Charley at Home with His Bible

Everybody in his neighborhood in Tucson, Arizona, knew him as “The Can Man, Charley.” Every day he had a route of about 6 miles where he walked to collect recyclables. But you didn’t meet Charley for very long without realizing that money from the cans didn’t just go into his pocket, supplementing his retirement income. He was really about something else. And everyone that he met on his route was offered one of those other somethings: a no-nonsense gospel tract. You soon would learn that the sale of the cans kept the tract supply going.

And if you followed him a little while, you found a complex system of ministry in this tiny little man. And it started early. Charley remembers the Holy Spirit prompting him to praise God while playing toy cars with his friends. Later, in World War II, the Lord erected a sudden wall of protection against an enemy attack that should have killed him.

Back home, working in the steel industry, Charley began buying tracts and sharing the gospel. He organized outreaches for his church covering specific neighborhoods with repeated visitations leaving a different tract each time. Over the years, his consistent passion for God’s word deepened his ability to follow up the tracts with strong personal ministry.

Retirement freed him to expand his vision. To him the tracts were just an opening where personal ministry began. His consistency in reaching out to others built confidence in his contact with the Lord and strangers began approaching him with additional questions about their relationship with God and their concern about eternity. With hours of personal Bible study each day, he seldom was at a loss for an appropriate biblical answer to their concerns.

His can collecting not only provided funds for more tracts, he became well known to the businesses on his route. They began saving cans for him and he would leave stacks of tracts on their counters, replenishing them on the next visit.

His wife, Dot, says he would frequently come in from his route with a little bigger smile and more spring in his step, to announce: “One more led to the Lord, today.” Maybe it would be the homeless man who was begging by the supermarket or someone he had met on the street. Occasionally, someone driving by would recognize him and pull over for a chat.

His obituary reports that, after he was saved in 1961, he logged over 285 cover-to-cover trips through his Bible. “Seldom was he at a loss for a scripture to share with anyone who might have a question,” says Dot.

Only the Lord knows how many tracts he actually handed out in his lifetime, but in the last 10 years of his retirement, Chick Publication’s records show well over 125,000 tracts bought, mostly with money from sale of his cans. As friends on his route learned how he financed his ministry, they offered money to help. At first he refused until Dot convinced him that it was not for him, but so that more tracts would reach more people for Christ. At 87, his eyesight and hearing was fading and his gait slowing. One morning in October the Lord welcomed him home from doing what he loved, crossing the street while walking his route. The driver of the SUV saw him too late, but some of his tracts will still be pointing people to the Lord for years, perhaps until Christ returns for us all.

The Greenleaf family can be reached via email.
TheCanManCharlie@gmail.com

Note: At his death, Charley’s ministry caught the attention of the local news outlet. The article can be accessed here.

This past month at WTS we had semester exams. Can you believe it? Its already the end of the first semester. The students did well. They had eighteen memory verses. Most of the preparatory class knows all of their letters. They also all did very well in Math. I am so glad. Last year we were much farther behind. The students are doing well in English, Math, and Bible. Unfortunately the student I told you about last month from this class, Arman, has dropped out. I talked to his grandmother. She doesn’t know what to do because he is staying at his mom’s house now. We still see him once in a while but he doesn’t want to come to school and no one is forcing him. Our grade one students also did ok on their exams. They were a little discouraged on the spelling. But they did well on the math. It’s so surprising how well the students do even though no one is reviewing at home with them. At least I know that they really have retained the information and not just memorized it for the test. The two boys that I told you about from the Trocio family have been split up. The mother took the one boy and the father sent the other boy to live with relatives in another province. We will keep praying for these children. I don’t think the parents realize how much they are affecting the children’s lives with their bad decisions. Our kindergarten class is always encouraging. The students enjoyed taking the exams and did well. These are the students who have the most help at home. They are the younger ones but have done very well in learning. We have gone at a slower pace than I am used to but I think it has helped the students to retain a lot more this year.

We had our semester break. During the semester break, our church had a recurrent in Lipa, Batangas. There was two days of classes and at night there was preaching. We enjoyed this time of refreshment and encouragement. Several other churches came. We were able to have good Christian fellowship and is always nice to see our friends from the far places of the Philippines like Apayao.

We will be starting school again tomorrow. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we start our second semester. God bless.

In Christ,
Tanya Hendricks
John 15:7

Yesterday, when the preacher was reading through James 1:19, I was curious about the phrase “let every man” and decided to look it up.  Here’s what I found.

