy and we wish them the Lord’s richest blessings in their life and future ministry.

The Development Director serves as the primary representative of TCM to the churches, leaders and sister organizations in the U.S.  It is one of four positions, along with International Director (Ben Anderson), Office Administrator (Valerie Wynalda) and Executive Director that make up the leadership structure of TCM.  The Development Director plays a vital and important role, acting as the voice and face of TCM to our supporters and ministry partners, as well as the primary recruiter of new missionaries from the U.S.  Please be in prayer for the Board of TCM as it seeks the right person to replace Tim in this crucial position.

Tim’s responsibilities as Development Director ended on July 5, 2018 when the TCM Board accepted his resignation.  In keeping with normal TCM procedure, we will continue to receive donations for Tim and Judy for the next 3 months after the month of resignation. It is entirely up to you whether you wish to continue supporting them financially during this transition. Starting on November 1 any donations designated for the Heaths will be put in TCM’s “Where Needed” account.

Until a new Development Director is in place, Valerie Wynalda will take care of scheduling missionary visits to churches.  If you have any questions or issues that arise where you would have contacted Tim, please redirect your communication to Valerie in the TCM office in Indianapolis: Valerie@tcmusa.org or (317) 783-0300.

Thank you for your partnership with TCM which makes it possible for us to carry the Gospel of the Grace of God throughout the world.

In Christ,

Donald Sommer
Executive Director, Things to Come Mission

 

Email Update

November 21, 2017

Dear Faithful Friend,
With Thanksgiving just a short hop away, Judy and I are filled with thanksgiving to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  It is the Good News that we have the privilege to share with those whose heart is opened by the Lord.

We are thankful for our family – my brother & sister in law just moved into their new home we worked on for more than a year; our son, Dan, will be with us along with three of our grand kids for thanksgiving; Judy and I are healthy and my mom, who is 94, is doing well; we attend a wonderful church and love the pastor and people; God has assured us of His purpose for our lives and we are joyfully looking forward to His leading in our walk with Him.

We are thankful that the Asia Adventure is being planned and we have about 6 who are going at this time and praying for a few others to join us.  We are thankful for the ministry Things to Come Mission has in many parts of the world and that we can be a small part of it.

We are thankful for your prayers and the support we receive from a number of you.  Thank you for being a part of our lives, caring and praying for us.

May your Thanksgiving be a reflection of His love and grace at work in your life to those you are blessed to be with this wonderful holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Tim & Judy
Director of Development
Things to Come Mission
(509) 423-0030

 

Email Update

July 23, 2017

Dear Friend,
We are on the road (took 4 days to get from Leavenworth to Grand Rapids – 2200 miles).  We arrived in time for the GGF Family Bible Conference which is now over.  We were tremendously blessed by the families and friends we met, as well as the encouragement from all who spoke.  It was simply a wonderful time.  Things to Come Mission sponsored one of the lunch times and we had as our theme, “This is my story.”  The phrase comes from the hymn “Blessed Assurance” so we asked people to share with one another how they were saved, while they were eating.  Our first person to share her story was Darlene Anderson, who shared how she came to know Christ as her Savior and then got involved in missions. After she shared, we had our new missionary candidates, Joel and Leah Sanders share about their mentoring process at the mission; Samantha shared about why she is going (in 3 days) on the Africa Safari; and Aaron (a TCM board member) share about God’s leading him into the pastorate.  They all did a great job.

Judy and I have a week with family, then a week by ourselves to celebrate 45 years of marriage, followed by a week at Northern Grace Youth Camp, sharing God’s word with our fellow campers.
At the GGF conference I was personally challenged to be more courageous in my life of faith and not allow fear to hamper the Holy Spirit’s work in my life.  Maybe this is an area that is a challenge for you as well?

Thank you for your prayers and support.  Thank you for being a vital part in our ministry in churches and camps here in the USA.  Pray that we will have the courage to share Christ’s love and the gospel when God opens to us that opportunity.

