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Biographies of Faith

We heard three Biographies of Faith that helped us see how the eternal weight of glory influenced the lives of Old Testament saints. To listen to the audio of the sermon, click on the sermon title. (Note: This will take you to our Uplift website. You may be asked to login using the username wwntbm and the password gospel.) If you would like to email the preacher and let him know how his message spoke to your heart, you can click the name below the title.

A Biography of Faith: The Life of Rahab
Elwood Hurst

In the life of Rahab, we see more of God than we do of her. Despite her past, God was willing to use her. He put her in the right place at the right time to help the spies, and then once she was rescued He put her in the right place to marry Salmon and thus to be in the lineage of Christ. In her life, we can see the providence, power, and plan of God. In telling her story, God does not leave out the details of her past, yet He puts them all together to show forth the Eternal Weight of Glory in how He can change the life of a sinner.

A Biography of Faith: The Life of Gideon
Randall Jordan

Gideon’s life reveals that he questioned and sometimes doubted God, yet in the end, God counted him in the hall of faith! God found him in hiding, and took the opportunity to increase Gideon’s faith. As Gideon placed his gift on the rock, God blessed it and brought peace. When Gideon obeyed and reduced his army, God worked in a mighty way. In the end, even though God won the victory, He gave to Gideon the title of a mighty man of valor. Gideon’s life is evidence that when we step aside and allow God to work through us, God will allow the Eternal Weight of Glory to remove our doubt and change us into the person He desires.

A Biography of Faith: The Life of Jephthah
Mike Ward

Jephthah’s life makes for interesting reading. He was a man of valor, as was Gideon. He did not allow the view others held of him, as the son of a harlot, to dictate his life. Vain men were attracted to him, but he took them and molded them through his leadership to become a fighting force, and won many victories. He is famous for his vow. He allowed God to take vengeance on his enemies. There is much value we can learn from his life. He took a negative and made it a positive. His life shows again that God delights in using that which others find unusable. He could have easily given up, but he did not. Instead, he stayed true to his commitment to God. All of these lessons remind us how the Eternal Weight of Glory can be testified to in our lives.

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The Homegoing of Isamo Welles

January 19, 1941-June 15, 2017

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Isamo Welles played an integral part in the founding of WWNTBM and in the spread of the Gospel throughout Micronesia. Bro. Wingard first met Bro. Welles around 1970. Bro. Isamo heard him speak on the radio and wrote asking Bro. Wingard to visit Pohnpei. During that visit, the Calvary Baptist Church of Kolonia was founded and began meeting in the Welles’ home. Under Bro. Isamo’s leadership, Calvary went on to start five daughter churches on Pohnpei, as well as a TV ministry, Christian school, Bible Institute, and radio station. In addition, works in Kosrae, Yap, Majuro, and Jaluit grew under the sponsorship of the Calvary Baptist Church.

Isamo Welles was born on January 19, 1941. He attended school in Canada, where he graduated in 1968. He married Esther Joel on June 7, 1969. Together, they have six children: Kenneth, Glenda, Gordon, Shirley, Bruce, and Annette.

Bro. Isamo worked for a time with the Juvenile Delinquency Office, as well as for the US Post Office. In 1972 he was officially accepted as a missionary with WWNTBM. Due to his extensive influence throughout Micronesia and the Pacific Islands, Isamo Welles has become known to many as the “Apostle Paul of Micronesia.” In recognition of his efforts to assist the cause of missions, he was made an Honorary Member of the Executive Board of WWNTBM in June of 2002.

If you would like to contact the family, you can email Mrs. Esther, or mail cards to her home:
P.O. Box 2179
Kolonia, Pohnpei, FM 96941
MICRONESIA

As a tribute to Bro. Welles, we are including the words to the song At Home In Heaven. Click below to listen to the Calvary Baptist Church choir sing.

At Home In Heaven

Right here I travel through this world of trouble and sorrow,
And sense I’m a stranger everywhere.
But up to heaven I will go some happy tomorrow,
And I’ll feel at home when I get there!

I know I’ll feel at home in heaven,
Abiding in a mansion of my own!
I’ll be no stranger to the angels,
For I shall know up there as I am known.
Sometimes I feel so sad and lonely,
Can’t seem to be contented anywhere –
But someday soon I’ll move to heaven,
And I know I’ll feel at home when I get there.

I often read of heaven and of its beauty, I ponder
And think of its treasures rich and rare;
For if I know about the things awaiting me yonder
Then I’ll feel at home when I get there.

Each day I praise the Lord for blessings that He has given,
And thank Him for all His tender care.
I want to stay in tune with all the glory of heaven,
So I’ll feel at home when I get there!

