INDIA – Things were going as planned until the day we all arrived in India. Two trainers joined me on this trip—one from South Africa and the other from America. The city where the church planting training was to take place had two major problems. First, there was flooding. I was shown a video of the building that was provided for the meeting. The street was like white water rapids. In the video, I saw three people swept away while others on the sidewalks tried to save them. I didn’t see … [Read more...]
The neighborhood bully shows us how to repent
CENTRAL ASIA – Anger consumed the “old Ali,” and he didn’t hesitate to act out on it. Muscular and young, he was confident in his own ability to win any fistfight. All the neighbors on his street in Central Asia knew they shouldn’t cross him. When Ali started yelling, they walked away. Rarely did a week pass when he wasn’t involved in a fistfight with another man or in physical abuse toward his own wife. Yet Ali knew something was deeply wrong in his heart. When Eric Marshall* and Gary … [Read more...]
Deaf Thais start a church where you can’t ‘fake’ it
CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Sombat Apichai* understood only 50 percent of the Thai Sign Language interpretation of the sermon at his church in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The sermon was translated into what is known as word signing, which is in Thai word order, and is different from Thai Sign Language, thus making the translation choppy. To complicate things further, Thai religious vocabulary is hard to understand, even for hearing Thais. Sombat and other Deaf Christians were unable to truly … [Read more...]
Lottie Moon Offering totals $156.6 million for 2018-19
RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – Southern Baptist church members gave $156.6 million to support international missionaries in 2018-2019, the third-highest Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions ever received. "Because you and your church gave through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, you are a part of reaching the unreached in every nation," said IMB President Paul Chitwood. "When you make LMCO a priority in your church, by God's grace, we see the numbers rise exponentially of … [Read more...]
IMB appoints 24 new missionaries
MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – The International Mission Board celebrated the sending of 24 newly appointed international missionaries in a service at Swift Creek Baptist Church, Wednesday, Sept. 25. The new missionaries included one couple with Missouri connections serving among the people groups of East Asia. Since they serve in highly restricted area, their names were withheld for security purposes. IMB trustees voted to approve the candidates during a meeting near Richmond earlier in the day. Dr. … [Read more...]
IMB worker Andy Leininger of Missouri dies at 56
BOLIVAR, Mo. – Andrew (Andy) N. Leininger, who served as a Christian worker in the former Soviet Union for 22 years, died in his home state of Missouri on Oct. 13. He was 56. In November 2016, Leininger was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme, an aggressive cancer that caused a brain tumor. In the months that followed, he had multiple surgeries and treatments. On October 12, 2019, his wife Elizabeth shared an update on Facebook that Leininger had moved to hospice care. On October 13, … [Read more...]
Southeast Asian earthquake victims find physical, spiritual healing in Christ
SOUTHEAST ASIA—Cahya* sped home on his motorbike, desperate to see his family in the wake of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. He had waited 30 minutes — long enough to let the tremors subside — but a sudden landslide took him by surprise. The treacherous trip affected Cahya’s life forever. When he resumed consciousness, he had two broken legs. Unable to afford medical care, Cahya and his parents sought out the shaman for healing, but his efforts were painful and fruitless. About six … [Read more...]
IMB, Billy Graham Center focus research, resources on rural churches stateside and abroad
WHEATON, Ill. – The International Mission Board and the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College’s Rural Matters Institute have launched a five-year research project that aims to arm the rural church with resources needed to advance the gospel within and beyond the United States. “The idea is to provide information that will benefit rural practitioners in the United States and around the world,” said Dr. Jeffrey Clark, director of rural missiology andresearch for the IMB. “This will involve … [Read more...]
Southern Baptists engage in Tokyo’s 2020 Olympics, Rugby World Cup
TOKYO, Japan – The world will converge on Tokyo, Japan, twice in the span of a year for two international sporting events, the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Olympics. Southern Baptists and their local church partners in Tokyo will be there to share the gospel with the players, coaches, and fans. Between the Rugby World Cup matches this month, rugby fans supporting the twenty qualifying countries are joining the crowds in Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing. Southern Baptist volunteers from … [Read more...]
From desert to ocean: East Asian believer celebrates journey to faith
EAST ASIA – There are times when the vast lostness in East Asia feels abstract, and others when the statistics fade, replaced by real stories of people I love, like my close friend Karen.* She heard the gospel for the first time after she moved to my city for college. Living in a small town with a Buddhist mother and an atheist father, Karen had never even met a Christian until she moved to the city where I serve. Still today, no one in her family shares her faith, and she doesn’t know … [Read more...]
IMB trustees approve balanced budget
RICHMOND, Va. – International Mission Board (IMB) trustees approved a balanced budget for 2019-20 during their Sept. 25-26 meeting near Richmond, Virginia. The meeting also included an update on an external report regarding IMB’s prevention and response to abuse and harassment. The week also included orientation for 23 new IMB trustees, including Missourian Jim Barnhart, associate pastor of Miner Baptist Church, Sikeston. He joins two other Missouri Baptist on the IMB trustee board: … [Read more...]
Adoniram Judson’s legacy lives on in Rolla
ROLLA – For decades, Harriet Bain has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) to people from across the globe. But little did her students know that their lives were being impacted, indirectly, by one of the greatest pioneer missionaries in Baptist history. Bain, a member of First Baptist Church, Rolla, was born in the Southeast Asian country of Burma (also called Myanmar) and came to the United States with her family in 1959. She then finished her college degree, met and married her … [Read more...]
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