01 NOVEMBER, 2010

Eighth Anniversary of Outreach Israel: New Beginnings

November 1 Anniversary and Relocation Announcement:
The Cloud and Pillar of Fire Are Moving

“The human mind plans the way, but the LORD directs the steps” (Proverbs 16:9, NRSV).

Back on November 1, 2002 after serving a number of ministries in an administrative support capacity, the Lord directed Margaret and me to Jekyll Island, Georgia to seek His face and determine exactly what He wanted to do through us on the path we had chosen to serve Him. It was an extremely difficult time financially because we had four children in college and a daughter in a private Christian school, and the education bills alone were overwhelming. But since we understood the key principle that the Lord was our Provider and that we were simply His workers, we pleaded with Him to show us our next work assignment. After all, in August of 1997 when making the decision to leave the business world and follow Him, we were confronted by a Messianic Jewish Believer with this most appropriate passage of Scripture:

“As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, ‘I will follow You wherever You go.’ And Yeshua said to him, ‘The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’ And He said to another, ‘Follow Me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.’ But He said to him, ‘Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.’ Another also said, ‘I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.’ But Yeshua said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:57-62).

As noted, following Yeshua with all the cares of the world still present, is oftentimes difficult to do. But what was most challenging to consider at the time, is the reality that once you do make the commitment to fully serve Him by putting your hand to the plow of His work, the admonition that just “looking back” makes one unfit for the Kingdom of God is rather sobering. We pondered and prayed and counseled with others for about a week back in 1997, before finally knowing that we were called, and that missing this call would mean much more than an opportunity missed. Instead, it could quite possibly be avoiding the work that the Lord created and was preparing us as a family to do!

November 1st commemorates the eighth anniversary of the birth of Outreach Israel Ministries in 2002, as we sought the Father’s face, despite the great temptation for me return to commercial real estate and Margaret to her cross stitch design businesses—which in and of themselves could have potentially generated more income than the non-existent revenue we were then receiving. Somehow, in His great love for us through this tough test, we survived. It was difficult then, and there continue to be times to the present, when working for Him and living by faith can be very challenging. Yet He has always seen us through those challenges, and He continues to provide as we go about His work advancing His Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10).

With this in mind and considering the proverb quoted above, we have known for some time that the Lord was going to relocate us after our youngest daughter went off to college. For the past few years, we believed and even announced, that we thought we were going to Jacksonville, Florida. After all, being near close family and friends with perhaps the opportunity to expand our ministerial efforts, starting a Messianic Bible or Torah study that might have the potential to expand into a fellowship, just made logical sense. Those were, of course, the plans of collective minds, and as our vision for a future move was coming into focus seemed the most likely option.

However, as the proverb notes, human beings do plan their ways, but it is the Lord who is to direct our steps. For our family, even though we diligently prayed for direction and all knew that we were to relocate from Central Florida, we have found that the Almighty has a different path He has chosen to set us upon. With great clarity and joy, recognizing that it is His plan for our lives that we want to follow, we are instead relocating Outreach Israel Ministries and TNN Online to the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex. Of course in ancient times when the sojourning Israelites were wandering through their forty-year desert march, the movement of the cloud and pillar of fire came sometimes without significant warning (Exodus 13:21-22). Moses and the company of people simply packed up the Tabernacle and their respective tents, and followed the new path the Lord had tread until it stopped. In many respects we are doing a similar thing, but we do have some different challenges.

First, I have already relocated to Dallas in order to involve myself in some ministry-related projects, which will enhance His desire to advance His Kingdom. I still continue to write, speak, and fulfill my various responsibilities for Outreach Israel Ministries which you are used to. This is extremely exciting, because for years we have known that our faithful diligence to simply put together some sound materials for the Messianic perspective is being strategically positioned to bear much fruit in the 2010s. Significant numbers of evangelical Christian friends I know, from living in Dallas for twenty-two years—before our family’s twelve-year hiatus to: Honduras, Norman, Oklahoma, and Kissimmee, Florida—are seeking a noticeably deeper walk with the Messiah of Israel. They are extremely interested in the Hebraic and Jewish Roots of their faith, and various other elements of the “Old Testament.” Already, doors are opening for me to share with men’s groups and Bible studies, much of what the Lord has taught us about the foundational building blocks of our faith in the Torah, and the entire Judeo-Christian worldview.

On the other hand, our biggest challenge at this moment is selling our existing family home in Kissimmee, Florida, in a less-than-perfect real estate market. We are not financially able to buy another home until we sell our current residence, and use the equity for a down payment on another in the Dallas area. So to put it bluntly, we are once again depending on the Lord to provide not only the right buyer for our home—but also the provisions to now have an apartment in Dallas, to pay for the expenses of moving across the country, and also the additional travel required to keep our family intact. The daily and weekly work of Outreach Israel also continues. Thankfully, we have a more than faithful Heavenly Father who uses others in the Body of Messiah to partner with us in our efforts! Once again, we look to Him, fixing our eyes on Yeshua, and knowing from multiple times throughout the past thirteen years that He will and does provide.

The walk of faith—following the cloud and pillar of fire—is perhaps the most exciting way to live a life. Following the principles originally established by Abraham and continued by the followers of the Creator God down through the Apostolic era until this day, is invigorating to say the least. I not only recommend it, but Margaret and I have had the privilege of modeling this way of walking not only to our five children, but also to countless others around the globe who look to us for spiritual guidance and instruction. What a blessing it is to serve Him! What a blessing to be involved in advancing His Kingdom on Earth!

May our paths cross in the near future, and if not in Florida during this season of transition, then soon in the State of Texas!

Advancing His Kingdom, until the restoration of all things…
William Mark Huey

Outreach Israel Ministries is a tax-deductible 501(c)3 organization. Donations can be made via our website, or by phone at (407) 933-2002. You can mail a check to us at 1492 Regal Court, Kissimmee, Florida 34744