mission:world | Hispanic Missions

September - October 2014 ::: The World of BMA Missions

REACHING A POSTMODERN LATIN AMERICA

mission:BMA

EL MUNDO DE MISIONES I

BY: JOHN DAVID SMITH | MISSIONS

n this issue, mission:world celebrates the rich culture, passionate people, and some of the multiplying ministries among our Hispanic co-laborers and friends in Christ. The term Hispanic is commonly used interchangeably with the term “Latino,” and it normally describes a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.

The world of BMA Missions is blessed with many great Hispanic leaders, churches in the vast majority of Hispanic countries, and Hispanicled ministries that are setting the pace when it comes to multiplication of disciples and churches. We hope you enjoy this opportunity to meet some of those leaders, hear the story of dynamic ministries, and be inspired by their faithfulness. Bienvenidos a El Mundo de Misiones!

Family of Ministries To help fulfill the Great Commission, the people of the BMA have created a family of ministries. Each has a unique directive, but all have the same Great Commission purpose. BMA Missions seeks to facilitate churches in fulfilling the Great Commission through assessment, training, coaching, and missionary care. Lifeword Media Ministries assists in taking the Gospel throughout the world through radio, television, the internet, and mobile devices.

DiscipleGuide Church Resources partners with BMA Churches by providing church resources, workshops, camps, and conferences.

BMA Seminary equips students to become pastors, missionaries, and church leaders. Moral Action makes sure that the views of BMA Baptist are heard in the halls of Washington D.C., and Minister’s Resources Services helps meet the financial planning needs of BMA pastors and staffs.

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mission:world (USPS 575-320) Volume 2 - Issue 5 September-October 2014 www.bmaamerica.org

Contents

Editor Donny Parrish Managing Editor Phillip Rice Design & Layout Jared Eakin Published bimonthly by the Baptist Missionary Association of America, 611 Locust Street Conway, AR 72034 Entered as Periodical Rate at Conway, Arkansas.

Periodical Postage paid at Conway, Arkansas and at additional mailing offices.

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HISPANIC MISSIONS How mission work is adapting to reach people in a postmodern Latin America

POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Mission:World P.O. Box 1188 Conway, Arkansas 72033 501.329.6891 Email missionworld@bmaamerica.org Website www.bmaamerica.org Subscription rate is $7.50 per year 65 and older, $1.00 per year Church Plan, 50 cents per month per family

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GOD’S TIMING

Hispanic Missions extends it’s reach in the United States

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THE WHOSOEVERS

Lifeword’s expanding ministry throughout Latin America

DiscipleGuide...............................................................8-11 Seminary...................................................................16-19 mission:news...........................................................42-46 For contact info, websites, and more on the BMA family of ministries, visit BMALife.com

Tribute to Craig Branham.........................................24-25 September - October 2014 | mission:world ::: 3

SAN PAULO, BRAZIL

HISPANIC MISSIONS REACHING A POSTMODERN LATIN AMERICA

BY: PHIL KNOTT | MISSIONS 4 ::: September - October 2014 | mission:world

mission:BMA

I

n a storeroom of BMA Missions that contains an archive of documents, records, papers, magazines, video and audio recordings in every imaginable format, I once uncovered a bookkeeping ledger. It was the kind you would write in by hand. The ledger had just three entries, one for the Secretary of Missions (Director) and the two missionaries that made up the entire missionary staff. The year was 1951. There were entries of $250, one for a missionary in Mexico and another in Brazil. It’s worthy to note that one of the first things this new association of churches did after it was founded in 1950 was to send missionaries. It’s also noteworthy that the first missionaries were sent to Latin America.

Over sixty years later, BMA Missions continues to thrive in Latin America making disciples, producing leaders and churches at a rate we’ve never seen before. Just this past year national associations of churches in Mexico and Brazil

marked important milestones, 50 and 60 years respectively; subsequently, hundreds of other congregations throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean are following their example. Their story is an account of transformed lives, missionary vision, inspired leadership and unwavering dedication to Christ. It is also the story of this issue of Mission:World.

Read these articles and you will be inspired as well.

What does the future hold for Latin America? Moving forward, local churches must continue to plant new churches if there is to be continued growth and expansion.

