Featured Article: Seeing Past the Bars

Germanos - Mar 2015

By Stephanie Germano

Matthew 9:36 says “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” In this verse we see the depth of Jesus’ love for us and His desire for “all to come to repentance.” Oh that we may see the lost through the eyes of the Lord.

On October 28th, 2015, we got on a plane and took a one way flight to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. We were amazed how God provided every need! Within our first week, He had provided us with a car, a place to live, and many people who were so kind to help us get settled. Not long after we had moved in, I had noticed something that I had overlooked during all the busyness of the move. There were thick bars in every window for security. It seemed odd to me, and sadly it really took away from the beautiful view outside. As time went by, however, the initial excitement of being in a new place began to fade. Soon, reality began to set in. The new culture and its differences became more defined. The inability to communicate with others began to feel isolating. Keeping house and home has always been something I have enjoyed, but all of a sudden those bars in the windows began to feel confining. They began to represent something more, reminding me of the homesickness that was growing each day and the changes to which I was trying adapt. Every time, however, where there was discouragement, God would replace it with His sweet joy! We could feel Him helping all of us adapt in every way.

One morning toward the end of June, I woke up with what I thought to be bad case of pink eye. Later, we were told by the doctor that I had somehow contracted salmonella in my right eye. The infection left a thick scar over my cornea. Though it was a scary few months, God replaced fear with His sweet peace. I have felt the prayers of God’s people as I have had the privilege to literally watch the Lord heal my eye! Over just a few months’ time, the Lord has restored my sight close to what it was before the infection!

Not too long ago as I was watering the flowers, I looked out over our neighborhood. Now many of the faces we see each day have not just a name, but a story. At times you can see some of the students from the school around the corner crossing the street. Many of them do not know Jesus as their Savior and desperately need Him to change their lives. There is a lady across the street, who cooks at park to provide for her two precious daughters. Oh what the Lord could do in her life if she would just place her trust in Him. I watched the men who deliver the weekly water jug orders as they zoomed in and out of the cul-de-sac on their motorcycles. What an opportunity that the Lord has given us to be a witness to them each week! As I was taking everything in, something suddenly occurred to me. For the first time I was able to look out of the window and not even notice those metal bars. Furthermore, I realized that it was not just my physical sight that the Lord was improving. God had given grace where it was needed to help me look past myself and the changes in my life that seemed, at the time, so hard to ignore. There will always be a set of challenges that we have to look past. May we as Christians always depend on God’s strength to help us do this very thing, and only then can we look through the eyes of Jesus to see the faint and weary “sheep having no shepherd.”

From the Memo Board: December 2016

Dates to Know

December 9 – Revised pay date for those who normally receive funds on the 10th.

December 9 – All prayer letters should be submitted to our staff in order for your recipients to receive them before Christmas.

December 16 – Please contact us by this date if you will need funds in your account before Christmas or the end of the year.

December 21-28 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Christmas.

January 1 – November financial reports will be due.

January 9 – Missionaries will receive their emailed statements of December Support Received.

January 11 – All missionaries will receive their final December support on this day, regardless of the day they normally receive support.

January 16 – December financial reports will be due, along with any remaining receipts or financial paperwork for 2016.

December Support

Please contact us by December 16 if you would like funds in your account before Christmas. Final December support distributions will be made on January 11th for all missionaries, regardless of their regular pay date. Contacting us by December 16 will enable us to schedule your funds around bank closings and holiday hours. Should you have an emergency need after December 20, you may contact our staff at the following numbers:

John O’Malley: 704-974-6108
Kim O’Malley: 704-974-1008

January Income Totals

During a typical month, we close the books on the 25th, and any checks received after that date are posted to the following month. Due to receipting requirements, we cannot do this in the month of December. As a result, please be aware that your December support total may be higher than normal, while your January support total may be lower than normal. Please be sure to plan ahead for this!

New Board of Reference Member

renfrowsWe would like to welcome Pastor Mike Renfrow as a new member to the Board of Reference of WWNTBM. Pastor Renfrow and his wife, Priscilla, are from Wilson, NC, where he pastors Trinity Baptist Church. Prior to their time in the pastorate, they served for several years in evangelism. They have four children: Micah, Stuart, Emily, and Laura. Trinity is the home church for Ruby Kersey, as well as Alejandro and Fina Sanchez.

New Missionary cordeiro_tati-2016

Tatiana Cordeiro has been accepted with World Wide as our newest missionary to Brazil. She is sent out of Fairfax Baptist Temple in Fairfax, VA, with Pastor Todd Abbey. Miss Cordeiro has already served in Brazil for ten years, where she has ministered with the Mike Ring family. Please pray for her as she continues to raise support and makes preparations to return to the field early next year.

Retirement Accounts

Each year we are required to publish the following to all missionaries:

WWNTBM currently offers our missionaries the option of participating in a 403(b) Retirement Plan, the non-profit version of a 401(k) plan. We encourage all of our missionaries to participate in some type of retirement planning. If you do not currently have a 403(b) account and would be interested in opening one, please contact our office for a listing of vendors and more information.

Due to IRS regulations, we are required to use a Third Party Administrator (TPA) to handle all 403(b) accounts. The administrative fee is $50.00 per year, which will be deducted from Support each January or February for those who contribute. The TPA assists us by administering our plan and keeping us in compliance with the Department of Labor and IRS codes.

Please note that loans and hardship withdrawals are not allowed by the companies who manage your 403(b).

Please see the file in SecureCloud for the latest information on contribution amounts and limits for 2016 and 2017.

Prayer & Dates: December 2016

December Prayer/Praises and Special Dates

Click the link above to download a PDF of prayer requests and praises as well as the birthdays and anniversaries for December. Note: You will need to login to SecureCloud in order to view this document. Once you have logged in, click on Files, Shared, then Headquarter Happenings, then scroll to the month you would like to view. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.

From Our President: December 2016

Danny Whetstone

Christmas affords us a wonderful opportunity to highlight the message that we share all year long. Obviously, there are many stories, doctrines, and instructions to be dealt with from the Bible. But since Jesus Christ came to seek the lost, perhaps this is to be espoused all the time and emphasized this time of year.

Recently, I was in a service in which the preacher read from Luke chapter one concerning our Lord’s dealing with Mary, the mother of Jesus. These verses spoke to me as never before. Luke 1:28, “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” She was favored, the Lord was with her and she was blessed! Mary indeed was an amazing woman blessed of God. There are those who have distorted her life and purpose, but there are those who have also diminished her life as well.

The centerpiece of Christmas is certainly the first coming of our Savior; however, there are a number of individuals who were involved in that biblical and historical event. We can learn much from their lives. How did the Lord use them? Why did the Lord use them? It might offer us some insights that will not only bless us as we consider this special occasion, but it might also direct us in our own lives and usefulness in the Lord’s work.

Take some time this Christmas season to look into the lives of those who were front and center in the Christmas story. We all understand that Christ has been, is, and always will be the focal point, but why did He include those that were chosen to participate?

Now, why did He put you where you are presently serving. Why did He give you the family that you have? How can these lives in the Christmas story challenge us to do a better job in our own lives, families and ministries? I know that many of you will be far away from most of your loved ones and friends this Christmas. I pray that the manifested presence of the Lord will use those around you to fill your life with joy, contentment, and praise.

Merry Christmas to each of you.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone