August 2009 Newsletter

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Dear brethren,

In the last newsletter, I cited Exodus 36: 5,6 where the craftsmen spoke to Moses and said, "The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do. And the people were restrained from bringing." I do not know if ever before that I had all the funds that I needed for a particular area of work that I planned to do. However, at this time I have the funds to purchase the bicycles for the brethren and pay extra baggage charges for all the suits and shoes that were contributed. Your generosity has, once again, touched a tender chord in my heart.

I will be leaving on Monday, August 03, for Livingstone, Zambia. I am looking forward to this trip and seeing and working with the brethren there once again. The last time I was there was about five years ago and at least two of the instructors in the school of preaching now were students then. The trip will be broken up and I will not be making that one long flight from Atlanta, Georgia to Johannesburg, South Africa. Instead, I will fly through London, England and then down to Johannesburg.

Thank you all for your sacrifice. If you wish Linda and me to come and speak to you about our work with Truth for the World, please let me know and we will set up a time to visit with you.

May our God bless you all richly.

In Christ Who Saves,
Jimmie B. Hill



Greetings from Georgia!

July felt like a kaleidoscope, ever changing.

• 7/1 – In addition to my usual first of the month duties of calculating new TFTW statistics, writing a mini-report for the donation receipt and helping Jimmie publish our mission newsletter; I issued the quarterly financial report.
• 7/7 – The last envelope of 11,638 Equipping the Saints magazines going overseas was stuffed. I also started reformatting an old edition of this teaching paper on Bible translations so that I can issue a reprint. (I use this one constantly and the secret stash I had been hoarding is almost gone.)
• 7/8 – Our foreign mail service picked up the magazines - thankfully before a thunderstorm hit. A workroom window sprung a major leak so secretaries and volunteers were rushing to move equipment and catch water, while a power surge knocked out our Riso copy/printer. Luckily, it was just an internal breaker.
• 7/9 - I spent most of the morning cleaning and clearing areas of the TFTW building to be used by the 30 teens coming to work with the Duluth congregation for VBS. The upstairs was transformed into a dormitory for the girls while the bathroom just outside my office became the shower facility for the boys. Jimmie actually moved out of his office completely and worked at home since the girls would be using his office/bathroom for their showers.
• 7/13 – The morning started with a tripped breaker – all the girls tried to blow dry their hair at once!
• 7/14 – Started printing one of the BCC courses. Also, I popped up to Jimmie’s office to water his plants and was startled by the number of sleeping bags in there. One girl was even sleeping on top of his desk!
• 7/15 – The touala got me. You know, the pesky octopus that lives in your stomach and reaches out to grab things occasionally. I was first introduced to him when we lived in Samoa.
• 7/16 – Jimmie made a quick trip to TN to pick up some items donated for Zambia.
• 7/20 – Kristen was due to return after 6-weeks of maternity leave, but Cason had been in the hospital since Saturday with a fever.
• 7/21 – Cason finally beat the fever and was released late in the day.
• 7/24 – Jimmie’s checkup on the cellulitis was good news - the infection was gone! He also packed the suits, shoes and books donated for the preaching students in Zambia into 3 LARGE duffle bags. He had ordered grey bags online to avoid the military green ones he found here (not a good look for most African destinations), but what came was . . . military green. I suggested bleaching them, but that didn’t help much.
• 7/25 – New Hope Road’s annual picnic – fun! I posted some pictures on our blog if you want to take a look.
• 7/27 – Jimmie and I spent the morning at the hospital in Athens because Emma Evans was having cancer surgery. Emma is a dear friend, member at New Hope Road, and a frequent volunteer at TFTW. Please keep her in your prayers that she may recover completely.
• 7/28 – Jimmie spoke on the summer series at Duluth Church of Christ.
  
  (There was more but it wouldn’t fit!)
  
  In Christian Love,
  Linda Hill

You are invited . . .

Please make plans to come to the

Truth for the World
16th Annual Mission Forum

“Zion’s Call”

When:
November 13 – 15, 2009

Where:
Duluth Church of Christ
3239 Duluth Highway 120
Duluth, GA 30096

August 2009 Report

Dear Christian Friend,

How to describe July . . . Well, the first word that springs to mind is Noisy. The Duluth congregation’s annual VBS filled the air with children’s voices for 2 weeks – the first as VBS teachers arrived to prepare their classrooms and the second as the kids became “Riders of the Great Roundup”. Adding to the excitement was a group of 30 youths from the Forest Hill Church of Christ in Memphis, TN, and the Pine Grove Church of Christ in Fulton, MS. They came to assist with the VBS and tackle a door-knocking campaign. During their stay the 2nd floor of the Truth for the World building was converted to a girl’s dormitory while the first floor provided the boy’s shower facility.

