The Holidays in My World

     As the holidays approach and the end of another year draws nigh, my mind always seems to wander back over time.  I am sitting here thinking about all of the ones that I can remember that we have been so blessed to have crossed paths with.  The hurting, the hopeless, the broken and shattered.  Those that were addicted to drugs and alcohol, pornography and gambling.  Those that had done wrong and those that had just been done wrong.  Those that we were sent to encourage and those that were sent to encourage us.  The children, the adults and the aged.  The spirit of Christ that beats in my heart wants to hug and help each and everyone of them.  I cannot understand why people need more things, more than they need to help the needy.  I love the life of giving.  I wake up every morning with the hope of another chance to show someone else Christ.  These pictures are for all of you to see and enjoy.  I don't need them.  Their faces are burned into my mind.  If I want to see them all I have to do is close my eyes.  These are a few of the ones that we have fed, loved, befriend, won to Christ, preached to, taught, become family for, helped get off of their addictions, reinstated back into society and been blessed by.  Once again I want to say that OUR DONORS AND SPONSORS ARE MY HEROES!!!  You allow me to live the greatest life in the world, the life of giving all for the cause of Christ.  Enjoy, Happy Thanksgiving and God bless you for giving to help the cause of these ministries!  

RESKU NEWS NEWSLETTER

THIS IS WHAT WE DO.

     Allow me to tell you the story of three individuals.  All very similar, all at different stages of their story.

     The first is of Jarod.  He is a very intelligent and charismatic young man.  He had a fairly troubled upbringing and you might even say that the cards were stacked against him in some ways.  He got in trouble early and it only got worse.  Before he even escaped his 20’s he ended up in state prison on a felony assault with a deadly weapon charge.  Jarod served three years and was released on probation.  He admits that one of his biggest problems is staying away from bad women.  And sure enough, within just a few days of being out of the penitentiary he had another one.  Things, once again,  began to spiral out of control, but this time some family members, that had recently gotten saved at an Independent Holiness church nearby, interceded.  They too had lived pretty hard and short lives and they had been won over by some Godly and kind, outreach minded Christians.  Knowing what God had done for them and knowing what was about to happen to Jarod again, they attempted to reach out to him.  He responded.  I happen to attend a joint church service that was sponsored by HMA and this Independent inner city church and met some of the family members.  I had seen them before and was pleases that they were still serving God.  Through communicating back and forth with them for a couple days they put me in touch with their cousin Jarod.  I found out that all he had was a part time job slinging pizzas for just a few hours a week, an apartment with some clothes and a lamp in it and a probation officer.  I offered him a chance to work with us at HMA and he jumped at it.  My son has been picking him up in the mornings for the last few days and we have been working him around his pizza schedule.  Last week we gave him a bed, a table and chairs, a recliner and some dishes, pots and pans and silverware from the thrift store.  He must have thanked me 10 times before he left.  Saturday at the end of the day he promised me that he would be in church Sunday.  I had to preach out of town.  I can’t wait to see him again on Tuesday morning back at The Saving Place.  Jarod is in his early stages but we have high hopes for him in Christ Jesus.  

     The next is Priscilla.  This young lady had so messed up her life that almost everyone that knew her hardly expected her to live to turn 18.  At 16 she was already a thief, a professional liar, a runaway, a drug addict, had already attempted suicide by drug overdose more than once and had a vile evil spirit in her.  Through some church acquaintances or ours, that happen to be family members of hers, we were called in to meet with her.  Off and on, back and forth, we had over a year long battle for the young girls life.  Finally on a Sunday night at our home church God removed the evil spirit from her.  I can hardly tell the story of how she had been so mixed up, so hurt and so confused over everything in her life that had called itself Christian.  Because of this I think it has taken some time for her to try to decide exactly the fullness of how she will serve the Lord.  But this much I know.  She was one of the worst drug addicts that I have ever seen just a few short years ago and she wasn’t going to live much longer.  To top it of she was one of the most selfish and conniving people that I had ever met.  Today she has been completely delivered from drugs, she is 20 1/2 years old.  She is a mother of a one year old son and a good little housewife.  My wife Niki and I were able to go to her son’s one year old birthday party last week and it was amazing watching Priscilla as she cooked for us, cared for her son and tended to her guests.  Priscilla is, no doubt, much farther down the road than Jarod is and we are expecting so much more.  