Associational missionaries or the increasingly rare American, pioneer, church-planting missionary can never hope to keep up with exploding population rates, especially the tremendous urban growth. Wherever and whenever there have been significant increases in the number of churches in a country or region, sometimes

doubling or tripling the number of congregations, it is always because of local churches that make disciplemakers, produce new leaders, and effectively equip and mobilize them to reach new communities. In other words, they reproduce themselves to the second and third generations.

Mobilization of disciples and leaders must be accompanied by adequate training and preparation.

As we encourage multiplication (churches planting churches that plant churches), we must also maintain doctrinal clarity, sound organizational structure and biblical practice. I can remember the glowing reports and declarations of evangelical growth in Latin America during the 1980s that we were on the verge of a huge revival greater than the Reformation of the sixteenth century in Europe; however, there were some problems. First, this evangelical growth often lacked a requirement of serious biblical studies and thus produced gross ignorance. Many heretical sects have

September - October 2014 | mission:world ::: 5

been spawned in the fertile soil of Latin America, some of which have grown to large proportions. Second, many evangelicals in Latin America are inherently unstable in theology and practice. The reason could be the desire for the sensational or the miraculous. The problems this creates are serious. With a vast array of social, moral, economic and civil problems, life runs out of the sensational very quickly. So there is a tremendous need to continue creating sensations to “prove” that God is present. Third, evangelicals in Latin America have often combined fanaticism with the “health-andwealth” gospel. Someone has said, “The desire to see the sensational is now converted into the right to have God make you a sensation!

This means, of course, financial prosperity. Scripture has now come to be simply a book of formulas on how to become prosperous.” This is truly a significant step backwards

spiritually to the old shamanism and spiritism that Roman Catholicism never eradicated. Their message is fundamentally pagan in the sense that it promises earthly goods and prosperity — just as the pagan shamans do — all in the context of evil spirits and magical power.

You can see then why we have gone to great lengths in BMA Missions in Latin America to patiently teach, equip and educate those that are sent. Bible Institute and Seminary classes, one-onone and small-group discipleship, Sunday school literature, and more recently training tracks like DCPI (Dynamic Church Planting) and the Multiplication Workshop all serve to help us adhere to 2 Timothy 2:2 “...entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

David Dickson, BMA Coordinator for Latin America, works with national and regional coordinators, trusted and proven missionaries in

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their own rights, who often serve dual roles as Directors of Missions and Associational leaders in their respective national churches and organizations. This serves to strengthen our partnership and to provide solid ground for equipping new leaders. On the front lines of church planting, hundreds have now been trained with biblically relevant skills for making disciples and starting new churches. Buddy Johnson is the BMA Training Coordinator. Both of these men, along with their Latin American co-workers, bring a great deal of experience and missiological understanding to a very challenging task.

Bible Institutes have always served as ground level training for church leadership. This can include preachers, Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, missionaries, worship leaders and musicians.

Bible Institutes continue to be

effective, mobilizing tools to get people involved in ministry. Some are Associational schools, like BMA of Bolivia Seminary in Santa Cruz.

Most are church based. In Mexico and a few other countries, there are now online extension classes being developed to take advantage of that emerging technology.

At the Seminary level, BMA Seminary in Jacksonville, Texas, provides both online and modular classes for many who are now working at advanced levels. Be sure to read the article by Belinda Caudle concerning Editorial Bautista, the Spanish language publications ministry. It will bring you up to date on where that is going. We have a long history in helping provide quality literature and printed material in Spanish and Portuguese. We are moving forward in that area as well.

Training and mobilization drive the multiplication of disciples, leaders and new churches. Another important “engine” to drive this multiplication movement in Latin America is self-determination or self-dependency. Local churches will not be able to sustain a movement of new leaders and new churches if they are overly dependent on outside resources. To the contrary, some of the best examples of this multiplication process where leaders and churches have reproduced themselves numerous times are spiritually mature congregations that have assumed full ownership and responsibility for their vision, disciplemaking and church-planting processes.

Things have changed radically since those early days of BMA Missions in Latin America. In some ways, it’s a completely different playing field. At one time Latin America was largely the stronghold of Roman Catholicism. According to their own admission, the Catholic Church is now “bleeding members.”

