Heartchangers Partners in ministry making a difference

April 2010

Dr. Ken Rutledge, Richard Schellman, and me

Dear Ministry Partner,

A team of 28 physicians, nurses, medical students, residents , PA’s and myself just recently returned from our medical mission trip to
Tela, Honduras. And as usual, we saw God do amazing things in and through our team. During the week of our trip, we saw just over
1,200 patients. Of those, 223 men, women and children indicated decisions for Jesus Christ. Also, we had a children’s ministry team
that had access to just over 1,000 children as they were invited into 12 schools and being given the opportunity to share about Jesus.
But even as though these opportunities were incredible, they were overshadowed by the story of just one man, Richard.

Richard Schellman is an Anesthesiology PA working at Kennestone Hospital in Marietta. A couple of months before the trip, Richard
expressed interest in going on the trip with us. But there was one fact that he made very clear
to us, he wasn’t a Christian. Yes, Richard was seeking. He was going to church and was in an
study investigating Christianity. But he knew clearly that he wasn’t a Christian.

Although it is not common for a non-Christian to desire to come on an explicitly Christian medi-
cal missions team, the leaders and I agreed that he should definitely come, as long as he was
agreeable to participate fully in the mission. He was and Richard joined us.

I knew when Richard came to Honduras that he was in a process and so I didn’t push, but I did
Richard getting ready for the OR make myself continually available to talk about God...and talk we did. Throughout the week
Richard asked questions. Good questions. The extra time that we had during the week allowed
times for Richard and I to walk and talk or simply hang out on his porch and have late night conversations about Jesus. I could see as
the week moved on, Richard’s questions and concerns keeping him from Jesus were starting to melt away. But yet I didn’t know how
close he was to yielding his life and putting his faith in Jesus—until Thursday.

On Thursday evening, Richard came up to me and said, “I want to become a Christian”. Because we were just about to participate in
an evening event with the team, I told him that we would spend time later that evening to talk about how to do that, and that I would
be willing to help lead him in that decision. So later that evening, after the activities of the day had ceased, Richard and I sat on my
Villa’s back porch. While overlooking the Caribbean and listening to the breeze move through the palm branches, I led Richard in
prayer. I prayed, Richard prayed and that evening Richard put his trust and faith in Jesus Christ and became a Christian. As Richard
prayed, he wept. As we talked about it later, he said that he was overwhelmed with emotion because he was finally relieved. He had
been fighting God for so long, it was an emotional relief to finally surrender.

The next morning at breakfast, Richard shared with the whole team that he had become a Christian. There was great rejoicing. Rich-
ard joined us on our trip having kept God at arms length , but he left Honduras a changed, forgiven and freed man.

Serving Him Together, If you haven’t given in a while, would you consider giving this month a gift to
CMDA Atlanta? Your support alone makes this ministry possible. Join with us
in seeing lives, like Richard, transformed with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Also
please make sure to keep Richard in your prayers as he grows in his new faith.

CMDA Atlanta Area
1415 Mountclaire Dr. Cumming, GA 30041
(770) 350-8539 (o)
 billreichart@cmdaatlanta.org
www.cmdaatlanta.org

Thank you very much for your faithful support of this CMDA ministry.

My check is enclosed

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Bill Reichart
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Atlanta Area Director
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