Because of His Grace,
Tim & Judy
Director of Development
Things to Come Mission
(509) 423-0030

 

Email Update

May 16, 2016

Dear Friend,

Did you know that Solomon (in the Bible) had a second name?  In 2 Sam. 12:25 Nathan the prophet gives Solomon a second name, Jedidiah, which means “beloved of the Lord.”  Isn’t that neat!  At his birth, God loved Solomon and had great plans for this small little baby!  So with us: God loves us and has a plan for our lives.

Judy and I leave in just a couple of days for Malaysia, to be ready when the rest of the Asia Adventure team of 13 arrives sometime during May 22-24.  We will spend a day in Kuala Lumpur, then fly to Cambodia for the conference and finally down to Thailand to see the work there.

Please pray for Judy and I as well as the whole team, that God would keep us safe, give us energy, give us opportunities to share His love with others and make a life-changing impact in each of us.  This has been a busy 18 months and this trip to SEA kind of brings our traveling to a slower pace.

However, during Sept and Oct we will be involved in a Bible conference and the NW mission conferences.  Pray as we encourage churches and challenge those God leads into our lives to be willing to go wherever God may lead them.

In His faithfulness,
Tim & Judy
Director of Development
Things to Come Mission
(509) 423-0030

 

Email Update

April 22, 2016

Dear Praying Friend,
What a busy time it has been this past month.  Judy joined me again on my way up to Slinger, WI where I was able to share with some pastors and leaders from several churches.  (We are actually going there again – today – for the BBI Mission Conference).

As we have been involved in a number of mission conferences in MI, PA, NY and now WI, we rejoice in sharing about the new Filipino missionaries going to new fields.  Please continue to pray for them.  One blessing in traveling is meeting or renewing friendships with many dear and wonderful people.

God is blessing Things to Come Mission like never before!  We not only accepted 12 new missionaries in Jan of this year, but we will interview three more in May.  We have two single ladies going on short term mission trips (2 months up to a year) and thank the Lord for what will transpire at our next board meeting.

Please pray for us as we travel.  On Sunday afternoon we begin our drive back to Leavenworth, WA.  We have another trip back to Indy, then leave May 19 for SEA.  Please pray for the 15 of us who are going on the Asia Adventure, that God will work in all our hearts and will use us to bless others.

Pray that Judy and I will continue to look for ways (bridges) to witness and share God’s love with others.  You are such a blessing to us and we so deeply appreciate your prayers and gifts to our ministry.

All for His Glory,
Tim & Judy
Director of Development
Things to Come Mission
(509) 423-0030

 

March 22, 2016

Dear Friend and fellow worker of Jesus Christ,

In Col. 2:6, we read, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.”  We are all clear on the process of our salvation – that we believe the Gospel (Christ’s death, burial and resurrection) and His death paid the price/penalty for our sin.  What glorious grace.  But sometimes we assume that once we are saved, our walk should be according to what we plan or our own efforts.  But this verse says that we were saved by faith and we are to walk by faith as well.  So we are all on a faith journey.

My time in Fort Worth/Dallas area was a wonderful blessing in the Bible studies I taught and the opportunity I had to preach in one of the services.  Thanks to all of you from Texas who welcomed me so warmly and graciously and are new to this list.

I have been in the Midwest for a month while Judy has been in Washington, enjoying the process of moving back into our home.  She is rested and renewed and now we will be rejoined in Chicago by this evening!  PTL!  We have a short luncheon at Berean Bible Institute in Slinger and then back to Michigan.

Our travels will take us east next week, and by the end of April, we will return to Leavenworth, WA.  Thanks for praying for us.  We have had safe traveling; wonderful times with God’s people; have been encouraged and challenged.

Please continue to pray for the 10 new Filipino missionaries that will be going to their fields by this summer.  We have 15 going on the Asia Adventure this May, and we would appreciate your prayers that all will go well there.

May your walk with the Lord bring ever increasing joy as your faith is tested in the process of life.