Another adjective for July has to be Busy. The staff rarely has any “down” time, but last month was particularly hectic. Jimmie Hill completed his lessons for the August campaign to Zambia and figured out how to pack all of the clothing donated for the preaching students in Livingstone. John Grubb taught at two workshops – the Young Men’s Leadership Camp in Ashville, Alabama and An Evangelistic Weekend in Kennesaw, Georgia. Benjamin Richardson wrapped up plans for our next Mission Forum “Zion’s Call” November 13-15. And the secretaries just juggled dozens of duties – some typical, and some not so typical.

A third description is Stressful. You may recall that Jerry Ann Elliott, member of the Duluth congregation and mother-in-law of our Programming Director Dave Komisak, was murdered in her home on September 28, 2007. After numerous delays her accused killer was finally brought to trial. On July 20th he was convicted of Felony Murder, Malicious Murder, and Armed Robbery, then sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Please remember this family in your prayers that they can now recover from this trauma.

The last word for July is definitely Thankful. We are pleased to have young people coming up in the church who are willing to work for our Lord. We are grateful for technology that allows us to do more work with fewer hands. And we are blessed to have wonderful, faithful friends like you helping us in this work of spreading the Gospel. Thank you!

Staff of Truth for the World

New Hope Road Picnic

We've been having an annual picnic since New Hope Road began 6 years ago. The previous ones have been on the church property since we had plenty of room to spread out for volley ball, softball, etc. But when we built our new church building that big field disappeared, so this year our picnic was at the brand new Harbins Park just down the road. Great choice!

There was a huge pavilion,

a great playground for the kids,

nature walks for the hale and hearty explorers,

even a crochet class.

But most of us stuck to the real purpose of picnics - eating and greeting and just relaxing.

William gave new meaning to the phrase

"slaving over a HOT stove"!

The food and fellowship were great!

Our elders eldering.

Whadda ya mean it's a whole year before the next one?!

Thanks Dorothy (and Marc) for organizing a great day . . . even if you did forget the catsup!

Baptism in Kenya

I got these pictures from a teacher in Kenya today.

That is definitely not an unusual thing, we get pictures from teachers frequently. But it struck me today that I should probably share them more often. Afterall, this is the reason we put so much effort into sending Gospel materials to brethren overseas.

Such scenes certainly bring back wonderful memories of mission trips.

July 2009 Newsletter

Dear brethren,

August 03, 2009 is drawing closer day by day and I am currently involved in putting the finishing touches on my lessons for the Zambia School of Biblical Studies and planning and staging the luggage for the trip. I plan on taking four (4) pieces of luggage with me to take over the things provided by the brethren here at home for the preaching brethren there. And, I am still trying to raise the needed funds for this missionary effort. My projected need for airfare, food, lodging, and benevolence is about $4,000.00. To date, I have only received $900.00 and therefore, am looking for another $3,100.00. The Lord has always provided ("Jehovahjireh" - Genesis 22:14) and I am sure He will come through once again. Please, if you can help, please send your contribution to Truth for the World, Post Office Box 5048, Duluth, Georgia 30096-0065 and mark them for the Hill Mission Fund - Zambia as quickly as you can. Also, please keep me and this mission effort in your daily prayers. Thank you, in advance, for your help.

Many of you have sent checks for bicycles and have also sent good, used suits and shoes for the preaching students and this is truly appreciated.

Some of the bicycles purchased during Jimmie's last campaign to Zambia.

It is a pure joy to see the smiles on the faces of the brethren overseas when they see the results of the love and concern that their American brothers and sisters have for them in sending these much needed material things for their use in expanding the borders of the Lord’s Kingdom. The outpouring for this need has been good and our God has been glorified. It reminds me of the heart of Israel in building the tabernacle. The Bible states, "And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering" (Exodus 25:1,2). And how did God’s people respond? "The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work for which the Lord commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing" (Exodus 36-5,6).

As our work together of saving souls for the Lord continues it is still His plan that the work be funded from the free will offering of His people (Luke 6:38; 1 Corinthians 16:1,2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-10).

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer for all the ills of our nation and the world no matter what they may be; the economy, politics, social matters all, Jesus is the answer. Thank you brethren for all you do and may our God bless you as you give. And, to God be the glory now and forever!

