Meet the Heaths

Robby, Tegwen, Vesper & Vernon Heath

Reports

Brochure

Brief Bio

Robby was born and raised in Grants Pass, Oregon by Christian parents who encouraged him to live a life devoted to God. Robby was convinced God called him to be a missionary when Vernon Anderson spoke about missionaries as the missing link in God’s redemptive plan for mankind.

Tegwen was born and raised in Kenya and considers herself blessed to be raised by parents who were passionate about evangelism and mission.

Robby and Tegwen met at Grace Bible College and later married and settled in Indianapolis where their son, Vernon, was born. In 2014 they moved back to Oregon to help out Robby's home Grace church in Grants Pass. They became worship leaders and Robby helped out when needed with preaching and teaching.

The Heaths felt God’s call to the mission field in 2015. They applied as short-term missionaries with TCM and spent the 2016-2017 school year studying and teaching at TCM’s Bible Institute in Tagum City, Philippines.

In March, their son, Rowen, was born with a rare heart disorder requiring emergency open heart surgery at one week of age. Rowen died three weeks later but not before touching many lives with his story.

Despite grieving this tremendous loss, Robby and Tegwen remain determined to share the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ with others. They look forward to serving Jesus Christ as part of TCM-Kenya.

Robby and Tegwen Heath have a rich missionary heritage. Robby is the grandson of TCM missionaries to the Philippines, Bill & Eunice Heath. Tegwen is the grand-daughter of TCM’s first missionaries, Vernon & Darlene Anderson, and daughter of TCM missionaries and International Director, Ben & Joyce Anderson.

Dates

Vernon

Vesper

Nov. 21, 2012

Robby & Tegwen Heath

Missionary Candidates

Read Robby & Tegwen's February 2019 Newsletter here.

May 2018

Dear Family and Friends,

Here in Kenya we are celebrating Labor Day! All the government offices as well as banks are closed today to honor those who work very hard to make this country succeed. I was reminded of the work that each one of us does for the sake of our Lord Jesus. Even though it often may feel like the work we do is pointless, be encouraged that work done for the Lord Jesus is not in vain. Paul encourages us in 1 Corinthians 15:58 to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

April has been very busy and hectic and I’d like to share with you some highlights. I have had the privilege of preaching at 4 different churches, teaching 3 courses at the Bible school and attending 2 weddings. We know that this busyness is not in vain because we are laboring for our Creator.

God’s strength in the midst of our weakness

The last weekend of March I taught two 6 hour days on Church history. By the weekend I was very tired and ready for a break and then Reverend Titus informed me that I would be preaching at a church in Githurai, Kenya. We entered the church and found the members huddled together in prayer. About 15 minutes into the service a mother and her three elementary age girls walked in. During the testimony time this mother, Joyce, stood up and told the congregation that she felt led to come to the service because she knew she was lost and needed a Savior. Right then and there Reverend Titus gave her the whole salvation message and she prayed to receive Christ as her personal Savior! God is good!

I entered the church weary but when I saw God working I was revived and ready to give my sermon. I preached on 2 Corinthians 6:1 and encouraged the congregation to work together to reach the lost for Christ. Since I had the opportunity to preach to a new Christian I finished with the encouragement that we are a new creation and that the love of Christ compels us to live for Him. I praise God that He shows His strength even when we are weak!

Teaching Teachers

One of our primary goals for being here in Kenya is to help establish the residential Bible school. We are now in the process of building two classrooms as well as office space which will enable us to expand the training ministry in Kenya. While construction is ongoing we continue to train leaders through the Grace Pastoral Training. The week of the 14th we filled our little classroom with 9 students and even had to find more tables. The 49 hours of instruction was split 3 ways. I taught 7 hours on basic Dispensational study and 7 hours on Bible Doctrine. I am now mentoring three of the students and am blessed that they are eager to learn and to teach others.

Two of the men at the training live in Western Kenya where they just planted a Church. They are putting their training into practice and are already teaching classes on doctrine and mentoring young Christians. We praise God for their commitment in the ministry.

