Hendleys -- The Next Generation

Let the historians note that it was around 3:30 central time that she got her first glimpse of mom, dad and the outside world. Lylah Tove (which means Good, Blessed, or Beautiful Night) Hendley was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, greeted by her father Andrew, thrust into her new environment by her mother, Meredith, attended by her aunt Sarah, and cheered by her aunt Hannah. And the angels sang, and western Pennsylvania rejoiced.

The statistics…. 8 lbs even, 20 inches, labor lasted a dozen hours, went smoothly. Sarah Beth, who is now a labor and delivery nurse, was on hand to guide the process. Hannah, who now lives just over an hour away, was the main cheerleader. Meredith’s parents get the first grandparental rights. Then Sept.2 Dan, Beth and Sharon fly in to join the party. So, that is our big news, but there is more…

We are approaching the end of our fourth month in Pittsburgh and things are going well. There have been many adjustments to life in our new community and at North Park Church, but the attendance at worship is strong, and we see many encouraging things in our congregation. Tonight we have our first visitors dinner and the first North Park Encounter is just three weeks away.

Our summer has been fun, busy, and much cooler than usual. Beth and Sharon have been to a family reunion in Michigan and to a Joni and Friends Family Retreat in eastern PA where they cared for some children with disabilities and their families. Dan’s mission was further south, as he returned to Florida for a quick trip to drive Hannah and her worldly possessions to her new home in Mississippi. The kids report continues below…

Sharon has enjoyed her summer here, quickly jumped into ministry, has developed some good friendships, and delights in the different natural offerings of her new home. The Lord has provided a position for her, working at an organic bakery called Loafers (they grind all their grains to make wholseome breads and sandwiches) which is owned by dear North Park members. She continues to look at schooling options for January, when she will have gained in-state residency and can return to college at reasonable expense.

Hannah now lives in Canton, MS, which is NE of Jackson. She is the house-mom for a crisis pregnancy home and is also presently employed at an upscale Italian restaurant . She thinks she has already found a church home in the Jackson area and is looking forward to being the world’s greatest auntie. Her parents are especially pleased that Hannah has seen fit to move her world to MS, where she can not only continue to build and love the life God has given her, but also help care for our new grandbaby and keep us all supplied with wonderful pictures of baby Lylah and her family.

Sarah Beth remains in Orlando, working as a nurse and pursuing her master’s toward being a nurse practitioner (Lord willing, she will graduate May 2010) in the field of pediatric oncology. She is also happy about the Lord’s provision of a church closer to home and is pursuing meaningful service and relationships at City Church downtown Orlando. But she still misses her departed family and friends, as they have moved away in a mass exodus these past several months. We praise God that He is good, even when His calling sometimes means painful loss, and we are humbled to see the way He is providing through His loving Spirit and presence in Sarah’s life.

Andrew and Meredith have a great little home in Brookhaven. He is heavy into youth ministry now and excited about the challenges and privileges of fatherhood. He and Meredith have made a sweet bungalow in which to welcome their little treasure, and many others, as they love to open their home for the purpose of practicing hospitality, and boy, are they going to get those opportunities galore in the next weeks, as their excited extended families come to share in the joy of Lylah’s birth on planet Earth. We think they are going to be the best parents ever!

Dan and Beth have enjoyed having visitors to our new home. Dick and Barb Burkhart came from Arizona, Stephanie Rasbach and Janet Olsen from Palm Bay, Beth’s brother from DC. Randy and Judy Miller are coming up to bring us some more of our stuff, (thanks Millers even tho we will be gone when you arrive)
We are looking forward to hosting a PA Thanksgiving with Beth’s extended family and a Hendley Christmas with all of our children and baby Lylah too.

Thanks for reading our latest report and praying us thru all the exciting changes in our lives. We have watched and wondered at the ways of our gracious God. His wisdom is beautiful to us and we rejoice in the choices our Father has made for us! More than terrific children, a fine church, and one sweet grandbaby, we find our life centered on the love of God which we have found in Jesus and His gospel.

PA Now

It has been a long time in coming, but the Hendleys are now settled or settling into both new home and church in the North Hills of Pittsburgh.

The last week in April, Dan and Beth drove north for our first Sunday as pastor of North Park Church. Beth then returned to Florida to continue her labors for the Latta family and to begin the packing process. Dan lived the first four weeks in Pittsburgh with two families from North Park, but spent most of his time in his new office.

