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Leadership
Lyle Mullins – President and Founder
Lyle was a pastor for eighteen years. During that time, he was invited to travel to Guatemala as part of a mission team. The result was life changing for him. Sensing a call to become more involved in missions, he and his close friend, Pete Espeseth, formed HSM in the fall of 1997 to help people travel on short-term mission trips. As Lyle traveled with the ministry to different countries, he saw the urgent need of starving children. It was then that he realized HSM also needed to take on the work of hunger relief.
Lyle has traveled extensively in his work with Heaven Sent Ministries, and he continues to provide vision and encouragement to the staff and the board of Heaven Sent Ministries.
Lyle and his wife, Carolyn, live in West Virginia. Both of their sons also work with HSM.
Scott Mullins – Executive Director
Scott was involved in the ministry of HSM long before he officially began to work here. After a career in commercial auto parts management, Scott came to HSM as our executive director in 2003 and now oversees the day-to-day operations of the ministry. He is particularly involved in managing the details of our International Missions ministry as well as coordinating many of the logistical aspects of our Hunger Relief ministry.
Scott is a gifted encourager and finds many opportunities to fully utilize that gift in his work with HSM. He spends an incredible amount of time on the phone with our missionary partners in other parts of the world, learning about their needs, praying with them, and finding practical ways that HSM can assist them. Scott and his wife, Metty, live in Princeton, West Virginia. Scott enjoys a good cup of coffee. His interests also include classic cars, real estate, and travel.
Meet our Staff and Key Volunteers
Anne Amuthavalli – Board Secretary, Office Assistance
Anne worked alongside Lyle to start Heaven Sent Ministries and has been involved as a volunteer ever since. Mailings, regular post office runs, bank deposits, board minutes, assisting at Hunger Challenge events – the list of the ways Anne contributes to the ministry is long and varied.
Anne works full-time as an Occupational Therapist and lives in West Virginia. She enjoys flower gardening, baking, and reading.
Steve Brooks – Board member, Hospitality
Steve has been connected with the ministry nearly forever. He serves as a board member and also does all sorts of behind the scenes volunteer work for the ministry.
A retired court reporter, Steve spends portions of many days at the HSM office, doing whatever needs to be done. He runs errands, cooks meals, and provides encouragement to the staff. Steve also coordinates the food for nearly every HSM function.
Steve enjoys going to our Hunger Challenge events and meeting new people and spreading the Good News. He especially enjoys seeing the results of our mission here at Heaven Sent Ministries.
David Griffis – Hunger Relief
David came to HSM in 2014 to help expand the huger relief portion of our ministry. With a broad background in both ministry and business, David is uniquely positioned to tap into a network of people who love Jesus, have some resources, and want to get personally involved in feeding starving children. David worked with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) for 15 years, and has also served as a pastor and as a hospice chaplain. David founded and continues to lead Heartland Ministry Network based in Wichita, KS.
David travels all over the country sharing his passion for feeding starving children and encouraging people to get involved in hands-on hunger relief. David and his wife, Lana, live in Wichita, Kansas. They have nine grown children and eight grandchildren. David enjoys fishing, fried okra, and chocolate milk. And he especially enjoys Sunday family lunches, where he gets to see most of his children and grandchildren nearly every week.
Jeff Mullins – Building and Warehouse Logistics, Vehicle Management, Video Production
Jeff began working for HSM in 2004, managing our warehouse and all of the items that come and go, especially related to our hunger relief work. He has become very familiar with truckloads of rice and soy, vitamins and vegetables – and he drives a mean forklift. Jeff coordinates the care of our vehicles, equipment, and building. He also maintains our insurance records. In addition, Jeff puts together video productions to share information about the ministry.
Jeff and his wife, Kathy, live in West Virginia and are the parents of a young daughter and son. Jeff enjoys time with his family, just about any kind of vehicle, working on models, taking his four-wheeler out for a ride, and camping in the sticks.
Metilda "Metty" Mullins – Accounting
Metty has been connected with Heaven Sent Ministries since its very earliest days. She opened the ministry’s first checking account and helped file for non-profit status with the IRS. Metty is a full-time Occupational Therapist, and she regularly volunteers her time at HSM.
Metty coordinates our accounts payable and payroll functions, as well as other pieces of the accounting system. She often travels to our Hunger Challenge events, providing a truly valuable set of extra hands. She is a terrific listener and encourager. Metty lives with her husband, Scott, near our headquarters in West Virginia. Metty enjoys the time she spends with her clients as an OT, as well as reading and traveling.