Prayer Requests

We are so grateful for all of the opportunities we have here in Kenya! God is working and changing peoples lives! Here are a couple of things you can bring before the Lord:

We are in need of a car that we can use for the ministry. We praise the Lord for the Land Rover, but it is an old truck and is continually in need of repair. We need only $2,000 more before we can purchase a vehicle.

Praise the Lord that the ministry trip to Western Kenya was a success! Nearly 20 people gave their life to Christ

Praise the Lord that God is working through Grace Bible Church of Kenya to reach out to the lost.

December 2018

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for sticking with us during the past couple of months as we have been preparing for our assignment to South Africa. I wanted to send out a quick update on our Visa application process. Since early October we have been waiting on the South African government to approve some registration paperwork. On Friday we received word that it was incomplete and needs to be resubmitted with the needed modifications. Please pray that the paperwork will be processed quickly with no further set-backs.

This means that we will need to wait another 2-3 weeks till we can apply for our Visa which takes 2 weeks to process. We are looking at definitely being here for the holidays and possibly not getting the Visa till January. Please pray that we can remain focused on Him and not on the earthly problems. Thanks for your continued love and prayers!

November 2018

Dear Family and Friends,

I trust you and your family are doing well. We recently returned from a month and a half of traveling throughout the South West. It was a special privilege to meet so many people who are excited about what God is doing in their lives and around the world.

The application process for the South African visa is quite frustrating and time consuming. We are awaiting paperwork from South Africa and a background check from the FBI. Once we receive these documents we must fly to Los Angeles and apply for the visa in person at the consulate. We will buy the tickets for South Africa once we have our visa. Each item on the checklist has proven to only be the beginning of a rabbit trail. We are hanging on for the ride though and we are excited for what God has for us along the way.

One of the requirements is a chest X-ray for Tegwen and I to rule out tuberculosis. At our appointment Vesper was making eye contact and smiling at each person in the waiting room. This gave me the opportunity to chat with a man named Pronob, an Indian American with a wonderful testimony of how he came to know Jesus Christ. We talked for awhile about God's desire for us to be His ambassadors here in the world. Before we left he prayed with me and gave me a big hug! God is so good and it is wonderful to experience those unplanned meetings with His children.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for us that we will have patience while we wait and open eyes to see God's leading each and every day.

September 2018

Dear Family and Friends,

We are over half way through our final deputation trip before we leave for South Africa, which is only 3 months away! We have been hosted by 12 families in 3 1/2 weeks! This has been an incredible opportunity to reconnect with family and friends, make new friends and grow our support team. We are deeply humbled by the generosity and love we've seen in the body of Christ for missions. We are also refreshed and motivated by the time we've spent with brothers and sisters who are working hard for the Lord and for others.

Prayer Requests:

We have another 3 weeks of traveling to go and many more people to see in Texas, Arizona and California. Let me share a couple of prayer requests with you:

Answers to Prayer:

God has been very good to us!
Here are a couple of praises that we would like to share with you:

July 2018

TCM UPDATE RE: ROBBY & TEGWEN HEATH

The Directors of Things to Come Mission are excited to have Robby & Tegwen Heath serve as missionaries in South Africa! The Heaths are ready and eager to go; however, we have delayed their departure until their future TCM co-workers, Dean and Sheba Padayhag, arrive back in South Africa. The Padayhags are currently visiting churches and supporters in the U.S. They return to the Philippines November 9th, to apply for their visas to South Africa. If all goes as planned, they expect to be back in South Africa by the last week in November.

Our desire is that the Heaths' arrival and adjustment to South Africa be as smooth as possible. The Padayhags have served there for 9 years, and we believe having them there to receive the Heaths is the best way to initiate Robby and Tegwen and their kids into life and ministry in South Africa. The TCM work in South Africa is also going through restructuring and personnel changes over the next few months. Rather than have the Heaths arrive in the midst of a transition, we want them to start out with the new structure in place.

We are pleased that Robby & Tegwen are engaged in active ministry in their home church in Grants Pass, OR while they wait. We encourage you to implement or maintain your partnership with them through prayer and/or financial support. If you have any questions or require clarification about the Heath's status or prospective ministry in South Africa, please don't hesitate to contact us.