In His Grace,
Tim Heath
Director of Development
Things to Come Mission
(509) 423-0030

 

November 19, 2015

Dear Friend, Thanksgiving is such a great time of year. I am thankful for family, friends, believers all over the world but central to all of my thanksgiving is being thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ for His grace and Love shown to us (and to you!). In devotions this morning I was blessed with the reminder in Col. 3:23-24 that we “are serving the Lord Christ.” Our service varies from individual to individual but in all that we do, the reality is that we are doing it as “servants” to our Lord and Savior! Wow! The Grace Theological Center for Missions (GTCM) is over for this year and of all the students about seven of them are ready to be assigned to a foreign country, outside of the Philippines. Please pray for them that they would have courage, wisdom and direction and that the Lord would provide the finances for this great step of faith! For Judy and I, we are thankful for the time we have been in the Anaheim church and the Grants Pass church this past year. By January, I will begin traveling again to several parts of the country, which will continue until we go to the Southeast Asia Grace Conference in May. July will find us at the GGF conference in Spokane, WA. If you want to be a part of the Asia Adventure, please email me your desire. We will be able to spend some time with our daughters and son over the holidays, for which we are deeply grateful and will continue to fill up our schedule in the new year. We wanted you to know how thankful we are for you, for your prayers, emails and support that you have faithfully shared on our behalf. May this time of Thanksgiving be wonderfully blessed in your home and throughout the coming year.

Because of His Grace, with thankful hearts,

Tim Heath

Director of Development Things to Come Mission

 

Email Update

August 31, 2015

Dear Partners in Prayer,

How hard it is to slow down and ponder the goodness of the Lord! He is such an amazing and gracious God! Our two months in Grants Pass, OR ended with a special kick-off for the missions conference coming up the end of September. We chained and locked the front doors of the church and explained to the church family when they arrived that some countries are closed to the Gospel but in other countries missionaries are finding various ways to minister in the country. (Theme: While the Doors are Still Open). So we had other exterior doors labeled with one of the ways (literature; radio; education; working; tourist, etc). What a great surprise and fun time it was. A knock on the door allowed them to get in!

Then in Sunday School we sent out two couples to go door to door inviting people to church. We also had a group of people specifically praying for them the whole time they were gone. Their sharing about this new outreach at the beginning of the worship service was great!

During our time in Grants Pass, I have been in contact with four people/couples who are interested in missions and or the pastorate. TCM’s desire is to help prepare people who are interested in missions to learn different ways of outreach, especially with hands on experiences that they can use on any field in which they serve. Missionaries and pastors need experience (and training/knowledge) in preaching, teaching, evangelism, caring, and organization. Our prayer is to see some of this happen in Grants Pass.

Judy and I (along with my mom, Eunice) will be traveling to Minneapolis, MN and Tabor, SD for family camps, then over to Indianapolis for the TCM 60th year anniversary of the beginning of the mission. Please pray for me (Tim) as I have the privilege of teaching at these two family camps. Pray that we will follow Jesus, without any hesitation. Our Lord Jesus is so great! His timing is right on! And His mercy never ends!

Also, for those interested in the SEA Grace Conference in Cambodia in May – if you have not already heard from me specifically about this conference – you are not on my list. If you are interested please let me know. Plans are coming together!

Thanks for praying as we look for the next step in God’s plan for our lives.

In His Continuing Grace,

Tim & Judy Director of Development - TCM

Email Update

June 29, 2015

Dear Partner in Ministry,

We have completed our month here in Anaheim, CA with the joy of the Lord flowing out of our lives! What a wonderful blessing these dear people have been to us. Some of the highlights of the month:

We put a tract in each bulletin and asked the church family to hold it up so we could pray for them to be able to share it with someone. One man bought some gas & snacks at a gas station, gave the man the tract and said, “The Lord Jesus bless you today.”