Romans 

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day [alike]. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Romans 14:5

1 Corinthians

According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 1 Corinthians 3:10

Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 1 Corinthians 7:2

Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. 1 Corinthians 7:20

Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God. 1 Corinthians 7:24

Galatians

But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. Galatians 6:4

James

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: James 1:19

Charles Spurgeon – Daily Help

We just finished out our first quarter grading here at WTS. We had a parent teacher meeting last week. Many of the parents came and we heard good reports about what the children are learning. We were also able to have a Bible study with them. One of the parents asked for a weekly Bible study to be at her home. Praise God for another open door. Please keep in your prayers some of the children who don’t come from such good families. There have been several that have had family problems recently. This always affects the children’s schooling. I praise God for those parents who are really interested in the lives of their children. It is so helpful when the parents review and teach their children at home. We also had a new student transfer from the public school this last week. I am happy with the progress of our students especially the first grade. Our first grade students really enjoy their classes. They were having a hard time understanding what they were reading in English so we have been working on that a lot. We made all of their math word problems that they had to read themselves and answer. They have improved a lot over the last month. I praise God for this opportunity to teach these students.

Though there has been bad weather in several parts of the Philippines and the world this past month, here in Pasay we have only had some rain. I praise God that no more days of school needed to be cancelled for bad weather. Thank you for those concerned as I had some emails regarding our situation here in light of the typhoon. Last July we were hit with several, but we have had a break this month. I am praying that it continues to be good weather.

We are hard at work writing curriculum here. It seems I am just staying a week ahead of the students. I keep finding areas to improve the curriculum I already had made up for the kinder and prep and this year we are writing the grade 1 curriculum. I have been able to use a lot of the curriculum given by others. I am so thankful for our library here. Many people ask me where I got all my books. The answer is almost all have been donated by individuals. We have a lot of school textbooks to use for reference in making curriculum as well as using them for the children to research and read. I want to instill in the students a love for reading. Already the teachers here love to read. I hope that we can pass that on to the students and guide them in reading the Bible as well as other good books.
Thank you for all your prayers and support for us here. We will continue as the Lord leads us.

In Christ,
Tanya Hendricks
Philippians 4:13

by The Inpirations

Some may look at me and think I’m burdened,
With the way of life too hard to live.
They say to follow christ takes more commitment,
Than anyone should ever have to give.
If they could only see the Cross from my perspective,
They’d know the joy it has brought to me.
If they only knew that Christ has been more faithful,
That I, that I could ever hope to be.

For the cross has carried me through every struggle,
Grace has been my strength when I was weak.
You may only see this cross that I carry,
Oh the truth is, yes the truth is, it’s the cross that carries me.

The cares of this life are truly the burden,
The worry and the fear will weigh you down.
If the strength of it all has left you searching,
I know exactly where relief can be found.
Oh, there’s a hill where you can trade in all your troubles,
And the cross is waiting for you too.
And once you take this cross to carry,
You will find it’s the cross that carries you.

For the cross has carried me through every struggle,
Grace has been my strength when I was weak.
You may only see this cross that I carry,
Oh the truth is, yes the truth is, it’s the cross that carries me.

Can someone help me with missing word on the second verse?  I could not quit get it right.  Thanks!

A pretty maid, a Baptist lass, was to a Catholic wed;
To love all Bible truths and tales, quite early she’d been bred,
It sorely grieved her husband’s heart that she would not comply,
And join the Mother Church of Rome and heretics deny.

So day by day he flattered her, but still she saw no good
Would ever come from bowing down to idols made of wood.
The Mass, the host, the miracles, were made but to deceive;
And transubstantiation, too, she’d never dare believe.

He went to see his clergyman and told him his sad tale.
“My wife is an unbeliever, sir; you can perhaps prevail;
For all your Romish miracles my wife has strong aversion,
To really work a miracle may lead her to conversion.”

The priest went with the gentleman — he thought to gain a prize.
He said “I will convert her, sir, and open both her eyes.”
So when they came into the house, the husband loudly cried,
“The priest has come to dine with us!” “He’s welcome” she replied.

And when, at last, the meal was o’er, the priest at once began,
To teach his hostess all about the sinful state of man:
The greatness of our Saviour’s love, which Christians can’t deny.
To give Himself a sacrifice and for our sins to die.

“I will return tomorrow, lass, prepare some bread and wine;
The sacramental miracle will stop your soul’s decline.”
“I’ll bake the bread, ” the lady said. “You may” he did reply.
“And when you’ve seen this miracle, convinced you’ll be, say I.”

The priest did come accordingly, the bread and wine did bless.
The lady asked, “Sir, is it changed?” The priest answered, “Yes”.
It’s changed from common bread and wine to truly flesh and blood;
Begorra, lass, this power of mine has changed it into God!”

So having blessed the bread and wine, to eat they did prepare.
The lady said unto the priest, “I warn you to take care”,
For half an ounce of arsenic was mixed right in the batter,
But since you have its nature changed, it cannot really matter.”

The priest was struck real dumb — he looked as pale as death.
The bread and wine fell from his hands and he did gasp for breath.
“Bring me my horse!” the priest cried. “This is a cursed home!”
The lady replied, “Begone: t’is you who shares the curse of Rome.”

The husband, too, he sat surprised, and not a word did say.
At length he spoke, “My dear”, said he, “the priest has run away;
To gulp such mummery and tripe, I’m not for sure, quite able;
I’ll go with you and we’ll renounce this Roman Catholic fable.”