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Brief history of Mrs. Pat J. Sluss de Henderson
Feb. 11, 2008
 
Pat was born to the parents of Eldon and Irene Sluss in Columbus, Indiana on December 3, 1944. As a child she moved with her parents and brother, Curtis, to Marion, Indiana.
As a child she attended the First Baptist Church of Marion Indiana with her parents. In High School she was President of her class, active in band, dance, debate and many other youth activities.
Through her best friends (known as the 3 musketeers) Pat, Marilyn Walker,& Rita Lobdale she was invited to visit Immanuel Baptist Church where during a youth retreat, they met and came to love the youth leaders Carmen and Marion Action who opened their home and lives to them as if they were part of their own family. Through seeing Christ glorified in their home and lives, it was not long that she and her friends ask Jesus Christ to come into their hearts and lives too. They were taught by Marion and Carmen that it was not about their religion or church, but about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It was during those high School years that she and her friends became active in Youth for Christ Club directed by Marion and Carmen that she ask Jesus to not only be her Savior, but to be Lord of her life and use her how ever He desired. .
In 1962, she graduated from Marion High School and was directed by her youth leaders to Bob Jones University in Greenville, S. C. to pursue a degree in education. While preparing to be an educator she was actively involved in Bible studies and Bible classes.
She had learned that her life was not just hers, but that God had a plan and purpose for her. Her desire was not just to be a teacher for money, but to allow the Lord to work through her to share the true success in life of knowing Jesus as your savior and letting Him be in charge of all you do and say.
She was president of her class every year and also president of her Society. During her senior year in October 1965, while eating in the University dining room, she met Jack Henderson. Knowing his history that he was a little on the shady side and not the type of person for a Christian young lady to socialize with, she rejected his invitation to walk her home to her school dorm. A few days later she had learned that the Lord had also been changing Jack’s life too and that he was a changed person by the grace of God. She was impressed that he was so cool in his manner of social abilities, that the next time he approached her, she accepted his invitation to walk her home, and from there things, moved fast and faster, and in April, he gave her a diamond. Three months later in July of 1966 they were married. He has now been walking her home ever since for 41 years.
She and Jack moved to Pontiac, Michigan, where Pat taught 6th grade and Jack worked for General Motors. While the both of them grew in the Lord, they committed to do two things. 1. Let the Lord be in the center of their marriage, 2. Let the Lord do with them what ever He desired. They were contacted by another young couple who felt a burden for starting a Bible school in Mexico. After much prayer, and led by the Lord, they started plans to go south. During the months that followed their decision, they shared this desire with friends and some churches and funds were raised for them to go first to Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, for one year of intense language study. One year later, they were living in the jungles of Tamazunchale, S.L.P. Mexico. Together they spent many years hiking the mule train trails back in the jungle sharing the forgiveness that God gives through trusting Jesus Christ as Savior.
While in Tamazunchale, the Lord blessed them with twins, John & Don. Pat taught music, Bible, drama, and more, while also teaching children’s classes, and women’s Bible studies but never neglecting her children. Their life was primitive, but very full of adventure day by day. It was there that they really learned to pray and to trust God. It was also there that they learned the culture of the Mexican through the Coronel family. Their lives would for ever be changed. Eleven years later they moved to Brownsville,Tx. area and began to work with teens in Matamoros. It was during that first year in Brownsville that she was blessed with her daughter, Donna. Pat was a mother, a wife, a SS teacher, and once again studied the Bible with mothers in Matamoros. When she was asked to teach at first Baptist School, she first thought that this would take her away from her mission, but she soon learned that her ministry with children at first Baptist School was the greatest tool yet to reach children, teens and adult with the message of God’s love for them. Pat has had the honor of receiving the award of Who’s, Who in Americans Teachers Hall of Fame 18 times. She was nominated by former second grade students who continued to receive good grades through out high school and college.
For 21 years Pat loved every child that came her way. Some children were harder to love than others, Many nights she would pray together and ask that the Lord would give her grace to really love each one. For 21 years she taught the children in school every day their normal classes and Bible. Wed. night she would leave school and go to her friend Slyvia Hererra’s home in Matamoros and teach Bible to a class of women to help them learn to study the Bible for themselves. Many trusted Christ through this labor of love. Friday nights, after all day at school, she, her husband and about 18 teens would load up in their van and do a teen activity that lasted from 4:00 pm to most of the time 3:00 am Saturday morning. She always listened and talked and prayed with each teen every time.
Sundays were another time for her to share the love of Christ. For over 22 years she left home at 8:00 am and she and Jack picked up children and teens to take them to S.S. so she could teach them again about God, His love, and their need to obey Him. For 20 years during vacation she would go on camping trips with 16 teens plus her husband. These trips would last three to seven weeks and they would travel as far as Prudo Bay, Alaska on the Artic ocean, or to California or N.Y. or Quebec and all points in between. Everyone slept on the ground, cooked their own food and did their own laundry. During all this Pat found time to listen to each teen, pray for them in a special way, and love each according to their need. . Many nights Jack would find Pat praying and crying because she wanted so much to find a way to meet some special need of one of our teens, or one of her own children. When the family began to grow through the marriage of our sons and daughter and the grand children came along she found a way to extend herself out to her grand children and be an important part of their lives too. She knew that each one was special and each one needed special attention.
When the summer was over, it was back to school again and the process would start all over. To be able to accomplish all of this she knew that she needed the Lord’s strength, and claimed as her favorite verse from the Bible , Philippians 4:13 “For I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength.”
Pat’s life has always been, not about her, but the Lord in whom she put her trust for her eternal salvation. Her investments have been not in material things, but in people, always allowing the Lord to work through her in every activity. After much sickness and many trials,on February 11, 2008 our Lord called her home for her rewards, rest, and to be whole again. Her family, Jack her husband, John (son) his wife (Cindy) granddaughter McKena , Don (son) his wife (Isabel),Granddaughter Valeria and Donna (daughter) & Mat (Husband) and granddaughter ( Alexz) They will always treasure her as a Women of many talents and much love and above all a person that always allowed the Lord to work through her for His glory.
She will be missed, but we will all remember her, because of the seed of the Living God that was planted in our lives through her. We will carry on her ministry to the next generation.
We will miss you Mrs. H. |
Jack Henderson
st remember that our life is not about us, but about Him and what He has for us.