Jane Stout – Administrative Systems, Communication, Donor Care
Jane joined our staff in 2015 to take on the task of sorting out exactly who does what and how we can do everything better as we continue to grow, tracking all of our policies and procedures. Jane also coordinates our social media presence and assists with ministry communication.
Jane has a background in psychology, education, and human resources. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, she has lived in many parts of the world and held a wide variety of jobs as a military spouse. She enjoys reading, landscaping, and gardening. Jane and her husband, Craig, live in West Virginia. Together, they serve as Chaplains for the Princeton Rays minor league baseball team and are active in the local Rotary Club. They have three adult children.
Andrew Tattersall – International Missions
Andrew is a British financial consultant by day and an international missions coordinator by night. Since 2007, Andrew has worked with HSM to match the skills and gifts of short-term volunteer mission travelers with the needs of dozens of missionaries and small mission agencies around the globe. Andrew now works fulltime in the financial services industry, but he continues to spend evenings and weekends connecting volunteers with meaningful ministry opportunities.
Andrew enjoys playing music, traveling, and gardening, as well as doing recreational activities with his family. Soccer, golf, swimming, and cricket are particular favourites. Andrew and his wife, Laura, live near Grantham, England with their three nearly-grown children. Laura and Andrew have been personally involved in international mission efforts for all of their married life – and for many years before they were married. Laura often jumps in to assist mission travelers as well.
Nick Cunningham - Hunger Relief
Nick joined on with HSM in 2019. Since moving to West Virginia in 2016, Nick and family have volunteered with the ministry in various ways, and in 2019 listened to God's leading to join the ministry full-time. Bringing over 13 years of experience in operating his own business, he is excited to utilize his skills in assisting with current hunger relief programs and also with helping assist in future endeavors within the ministry.
Nick and April have been married since 2002. They have one daughter, Stacy, and two sons, Caleb and Will. When not helping out at the ministry or homeschooling their children, April enjoys reading a good book and fellow-shipping with friends. In his spare time, Nick enjoys spending time outdoors backpacking, fly fishing, or taking photographs.
Matt Thomison - Hunger Relief
Matt recently joined HSM in the summer of 2021 after God led him to quit his
job of 22 years in the Aerospace industry. He lives in Andover, KS and assists
David Griffis coordinating hunger relief events in Wichita and surrounding
areas. He has felt God’s call to serve and minister to others ever since giving
his life to Jesus when he was 20 years old. In 2003, Matt went on a short term
mission trip to Cochabamba, Bolivia. This was a very eye-opening experience
for him to see how well off we are in America compared to many parts of the
world.
Matt is married to Trisha and they have 6 children (Annie, David, Rebekah,
Joshua, Ivy, and Jeanette). They have faced many challenges over the years,
the hardest being in 2014, when the Lord led them to adopt Matt’s
two-year-old sister, Ivy. She had experienced a lot of trauma and neglect and
was diagnosed with failure to thrive. Though life is not perfect, God has
worked much healing in Ivy’s life and taught Matt and Trisha to lean on Him as
their source of strength and wisdom.
The Thomison family loves getting outdoors and experiencing God’s creation.
They enjoy gardening, bike riding, camping, hiking and canoeing! Also, the
kids love having friends over, so they are surrounded by lots of activity, chaos,
and fun! They are excited to join HSM and look forward to seeing God work as
they continue to walk by faith, trusting Him.
Our History
Heaven Sent Ministries began in September of 1997. The seed was planted during a mission trip to Guatemala, a life-changing experience for me. After returning home, I met with two friends to pray together and seek direction for the next step. It wasn’t long before we sensed that God was leading us to form what would soon become an international missions agency. In just a few months the fledgling ministry began its first mission endeavor directed toward Central America, with a focus on short-term mission trips.
As HSM has grown over the years, so has its vision. God has directed us to help the most vulnerable. With the addition of key staff and volunteers, we are assisting with hunger relief by providing highly nutritious food packets for crisis situations around the globe. In addition, medical missions also enable us to effectively help others who suffer from chronic illnesses, due mostly from hunger related diseases.
Discipleship training has also become a part of our mission strategy. HSM is strategically located in Ghana, West Africa for the purpose of training church leaders through our facility in Afienya. Consequently, pastors and leaders from several countries in West Africa, including Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria, and Togo have also benefited from the discipleship training provided at our location.
HSM’s driving principle is to assist the church in reaching the world for Christ. Therefore, we believe that partnerships with local churches and other faith-based organizations are essential in carrying out the great commission of Christ.Realizing that God may direct us in new and different areas of ministry, our philosophy is simple: We look to see where He is working and join Him there. We’d love to have you join us on this journey.
Lyle Mullins - President
FAQs
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Our Financials
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