Dear family and friends,
“Great occasions for serving God come seldom, but little ones surround us daily.” (Saint Francis de Sales)
Our lives seem to be made up of these little occasions. We are both busy about the Lord’s work as we minister at NTM Homes. We are thankful that many years ago our mission leaders considered building a retirement center for our older missionaries. Our purpose statement reads “NTM Homes exists to provide attractive, affordable, efficient, and economical housing for retired Ethnos360 missionaries. This facility and its staff endeavor to provide a nurturing and caring environment, attempting to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of its residents. “ This really is a wonderful place! It takes a team of people to meet the needs of these senior saints. God has allowed the two of us to play a part on this team.
In the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to give several tours of the property and facilities. Each time, I am amazed and thrilled at what God has provided for the folks here. The lawns are mowed and the grass is neatly edged by all the cement roads and driveways. The palm trees stand stately in various places. Shade trees are regularly pruned to remove dead and/or dying branches. Our grounds crew do a fantastic job! There are 10 staff houses (with 3 or 4 bedrooms) on Bolivia Court. There are 10 duplexes on most of the other courts (also named for countries where NTM/ Ethnos360 missionaries have served over the years). The one bedroom duplexes have 754 square feet and the two bedroom ones have 880 square feet. All houses also have a covered carport. There is a total of 50 duplexes (100 residences) on the property. These 1 or 2 bedroom apartments are home to retired missionaries as well as staff members (like us J). The retired folks pay no rent, but do pay a maintenance fee each month to help with the misc. repairs and building projects around the center. Residents (and staff) submit green slips / work orders when something needs to be repaired, cleaned or replaced. There is no extra charge for garbage collection, maintenance on an air conditioner, grounds maintenance, or other repairs that are made in or around the houses. You can check out more about NTM Homes on our webpage.
Earlier this evening I walked up to our Assisted Living Facility and changed the time on clocks in the resident’s rooms and other misc. public places. This included wall clocks, alarm clocks, and watches. As I went around with my little step ladder, I checked with each of the residents to see if they desired my assistance. (We really don’t want these folks getting up on a chair or step stool to try and change wall clocks by themselves.) Some folks had already figured out how to set the time back one hour. Others were so very grateful that I took care of it for them. I adjusted 30 or more clocks all together. This is just one of the little things that I consider to be a daily opportunity to look out for the needs of our retirees. They show such appreciation for the assistance that I give them.
I mentioned a people group in Mexico in a previous letter. The missionary team is now in its 4th month of teaching. The chronological Bible lessons take the listeners from eternity past through the Old Testament, the New Testament and into eternity future. The teaching will give this group of people their first chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. The missionaries will soon come to the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord. The listeners will need to make a decision once they have clearly heard the gospel in their language.
Please pray:
- The missionary team: Pete, Liesl, Jordan, Amy, Katie, and Rachel (Katie’s parents are on staff here at NTM Homes.)
- Open hearts among the people
- Brad and I as we make the most of the daily opportunities God puts before us
We thank the Lord for you!
By His grace,
Wanda (and Brad) Hull