Archive for December, 2009
Learning to Listen
I have made it a practice to try and glean wisdom from veteran missionaries and pastors that I meet as to what makes a successful ministry. I realize a man’s personal devotion with the Lord and relationship with his wife and children are paramount, and there are many intrinsic things within a man that are necessary. But beyond those all important things there are some unique practices that missionaries employee that enable them to build a good work.
I gained some valuable insight recently while attending the mission conference at Harvest Baptist Church in Natrona Heights, PA. Pastor Skelly shared with me in his office about a missionary to a Catholic country that developed a mail-in Bible study. It would work something like this… a one-page pamphlet could be written about the importance of scripture with an invitation at the end to receive a Bible study through the mail as well as a free Bible. When a lesson was completed then the next one in the series could be mailed out. Over time the person would develop a sense of trust and be less inclined to dismiss the missionary as a cult. (Catholics in Italy view a Bible believing Christian as we would a Jehovah’s Witness or Mormon).
Also at the conference was veteran missionary to Romania Brian Nibbe. He has done a phenomenal work in that country. One method he employees for evangelistic outreach is through tracts that he personally writes himself. Brother Nibbe will write a four page tract about a spiritual question that is common among the people or a problem that is addressed in the scripture. At the end of the tract is an invitation to a Wednesday night Bible study. There could be a time of question and answer from 6:30 to 7:30 followed by a Bible study from 7:30 to 8:30. Brother Nibbe said to spare no expense in producing the literature. It should be colorful with pictures if possible and printed on quality paper.
Once we are established in Italy we look forward to using these methods as well as others we pick up along the way to reach Italian souls for Christ.
“Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” – Philippians 4:9
One Little Boy
Last month I participated in the mission conference at Maranatha Baptist Church in Charleston, WV. Dr. Ron White, veteran missionary to Japan, was the conference speaker. Dr. White is someone I could listen to talk for hours. I can’t recall all the details of his testimony but it goes something like this… One day a preacher moved to the coal mining town where he lived as a boy to start a church. The preacher tried to no avail to get a work established. Although he had several evangelistic meetings there was very little results to show for it. The preacher packed his bags and returned home to report that he spent much time and effort in that little coal mining town, and the only person to get saved was one little boy… Ronnie White. As a result of Dr. White’s ministry, dozens of churches were started in Japan and hundreds of Japanese have been won to Christ… all because of “one little boy.”
The thing that impressed me most about Dr. White was his love for his wife Odessa. You couldn’t talk to him long without hearing him mention her name. They met as children. Ronnie’s father (or step-father, I don’t recall) did not have much use for Christianity. Ron would walk 20 miles to the nearest church only to have his father drive by and mock him as a fool. On one of those long trips to church a car pulled over to give 12 year-old Ronnie a ride. It was Odessa’s father, and sitting in the car with Odessa young Ron fell in love. He knew from that moment he wanted to marry her. Someone from the church told me Dr. White never considered remarrying after Odessa died from cancer over ten years ago. He apparently said, “How could I marry a princess when I was married to a queen?” During one of Dr. White’s sermons he quoted a poem he wrote as a young man about how he’d do anything and go anywhere the Lord wanted but he only wanted one thing from the Lord: Odessa. The line in the poem was something like, “If you give me that which I most desire.” He said when Odessa was real sick he changed that line in the poem to read, “If you take that which I’ve most desired…” It was an emotionally moving time in his sermon. I can’t do any of his story justice. I was just so impressed with his love for his wife. I never heard him tell a derogatory joke about her nor their marriage… In a day when marriage is laughed at and made light of, it was truly heart-touching to see one man’s devotion to the love of his life.
“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.” – Song of Solomon 8:7
Oct/Nov Prayer Letter
Dear Brethren,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. We are thankful for the 11 meetings/mission conferences in October and the nine in November that the Lord blessed us with in Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi. We praise the Lord for the continued increase in support. We are now receiving 23% of our needed support to enable us to move to Italy and preach the gospel to those that are at Rome.
It is always a blessing to participate in a church’s soul winning ministry while traveling the country. I had the privilege of leading a young man to Christ named Jason while visiting house-to-house with Victory Baptist Temple in Elyria, OH. Please pray for his spiritual growth as well as for the salvation of his friend named Keith who rejected Christ after hearing a clear presentation of the gospel. Then, while out with Harvest Baptist Church in Natrona Heights, PA, the Lord gave me the opportunity to win a man named Tracy to Christ. I was moved by the genuine satisfaction he found in Christ as well as his eagerness to listen even as a woman mocked us while we talked around an open Bible.
We praise the Lord that after nine months on the market our house finally sold. We appreciate your prayers on this matter! See our blog posted December 11th to read some personal observations about this experience.
Over the course of deputation I find we are leaving behind pieces of our life that we would not normally have set aside. In the summer it was quitting my job as an engineer, last month it was selling our house for a loss, someday it will be saying goodbye to family. The old nature may struggle with letting go but praise be to God our perspective is not based on the things which are seen, for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal. The Lord has called me to preach the gospel in Italy and we are firmly committed to reaching Italian souls for Christ. Please pray the Lord will bless us with churches committed to supporting our ministry.
Ye also helping together by prayer for us with the following requests…
- Over the next few months many churches will be voting on new missionaries to support. Pray the dozens of churches that have expressed their intentions of financially supporting our ministry would remember the Planck family and be enabled to support us soon
- Pray that we will continue to book a full schedule for 2010 and for health and safety while we travel
- Pray for the spiritual growth of Jason and Tracy as well as the salvation of Keith
- Pray for our daughter Pearl’s continued improvement in health
- Pray our son Isaiah will continue to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and grow into a man of God
- Pray we will learn the Italian language as we study while on deputation
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.
Yours in Christ,
Stetson, Sandy, Isaiah, and Pearl