The TCM Directors
Don Sommer, Executive Director
Ben Anderson, International Director
Valerie Wynalda, Office Administrator
Email: valerie@tcmusa.org

April 2018

Dear Family and Friends,

Thanks everyone for keeping us in your prayers during our 3 day trip from Michigan to Grants Pass, OR. We only made it 4 hours the first day due to the snow and ice on the roads. We made up for it the next day with a 13.5 hour drive. Vernon slept a good part of the trip and was able to start feeling better by the last day of driving. God’s creation is truly a wonderful thing to behold! In the last 3 months we have been all over the USA and we are all so blessed to live in such a beautiful country.

Thanks again for all your prayers and encouragement.

God Bless,

Robby Heath

April 2018

Dear Family and Friends,

We are just finishing up three months of travel where we put about 15,000 miles on the mission car. We have met so many wonderful people and are thankful to see how God is working in their lives. At each church we shared how God has been working in us in the midst of our grief and what He has called us to do. It has been nearly a year since our son Rowen was transferred to his heavenly home and we thank God for the life He does give and the eternal life that He offers.

Our grandma Darlene Anderson wrote an article in the Spring edition of the International Harvest where she talks about the loss of their eldest daughter while they were missionaries:
“We faced our toughest test in April, 1959. Laurel, who always joined the youth & loved to sing, requested Lord, I’m Coming Home at the meeting in front of the school. One week later she transferred to her heavenly home after 3 days of meningitis without good medical care. It was our turn to believe what we preached: resurrection is real.”

On Easter we are once again reminded of what God has done for us and how that affects the way we live our lives. According to the Scriptures, Christ died on the cross for our sins, was buried and was raised back to life after three days. What if that had never happened? The Apostle Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins... But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:17, 20).

We serve a living Savior and He has a plan for our lives. Paul said, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). In his next letter to the Corinthian church he says, “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised” (5:15). As Christians we must live for God and not grow weary in serving Him. God has called us to share His gospel with the world in the good times and in the bad.
Thank you for partnering with us as we prepare to proclaim the gospel in South Africa!

- Our drive from Minneapolis to Grants Pass, OR starting this morning.
- Vernon has been sick with a fever. Pray that he will get over it soon.
- Our daughter is due the first week of May and we are so excited to welcome her to our family.
- Visa applications
- Raising the remainder of our financial support.
- God’s help while we grieve the loss of our son
- American churches will partner with international missionaries
- Preparation of the hearts in South Africa
- God’s direction in ministry

November 2017

Dear Family and Friends,

“Maybe just asking people like, “are you a christian? Or not?””
We are so grateful to God for our health and safety throughout these busy months. Our family and friends have been such a blessing to us and we are so fortunate to have them our lives. There are so many things to be grateful for this year and Vernon identified the most important one. We must be thankful for the Body of Christ and do all that we can to increase its size. Last month our family had the privilege of visiting 7 churches in the Pacific Northwest and fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Thank you all for welcoming us into your churches, homes and family restaurants. God is good and is using each of you to spread the Gospel in your communities.

This summer was spent with family and friends and we were able to strengthen physically and emotionally from our recent hardship. The next two months were much busier and crazier. In September we drove from Oregon to Banff, Canada for the wedding of Tegwen’s cousin. I was continually amazed at God’s creation and how blessed we are to be His children! We serve a mighty and an awesome God. The rest of September was spent preparing ourselves for the missionary conferences that were to begin in October. I attended a training in Colorado Springs on the art of story telling as it relates to Bible teaching.