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From the Memo Board: July 2017

Dates to Know

July 4 – The Office will be closed for Independence Day.

New Board of Reference Member

We would like to welcome Pastor David Fulp as a new member to the Board of Reference of WWNTBM. Pastor Fulp and his wife, Lisa, are from Madison, NC, where he has pastored the Good News Baptist Church for 19 years. They have been in ministry for over 30 years, serving in several locations in VA and NC. Mrs. Fulp teaches at the Gospel Light Christian School in Walkertown, NC. They are parents of our missionary, Stephanie Germano, as well as a son, David II, who is also in ministry.

 New Baby!

Congratulations to Nick and Lindsey Stelzig on the birth of Elliana Joyce Stelzig. Ellie was born May 31, and she weighed 8 pounds 7 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. The Stelzigs are on deputation to church plant in Boston, MA. They have one older son, Gabriel, who is 2.

Mark Your Calendars

Now is the time to begin planning to attend next year’s Family Fellowship Week. We will meet June 18-21, 2018, with Pastor Barry Goodman and the Faith Baptist Church of Shelby, NC. If you are planning a furlough in 2018, please be sure to arrange your schedule so you can attend this meeting. It is truly the highlight of the WWNTBM year.

Europe Encouragement Conference

You are invited to attend our WWNTBM Encouragement Conference in Germany. We will hold this conference August 20-24, 2018.

This conference is open to all World Wide families. We anticipate board members and missionaries from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East who may come. There will be time for leisure, preaching, shopping, and fellowship.

The meeting will be held an hour and a half north of Munich, close to the area where Lisa Kendrick and Keith and Julia Klaus are serving. You will be able to fly into Munich and take a train to the conference location. More details will be available as we get closer, but we want you to begin making plans now to attend this unique event.

 

Reformers Unanimous

Memorial Baptist Church has a thriving RU ministry, seeking to help individuals break the chains of addiction. This week we heard testimonies from several in their church who have been impacted through this outreach and some quotes from their testimonies are included below. Further information about RU is available on their church website.

“My freedom no longer belongs to me, it belongs to others, so I can help them as I was helped.” Bill Davis

“Turns out, God knows what He is doing in our lives!” Jessica Davis

“I asked God if I could make myself vulnerable to Him, and found that I could.” Chloe Loring

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From Our President: July 2017

Danny Whetstone

We were in Ocala, Florida, in June for the World Wide Family Fellowship Week. We are so grateful to Pastor Mike West and the Memorial Baptist Church for going all out to make it a wonderful time of fellowship with the missions family. Not enough could possibly be said about the hard work that the church did to provide a comfortable place and amazing meals every day.

Brother O’Malley and the office staff also did a great job planning and directing the meeting. The week is a good opportunity for the office staff and the missionaries to get to know each other better. We understand that when you are on deputation or furlough it is inconvenient to take those days out of your busy schedule, but thank you for making the effort to gather with us the third Monday of June each year.

Every session during the day was a blessing. Each speaker added another layer to the previous speaker. It was so refreshing and challenging to be in each service. Each of us was afforded the opportunity to visit with friends that we rarely see. Pastor Wingard was able to attend the entire conference. We are so grateful for his continued leadership in the mission and pray that the Lord will bless him abundantly in the years to come.

Family Week will be with Pastor Goodman and the Faith Baptist Church in Shelby, North Carolina in 2018. I already look forward to seeing many of you there. If you plan to be home on furlough, please set aside the time to attend the meeting.

I want to thank everyone associated with World Wide for your faithfulness to the Lord, and to the work He has called you to do. We have a great work in our hands. Multitudes of souls are still waiting to hear the Gospel of our Lord, and we must be diligent to deliver that all-important message to them.

May the Lord bless you continually.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. Whetstone here to let him know.

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Prayer & Dates: July 2017

July 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 July. 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.

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Family Fellowship Week 2017 Quotes

“God hold us to that which drew us first, when the cross was the attraction, and we wanted nothing else.” Amy Carmichael

“God evaluates not our failures but our faith.” John O’Malley

“God does not wait for us to be qualified before He calls us to His service.” Barry Goodman

“See how Providence, in dispensing its gifts, observes a proportion, to keep the balance even, setting crosses and comforts one over-against another, that none may be either too much elevated or too much depressed.” Matthew Henry

“Death is never the last word in the life of a righteous man.” Fred Daniel, Jr.