     Lastly is Bill.  Bill was as ruthless of an individual as you would ever meet.  His nickname was “The Meanest Man in Tulsa”.  People actually called him “meanest man” for short.  Bill and his twin brother, robbed a store, stole a truck and beat an elderly man half to death when they were 12 years old.  Then they never looked back.  He spent two long prison terms in the Oklahoma state prison and acted like he was looking for another one when he ran smack into his Maker.  Bill had an experience with God on the streets of Tulsa in the middle of a rainy night that only he could fully describe.  But after that, he was a changed man.  For over forty years of his life he only understood hate, crime, fighting, hurting others, making money at any cost and pleasing self.  Everything else had to be taught to him in a repetitive, methodical and kindergarten type way.  But once he got it....he got it.  As hard boiled as he had lived for 40 some years was just as over the top, dyed in the wool of a Christian as he was from then on.  Bill had one of the most amazing turn arounds that I have ever witnessed.  He literally went from thief to giver, from hater to lover, from one who would hurt to one who would help.  He actually got his wife back, his relationships with him kids and grandkids back, he made amends with his mother, God healed him of several ailments that plagued him and he even saw some miracles in his own prayer life.  One time he prayed for his sons car, that was braking down right out from under them, and God healed the car and it never messed up again.  Bill spoke at drug awareness meetings, travelled as far as Florida to attend church, paid his tithe and was faithful in everything that he knew to do.  After serving God wide open for about three and a half years, Bill passed away of cancer.  I was with him in the hospital just moments before he died.  As far as I know, the last words that he ever spoke on this side of eternity were, “I might have lived bad, but I’m gonna die good.”  God rest his soul.  I was privileged to preach Brother Bill's funeral and according to his brother, there were about 45 drug dealers in the funeral.  Bill is a finished product.  

     These are the things that we live for here at HMA.  We are of the opinion that everyone is a work in progress.  We also believe that someone that has fallen should not be equated with someone who can't get back up, no matter how many times they fall.  I have said many times, "I would rather fall one thousand times and get up one thousand times than only fall once but not get back up".  David Livingston said, "Call no man worthless for whom Christ died".  Here at HMA we strive everyday to reach the least, the last and the lost.  I've been asked over and over again just exactly who I am trying to reach.  Homeless?  Addicts?  Street people?  Here is my answer and it will forever be my answer, "I want all the ones that no one else wants".  I will not do as so many others have done.  I will not stand in line to take my turn at the ones that everyone wants.  I thank God every day that I do not have to wait my turn to minister.  Nobody is trying to beat me to the tramps and bums of the streets of Tulsa.  Nobody is trying to cut in line in front of me to work with the people that will lie to me, throw up on me and can give me nothing if I do help them; But God called "The Church" to do just such a work.  God help us all.  Let me give you one last word of encouragement when it comes to any of your lost loved ones that seem too far gone to ever make it back.  Never give up on those that you love.  Never give up!  God has people out there that will lose sleep, miss meals and continually pick up the broken pieces to give your wandering loved one every opportunity to decide to trust God all the way home.  There is always a way when God gets involved.

From the desk of

Rev. D. Todd Sloggett

BLESSED, ENCOURAGING SUMMER OF GROWTH AND GOOD FELLOWSHIP!

     It has been a very busy and fast summer for us at HMA.  I can hardly believe that another one has flown by.  I truly believe that God has been better to us in 2013 than He has ever been.  We have been very blessed this year to travel to and preach and teach in many different meetings, seminars and special services.  I personally have traveled for the Lord as much or more this summer as I did years ago when I evangelized full time.  I was in 18 states this summer, many of them twice and a few of them three times.   

     We were blessed to preach The Homecoming Revival at Bristow, VA for Pastor Taylor for the 4^th or 5^th year in a row, Homecoming Revival for Jeff Schrader in Nauvoo, AL and another Homecoming Revival for Bethel Holiness Church in Nashville, GA.  I was also able to preach the Missions Conference day services in London, KY for Pastor Vernon Jarvis.  We preached and taught at Cross Train in Ohio, sponsored by Abundant Life Tabernacle.  I also preached and taught the day services at the annual camp meeting in Tatum, TX, at the First Annual HMA Outreach Convention in Richmond, KY and at the New Church Dedication of Family Worship Center in Bealton, VA. 

 

     As we journeyed for God’s kingdom and His purpose this summer, we ministered for pastors Scott Loper, Phillip Deane, Jerry Pascarella, Jim Setser, Ralph Horton, Mark Vaughn, Ralph Lowery, Denny Renfroe, Davin Burnett, Helen Stewart, Cameron Hudson, Brian Duke, Jeff Schrader, Donnis Bowman, Vernon Hughes, Paul Guthrie and several others.  We were also blessed to have several visiting missionaries, pastors  and evangelists come by and minister with us at HMA, including Brothers Luke Bruce, Thomas McCoy, Ben Bruce, Trevor Matheeney, Jack Skinner, Jeremy Brooks, Curt Beauford, as well as the Sumner’s, two different ministry teams from Ozark Bible Institute, Sister Marta Betty, Pastor Finney Jacob from India, a couple pastors and ministers from Madagascar.