The first missionary conference was held at my home church in Grants Pass, Oregon. It was wonderful to begin the month at home since we are so new and inexperienced at presenting our story to a large group of people. After Grants Pass, we went to Berean Bible Church in Spokane, Mountain View Bible Church in Post Falls, Cascade Mountain Bible Church in Leavenworth, Berean Bible Church in Shoreline, Northwest Bible Church in Enumclaw and Grace Bible Church in Port Orchard. It was a hectic, yet blessed, time for our family to be traveling to so many churches and staying at so many homes. Now that we are home in Oregon we are already missing our new friends in the churches as well as the missionaries that we traveled with. God truly blesses us through the Body of Christ and

I am so happy to be a part of the family of God.
We will spend November and December here in Grants Pass to serve in the church and enjoy family time. I am working part time with a man from church who is renovating a house he just purchased. We will begin traveling again after Christmas starting with a trip to Florida, Alabama and Arizona. Please continue to pray for us as we seek to make the most of every opportunity with our family, work and ministry.

Thank you for your partnership in the furtherance of the Gospel. Let us glorify God in everything we think, do and say.

July 2017

Dear Family and Friends,

I trust you are doing well. We have some exciting news to share with you. I am happy to announce that the leadership of Things to Come Mission has assigned us as missionaries to South Africa. We will be joining Dean and Sheba Padayhag in their church planting ministry. Our plan is to work alongside the Padayhag's in training young people in the Bible School, and partnering with them in growing the local churches. We will involve ourselves in Bible Studies throughout the week, weekend Bible School and Church.

We are very excited to see what God has for us in the coming years of ministry. Thank you for your continued support of us throughout the summer months while we give ourselves an opportunity to heal from our recent loss. The resting will soon be over as we have a very busy year planned out as we raise our support and partner with the U.S. Grace Churches.

This fall we will be visiting Churches in the Pacific Northwest, we’re visiting the south and southeast this winter and next spring we will speak to congregations in Michigan and the Northeast. In June and July of 2018 we will attend Grace Theological Center for Missions in Mindanao, Philippines which will help prepare us for the ministries ahead.

We will arrive in South Africa at the beginning of August 2018 to begin our ministry with the churches. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to grieve, that we will have safe travel this next year and that we will be able to jump right into the Lord’s ministry when we get to South Africa.

April 2017

Dear Family and Friends,

I trust you and your family are doing well and that God is using you mightily. It is my prayer for you that God will bless you as you seek to follow God’s calling in your life.

In March I sent an email out to inform everyone that we welcomed our second child into this world. Rowen Liberty was born on March 9, 2017 in Davao, Philippines and seemed to be as healthy as any other newborn. A lot has happened between then and now and I want to fill you in on some of the details. The midwife at the birthing clinic was concerned about Rowen’s breathing and she recommended we take him to the Davao Doctors Hospital to get it checked out. The doctor gave him the diagnosis of pneumonia after a lung x-ray and we were admitted in the Tagum Doctors Hospital to be closer to our house. We stayed the night there but after consulting with Dr. Hope, Tegwen’s aunt who is an ICU doctor in St. Louis, we concluded that Rowen was not receiving the care that he needed.

We returned to Davao Doctors Hospital and they correctly diagnosed him with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) which is a rare congenital heart defect. Newborns with HLHS require surgery within the first week in order to survive so we arranged to fly to Philippine Heart Center in Manila the next morning. We were provided with the best healthcare that the Philippines had to offer and even with that the surgeon only gave Rowen a 50% chance of survival.

When Rowen was one week old he went in for his open heart surgery and then was transferred to the Surgical ICU. He stayed there for 3 weeks and Tegwen was able to see him almost every day. This was a hard time for us because our son was in the hospital but we were able to continue ministry. We were surrounded by the friends and family of the patients at the hospital who were often sad, broken hearted, scared and confused. We took every opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them. One time I shared the gospel with a group of 6 individuals who were unsaved catholics. I encouraged them to question the traditions of the church and to realize that they need Jesus and not religion. Another time I told a mother and father that physical death is a fact of life and cannot be stopped but that Jesus wanted to save their souls from eternal death. We were blessed to be able to rent an apartment and began to visit the TCM churches in Manila because we had to plan for Rowen to be in the hospital for a long time. Our plans for going on the mission field full time were put on hold as we focused on the ministry that we could do in and around the hospital. This was a very bad situation in life that God was able to use for His glory (Romans 8:28).

