I grew up in a little community in Kentucky called Ebenezer, a name taken for the Hebrew for “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us” (1 Sam. 7:12). The name was quite appropriate considering how the Lord has led in my life. I can truly say, “Hitherto by Thy help I’ve come.” Truly, our God is gracious and merciful, and I never cease to thank and praise Him for the way in which He has led.
My parents were God-fearing people. We had regular Bible reading and prayer in our home and attended church meetings regularly. My father died when I was seven years old and my mother was left with five boys to rear in the Depression years. Those were difficult times, but my mother’s faith never wavered. She was a woman of prayer and faith in God who never failed us. Yet although I had for years heard the gospel and was often under conviction, I never made a profession of faith until I was fourteen years old.
In my boyhood days I dreamed of being a pilot and read everything I could find on flying. When I turned seventeen, I begged my mother to sign for me to enter the Air Force, but she refused. As with so many young men in those days, I was drafted into the Army. After three weeks in basic training, I took pneumonia and was in the hospital for three weeks. Thus I had to join another unit to start training all over again. As a result of various delays, obviously of the Lord’s making, I arrived in the Philippines just as the war ended.
After serving two years, I was discharged and entered flight training to fulfill a life-long dream and to make a career of flying. However, just before finishing my commercial license, the Lord began to really deal with me because I was ignoring His will in my life. It was then that my godly mother said, “Son, why don’t you quit running from the Lord. Before you were born, I committed you to the Lord to preach the gospel.”
What wisdom and faith! I was twenty-two years old and she had never told me that before. In spite of my waywardness, she never ceased to pray and never gave up. How could I resist any longer? Under deep conviction I surrendered, and made a public confession of my sin to the local church. I decided to give up flying and enrolled in Bible college to prepare for the ministry.
While in college I met and married Vena Sheperson, a godly young lady who loved the Lord and had a heart for the mission field. As someone has well said, “He gives the very best to those who leave the choice with Him,” for indeed “her price is far above rubies” (Prov. 31:10). What a help-meet to me and a mother to our six children!
Upon graduation from Bible college, I was accepted as minister of a small church in central Kentucky. During those years I saw many inconsistencies in our teaching and practices. I had a difficult time justifying my position as “the minister.” After five years in that position, my wife and I were burdened to become missionaries in the Philippines and in 1958 arrived in Manila. Soon our fellowship realized the need for an airplane in our work and I was approached to be the pilot and to head up the flight program. Here the Lord had given back something I loved so much and had given over to Him.
In the flight program I made contact with many other missionaries as I was often called upon to make flights for other groups. Once I was asked to fly to the island of Palawan and bring Maisie Sutherland back to Manila. That was our first time to meet Sandy and Maisie. Len Brooks and I made a couple of flights to the U.S. Naval Base at Subic Bay on behalf of Faith Academy. We became acquainted with the Brooks, Engles, Haacks, and other missionaries at various functions.
In 1960, my coworker and I made a flight to North Borneo, now Sabah, to survey the field for possible expansion of our work. A dear old brother, G. C. Willis, in Sandakan, extended us much kindness and hospitality. From there we went to Jesselton and our contact was a member of the Tanjung Arul assembly who invited us to the meeting on the Lord’s Day. Geoffrey Bull and his wife were laboring there at the time and invited us to lunch after the meeting. After a time of fellowship, he said, “We meet this evening to remember the Lord and you brethren are welcome to meet with us.” I shall never forget that meeting. A few people were already there when we arrived, quietly seated in prayer, meditation, and reading. As the meeting got under way, I was soon aware that this is what I had seen in the Scriptures, but never in practice. It was obvious that the Holy Spirit was directing, as one brother after another led with a hymn, a prayer of praise, or shared a portion from the Word concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.
I suddenly felt at home. What a time and place for the Lord to reveal to me the precious truth concerning New Testament Church gathering. Had it not been for the flight program I would have had no reason for that trip to Borneo.
This assembly was made up of several nationalities: Burmese, Cambodian, Malaysian, Chinese, Scottish, and perhaps others. I’ve often referred to this meeting as a bit of heaven on earth as it was a mini-picture of Revelation 5, “For Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”
We learned a great deal from that trip to Borneo, but to me it was God’s gracious way of showing me a true New Testament gathering. I came back to the Philippines with a new vision and purpose and began to put some of these truths into practice in our work on Mindoro Island.
Upon our return to the US in 1966, we could no longer continue in the same church fellowship, so we moved to Houston, Texas, where we found happy fellowship with the assemblies there. For fourteen years I worked for the J. C. Penney Co. to support my family, all the while ministering to assemblies in Houston, Manvel, Beaumont, Golden, and occasionally at San Antonio and Austin.
Some efforts had been made to establish an assembly testimony in eastern Kentucky, but nothing ever took root. There was only one assembly in the whole state, meeting in the home of Dick and Phyllis Reetzke in Louisville, so Vena and I prayed almost daily for fourteen years that the Lord would raise up a testimony right in the center of the state. In 1981 we heard of three families in Lexington who were interested in establishing an assembly. In 1982 we were commended by the assembly in Manvel, Texas, to the work in Lexington. Today there is a small, but lively assembly there that is going on well for the Lord. He has also raised up another assembly at Owensboro, KY. Pray for these assemblies.
In January of this year my wife and I returned to the Philippines to labor as the Lord directs. We can truly say again, “Hitherto by Thy help we’ve come.” Brethren, pray for us that we may have the health, strength, and wisdom to see some fruitful years for the Lord in this country.
Harold and Vena Preston
PO Box 652, Greenhills
1502 Metro Manila
PHILIPPINES
E-mail: [email protected]