Being at a resort with our oldest daughter, we were in a hot tub, then two ladies and one man enter with exclamations of “I am one happy man!” We were told that he had just bought a Harley motorcycle. We talked with them about caution, and then he said, “Yea, I don’t want to die!” So I said (here it comes), “So, what would happen to you if you should die?” From this we talked about God’s gracious gift of salvation to us that we cannot gain by works and he asked us to pray for him – right then and there. So, standing in a hot tub, we all held hands and Judy and I prayed these two dear couples (one husband just stood next to the hot tub) would be drawn into the Word of God and see more clearly the joy of knowing Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord!

Walking in the neighborhood around the church, Judy and I gave out a number of tracts, talked to people about gardening, polishing cars and general things, each time sharing the reality that we were followers of Jesus Christ and invited them to church.

Talked with a mechanic from Lebanon, who asked me where we lived and why we were just traveling around. This allowed me to share that I was a follower of Jesus, who died for me. He said he was also a Christian and we had the joy of encouraging each other.

During the four Sundays we were here, I preached on celebrating GRACE, FORGIVENESS, TRANSFORMATION and POWER. The saints are excited to reach out to their friends and neighbors, as well as being faithful to do the things they have been doing without a pastor being present. A pastoral couple /family ministering here would be so wonderfully blessed by these dear people. We sure were!

There have been so many blessings. None of what I have shared is to brag about what we have done but to affirm that your prayers are being answered as God has opened doors for us and given us the courage to go through them. Thank you for your prayers! We are all in this together.

Please pray as Judy and I travel to Grants Pass, OR to begin a two month interim ministry with this church. We already know many in the church and are looking forward to a wonderful time with them. They need to find a permanent pastor and we would love to help them in this process – so please pray.

We share our deep love and appreciation for you as you to pray for us and some are able to give financially so that we could have this ministry in the churches. At the same time, we are also helping our new missionary candidates with Things to Come mission to be able to speak in churches as they prepare for future ministry. John Cook is our most recent candidate, who is single and going to Penang, Malaysia, to work with the Kilgo family. If you are interested in being a missionary (or pastor) and want to talk, please let me know. (509) 423-0030.

Also, TCM will have the 3rd SEA Grace Conference in Cambodia May 26-29, 2016. If you are interested, we plan on giving you an opportunity to see several other TCM works in this area of the world. Please let me know if you would like to go with us. Thanks.

Blessings in every area of your life, Tim & Judy

June 6, 2015

Dear Team member,

I did not realize it has been so long since I last wrote.  Please forgive our silence.  Judy and I have been deeply blessed by our travels to over 36 churches since January.  Julia Liles traveled with us until May 11, when she was commissioned in Indianapolis and returned to England, before leaving for Cambodia in September.  There are no words that adequately describe this extraordinary time of service and encouragement to these fellow believers.

We are right now in the parsonage at Grace Bible Church in Anaheim, CA and Sunday, June 7 we will begin sharing the word of God with these dear saints for one full month.  Please pray as we share, encourage, challenge and love them during this month.

Today (Saturday) Judy and I went to two garage sales and the second one we had the joy of sharing about our Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing grace to us.  We invited them to church tomorrow, took down their names and are praying that they will come.  We were so blessed all afternoon and are excited to see what God will do during this month of June. 

Thanks so much for praying.  God is working and is awesome!!

Love in Christ, Tim & Judy

 

Christmas 2014

Dear Friends, Since returning to the states, we have traveled over 4,000 miles, some to see and be with family and some to minister or give an update in several churches. In our ups and downs, uncertainties and a few struggles, three words have come to my mind over and over again. It is from a hymn: “Come and Worship.” We all desire to come to the Lord, with what is on our hearts and simply worship Him. Our prayer is that this Christmas you may be drawn to simply “come and worship the king, the Lord of Hosts!”

Most often I write these updates but I am having Judy share some of her thoughts with you this time. May the Lord encourage your hearts daily.

Hi dear friends and family…Things have been kind of topsy turvy since we’ve been back. We have unpacked and packed…unpacked boxes in storage looking for winter clothes and repacked. Sometimes it’s quite challenging to remember where we have placed things.

