Crystal (Simpson) Pennington

 I (Crystal) grew up at ptcc. Until I went to college, it was the only church  home I had ever known. My parents, Connie and Billy Simpson, were very active in  the church and made sure that my sister, my brother, and I were involved as well. I  accepted Christ and was baptized as a child at Hillside, and as a high school student at  El Porvenir Christian Camp, I responded to the Lord’s call and committed my life to  missions. I remember clearly the message that was spoken that night, and I still carry  that vision with me. It was the message that there were those who had faithfully gone  before us to the nations, and that it was now time for them to pass the baton on to the  next generation. That resonated with me in such a profound way, and the passion for missions that I now have is a torch that I was given to carry by the youth ministers, sponsors, and other believers at Hillside who invested their time, prayers, and energy into me for the cause of Christ. Now, Ryan and I are members of Wycliffe Bible Translators and will be moving to Papua, New Guinea in August to begin a translation project. Our mission is to translate the New Testament for one of the remaining 2,200 language communities in the world that do not have even one word of Scripture. We will live among the people, learn their language, and work to translate the Bible and develop literacy programs for that community. Because of God’s work through Hillside, people on the other side of the world will have access to the transforming power of God’s Word! Ryan and I pray that Hillside will continue to have a global impact for the Kingdom, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to partner with such a mission-minded body of believers.

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ.” Phil 1:3-6

Anonymous

The wife* of the leader of our Southeast Asia Church-Planting team started going to PTCC when she was in middle school, and it was there that God began to change her life. She learned about God’s heart for nations other than the USA, and she got to experience other cultures through trips offered through the youth group. She will be forever grateful for the impact those experiences had on the rest of her life:

The summer after my freshman year of high school, I went to El Porvenir, and it was then that I felt for the first time that God might be calling me to the mission field. I am so thankful for the discipleship opportunities I had that really allowed God to speak clearly to me at such a pivotal age.

She met her husband in the summer of 2002 while on a summer internship with a church-planting team in Bangkok. Now, with their two young children (and one more on the way), they lead a team that works amongst an unreached group of people in Southeast Asia. Their team’s mission: “To further the Kingdom of God by facilitating a church planting movement advanced by the power of God, the making of fruitful disciples, and helping the local church fulfill its destiny”

*Picture & names not given for security     reasons on the field.

  Mike Tucker

The people of HCC/PTCC want to watch God change lives worldwide. It is obvious because of their continued commitment to support those working overseas. In elementary school, I remember Roy Wheeler speaking of opportunities to minister in Russia. I remember the strong voice of Vincent Graham sharing how God was working in Jamaica. Before graduating high school, I had been on three Mexico mission trips with Rob Maupin. God used those initial exposures to set the foundation for missions in my life. After graduating, the church even helped me receive a Christian college education that deepened my desire to serve globally. Now my wife and I are going to plant churches in Eastern Europe. Our prayer is that the whole region will be changed by the Gospel, and that these people will devote themselves to Jesus Christ. We also pray that even now, God would be raising up more people from the church who have been changed by the Gospel and want the entire world to follow Christ!

“Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96:3

  Stacy Simpson

Sticky rice, motorbikes, and parties with students - this has been my life for the past year and a half. I have been living and working in the Southeast Asian country of Laos. During college, an organization, English Language Institute, and a country, Laos, were laid on my heart. After finishing my BA and Master’s, both in education, I left for Laos.

Currently, I am an English teacher at the National University of Laos in the capital city of Vientiane. I am also the Teacher Coordinator for the foreign teachers in our department. Basically, I am a liaison between the foreign teachers and the Lao teachers. My life in Laos revolves around pouring into the lives of my students, colleagues, and daily acquaintances - a people so enveloped in darkness, fear, and lies that the evil one has them convinced that there is no breaking free. While I reside in this darkness called Laos, I strive to be a light. The Father continues to show me daily that I am a mess and that I am hopeless. He had to take this independent, selfish, middle-class American to the other side of the world in order to make me completely rely on Him. I have heard it said that “the Father doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.”