On May 27, a team of around 30 friends gathered to pack the big Uhaul, which was not quite big enough. We so appreciate the great work and attitudes from so many on that day. But, the truck wasn’t quite up to the task and some things had to be left behind. We are trying to figure out how to bring more up here as inexpensively as possible. John and Janice Prentice joined Beth for the trip north, leaving on May 29 and arriving at our new home in Wexford at 4pm on May 30, just in time for a team of 20 or so new friends to help us unpack the truck. We were so blessed on both ends of the project. Finally, we were together in our new place… Dan, Beth, Sharon and the puppies. Also, with us for the unpacking and the installation service which followed were: Beth’s mom, her brother Clay, Marion Leggett and her sister Gail, Bruce and Elena Lewis (CPC 80s), plus a surprise visit from the Malson family (CPC in the 90s) who drove 6 hours from Ohio for the day. It was an awesome Sunday sharing it with friends both new and old.

From there we have faced boxes, boxes and more boxes. Our house is wonderful. We purchased a townhome with a finished basement and two upper floors. It is in a beautiful spot and is great for guests who will have their own suite downstairs. It easily handles four. Soooo… we welcome you to plan your trip to come see us. It is a 16 hour drive from Palm Bay, but much quicker if you fly Southwest or Airtran from Orlando to Pittsburgh.

What is ahead for us this summer? Dan will work hard at forging quality relationships with church leaders. Beth will work hard at making a new home. Sharon will work hard at establishing new friends, contributing to our church’s summer camp, and figuring out her work and educational future. Beth and Sharon both plan a trip to Michigan in late July and a week at a Joni and Friends Camp in early August. Dan and Beth will also attend the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in late June.

In other Hendley news….. Andrew and Meredith have relocated to Brookhaven, Mississippi where Andrew has begun to serve Faith Presbyterian Church as youth director. Baby Lylah is coming in August!! Sarah Beth continues her nursing and studies in Orlando while saying many hard farewells. Hannah is living in temporary quarters in Palm Bay, working at Pregnancy Resouces and considering job opportunities in Huntsville, Alabama and Jackson, MS.

Our Florida home has not sold, but will be rented for, at least, a year by Jeff/Heather Myers and their two young daughters. Jeff is the upper-school principal at CCS.

For those wanting to check up on Dan’s preaching, or Pastor’s Corners or Did You Knows…. Try the website of North Park at www.northparkepc.org…. the site is undergoing some renovation, so if it doesn’t work right away try again later.

Contact info has changed quite a bit. Here is all you need to know.

Address:
306 Forest Edge Court
Wexford, PA 15090

Home phone – 724-759-7039
Dan’s cell – 724-719-1197
Church phone – 412-367-5000 ext 222
Beth’s cell is same – 321-960-7668
Sharon’s cell - 321-749-8430

New email for Dan is danhendley @northparkepc.org

We believe the Lord has led us here and we are trusting in His wisdom and goodness. We have seen with remarkable views the way our Savior has loved us thru you and many other friends. We are overwhelmed by God’s goodness and by the care of friends and family like you. Thank you for your prayers and support. They are still needed as we begin our mission in the North Hills in the hopes that the knowledge of Jesus will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

In the love of Christ,

Dan/Beth Hendley

Painting Pictures of Egypt...

Its rare that I feel like I really relate to old testament bible characters and probably even more rare that I run to those stories to glean hope for my life. But the past week, a song by Sara Groves has replayed over and over in my mind because it speaks so well to where I’m at in my own life. It’s a song describing the heart of the Israelites when they had left Egypt and were in the middle of wandering around the desert searching for the Promised Land. If I had been one of them I’m sure I would have been apart of the grumbling and desperate people looking back at Egypt, ignoring the reasons why they had left, and instead pleading to go back to that place of comfort and familiarity.

This weekend our family got together to say goodbye to each other and to the only home we have ever known. A place that is so apart of me that it is impossible for another person to really know me unless they are able to grasp where it is that I’ve come from. And in this time of closing a chapter to allow us to walk into the next, I could sense the doubting Israelite coming out in me. How I long for days past! My heart aches to relive certain moments and go back to a time when life was without disruption and change. God has clearly called my family out of our own Egypt; and if I’m being really honest, I have to tell you… wandering in the wilderness is no fun. It has been a season of loss, confusion, grief, anger, and many tears. I don’t get what God is doing on most days. I’ve done my fair share of pleading to go back to the way things were. But the incredible thing about being a child of God and signing up to follow Him wherever He leads is that He doesn’t bring us through the wilderness so we can have a good time, He does it to make us holy. And I’m finding that His process of refining us ( not usually what I would have had in mind ) is what leads to His ultimate glory and my indescribable joy. I love this quote from Frederick Buechner that says “To be commanded to love God at all let alone in the wilderness, is like being commanded to be well when we are sick, to sing for joy when we are dying of thirst, to run when our legs are broken. But this is the first and great commandment nonetheless. Even in the wilderness-especially in the wilderness-you shall love Him.”