We have had Tim’s mother, Eunice with us on several road trips so she can visit family with us. We have had special times visiting our grandchildren and children…catching up on what’s been happening in their lives and seeing how much the grandkids have grown. We really desire to be a part of their lives and reassuring them of how precious they are to us.

As we have been without a ‘nest’, it reminds me of what is really important in life….relationships…with our family and especially our Heavenly Father. Sometimes I yearn for my own little spot to decorate and feel secure…but then I remind myself of how out of place Mary must have felt as she gave birth in an awkward situation and surroundings and yearned for her own spot of home and security….and yet she and Joseph followed the Holy Spirit’s leading and trusted their Heavenly Father to lead them to where they needed to be…such a blessing and reassurance to be in the hand of God! Our desire is to visit our Body of Christ family members to let them know how much we have appreciated them and their reassurance of their love and support for us as we have served and ministered as a team and to share how God is directing our future. We will have more updates after the board meeting with Things to Come in January.

Now we are focusing on this precious time of year when we contemplate and meditate on such overwhelming love and grace of the one we call our Heavenly Father. “…we testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” I John 4:14 “…you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba Father’. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…” Romans 8:15b-17a. What an unexplainable privilege!! All because Jesus exchanged His righteousness for our sin and made it all possible!! Enjoy and celebrate His love…

A Blessed Christmas to you all our dear family!! Tim and Judy

Email Update

Nov. 26, 2014

Dear Prayer Partner,

 Right after the Apostle Paul was stoned at Lystra and possible killed, he suddenly rose up and went back into the city.  Then on the next day he leaves for Derbe.  Notice what Luke says about his travel back to Antioch.  “When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God.”  Acts 14:19-22

 After our 58 hour flight/layovers/car travel, we finally arrived (Oct. 29) in Leavenworth, WA, where my mom (Eunice) lives.  My brother Dave and his wife, Beth, picked us up and what a blessing it was to see them.  Mom Eunice waited up for us, of course, to greet us with hugs and kisses!  The next day we went to Post Falls to visit our son’s family (Danny & Lisa & G-kids) where we had a great time.  By Sunday we were back in Leavenworth and by Tuesday, Nov. 4, we were in So. Calif. picking up our new car (2006 Kia), gifted to us by our dear friends Dennis and Sally.  We enjoyed our time with our daughter Jennifer, her husband Chad and two more G-kids.  We made a quick trip over to Phoenix during this time to visit friends from Washington, back to Jennifer and Chad’s to watch our grandson, Chase, play in his last game of football.  They played hard, had some very good tackles, made two touchdowns but still lost.  Good game, Chase. 

The next week we headed up to Grants Pass, OR, where we will enjoy Thanksgiving.  And we have not been home for a month yet!

  I have been burdened to communicate with you because our hearts desire is to encourage you in your walk with the Lord (Romans 1:12).  We hope to visit you sometime this coming year and be able to share personally the things God has done in our lives.  There are a number of Bible verses that talk about encouraging others or being encouraged ourselves – but in every one of these verses it takes two or more people to make it happen.  You have encouraged Judy and me through your prayers, gifts and periodically emailing us.  Now you can call us!!!

Tim’s cell # - 509 423-0030

Judy’s cell # - 509 293-2797

 We don’t have many phone numbers and the ones we thought we had don’t work anymore.  So, if you would like to talk, please give us a call. 

 January plans involve a mission conference in Mobile, Alabama (14-18), a TCM board mtg. in Indianapolis (20-21) and a mission conference in Palm Bay, Florida (21-25).  If you are having a mission conference any time during Feb to April, could you give me a call.  Not only would Judy and I like to come and share with you, but also TCM’s newest missionary from England (Julia Liles) would like to be there with us as well.

 If you live in the East and would like to visit a bit with us, please give us a call.  We so want to thank you face to face for your love shown to us these past 4 years.  Strengthening and Encouraging – that is our prayer!