“Too many Christians are like porcupines – they have many fine points but you can’t get close to them!” Mike Renfrow

“What I need to know most is Him, and when I know Him, it will cause me to judge Him faithful.” Michael West

“If we think God is late, we are in too big of a hurry.” Dwight Williams

“The reproach of Christ is honorable, but that does not make it easy to bear.” Bill Wingard

“When you know you have been dispatched by heaven, it takes a lot to stop you.” Danny Whetstone

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From Our President: June 2017

Danny Whetstone

In Galatians Paul sets before us the contrast of the man that walks after the flesh and the man that is controlled by the Spirit. In Galatians 5:17, he says that the flesh and the Spirit are in a vicious battle against each other. We know this to be true in daily life. It seems that sometimes life is so easy, and then, right out of nowhere, the battle rages as though there was never a moment of peace.

Read his description of walking in the flesh in verses 19-21. How does the world, the flesh, and the devil make this look so good as we are moving through life? We know that this is a path of destruction, but it is so easy to yield to the temptation. Look at God’s declaration of sin in the last half of Romans 1. Could a picture be more deplorable? And yet men revel in it to the fullest.

On the other hand consider the beauty of a life led by the Spirit of God. In verses 22-26 we see the fruit that is produced when the Holy Spirit is in control of our lives. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance are wonderful things to cultivate in our daily walk. It seems to be like a garden doesn’t it? The weeds (flesh) can flourish in almost any circumstance. However, the fruit of the Spirit requires constant diligence to make sure that we are yielded to the Lord.

Note this: “…against such there is no law.” Demonstrate God’s love all you want to. There is no law against it. Embrace joy all you want to. There is no law against it. The same could be said of each of the fruits of the Spirit. Absolutely no law against them. There are plenty of laws against the works of the flesh, but not one against the fruit of the Spirit.

Living in the Spirit requires walking in the Spirit. It isn’t enough to talk about how much control the Lord has in our lives. That control will of necessity show up in our daily walk. It will also manifest its presence to others. Oh, that we would cultivate a garden that would fill the world around us with the sweet fragrance of God!

I pray the Lord will bless you abundantly as you seek to serve Him this month. You are making the greatest investment known to man. You are investing yourself in the lives of others to the glory of God. He will bless!

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. Whetstone here to let him know.

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Prayer & Dates: June 2017

June 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 June. 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.

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From the Memo Board: June 2017

Dates to Know

June 19-23 – The Office will be closed for Family Fellowship Week.

July 4 – The Office will be closed for Independence Day.

August 20-24, 2018 – Encouragement Conference in Germany.

Encouragement Meetings

Have you joined one of our encouragement meetings yet? We have had some great feedback from those who have attended, or who have listened to the recordings. We invite you to join in and be uplifted!

Weekly meetings, geared primarily towards those on deputation, are held each Friday at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time). Meetings geared primarily towards those in a field-based ministry are currently being held twice each month. These are scheduled for 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) on the second Tuesday morning of each month, and for 9:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) on the fourth Tuesday evening of each month. Questions about how to join one of the meetings may be directed to Laura Cmaylo.

The upcoming schedule of meetings is as follows:

Tuesday, June 13th – 9:00 a.m.
Tuesday, June 27th – 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, July 11th – 9:00 a.m.
Tuesday, July 25th – 9:00 p.m.

Uplift Podcasts

Last month we announced our newest website – uplift.wwntbm.com – where we publish podcast of our weekly and bi-weekly meetings. We have finished uploading all prior podcasts, and have streamlined the site. Check us out and subscribe to these podcasts to be encouraged and stay connected. Users will need to log in to the site in order to protect the content, so that any material shared in meetings will be confidential within the World Wide family. The username is wwntbm. The password is gospel. Be sure to check back frequently to be edified and uplifted!

New Baby

Congratulations to Stephen and Charity Jenney on the birth of their newest baby, Noah Charles. He was born on May 1, and weighed 9 pounds 6 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. The Jenneys are on deputation to go to the Southwestern United States. Noah is their 3rd son, and joins his brothers Judson (2) and Samuel (1).

 

 

 

 

New Missionaries

Stephen and Anelly Villarreal have been accepted with World Wide as our newest missionaries to Mexico. They are sent out of the Temple Baptist Church in Laurens, SC, with Pastor David Johnston. Bro. Villarreal grew up in Mexico, where his parents are missionaries. Anelly (pronounced Áhnalee) is also from Mexico. They graduated from West Coast Baptist College and had their civil wedding ceremony this past month. They will have their religious ceremony in August. Their plans are to go to Mexico to serve as furlough replacements for his parents for one year, before returning to the US to begin deputation. Pray for them as they begin their new life and ministry together!

 

Smothers Wedding

Congratulations to Joel Smothers and Noel Ring, who will be married on Saturday, June 10! Joel has already been traveling on deputation with World Wide. Noel grew up in Brazil where her family continues to serve as missionaries. She has been teaching at the Puerto Rico Baptist College for the past two years. Please be in prayer for this young couple as they begin their life together, and as they raise support for their future ministry in Brazil. They plan to work with the Dickens family.

