SUCEAVA, Romania (SEND Relief International) – “You are safe.” These were the words a Ukrainian woman, her daughter and an elderly woman needed to hear while waiting for their train. “Breathe in. Breathe out.” Mickey Ebert first spoke these words to a woman and her daughter at a train station in Suceava, Romania. The mother tried to put on a brave face as she walked into the station. Ebert welcomed her and handed her a piece of paper with a QR code on it that read, “Hope for Ukraine.” When … [Read more...]
Ukrainian Baptist finds water in wasteland, reunion in time of war
ROMANIA (IMB) – Yura knew reunion was on the horizon and he found an oasis on the way. Carrying three heavy bags, the Ukrainian man stopped at the station Romanian Baptists established and Southern Baptist Disaster Response (SBDR) and Send Relief teams are now manning near the border of Romania and Ukraine. Yura accepted a bottle of water offered at the station, noticing the Southern Baptist Convention sign on the station and the vests and hats of the volunteers. “I’m a Baptist … [Read more...]
USCIRF report: Religious liberty deteriorates in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (BP) — The Taliban’s return to control of Afghanistan headlined the examples of religious freedom deteriorating in multiple countries last year, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in its annual report issued April 25. For the first time in more than two decades, USCIRF – a bipartisan panel established by federal law in 1998 – recommended Afghanistan’s inclusion on a list of the world’s most egregious violators of the right to believe and … [Read more...]
Vision ministries focus on evangelism
ARNOLD – Two Missouri vision ministries, working in partnership, are clearly focused on evangelism through improving sight in their eyeglass clinics in the U.S. and Central America. Steve Smith, director of Focus On Missions, founded the organization about 20 years ago. For a time, he worked with pastors and churches in Mexico on other projects. Ten years ago, Smith—a member at First Baptist Arnold—began focusing exclusively on eyeglass clinics in the United States when he noticed a need … [Read more...]
U.S. officials, Southern Baptist leaders denounce Russian ‘war crimes’
WASHINGTON (BP) – President Biden and the U.S. House of Representatives are persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military have committed war crimes in Ukraine. If those assessments prove correct, justice requires accountability for the perpetrators, a Southern Baptist ethics leader said. The war crimes designations by United States officials intensified after photos recently came to light of hundreds of bodies of Ukrainian civilians who apparently had been executed by … [Read more...]
Missouri DR volunteer team brings hope to refugees on Ukraine-Romania border
ROMANIA – Missouri Baptists Don and Diane Combs crossed the globe late last month to serve as Disaster Relief volunteers in an aid station at Romania's border with Ukraine. They served with Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief (MODR), in cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention's Send Relief International. Don is a retired pastor and member of the Missouri Baptist Convention executive board. The Combs, attend Anthem Church in Columbia. In an e-mail exchange, March 23, they said they … [Read more...]
Christian witness to China camp horrors now in U.S.
WASHINGTON (BP) – A Christian who was imprisoned for 10 months in western China is now in the United States as a witness to the notorious “re-education” camps being operated by the Communist regime of the world’s most populous country. Ovalbek Turdakun, his wife and son arrived in the United States April 8 after a lengthy, successful effort to avoid deportation back to China that was aided by allies in the United States and other countries. Ovalbek is the first Christian to speak out … [Read more...]
Easter opens door for the gospel at schools in Taiwan
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan – Six small faces pressed up against the window into the fourth-grade classroom in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Their eyes danced with excitement, curious about what was going on inside. IMB workers setting up for a special Easter presentation turned to smile and wave at them, knowing they’d soon have a chance to see for themselves. After the class filed in and settled down, IMB worker Cambell Wood welcomed them and pointed to a vocabulary card with the word “Easter” written … [Read more...]
SEND Relief offers coaching to engage Afghan refugees
AFGHANISTAN – In response to the number of resettled Afghan refugees in communities in the United States, Send Relief, the combined compassion ministry of the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board, is facilitating coaching to help churches engage their new Afghan neighbors. This coaching is a limited-time project and will only be offered for another five months. The United States has evacuated thousands upon thousands of Afghans to the U.S. The majority have … [Read more...]
Baptists gear for decades-long trauma care response to Ukrainian refugees
WARSAW, Poland (BP) – Years after Russia’s bombs stop exploding and loved ones are eulogized, displaced Ukrainian refugees may still need counseling and intervention to deal with the loss. Southern Baptist churches, ministries and entities are already on the ground in Europe training churches and ministers in trauma-informed care, leaders told Baptist Press. “Typically on average, we’ve heard it may take two to three generations to find some deeper levels of healing and restoration,” … [Read more...]
Brazilian village church grows stronger despite persecution
BRAZIL – It came down to choosing a job or Jesus for new believers Leo and LouAnne from the Indigenous KDD tribe in northeastern Brazil. They worked as schoolteachers in their community when they were summoned to a meeting with 60 community leaders. They gave Leo and LouAnne an ultimatum – either recant and abandon their faith in Jesus or lose their jobs. The leaders said they could not follow Jesus and continue to work at the school. “They were angry and hateful toward us,” LouAnne … [Read more...]
Broken for Bucha: Southern Baptist response teams overflow with compassion
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story contains descriptions of war violence that some readers may find disturbing. The descriptions are from one refugee’s account to Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Team volunteers. We do not have a way to contact him further. BUCHA, Ukraine (IMB) – Overcome with emotion, Iaroslav covered his face and the torrent of tears with one of his hands. His other held a piping-hot cup of coffee. At the border of Romania and Ukraine, Southern Baptist volunteers provided this … [Read more...]
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