Phill and Sharon

Phil and Sharon Westhuis have taken many steps of faith in the last 16 years. In 1991, a hurricane destroyed the Christian bookstore which they helped run in the Caribbean, so they sold most of their belongings and moved to CLC in Fort Washington , Pennsylvania . Shortly after that they moved again to work in the CLC bookcenter in Northfield , New Jersey.

It was a step of faith. “When we moved from CLC's furnished apartment to Northfield ,” Sharon says, “we didn't have much furniture, our families were mostly in Wisconsin and we were leaving our new CLC friends.” Still, they had dedicated their lives to full-time ministry, and they trusted God to provide. “God had used literature to bring both of us to faith and maturity in Him and we knew that CLC was a literature mission dedicated to that exact thing.”

Today, Phil and Sharon need only look at the furniture in their apartment for evidence that God is a faithful provider. Many of the pieces were direct gifts from God's people. “Over the years we have seen God's faithfulness in providing our finances and food. Even within the last six months, we have received ‘daily bread' in venison, soup, bread, eggs, pears and apples. And recently, God provided a car when our transmission quit.” They still miss family and friends back home, but God has provided in that area, too. “Some people here have become so dear to us that they are like family. Through the store and our church contacts the Lord has blessed us with many meaningful relationships,” Sharon says. “We heard this quote from Charles Stanley the other day: ‘God takes full responsibility for a life that is fully yielded to Him.' Amen!”

The Westhuises took another step of faith in 1999, when the manager of the Northfield bookstore left, and the ministry reached a crisis point. “The store was was struggling,” Phil says. “It was a choice of closing or moving.” The membership of  

CLC gathered to pray for God's direction, then voted unanimously to not only move the store, but to expand it! They also made Phil the new manager. Though he did not feel qualified for the job, Phil felt he could trust God to enable him.

It was nothing short of miraculous how so many people appeared to assist in the opening of the new location. “God sent Tom Ensley who helped to install the shelving and build our checkout area. People from my church gave their time to move all the books, Bibles and other items to the new store,” Phil says. “As one person said, the old store was so crowded you had to go outside to change your mind! Now we have more room and are better able to serve the area. Praise God for a new location and many new customers!”

Phil and Sharon have many opportunities to minister to those who come through their doors, including a number of people who work in the nearby Atlantic City casinos. They counseled and prayed, recently, with a couple that was having marriage problems, and the couple has experienced a turnaround in their marriage. Praise God!

A nurse came into the store recently, looking for a book for a terminally ill patient. Phil and Sharon recommended When God and Cancer Meet by Lynn Eib. The nurse's patient came to Jesus before she died!

Eight years after the move, the bookstore is doing well and lives are being changed, but for Phil and Sharon, each day remains a step of faith.