CZECH REPUBLIC – Tears of joy flooded Stan and Abbey Wilcox’s* eyes. It had been years since these IMB missionaries lived in the Czech Republic. Back then, the spiritual darkness had been so overwhelming at times. And now— Were they hearing this correctly? Were two people they had never met thanking God publicly for leading them to start a church where Stan and Abbey had prayed nearly a decade earlier? Eight years ago, Stan and Abbey took a volunteer group of US teens to see what God was … [Read more...]
FIRST-PERSON: ‘My struggle to mirror Christ in the mundane’
It's the little things, the mundane, that cause me to fail as a cross-cultural witness. On the other hand, the catastrophes and emergencies—these events are catalyzers for my witness: A colleague has been kidnapped. A believer is undergoing severe persecution. When these things happen, my husband and I call our prayer networks. We fast and pray as a team. We pour over Scripture and cry out to the Lord. The body of Christ comes together in unity and it bonds with stronger cords of … [Read more...]
IMB values partnerships, Chitwood tells advocates
RICHMOND, Va.— More than 155,000 people die daily without Christ. This is a harsh and unacceptable reality facing Southern Baptists, IMB President Paul Chitwood told a recent gathering of advocates near Richmond, Va. The lost — those living apart from a relationship with Christ — need people who will advocate on their behalf by praying, giving, going and sending. The gathering, which included Baptist state executives, associational and WMU leaders, former missionaries, student leaders … [Read more...]
FIRST-PERSON: ‘Things were going as planned until we got to India’
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...]
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...]
One Christian killed, 12 kidnapped in Nigeria
KADUNA, Nigeria (BP) – A Baptist woman is dead and 12 Christians including church members, school students and teachers remain kidnapped in two successive incidents in Kaduna, Nigeria, widely attributed to militant Fulani herdsmen. In the latest incident, herdsmen killed Ezra Haruna of Godiya Baptist Church in Ungwan Barau village and kidnapped four of her fellow church members, Morning Star News reported Thursday (Oct. 10). Many residents fled into nearby bushes, Morning Star … [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...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- …
- 39
- Next Page »