I DO!

Today is a special day. I have been married to DeNiel N. Gillen for thirteen years. It has most definitely been a journey to behold and one to anticipate as our lives continue to unfold. I can promise you that thirteen years ago at South Gate Baptist Church in Springfield, MO I was scared to death and yet filled with excitement. 

As we left the church, our first adventure was Florida for our honeymoon. Being a young rural Missouri boy I thought Al-Qaida was all around us before Al-Qaida was a house hold name; everyone one was suspect. I walked around Sea World in fear of being abducted and was in need of a psychiatric evaluation during the whole trip. It was at that time that I promised to myself that I would never leave the USA or MO. 

A year went by and we felt ourselves being called to Seminary. We spent three days in Texas looking at the Seminary and the night of our one year anniversary (our return from visiting Southwestern) we discovered we were with CHILD! Kylie was born and what a surprise being a parent was.  DeNiel in her infinite wisdom got herself pregnant again within three months of Kylie’s arrival with Brooklin. Wow! I was excited, depressed, and nervous and in need of yet another psychiatric evaluation! It was during this news that we were in the process of transferring to FBC St. James, MO.  The Lord certainly blessed us in our move to St. James.  It was a little nerve racking at first because we were so close to St. Louis a “Big City!”

We made St. James our home. It was during our time in St. James that the Lord would provide us with the man child, Jacob. What a difference between boys and girls! No EMOTIONS!  Seven years into our ministry there we felt the Lord leading us to serve overseas! Oh how the Lord has a way of changing people and their perspectives. I was never going to leave neither the USA nor Missouri and here we were contemplating being foreign missionaries.  Eventually, we would join the IMB and find ourselves in Costa Rica learning Spanish. What a treat this was. DeNiel excelled and I struggled because of my roots in Southern Missouri. The accent was just a little much and the lack of grammar where I am from would come back to haunt me. Nonetheless, we made it through and once again, DeNiel would be pregnant with our fourth and final child, Adelyn. What a journey she was and is! She is a hoot!

It’s incredible where the Lord has taken us and what he has taught us. In just thirteen years we have been to Arizona, California, Chicago, Florida, Hawaii (twice), Kansas, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Las Vegas, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington DC, Costa Rica (for 1 year), Columbia (Bogotá), Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico City, Niagara Falls (Canada), Nicaragua, Panama, Peru (Lima), and we now live in the Dominican Republic.  

Besides our wonderful kids, travels, and life as missionaries, that which I truly treasure the most is DeNiel. She is not the same girl that said, “Yes,” thirteen years ago. She inspires me to be a godly man. She is truly my better half. I must close with thank you DeNiel for saying, “I do” and thank you for putting Christ first. The times have not always been easy but the trials have always been welcomed for they themselves have developed within each of us a deeper understanding of our sinful, selfish nature and allowed us to grow in maturity in our walk with the Lord. Thank you DeNiel for growing in godliness and making our home a refuge, sanctuary, and a median for growing future disciples of Christ!

I will sign off the way, in which we started thirteen years ago today,

I DO!

Nomination for President

Posted on Feb 17, 2011
Baptist Press

by Erich Bridges

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Thomas (Tom) D. Elliff, longtime Oklahoma pastor, Southern Baptist Convention leader and former missionary, is the unanimous recommendation of a 15-member trustee search committee to be the next president of International Mission Board.

The nomination of Elliff -- who served as a missionary to Zimbabwe with his wife, Jeannie, in the early 1980s -- will be presented to the full board of trustees for consideration and a possible vote when they meet March 15-16 in Dallas.

If elected, Elliff would succeed Jerry Rankin as leader of the mission board, which coordinates the work of more than 5,000 Southern Baptist missionaries worldwide. Rankin retired as IMB president July 31, 2010, after 17 years at the helm. Veteran missionary and Executive Vice President Clyde Meador currently serves as interim president.

IMB trustee chairman Jimmy Pritchard, who has led the presidential search committee throughout its selection process, announced the nomination Feb. 17. He said Elliff emerged as the committee's clear and unanimous choice in January.

"Throughout the process, we talked to some great and godly men, but we just could not get a sense of God's peace about any one of them," said Pritchard, pastor of First Baptist Church in Forney, Texas. "When Dr. Elliff's name came before us, we had a subtle sense of God's Spirit speaking to our hearts. That may sound mystical, but that's really what happened.... Every one of us senses that God spoke and said, 'This is the moment you've been praying for. Here is your man.'"

To see the full article please click here.

Absolute Privilege

Wow! I can't count the number of times that DeNiel and I have discussed how much FBC St. James has impressed people literally all over the world. During our time in Costa Rica, it was great when mail day finally arrived. It seemed at times that FBC St. James was the only church in love with their missionaries! Missionaries began to ask, "Can we join your church?" We had goody boxes filled with the necessary nutrients for increased memory, language development, and walking 5 miles a day. You would think those nutrients would be found in a "nutrient bar" or a "one a day vitamin" but for us, they were stuffed in these little packets called "fudge rounds, oatmeal cream pies, star crunch and Hershey chocolates."

Well, here we are in another country and the packages are still arriving! We are feeling like the only missionaries on the face of the planet. FBC has shared the love again. They sent us cards, gifts, candy, baking goods, and letters of encouragement.

It’s an ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE to be a part of FBC St. James, Mo!

We love you FBC St. James,

The Gillens

God is the Creator

God is the Creator.

God is all around you. Take time today to notice God and praise Him for his creation.