Hello Everyone,

This is Joe Sellars, former missionary to Germany.  In September 2012, you received the last update on our life and ministry, which R.K. published right after having attended the homegoing celebration service for Shelli, my wife of nearly 25 years, after her three year battle with colon cancer. 

God had given us an adventurous life, and as always, He showed us his faithfulness!  He was so good to us through the entire cancer battle.  Even though it ended in Shelli’s death, His abiding presence was always with us, truly giving us the “peace that surpasses all understanding.” His love, grace, mercy, peace, and comfort were always there for me in the sorrow and grief, holding me close enough to hear His heartbeat through one of the most trying and challenging times in my entire life.

One of the biggest revelations God gave us on this journey was what we called The “Daniel 3” faith (Daniel 3:17-18).  It refers to the three young Hebrew men about to be thrown into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar.  Their response to facing death was:

1. We know God can save us,
2. We know God will save us,
3. But even if He doesn’t save us, we will praise the Lord.

I have a hard time understanding how some people can walk through similar trials without Jesus.  It was a dark time of my soul, but like in the story of  Job, God has restored every area of my life. Below, I address how God has met me by showing Himself as my faithful Father in the areas of  Finances, Family, Faith and Future.

FINANCES

Many of you who are reading this report were used by God to help me in my time of need.  Shortly after Shelli passed away, I was faced with the daunting task of paying all of the medical expenses we had incurred.  We also needed to pay for a van that a local car dealer had “loaned” me to test drive for over 3 months after my old van was literally run into the ground from the thousands of miles of driving to and from medical appointments, surgeries, chemo and follow-ups.   If I had had to pay all the bills that were accrued, it would have cost me nearly $700,000.  We had a woefully inadequate health insurance, so after the first month of this journey, we were moved to a cash payment status.

Family, friends, churches and even strangers stepped in, and by God’s grace, literally within two months of Shelli’s death, all the bills and the van were paid for!  Vanderbilt Medical Center simply wiped out hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt.  Thousands of dollars came in through my local church, as well as the Bridge International.  One afternoon, I called a company I owed over $60,000 to discuss a payment plan.  I was holding the last statement in my hand when I asked the lady on the other end of the line for my current balance.  Instead of saying some amount just under $60,000, she said that I owed all of $16!  I was in shock!  I asked how that could be, and she answered she had no idea.  All she knew,  was what the invoice on her computer showed that amount. One medical facility after another were paid off in full – debt vanished or was simply forgiven.  If you were one of the many who gave – thank you so very much!

FAMILY

I am a firm believer that God’s original plan in the Garden involved a man and a woman, a husband and wife, in covenant relationship where they were “towards” each other.  One was to be the help-mate for the other, the strength to their weakness – two being truly better than one.

Just under two years after my first wife passed into eternity, God restored this plan to my life.  On June 7^th, 2014 I married one of the most amazing women I have ever met.  Denise is a  hero of the faith (but that is another story for another time).  She is passionate for the Lord. She is loving, kind, discerning, fiery, and absolutely gorgeous, as well.  She is giving me the most amazing home a man could ever hope for.

Together, we have already been ministering to families, singles, and hurting people.  I am excited to learn what else God has in store for us in the future.  Denise is a woman who understands the Biblical concept that she is the spotless Bride of Christ and is fully embraced by her Papa God.  At our wedding, she stood at the back of the church behind two massive white flags.  When those flags parted at the particular music cue in the processional, there was literally a gasp that echoed through the crowd.  She appeared as if she had just stepped in from the very presence of God!  We were given a taste of what the children of Israel must have felt when Moses returned from standing in the cloud of glory in the presence of God.  She shares His love, peace, compassion, grace and mercy with everyone she comes in contact with.  She has a gift of discerning a person’s situation and seeing the big picture like no one I have ever met before.  She is a blessing to me and many others!

FAITH

In early 2013 God began speaking to me and reminded me of how, after leaving the Army in 1996, I was heading into an Information Technology Career, just before He threw me a curve ball and called me into full time church base ministry.  “Do you remember that IT thing?  It has now come full circle and I am calling you into full time market place ministry.  It is time to get outside the four walls of the church building.”  After much prayer and discussion with my pastor and the elder team, I stepped down as Youth Pastor in August, 2013 and began pursuing certifications in computers. This was a huge shift for me, but God was faithful. Since that time, I have a couple of IT certifications and working for my brother-in-law’s IT company in tech support and sales.

I have had many opportunities to minister to people outside the four walls of the church building.  For example, a couple of days ago I met with a potential client who is fighting her own battle with cancer.  At the end of our meeting I asked her if it would be OK for me to pray for her.  She smiled and said, “absolutely.” So right there in her office, in the middle of City Hall, the presence of the Lord filled the room and she was encouraged.  I am fully expecting to hear an amazing report from her the next time we meet together.

I am extremely blessed with the job I have. Please pray for us as we look to the future to see how God will transform, grow and use this business to release me more into ministry each day. 

FUTURE

Currently, my wife and I are working to eliminating all of our debt and positioning ourselves to have more time and financial freedom to head back out for short term mission trips.  I don’t currently see God leading me back to the mission field as a full time missionary, but rather drawing me back to short term missions.

When I look back at my life, some of the times I felt most alive, was when I had a herd of teenagers around me while leading them on a mission trip.

I know that God never removes His calling, therefore I believe that one day I will return overseas, being used by God to expand people’s world view and watch as God shows Himself to them in ways that they have never imagined.  My heart-cry is still and will always be “Living the Great Commandment to Fulfill the Great Commission.“

FROM R.K.’S CORNER

Living the Great Commandment to Fulfill the Great Commission” was Joe and Shelli Sellar’s ministry motto, as well as the standard by which they attempted to live their life together. “Our lives are not just about ministry, but about relationship, about living our lives so that others see Jesus in us — bringing Him honor in everything we do”, they were quick to explain.  And their lives reflected that!

Joe and Shelli had in common that they both grew up in Tennessee, were saved and had a burden for Europe.  After they were married in 1988, Joe served in the U.S. Army in Germany. There they came across The Bridge, so in 1999, when they were ready to move to Germany as full time missionaries, they contacted us, and we joined them in a 13 year partnership which proved very fruitful.

In 2010, Shelli  found she had been unexpectedly enlisted to run a new race that culminated in her death on September 3, 2012: battling stage IV metastasized colon cancer. We stood with the family through their battle, contributing with prayer and finances. Since Shelli’s death, some have asked, “What has happened to Joe and their two children?” You will find the answer in this issue where Joe is giving us an overview of his life after Shelli.  Two years after her passing, God provided a new wife for Joe.

Last week, when they visited us in our home,  Steve and I were introduced to Denise, a remarkable young woman from an Arab, Muslim background who encountered Jesus as a teenager, embraced the Christian faith, and has been persecuted for that decision.  Theirs is the story of a faithful God who brought the two of them together from sorrow and hardship to joy and fulfillment in the union of marriage, and calling them to be living testimonies of God’s grace and love!  We are looking forward to learn what God has in store for them!