In Christ Who Saves,
Jimmie B. Hill



Greetings from Georgia!

June really kept us hopping – literally, since Jimmie had gout and cellulitis both in the same leg. But the last weekend of the month was definitely the “hoppiest”. That Saturday was VBS on the Life of David at the New Hope Road congregation, complete with a 9’9” Goliath. The kids got to sling tennis balls at him in the 99 degree sun during one of the outdoor learning stations, but they loved it! (Only the adults melted.)

The elementary class meets Goliath!

Some of the pre-school

"shepherds"

Some teens demonstrate ancient warfare . . . wait! is that girls?

"King David" telling the kids about his life.

Just hanging out waiting for the next learning station.

I taught the elementary kids while Jimmie conducted adult classes.

Then we “hopped” in the car and sped away to Tennessee. Jimmie’s brother, Bob Hill, had recently had a heart attack and was scheduled for surgery on Monday to replace a failed bypass. (Thankfully, Bob did well and is home now.) The day of the surgery was also our wedding anniversary, so Jimmie and I celebrated 36 years in the Cookeville hospital cafeteria with a chocolate parfait. The biggest challenge during all this hopping was keeping Jimmie’s foot elevated (and frequently packed in ice) because it swelled tremendously.

I also created more work for myself in June. Why do I do that?

For the last 1 ½ years I have walked past the huge stacks (37,500 copies) of sheet #1 of the December 2007 Equipping the Saints magazine and lamented because this edition on Unity was still not printed. This was the project in the works when our Ryobi printing press went haywire. It started spitting out more paper than it printed and refused all enticements to be nice, so our printer shut it down. And it has remained shut down since. It was a real workhorse and did a great job for many years, but no one could be found who was willing to work on this dinosaur. Every time I asked I got the same answer - that the missing pages would be printed if we ever got the press repaired - but after 1½ years that prospect had dimmed dramatically. So I checked the funds available for this magazine and came up with another idea.

Ellen Mills and I are printing sheets #2, 3 and 4 on our Riso copy printer. After checking the various mailing lists I decided to break the project into 3 parts since about 12,000 go to individuals overseas, another 12,000 are mailed to individual American readers and about 13,000 are shipped in multiple-copy packets. It took Ellen and me a full week to get the first 12,000 copies printed, another 2 days for Katrece Howard to get them all through the booklet maker, and 2 weeks plus for volunteers to stuff and label the foreign-reader envelopes. But at last they are going in the mail!

Now I get to start the whole thing over again.

The heat is on so try to stay cool this summer.

In Christian Love,
Linda Hill

July 2009 Report

Dear Christian Friend,

Excitement sparked the start of June as we welcomed a new member to our Truth for the World family. Cason Ryan Underwood was born on June 4th. He weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz and was 20 inches long. Parents Kristen and Martin and big sister Addy are all very happy and doing well. Cason’s favorite pastime is still sleeping but he looks adorable while doing it.

John Grubb returned from a good trip to Malaysia and Singapore. He spoke on two lectureships and preached at several congregations in Malaysia to encourage and edify the brethren. You can read about his trip and see some pictures on his new blog: grubbmissionwork.blogspot.com

Our Internet evangelism continues to actively spread the Gospel of Christ. During the first six months of 2009 our websites in English, Chinese and Indonesian recorded 68,591 visitors from 190 nations around the world who came to read 193,836 pages of our online materials. That is an average of more than 375 people visiting us daily via the web – amazing!

The secretaries, Ellen Mills and Linda Hill, took on a new “old” project: finish the printing of the Equipping the Saints issue on “Unity”. When our printing press went haywire at the close of 2007 it was this magazine that was zipping through the Ryobi. So 37,500 copies of sheet one have been on a table ever since waiting for sheets two, three and four. We have been unable to locate anyone to put the printing press back in running order so the format has been adjusted to allow it to go to the Riso copy printer. This method of printing is considerably more expensive but currently it’s the only way we have available to produce Gospel materials. It is also slower than the Ryobi so the secretaries have broken this massive project into thirds. Right now volunteers are stuffing close to 12,000 envelopes with the magazines that will be mailed to individuals in 168 foreign nations. That is a lot of envelopes, with another 12,000 to be stuffed for American readers and 13,000 to be mailed in bulk. So, if you happen to be in the Duluth area and have nothing to do . . . we have a suggestion.

May you have a blessed and joyful July.

Staff of Truth for the World