COLUMBIA – When a daddy accompanies his daughter to a tea party or escorts her to a dance, she remembers. But for Olivia Stockeland, she will forever remember the time her daddy swept her off her feet and took her on a mission trip. Luke Stockeland, Olivia’s dad and pastor of Open Door Church in Columbia is a father of four. He has been active in mission work since he was a teenager, when he and his family developed a heart for Haiti. His father and brother currently serve there as … [Read more...]
‘Nobody can stop His work’ – Missouri couple sees hope amid increased persecution in China, 30 years after Tiananmen Square Massacre
BEIJING, China – In the early hours of June 4, 1989, Chinese troops opened fire in the Tiananmen Square here, where student protesters gathered to call for greater freedom and democratic reform in the Communist regime. During the previous weeks, similar protests had spread to nearly 400 other cities, including Wuhan – a city located 750 miles to the south of Beijing. At the time, Wuhan was the home to then newly-weds Wenping Qiu and Lisa Sun. They serve today with a Missouri Baptist … [Read more...]
Five Missouri churches attend IMB’s ‘Mission College’
RICHMOND, Va. – First Baptist, O’Fallon has been partnering with churches in southern Mexico for several years now. But as they plan for future trips and opportunities south of the borderd, they have a strategy in mind that goes far beyond simply scheduling the next trip on the church calendar. That strategic thinking is due in part, First Baptist’s Associate Pastor of Gospel Proclamation Brandon Kiesling said, to the church’s ongoing participation in the International Mission Board’s … [Read more...]
Social media proving key to reaching young adults
Guadalajara, Mexico – Young adults of Latin America have grown up wired, as in many other cultures. They use smartphones to interact but not just when they are apart. Young people in the same room text each other, simultaneously following separate chats, interacting over shared photos and videos. They use phones to check webpages for homework assignments and they email one-paragraph reports to teachers who cut to the chase in lectures, preparing students to communicate in the soundbites of … [Read more...]
Mexican pastors trained, MBC partnership strengthened
PUEBLA, Mexico – Missouri Baptists partnered with churches in the Puebla-Tlaxcala region of Mexico late last year to host a conference training local pastors there. The conference strengthened the missions partnership, as it begins its ninth year. Rick Hedger, Multiplying Churches director and partnership mission strategist, led the delegation of Missouri Baptist pastors into the region to facilitate a Pastors Training Conference for the Puebla-Tlaxcala Regional Baptist Convention … [Read more...]
Holocaust remembered 75 years after liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau camp
EDITOR’S NOTE: * denotes names changed. KRAKOW, Poland (IMB) – The twisting of my gut was expected, but it was much deeper than I had imagined. Standing in the place where Nazi Germans murdered more than a million Jews and thousands of other people deemed undesirable, I could not escape the feeling. This wave of emotion flooded over me as I walked through the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, near Kraków, Poland, the city my wife and I have moved to in order to serve with the IMB. January … [Read more...]
South Carolina volunteers reach refugees in Greece with gospel
GREECE – During the summer of 2019, South Carolina Baptist volunteers developed a greater understanding of the plight of refugees. Tom Hilliard* and Brett May*, two of the state’s volunteers spent a month ministering to refugees crowded into a camp on the Greek island of Lesvos. Their service was arranged through South Carolina Baptist Convention’s Missions Mobilization office. Hilliard and May looked into the eyes of desperate, exhausted people who fled Syria’s war or Afghanistan’s … [Read more...]
IMB worker learns from delayed harvests
More than a decade ago, Liam Remington*, an IMB worker new to the mission field, found himself in a riverside town in the mountains. That same day, a young nomad named L.T.* came to the same town. Remington, a trained linguist, was hoping to conduct language surveys in the area. L.T. happened to be from the people group Remington was hoping to meet. Remington and L.T. happened to meet on a street corner. It was a divine encounter. Remington was a willing witness and L.T. was a seeking … [Read more...]
IMB missionary: ‘I’ll continue to pray’
CENTRAL ASIA – Praying in the local language is one of the hardest things I’ve done on the mission field. My face has flushed hot with embarrassment as I trip over grammar and falter over each word. I can’t count how many times I’ve wondered if any of the spiritual words I’m stringing together in prayer make sense. But I’m convinced praying in the local language is one of the most important things I’ve done. I recently visited my neighbor who had just celebrated her 98th birthday. She … [Read more...]
Refugee resettlement in Mo. an opportunity for ministry
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced his decision, Dec. 30, to continue resettling “lawfully admitted refugees” into the state. According to some Missouri Baptists, the governor’s decision opens up opportunities to share Christ’s love and bring gospel transformation not only in Missouri, but across the globe. The governor’s decision came in in response to an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump, Sept. 26. According to a news release from the governor’s … [Read more...]
Deaf man in Indonesia turns from brink of death to new life
INDONESIA (BP) -- Nick* felt like he had no reason to live. His depression became so overwhelming that he wanted to die. One day he climbed to the top of a bridge and was about to jump. Just before he leapt, he saw something that caught his attention: a bright figure in front of him. The image intrigued him and seemed to break him from a trance. Nick didn’t jump that day. Instead, he got down from the bridge and felt drawn on a journey to discover an explanation for the figure that saved … [Read more...]
Christian chiefs break from 700 years of pagan practice in Ghana
NORTHERN GHANA – The tension can be felt across the crowd of hundreds outside the palace in Nalerigu, Ghana. They wait in silent anticipation for the Taraana, one of the Mamprusi king’s seven elders, to come out of the hall to present the man the king has selected as chief. When he does, the new chief’s supporters erupt into cheers and applause. The Taraana ceremoniously places a white smock on the chief followed by a bright red cap. Thus begins several days of celebration and ritual as the … [Read more...]
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