The God of the Impossible

“The Israelites could not conquer Canaan if they could not get to it, and getting to it required taking an impossible path–across the raging Jordan River. We too are sometimes called in our ministries to do what seems impossible. We must prepare to walk the impossible path by clinging to God’s promises. His presence makes the impossible path a road you can take.” Author unknown

If you today are facing a seemingly impossible task, meditate on these words by Frank Garlock:

I don’t know how God hangs the world on nothing,
Or how He keeps the planets each in place.
I cannot count the sands upon the seashore,
Nor can I count the stars that float in space.
But God can do what seems impossible;
God controls eternity.
My mind can never comprehend it,
But God in heaven cares for me!

“And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” Mark 10:27

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Featured Article: Questions God Asked Hagar

Bro. Keith Klaus (missionary to Germany) shared this devotional on Uplift, our weekly podcast. We trust it will be a blessing to our entire missions family. It is taken from a series of messages he has recently preached in his church on “Questions God Asks of Man.”

God always asks questions not for information, but to get mankind to respond to Him. (Genesis 16:1-6)

The story begins with a promise from God to Abraham. Initially, Abraham simply took God at His Word and believed that He could and would do something special. However, as time went on and they had no son, Abraham and Sarah did what most of us do. We think on God’s promises and identify the “problems” with His plans. There is no indication that Sarah believed God as Abraham had. So as she thought of the “problems,” she also presented her own solution. From a human perspective, her solution worked – at least initially. God often does allow our solutions to work, even if they go against His plan. But, those solutions often have consequences that we are not prepared to deal with.

As trouble grew between Hagar and Sarah, Sarah chose to blame Abraham. Abraham put the responsibility back on her to find another solution to the current crisis, and Sarah chose to respond with harshness. The result was that Hagar fled from home.

Enter God. He finds Hagar in the desert and asks her two critical questions. “Where are you coming from?” and “Where are you going?”

The first question God ever asked Adam was, “Where are you?” But here, He already knows where to find Hagar. He knew she was in a place of turmoil. God asked Jacob, “What is your name?” but here He called Hagar by name because He wanted to have a personal conversation with her.

There are two other instances in Scripture where God asks, “Where did you come from?” Both times He was addressing Satan in Job 1:7 and 2:2. A similar question is recorded when Christ met Nathanael, and Nathanael asked Christ, “Where did you find me?” Of course, Christ knew where Nathanael had come from–Christ had seen him before Philip had called him.

These two questions are applicable to those on deputation or in missions! We focus often on where we came from, whether we list our home country, or our home state, or the last meeting we were in before we arrived at the current location.

The second question, “Where are you going?” is equally important, but notice that Hagar did not answer the second question. She focused on the first. There was much she could have said. She focused on the pain. She was engaged with the current problems she faced and was overwhelmed with the burden. Perhaps she intended to return to Egypt. If that was the case, there is good chance she did not even know how to get there. There was a slim chance she, as a pregnant woman alone in the desert, would survive the trip.

We too must identify where we are coming from. Think of where God has brought you. Understand the history of how He has led you to this point. But then, as with Paul, you must look forward. Put the past in the past and press forward.

Hagar did not answer the second question. All she knew was that she decided to leave her troubles behind. Every decision brings results. Her decision put her in a desert alone, perhaps unaware of where she actually was at the moment. Abraham and Sarah’s decisions had affected her plans. Our decisions will affect others as well.

We may find ourselves, like Job, in a situation where we don’t know what is happening. Yet God always knows! (Job 23:10) Job was comforted when he realized that he didn’t need to know the answers, so long as he knew that God knew! God takes an interest in you as well!

Notice the angel’s response to Hagar: “Return. Submit.” Probably nothing He could have said would have been more discouraging. He told her to go back to a place of difficulty and humble herself before her harsh authority.

God does call us to go. Those of us in missions focus on always going and moving towards future ministry. But now came a call to go back, and stay in a hard place. Plant your feet. Obey. Let God use the time to sand off the rough edges and work His plan. Yet, that call did not come without a promise!

The Lord had heard Hagar. He promised to bless her! Even though the long term, still ongoing consequences of Abraham and Sarah’s decisions has resulted in much turmoil throughout the world, we must not lose hold of the fact that Ishmael’s birth was a blessing from God to Hagar and a fulfillment of God’s promise to her.

We can rest in knowing that when God calls us to stay in a difficult place He promises to be with us, and He will keep His promise and use those difficulties to perfect His will in our lives.

If this devotional has been a blessing to you, please contact Bro. Klaus and let him know!