 Finally, may the Lord give you a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends, as we reflect on all that God has done for us!  He has blessed us so very much.

 Our love and prayers,

Tim & Judy

 

Celebrating Chinese New Year - 2014

Tim & Judy Heath are ministering with Chinese people in Southeast Asia. A missionary must learn the culture of the people, and they were invited to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Tim explains this custom, “Chinese New Year (CNY) is an important traditional Chinese holiday celebrated at the turn of the Chinese calendar. Celebrations run from Chinese New Year's Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month. CNY is a major holiday for the Chinese, celebrated with firecrackers and giving red paper envelopes containing money to children. Red is the main color and speaks of wealth. Each year the CNY honors a different animal. Last year it was the dragon; this year it is the horse. The “Lion Dance” is one of our favorites. The person in front places a large lion mask (3 ft. diameter) over his head; a second person stoops down to form the back part of the lion. They are hired by Chinese businesses to dance in front of their shops, thus blessing them with good luck and wealth for the New Year. All over the city we see windows and doors decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity."”

Report March 2014

Dear Walker by faith!

Faith is one of those interesting qualities that does not always make sense but is the only thing, without which, we cannot please the Lord. Our lives are very much a walk of faith – to simply trust God to lead. That is what Israel had to do in the wilderness and once in their land and that is what we must do also. Even when life has a lot of question marks written all over the future, we still must trust Him.

Our Myanmar trip (Genesis Maraat and I) was totally awesome! The group that met Monday thru Friday was about 25-30 each day – for about 7 plus hours. Genesis and I took turns speaking and covered some very important truths about Grace. They were busy taking notes, asked very good questions and shared testimonies at the end about how it impacted them. So, thank you for praying. God answered wonderfully!

The planning for our 2nd SEA Grace International Conference continues.As you know it will be here in Kuala Lumpur and Judy and I are working on all the details. We only have the director of TCM coming from the states, but there is still time. The conference will be 22-26 May and costs $125 per person. I know it would be expensive for the trip over but you would be able to meet believers from over 10 countries! If you choose to come, you can stay extra days or travel to another country to see what God is doing in SEA. We would love to have you come.

Check out the info on the TCM website: www.tcmusa.org

Judy and I are doing fine – at least right now. It seems whenever I say “I’m ok” I fall or have some physical problem. Actually, I did have a bladder issue while in Myanmar and went to the doctor. He was not sure what the problem was but it all cleared up in 24 hours, so again I praise Him. Judy did great while I was gone and we are happy to be back with each other again.

Love and prayers, Tim & Judy

Report November 2013

In Romans 8:6 we read, “…but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” How often we (I) need to refocus – off of the world, my weaknesses, troubles and simply gaze upon Him. The results of being led by the Spirit are “life and peace.” What a blessing.

Yesterday we were in one of our favorite areas to buy souvenirs and saw again a young man from Pakistan who wants to have lunch with us next week. Then we met another man from Kashmir who is interested in reading the NT, which we will buy tomorrow and give him next week. He lives near the northern border of India, reads and speaks English and wants to come to America to develop a business. Both of these men have the same faith, which makes us cautious concerning what we say. But please pray for this encounter. Pray that the Lord will give a hunger to each of them to know the real, living Savior, who deeply loves them. What a privilege to share the Lord with these two.

A side note: for the second time in three months I have been in a small accident with our car. The first was when a large truck simply kept coming at me and scrapped up the door on my side. This week the car in front of me started to make the turn but because another car cut her off, she had to stop suddenly. I was looking to my right so I could merge into traffic when Judy shouted out and I went to brake but was too late. The hood is crumpled, grill broken but NO injuries! PTL!

Thanks for praying for us. God’s love directed us to move here, to put us into people’s lives, so we could tell them of His love. A chance meeting on the lift resulted in a young girl across the hall from us wants to come to our Bible study. Again, praise Him.

We trust your Thanksgiving was a blessing, without too much food. We celebrated here last Saturday with over 40 people coming (not at our house) and one being saved. It was a great time of fellowship and encouragement. How we thank Him!

