Returning to Argentina and Starting our Second Term

We have been on furlough for a little over a year now, and the Lord has used it in a special way! For one, Ivy (our third daughter) received Jesus as her Savior during a Vacation Bible School! We have been praying for her salvation her entire life, and God answered our prayer during this furlough. Lily (our oldest daughter) now has her driver’s license and has toured the Christian college she may attend when she graduates high school in a few years. Lily and Piper both served in church and have grown spiritually in the past year! Isla was born in Argentina, so this furlough has been her first real experience in the United States. She has grown to love it here! 

On January 15, we will be boarding a plane to begin our second term on the mission field. We are excited to return to Argentina, to see more people saved, more young brothers and sisters discipled, more leaders trained for the ministry, and more churches planted. We will land in Argentina and within 2 1/2 weeks we will begin our fist summer camp (January is summer in Argentina). We don’t know what the Lord has for us for our second term on the field, but we are excited and trust He will use us for His Glory! Thank you for praying of us!

Serving Together,

Patrick, Leslie, Lily, Piper, Ivy, and Isla Henry

Prayer Requests

• Pray for us as we end our furlough and say goodbye to family and friends. 
• Pray for our flight back to Argentina.
• Pray for our second term on the field.
• Pray for our fist camp at Faith Baptist Church.

New Support Address!

Victory Global Baptist Missions

We are now a part of our home church’s mission board, Victory Global Baptist Missions. Our new support address is…

Victory Global Baptist Missions
P.O. Box 365
Loganville, GA 30052
Memo Line: Patrick Henry

From our family to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas! We are thankful for your faithful prayers and support, it is truly an honor to be partnered with you to advance the Gospel! This Christmas, we will be with our families one last time before returning to Argentina. Wherever you will spend this time of year, and whoever you spend it with, we hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Patrick, Leslie, Lily, Piper, Ivy, and Isla Henry

I love God’s Word! Exactly what God wants us to know about Him, the world, creation, ourselves, and the future is found in the Bible. There are things that I don’t understand, and I am okay with that. What I don’t understand, I accept as Truth, I know God’s Word is Truth! With that being said, I want to share something out of what I have been reading lately.

Psalm 77

“¹  I cried unto God with my voice, Even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. ²  In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: My sore ran in the night, and ceased not: My soul refused to be comforted.³  I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.” Psalm 77:1-3

The Psalmist cried out to God in a troubling time. God heard his prayer. It is wonderful to know that we can cast all of our cares on our Lord, and He will hear us, He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). But the Psalmist cried out to God, and felt as though God (although hearing him), would not do anything about it. In all of this, the Psalmist was overwhelmed.

“⁷  Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will he be favourable no more? ⁸  Is his mercy clean gone for ever? Doth his promise fail for evermore? ⁹  Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.” Psalm 77:7-9

The Psalmist was so overwhelmed that he began to doubt God, or if God would answer His prayer. He wondered if God would help him, if God even had mercy for him, or if His promises were still good. His doubts led him to question God. He sat in meditated on these things.

There are times when we doubt. Maybe we have concerns and/or requests, but God doesn’t answer them like we would like, or perhaps in the timeframe we hoped for. These sorts of things may end up causing doubts, and when we feed these feelings, they only lead to more doubts.

“¹⁰  And I said, This is my infirmity: But I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. ¹¹  I will remember the works of the Lord: Surely I will remember thy wonders of old. ¹²  I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.” Psalm 77:10-12

So what did the Psalmist do? He remembered how God had worked in the past. God didn’t answer his cries like he wanted, but in his doubt, he chose to remember how God had worked in the past, and he meditated on the stories of old, how God worked in Israel. He remembered the almighty works of God and was encouraged.

When we have moments of doubt, it would be a good thing to remember how God has worked in the past, not just in our own lives, but in the Bible as well. This will encourage us and help us to keep trusting in God.

I know this isn’t much, and it is not a thorough study at all, but it is something that God has used in my life lately. I don’t want to ever have doubts and I never want to be discouraged, but sometimes it happens, and when it does I want to choose to remember how God has worked in the past, knowing that He can do it again in my life!

This will be the final post in this blog series. I actually had other topics that I was originally going to include in this series, but those who have to wait for another time. Thus far, I have shared the following specific characteristics of an effective missionary…

An effective missionary…

• reports back to those who are partnered with him
• does what he is sent to do
• pleases Jesus
• serves on the field with his family
• creates a solid foundation for ministry
• learns from others
• prepares for the future
• learns the language
• keeps in contact
• continues to grow
• helps helps his children love the mission field.
• goes on furlough
• is humble

And now we come to our final characteristic, an effective missionary stays. Randy Stirewalt was a missionary in Kenya for 42 years. He passed away in April 2020. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I have been fortunate enough to learn from him through others he has taught. The following story is something that a friend told me, I don’t know a lot of details, I don’t even know the name of the missionary that was speaking with Bro. Stirewalt, but the lesson is priceless!

Bro. Stirewalt was asked by a young missionary how to have a successful ministry. Bro. Stirewalt responded that the key to the ministry was staying. He said that these young missionaries want to do in four years, what takes a lifetime to do. A strong, long lasting ministry takes time, more time than we would like, but one of they keys to having a strong “successful” ministry is staying.

Brother Stirewalt knew what he was talking about. From what others told me, it wasn’t until his third term that he started seeing real growth! Two terms (consisting of four years each) past without seeing much fruit, but on that third term, the ministry really multiplied!

According to Don Mingo, in his book, “So you want to be a missionary”, half of new missionaries do not last beyond their first term. I know there are reasons for this, and I am certainly not judging another man for leaving the mission field. There are valid reasons for leaving, and that are other reasons that may not be. Valid or not, to see great and lasting change, it is going to a missionary who sticks with it. When there is a lot of fruit, the missionary stays at it, and when there are seasons of little to no fruit, the missionary stays. An effective missionary stays. This doesn’t mean he doesn’t take furloughs, it means that he gives his life to that field.

Ultimately, it is God who will decide how long a missionary stays on the field, He has every right to guide His servants as He sees fit. I don’t know what God has for us, but as for now, we do not have any plans of leaving Argentina. I would like to give my life to planting churches and training men in Argentina. I believe God is using us, and I believe it is only the beginning. We want to continue serving the Lord where He has placed us.

To have a lasting effect on the mission field, the missionary must stay at it. It will take longer than one term (four years), it takes time, but don’t quit, keep going, keep pushing, keep attempting great things for God on the field. The harvest is coming, stay at it!