My future, like the words in this song, can at times seem hard and is still filled with many unknowns for the Hendley family. But I know that there is incredible hope in trusting that the God who led us out of one place and into the wilderness is the same God who will take us into our Promised Land for His glory and our good. What incredible things He has taught us during our time of wandering and I, for one, can’t wait to see what He’s going to do as we cease looking back and instead strain ahead and “Press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”


I don’t want to leave here I don’t want to stay It feels like pinching to me either way The places I long for the most Are the places where I’ve been They are calling after me like a long lost friend

It’s not about losing faith It’s not about trust It’s all about comfortable When you move so much The place I was wasn’t perfect But I had found a way to live It wasn’t milk or honey But then neither is this

I’ve been painting pictures of Egypt Leaving out what it lacked The future seems so hard And I want to go back But the places that used to fit me Cannot hold the things I"ve learned And those roads closed off to me While my back was turned

The past is so tangible I know it by heart Familiar things are never easy to discard I was dying for some freedom But now I hesitate to go Caught between the promise And the things I know

If it comes too quick I may not recognize it Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?If it comes too quick I may not appreciate it Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?

tender mercies

On Sunday, March 15, the congregation of North Park Church in Wexford, PA voted to call Dan as Sr. Pastor. After much prayer and seeking of the Lord’s will, we were able to accept this strong call soon after the vote was taken. So, Lord willing, the Hendleys will be moving sometime this Spring… Thank you so much for your support and prayers. More info below.

** North Park (www.northparkepc.org) is a congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The EPC is a young denomination comprised of churches that have sought to avoid the unbelief of the mainline Presbyterian body, or, in some cases, the theological rigidity of the PCA or OPC. North Park Church is located on the southwest corner of an enormous park north of Pittsburgh. Average attendance is about 450. A wonderful body comprised of some very faithful folk!
** Dan did not apply to North Park, but we are so very humbled that he was recommended by Mike Glodo, RTS professor, who preached at Covenant in Fall of 2006. We have been in process with their fine search team since September.
** We visited the church and the community in December and January, experiencing serious winter weather on both occasions. And, yes, we know it’s cold there. No, we don’t know how we will handle it, except for the Lord’s equipping grace.
** Dan still faces a presbytery exam on April 25 before he begins his official duties; thankfully no cause for concern on that front.
** We hope to move late April, but, if we buy a home, new mortgage rules may restrict us from closing until late May, which could keep Beth local until then.
** Our home here is for sale, but we are looking now more seriously at renting vs selling. It is a 4 bedroom, multi-bath home in a fabulous location. If you would send potential renters and buyers our way, we would be very grateful.
** We have not landed on a home up there, but we had a busy weekend looking and are making progress. If we don’t sell here ASAP we are facing some strain in getting together a down payment, so we are looking once again to the Lord’s provision on our behalf, and He has been so faithful to do just that.
** We are excited and scared, grieved (to be leaving) and greatly encouraged all at the same time.
** Sharon will be going with us and looking for school and work opportunities. Sarah stays in Orlando for now. Andrew has accepted a call to be youth pastor at a PCA church in Brookhaven, Mississippi. He will be moving there right after he and Meredith graduate from RTS on May 22. Meredith is due in August with our first GRANDBABY (How good is our God!). Hannah is still searching for a job and a location. Lots of fuel for praise and prayer in all of that!
** Beth’s mother will continue to live in West Melbourne but we plan on lots of visits from her. Dan’s mom remains in Ocala. It is hard for us to go far away from each of these special ladies.
** Beth will be gradually handing off her duties with the Latta family to Krista Moyer and other aids.
** We find ourselves overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s new provision and for the amazing and wonderful life in Brevard county which we have enjoyed these last 27 years. We are magnificently rich in friends and memories, but especially in the kindness of our Lord.

A neat story below for those who have time to keep reading….
After visiting with North Park leaders and staff in mid-January we faced a critical point in the process. Their search team was ready to recommend Dan to the church and the presbytery. Were we ready to move forward to be their candidate?? We spent a long weekend getting to know their leadership and understanding the church. Our intention was to respond by end of day, Sunday, January 25, and, frankly, we were uncertain. On Sunday morning January 25, Dan was slated to preach at a tiny (20 people) church plant, meeting at a school, in south Orlando. Tom Doran was supplying the music that Sunday. Among the first to arrive was a visiting couple. The wife recognized Dan from her days at Belhaven College in Jackson, MS. She had worked at RTS Jackson and married a seminarian – her husband Ron. Ron, it turns out, had pastored an EPC church in Brooksville the previous 16 years, at a church to which Dan had applied. We inquired about his ministry history prior to Brooksville. He had been in Butler, PA, north of Pittsburgh. We asked if he was familiar with the EPC work in Wexford. He said, “Oh yes! North Park. North Park is a great church!” We explained that their committee had selected dan to be their candidate for pastor, to which he responded, “Take it!” He and his wife (a Tampa girl) went on to tell us we would love it there. We just kind of stared in amazement at the ways of our God. Twenty people in this church! And in walks this couple who said to us afterwards, “God sent us here today for you two.” We believe that.
We also believe the Lord had a special purpose in the trials and the endurance of the last 28 months. We have learned so very much which we are eager to apply in ministry for the glory of our Savior, who is worthy of our absolute devotion, and in whom we place our trust as we make this move.