Growing up at PTCC was a blessing. Without a doubt, the youth program was and continues to be a growing outreach to so many young people. Great youth ministers at PTCC encouraged and challenged me to live out my faith. With opportunities to work in Mexico building houses, to spending time during the summer working with kids from inner-city Dallas, PTCC allowed me to start expanding my world view. My comfort zone was widened as PTCC gave me opportunities to serve. Working at the Juvenile Detention Center with a PTCC outreach ministry gave me more of a compassionate heart toward those who suffered in a world that I couldn’t imagine. I believe that all of this was merely a preparation period for the plans the Father had for me. I am so encouraged by the growth and changes that I have heard about at PTCC/HCC. But the church is still the same. I am not talking about the location, but the people. Regardless of the building or the person sharing the Gospel on Sunday morning, HCC feels like home. It’s hard to put into words the amount of love and support I have received over the years from so many ministers and youth sponsors at PTCC. So, I want to say thank you.

There are so many people at the church who have had a great impact on my life. Keep it up! The young people at HCC are the future. Give them all of the love and support that you can and continue to push them to strive to do great work for the kingdom.

  Rachel (Greer) Parsons

Growing up at PTCC, I remember my heart being stirred for ministry all over the world as a young child who loved hearing the “Missionaries of the Week” speak at VBS and El Porvenir each summer. I literally remember my heart racing as I listened to them speak and thinking, “I hope I get to do that someday.” As I entered my teenage years, this passion was encouraged by the teaching I received at youth group and by the consistent financial support I received from PTCC. From my first CIY trip to Panama at age 15, to 8 weeks of teaching English in China as a college sophomore, this church blessed me financially and prayerfully as I went on short-term trips. And now I am living in Okazaki, Japan, with my family, serving overseas long-term with a church-planting team. We have gotten our own turn at being the “Missionaries of the Week” for VBS and El Porvenir! And we are so grateful for the financial support of HCC as we are now attending Japanese language school, building friendships, and serving together with the vision of making disciples and planting churches with Mustard Seed Global Fellowship.

  Meghan (Stitt) Bennett

I grew up at PTCC. Both my husband, Brian, and I graduated from Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, TN. My youth ministers, Rob Maupin and Scott Greer, instilled the importance of missions and ministry. To me, there was never a question about taking part in mission trips; it was a natural part of being a Christian. If there is a need, you go. The summer before my sophomore year, I felt the call to missions, and I dedicated myself to go wherever God chose to send me. Since then, I have been to Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, Albania, and the inner cities of Dallas and Chicago. I have also worked in local youth groups and with traveling Christian drama teams in the Knoxville area. Each place brought with it different problems, needs, and new friends. The main thing these places have in common is the need of salvation brought only through the blood of Jesus.

Through Kentucky Church Plant Partnership (KCPP), Brian and I are joining two other couples to plant a church in Middlesboro, KY. Middlesboro is located where the borders of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia meet. Middlesboro has a 31% poverty rate and has one of the highest youth count in Kentucky. It is a place where churches are dying because they are not reaching out to the youth. Middlesboro needs a church that provides the true Gospel in a real and relevant way.

  Luke Greer

Growing up at PTCC granted me many opportunities to experience missions first hand. My first foreign mission experience came when I was only 11, when I joined my parents as they led a trip to Haiti. A couple of years later, I was able to go to Belarus with a group from the church, just after the Iron Curtain fell. Later, in high school, I went on PTCC’s inaugural youth group work trip to Mexico, where we built houses for low-income families. Still later, in college, PTCC supported me as I interned with a mission team in Bangkok, Thailand. Each of these experiences had a cumulative impact on me that God has used to direct me to the mission field. My wife and I have been serving as missionaries to Mexico City for more than six years now. Both of our daughters, Bella and Olivia, were born there. Throughout our missionary tenure, we have developed a deep desire to see truly indigenous Christian discipleship in the people of Mexico City.

Editor’s note: Luke has been working on his Master’s degree at Wheaton and will graduate in May. The family will then return to Mexico City to begin a new church plant. Hillside will partner with Luke and Lindsey in this church plant.

  Ty Burk

PTCC/HCC played a pivotal part in my decision to become a missionary and continues to play an important role now. The conversations with Jayson French, the PTCC youth minister at the time, and interactions with other various PTCC staff and volunteers helped me along the road to salvation. It was at El Porvenir during my 11th Grade/ Graduate camp that I made the decision to live for Christ. The following Sunday, I was baptized by Rob Maupin at PTCC. While at the same camp, I also decided to dedicate my life to the ministry, and specifically, to missions. If it wasn’t for the experiences at PTCC and EPCC, I’m sure that my life would’ve turned out quite differently. Even now, while I’m building a prayer and provision team, HCC is continuing to be an influence by its decision to support me both spiritually and financially.