      

     I purposefully list as many of these great ministers as possible so that I can say this; Each and every one of these men and women of God and their perspective congregations have been so over the top good to myself and our outreaches that I really want to honor them.  While preaching for them, having them preach for us, teaching their seminars and in their conferences and ministering side by side with them they have abundantly blessed us with friendship, fellowship, finances and so very much more.  I just want to say thank you and God bless everyone of you that have had a part.

     This summer we also had more volunteers and more large furniture and monetary donations than we have ever seen before.  I believe with all my heart that the saints are entrusting us more and more as our ministries grow, God blesses them and we prove to be worthy stewards of church growth, discipleship and the souls that He has given us thus far.

 

     Our amazing team of staffers, supporters and affiliates have been able to work so diligently for God as of late, that together we have opened a men’s overnight stay halfway house facility, a second furniture thrift store and another new start pioneer church.  We have also produced new written and online material and our own video promotion for DVD, projector and internet use.  All of this just in the last few months.  We are currently working on two new drug programs and three new affiliate churches that I know of just in the last few weeks.

    

     This summer we also had our first annual Holiness Missions to America outreach convention and God forevermore showed up and showed out.  We had speakers ranging from Pastors Darrell Toliver, phillip Deane, David Lamb, Joel Rowland, J.R. Smith to Reverends Earl Wayne Krumsiek, Dollas Messer and Larry Wayne Davis.  We had a time of deep scripture and soul searching and we were all challenged and changed.  This meeting is the most effective and purpose filled group of services that I have ever had anything to do with.  The most unique part of it was this; As we were attempting to come together to learn and glean more from each other on how to win the lost and raise them right, God was bringing them in literally off the streets and saving them right in front of us.  One night AFTER SERVICE, we were all trying to wrap it up and shut things down and a prostitute walked in off the streets.  She didn’t hear the sermon, she didn’t know which songs were sung, she wasn’t there for the alter call, she was just drawn by God’s spirit to that place at that time.  We prayed with her, she confessed her sins of drug addictions and soliciting herself, got saved, got in contact with her estranged family and we took her back home where she belonged.  We had three days of the richest fellowship that I can remember.  Fellowship with people like Pastor Donald Harper, Brothers Tommy Schrouder, Tim Mock, David Yawn, Bruce Ganz, Joe Ganz, Brian Fowler, Daniel Morrison, Brian Renfroe, Harold Bruce and many, many others.  I already can’t wait until next year. 

 

     Besides the meetings that I preached and the ones that we sponsored I was also extremely helped by being in the meeting at Bethany Holiness Church, (my home church in Sand Springs, OK. Pastor Darrell Toliver).  Brothers Phillip Deane, Scott Loper, Edsel Young, David Lamb, Joel Rowland, Daniel Kroger, Andrew Gonzales and  Rick Morris, literally took us to the third heaven and back.  I feasted on truly anointed, studied and prayed over messages from Godly men with no axes to grind.  It was glorious!

     As I sit here at my desk typing, I feel overwhelmingly blessed.  My wife is doing the books for the mission, (she has volunteered for seven years).  Two of my sons are hauling donated furniture to the thrift store.  A third young man is helping them.  He just got out of prison a few days ago and we met his family at a mission service last Thursday night.  A fourth young man is cleaning up behind and around them and helping customers.  He lives in our Disciple House and has been doing real good since he stopped running from God, his family and his self.  I will do some face to face counseling and some on line counseling of addicts this evening before my wife and I leave to go to a birthday party.  The party is for a one year old boy of a young lady that was one of the worst drug addicts I have ever known.  She was possessed with an evil spirit, lied, stole, ran away from home, attempted suicide multiple times and even worse.  When we came into contact with her we were warned multiple times by religious people to “not mess with her”, “she will burn you and hurt your ministry”.  That was about three years ago.  Today she is a vibrant young housewife and mother and we can’t wait to see her again.  After the party we have to hurry back home tonight so that I can pray and study for tomorrow morning.  I’ll be privileged to take my wife and some of our staff in the morning to preach at a Pastor’s appreciation ceremony for a Pastor that recently started an international ministry outreach group that generates food and clothing to be donated to missionaries that go in to preach the gospel in the poorest parts of the planet.  I can’t wait.  As I already stated, I AM BLESSED.

 

     Well here you have it.  A few notes from the desk of Rev. Todd Sloggett about where we have been and what we have been doing lately.  By the help of God and your kindness we have opened, started, revamped, helped or advised dozens of programs including drug programs, homeless missions, battered women and children shelters, teenage runaway rescue and return centers, men’s overnight stay half way houses, thrift stores and outreach churches.  We have been able to get the gospel more and more consistently to the least, the last and the lost.  Preaching to and helping literally thousands of hurting souls a week……and we are just getting started.  God bless each and every one of you. 

     I leave you with several pictures of great moments in the kingdom of heaven from the last several weeks.