His and your grateful servants, Dan and Beth

Latest

Click on the Link to Andrew and Meredith's blog to see the latest Hendley news!

Run 4 My Boys

~Run 4 My Boys~

I have been asked several times why I run marathons. The simple answer to that question is that I run them… because I can. On days like today, when I sit at a funeral service for a 17 yr old boy who battled leukemia for over 3 yrs, I feel guilty. Why God allowed me to survive cancer and chose to take home so many of the kids that I came to love on the Oncology floor is something that I don’t think I’ll fully grasp until eternity. These kids have inspired me to do great things with my life, they’ve given me a gratitude for the small things, and they’ve put into perspective the unimportant things that just don’t matter.

On March 1st, my friend Carly and I will be running the Gasparilla Marathon. While this started out as just another running endeavor, we feel that we could not lose this opportunity to run with a greater purpose. We will be dedicating every 26.2 miles to 3 boys who have touched our lives and ask that you come along side us and enable us to raise funds for Parker’s Pals, an organization started by Aaron and Jamie Underwood which assists families who have young children walking through a cancer diagnosis. Please take a few moments to read their stories and consider how you might be a blessing to similar families facing cancer.

Camden Kibler: Camden was one of the youngest patients I’ve taken care of at APH. He was diagnosed with AML, a very aggressive leukemia, at only 5 months of age. From the first day that I took care of him, I developed a bond with his parents, Stephen and Jannae. From the get go of Camden’s diagnosis, they were ready to fight with all they had and their attitude and love for everyone around them made me look forward to coming to work every day so we could get rid of the cancer invading Camden. Its amazing how many lives he touched in such a few months of living; Camden passed away on August 5th, 2008 in the arms of his loving mother. For more on Camden’s story you can visit www.camdensjourney.com

Parker Underwood: Parker also was diagnosed with AML at 19 months of age and won the record at APH for longest stay. During that time, everyone on our floor fell in love with Parker and the entire Underwood family. Parker could bring tears to your eyes in the way he would still say “please” and “thank you” in the sweetest voice even on his worst days. I had a special connection with Aaron and Jamie because I soon found out that they were also Christians. I was so grateful for the light that they shed on the oncology floor. Even after Parker passed away, they pointed to Jesus Christ as their hope and strength in the midst of very dark circumstances. Jamie has worked very hard to start Parker’s Pals and has reached out to many families who are facing cancer. Parker’s sites and story are www.parkeru.org and www.parkerspals.org

Sabastian Marquez: Sabastian was one of the first kids I ever took care of as a new nurse. Sabastian had the same type of leukemia I had and we formed an instant friendship over a common bond. Sabastian went into remission and was doing very well before he relapsed with a new form of leukemia, AML. He went on to receive a Bone Marrow Transplant. He did great for awhile and was so happy to live a normal teenager life, making plans for his future. Unfortunately, he relapsed again. This past Tuesday, I held his hand as he struggled to breath and told him I loved him and would tell everyone I knew about him. Tears rolled down both our faces as I sang him the song I used to sing with my dad while getting procedures, “ I cast all my cares upon You, I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet. And when I don’t know what else to do, I will cast all my cares upon You.” That night, I watched Sabastian take his last breath and go home to the One he had put his trust and faith in. His website is www.thafuzz.org

My heart breaks wishing that Camden could have grown up to play baseball and maybe even become a firefighter like his dad, and I wish Payton and Paige Underwood would be able to grow up playing with their brother, and I wish Sabastian could have realized his dream of becoming a doctor. But I know that God has and will continue to use their lives to bless others. These 3 boys are why I continue to run and why I am asking for your support. I understand everyone’s budgets are being pulled in a hundred different directions right now so all we are asking is for each donor to give $26, one dollar for every mile we will run. The gifts are tax deductible and will go completely to Parker’s Pals. Checks can be made to Parker’s Pals and please put Run 4 My Boys in the Memo Line.
Checks can be mailed to:
Parker’s Pals
685 Winterberry Trail
Deland, FL 32724

OR You can also donate online using PayPal at www.parkerspals.org

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!

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