Rowen’s condition worsened as he approached his one month birthday and we were forced to face the reality that he might not survive. He had contracted an infection and his health was steadily declining. On April 7th Tegwen, her parents and I were able to spend a combined 5 hours with him where we sang, prayed, told him stories and witnessed to the nurses. At 3 AM on April 8th Tegwen and I held Rowen’s hands and sang to him as he died.

All of our plans again had to change. We spent the next five days grieving and trying to plan for our future. God is good and he used the members of the Things to Come Mission churches here in Manila to comfort us in our time of need. Our friends from around the world sent their condolences along with encouragements to stay the course and to do the ministry that God has for us.

With everything that happened to us we know that we cannot abandon God’s purpose for our lives. We have assurance that we will see Rowen again heaven which helps us as we look to our future. There are those people who don’t have this hope of heaven and we are motivated to share it with them. We have been called to take the Word of God to people who have never heard the good news of the Grace of God.

Tegwen, Vernon and I will be returning to the USA on the 29th of April to spend the summer with my family and friends in Oregon. While we are there we will be working in the local Grace Church as well as some of the Christian ministries around the area. We are applying to Things to Come Mission to become full time missionaries and would ask you to pray for wisdom for us and for the board.

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support for us as we fought for Rowen’s life. As of now we have received all the money needed for the medical bills as well as the airfare to the USA. It was a wonderful thing to see first hand how the Body of Christ from around the world came together to help another member who was in need. We look forward to spending some time with you this next year as we prepare for the mission field.

December 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go..." is a funny song to hear come on the radio while the blazing sun beats down and palm trees sway in the breeze. This is our first "winter" in the tropics and it certainly takes some getting used to. We pray that wherever this Christmas finds you, that you are enjoying it with friends and family and remembering the God of the universe who came to Earth as a baby 2000 years ago. Jesus came to seek and save the lost and to reconcile the world to Himself. "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!”

If you recall in our last update, we had been traveling from church to church every Sunday. Since then we decided to focus our time and efforts at the Apokon church here on the IGBI campus. Robby and Pastor Abib Autida are the same age and work very well together. They organized and led a youth event, which involved all the IGBI students helping with worship, games and snacks. The event, entitled Christians in Action, was advertised at the local high school within walking distance. Nobody knew what kind of turn out to expect so everyone was incredibly excited when over 100 youth poured into the little church. The response was wonderful and the next CIA is planned for this coming week, on December 6. Pray for the same turnout and that youth will put their faith in Christ! Pray also for the church itself, as it struggles to stabilize Sunday attendance as well as increasing its presence in the community. We are working with the members to get a Children's Church started and will start the classes tomorrow, December 4. This is in an effort to better meet the needs of the regular attenders as well as potential new members!

On November 1st, we welcomed Janae Brown, our friend and ministry partner from Grants Pass, OR! She plans to study here at IGBI as she prepares for full time missions! We are so encouraged by her love and zeal for the Lord. She rents a room at a teacher's house next door and is adjusting very well to the culture, as well as the heat and mosquitos! PRAY that her courses and experiences throughout her time here will equip and encourage her for the mission field. We just finished the first three weeks of our third term at IGBI. Tegwen is teaching Speech and Oral Communication and is focusing on pronunciation. The school only offers three terms of English to the first year students so this will be her final class to teach. This works well since the baby is due a month and a half later so there won't be any conflict with school! Robby is teaching Argumentation and Debate to the second year students on top of the other courses he's enrolled in. He really enjoys teaching and helping the students articulate and defend their faith. We celebrated Vernon's 4th birthday at IGBI with the Bible students. Vernon got "Honor A" this term in his preschool and he has enjoyed trying to learn the filipino language.

Thank you to all who remember us and pray for us and especially to those of you who have supported us financially. We do not receive a salary of any kind and we are only able to continue our ministry here in the Philippines with the financial support of our family and friends. If you would like to support us financially you can make a tax deductible donation through Things to Come Mission, www.tcmusa.org/contact.htm. Our mission is unlike most other missions in that the office staff are self supported and the overhead of daily operations is kept very low. This means that 100% of your donation will go to the missionary that you want to support.