As you approach the Christmas season, remember the blessings you have and the freedom you have to worship the Lord, to witness and to love others. May our Lord give you spiritual children during this wonderful time of celebrating our Lord’s birth!

Report from Nepal 4/2/13

How Much is a Soul Worth? By Judy Heath

Judy Heath, TCM missionary to Malaysia, writes about a journey she and her husband Tim took from Malaysia to Nepal to find a former security guard at their apartment complex whom they had befriended. The journey required blind faith, with no guarantees of success or safety. But their love for God drove them to seek out this man so they could make sure he had a chance to clearly hear the gospel. This account evokes the question, how much does a soul matter and, as ambassadors for Christ, what are we willing to sacrifice to communicate to others the life-saving message, Jesus saves.

Tim and I developed a relationship with a couple of security guards at our apartment complex last year. Most guards are hired from Nepal. They work here two years and send money back to their families. One guard in particular, Surya, wanted to learn how to pronounce English better so after work we would invite him to our apartment. Tim used the gospel of John to help him read and pronounce English. Then he would explain what the words meant. Surya seemed interested but as a Hindu he didn't want to pursue it any further...just practice his English.

Surya became a dear friend. He met Mom Eunice during her visit and always gave her hugs. He also helped Tim get down the elevator and to the car during his attack of vertigo. We had him up several times to use our Skype so he could talk to his son in Kathmandu, at the university. And one time his family arranged to have his wife get to someone's home that had a computer so they could talk on Skype together. He had not seen her for four years because he didn't go home after the normal two years. He was overjoyed to see her and talk to her. It was such a joy to bless him with our Skype!

The other guard, Aniel, came up to our apartment when I invited all three guards for dinner. Tim shared the gospel and Aniel said that he was Hindu but that his brother was a Christian. His brother is Bishnu, the director (and father) of an orphanage. That same evening, while Aniel was there, we called Bishnu on Skype in Nepal. After talking to him we really sensed he was a believer. He was thrilled that his brother had contact with Christians in Malaysia. He also invited us to visit him in Nepal. He and Tim began emailing back and forth about the orphanage and their needs. He asked if we could help with a donation for batteries, but Tim didn't feel like giving money until he actually saw the orphanage. At that time, we had no plans of visiting.

After visiting Kuantan, Malaysia for a few days we returned home to discover Surya was gone. All our guard friends were gone because our apartment complex had changed administrators, which we weren't aware of, and they had hired a different guard company with different guards. We discovered later that Surya had left before that happened because he got news that his younger son had been killed in a motorcycle accident and several of the residents here had given him money to get back home. He was well liked by everyone. We were so sad and concerned and tried to find him and contact him somehow. Tim called the one phone number we had but it wouldn't go through.

Finally, Tim found another number that had been entered into our Skype account and called it and it was Sury! We started praying about whether to go to Nepal to visit the orphanage and also locate Surya and visit him...to comfort him and share the gospel again. The more we prayed, the more we felt God tugging at our hearts.

After Tim received approval from Ben Anderson to visit Nepal he contacted Bishnu about visiting the orphanage. Bishnu said that there were several pastors who would enjoy a little conference and Tim could share with them. Bishnu is also a pastor whose church meets at the orphanage. So Tim said he would like to teach about the Rapture and about dispensations. Bishnu said it sounded great and that we would also need to pay for the pastors to eat for the two days, which we were happy to do since they are so poor. So, we planned our trip to Nepal and let Surya know and he was elated!! Surya and Bishnu did not know each other and lived several hours apart but we gave them each the others’ phone number and they made arrangements for us during our stay.

When we landed in Kathmandu, Bishnu, Surya, and Surya's older son, Jay (who is attending college in Kathmandu), all met us at the airport. Surya waved to us through the crowd and yelled, "Hi Boss. Hi Boss!" It took about 4 hours through a winding mountain pass to the orphanage in Bharatpur. It was dark when we arrived but all the children were still up and so happy to meet us.

Aniel was also there at his brother's because he had gone back to Nepal when the guards were let go. Aniel and Surya did not know each other in Nepal. Tim had shared with both Surya and Aniel that night the reason we came and that we didn't want to lose contact with them. He said he wanted them to know God loves them and he explained the gospel again.

We spent the next day with the 32 orphans, along with Surya, so we could get to know the children and try to learn some of their names. The following day began the two-day conference with 45 pastors & wives and visitors and some of the older orphans attending. All the food was prepared on an open fire with a clay oven/stove, and a propane burner.

Surya and Aniel sat through all the meetings without knowing anything about the Bible. But Tim had started his teaching time by going over salvation first, since he didn’t know who were truly Christians and also for Surya and Aniel's benefit. Tim's translator was the director of Voice of the Martyrs of Nepal. He reviewed salvation several times over the two days. During breaks, different pastors were also talking to Surya knowing he was not a believer. At the end of the conference and after all the pastors had gone, we noticed a difference in Surya's countenance. Tim told Surya that he wasn't going to push or pressure him about making a decision. He wanted to let all the information sink in and allow the Holy Spirit to work in his heart.

Three days later we left by bus for Surya's home after visiting some of the local pastors. The grace message was well received and the pastors had a lot of questions. One in particular, who is a teacher at a small Bible school, seemed to really understand what Tim was teaching and wants to learn more.

Surya had contacted a local pastor near his village to come meet us when we arrived. When the young pastor came we visited awhile and then Surya said to him, "I accepted Jesus." We all looked at him in amazement! So he asked, "Do you believe me?" The pastor said, "Yes, I believe you." But Surya seemed to think the pastor doubted him. I asked, "Surya, when did you make your decision?" He said, "During the meetings while Tim was teaching." We were overjoyed! He confessed his decision without us prompting or pushing him. He did say it was going to be difficult because his whole family and village are Hindu.

The pastor asked Tim to speak in his church on Saturday. They meet on Saturdays instead of Sundays because school is in session Sunday-Friday. Surya said he wanted to go to church with us. Before we left Saturday morning, he came into the room we were staying at his very humble home, and held a straight-edge razor in his hand. He wanted to denounce his Hinduism in front of us. He took his one long lock of hair and cut it off. We all had tears in our eyes....it was a huge step for him. He was proving to us and God that he was turning to the one true God from idols and from his past! He went to church with us and sang and clapped. Whenever we ate a meal, he always made sure we stopped and had Tim pray to thank God for the food and said that he wanted to try to pray before we left Nepal...and he did! We witnessed his heart for God and a desire to know more about Him!

The day before we left, Surya’s wife Gita and several of the ladies in the village had dressed me up in one of Gita's sari's so they could take pictures of me. Most of the village came to see what was going on. After all the pictures, Tim said he would like Surya to translate for him so he could tell the village why we came there and proceeded to share the gospel. What an opportunity!

Afterward, some of the people told Surya that this Jesus seemed to be a good man and our God must be good because He brought us all the way there to meet all of them! Lots of seeds were planted. We were also able to share the gospel with Surya's son, Jay, and his roommates when we returned to Kathmandu to fly back home.

Gita doesn't speak English although she understands some. We are praying for Surya and Gita as he desires to share with her what his decision has meant to him. He is well liked in his village and could have a huge impact. Please pray for him. One thing he said that meant a lot to him was when Tim said, at the conference, that when we become believers in Christ we are all one in the Body of Christ and there is neither Jew nor Gentile. Americans and Nepali are one in the Body of Christ. That made a big impression on Surya and he began calling Tim "brother" instead of "boss" like he used to.

Surya escorted us back to Kathmandu on an overnight bus ride where we visited with his son for a couple days. He stood in the airport until he couldn't see us any longer; and then he began the long bus ride back home to his village.

Neither Surya nor the pastor near his village own a computer, but Tim will be in contact with them by mail and phone. The trip was hard physically but so rewarding!

E