Argentina, which produced the first Latin American Pope, struggles with a church attendance of less than 10% of professing Catholics. Is that an open door, a barrier removed?

Not necessarily. Good research indicates that a growing number of Latin Americans are in fact “nonreligious” in that they are following other developed nations in the west (Europe and the United States) who are becoming more secular every day.

New research indicates that many

have also abandoned evangelical churches and movements. There may be as many ex-evangelicals as there are evangelicals. Post-modern Latin America is the new reality.

This is the big picture of BMA Missions in Latin America, the view from above. Read the following pages and get a picture of what it all really means. Lives changed by the power of the Gospel. Men and women called to serve, dedicated and surrendered to the cause of Christ.

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DiscipleGuide

HOMBRE A HOMBRE

BY: BUDDY JOHNSON | HISPANIC COORDINATOR

HISPANIC MEN RESPONDING TO GOD’S CALL AT DANIEL SPRINGS CAMP

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hen I was elected as Hispanic Coordinator in 2004, I was immediately aware that our number one concern was the shortage of Hispanic Pastors. Taffy and I began Hispanic ministries in Jacksonville, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Pueblo West, Colorado, while this awareness became an increasing burden for me. My desire was to have a national meeting of all the Hispanic men from our Hispanic ministries all over the United States while praying that God would use this gathering to call Hispanic men into His ministry.

This goal posed several concerns.

Whom should I invite to speak, who would help with the expenses, and where could I hold the meeting?

Several pastors graciously offered their facilities for the meeting and someone suggested that DiscipleGuide’s BMA campground in Gary, Texas, might be available.

After a call to Bro. James Speer, we set the dates for our first meeting on Memorial Day weekend 2008.

I invited Bro. Freddy Didier from Puerto Rico, and Bro. Josue Osorio from Mexico to be our speakers. We had men from eight different states and more than twenty Hispanic Churches.

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Worship during Hombre A Hombre conference at Daniel Springs Camp

In the following years, men like Bro. Tommy Oglesby, Eric Johnson, Dennis Lopez from Honduras, and Bro. Roman Paulino from the Dominican Republic and others were used of God to bring messages that touched Hispanic men’s hearts.

Through the years, forty-six Hispanic men have expressed God’s call upon their lives to enter His ministry.

Several of these men are working in the ministry in the United States; others have returned to their homelands and are planting churches there.

God has truly blessed Hombre A Hombre and much of the credit must go to our wonderful encampment in Gary, Texas. The accommodations, the food, the place of worship, the quietness, and the hospitality of our director have made Daniel Springs a perfect place for Hispanic Men to hear the call of God on their lives. I am blessed to have had a small part in the great work God is doing through DiscipleGuide at Daniel Springs.

Alter call during worship at Hombre A Hombre

Worship at Hombre A Hombre September - October 2014 | mission:world ::: 9

RAFAEL (RIGHT) BEING BAPTIZED

SPANISH PUBLICATIONS HOW GOD IS USING SPANISH LANGUAGE LITERATURE TO CHANGE LIVES THROUGHOUT LATIN AMERICA

R

afael was an excellent Spanish teacher, and his students loved his class. His story-telling skills were unsurpassed in the junior high school where he taught.

Because of a lack of funds to buy textbooks, he had to verbally narrate the literary classics to his classes. His descriptions were so vivid his students could see the stories unfold in their minds.

Life was good for Rafael. His family was one of the most prominent and wealthy families of his small Mexican town.

He had a wonderful wife and two beautiful children.

God, however, had no place in his life. He had been raised in the religion of his parents, but other than funerals and weddings, he rarely attended church. His world was changed forever, however, when a missionary family came to live in his town.

The first contact the missionaries made was with Rafael’s mother-in-law. Soon, his wife and children began

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BY: BELINDA CAUDLE | SPANISH PUBLICATIONS

attending Bible studies and became believers. Because Rafael believed the Bible was just written by men, he tried to discourage his family in their zeal to serve the Lord. But his wife and mother-in-law stood firm, and they formed the nucleus of a small group of believers in a community that was once closed to the gospel.

The small band of believers witnessed to Rafael, encouraged him to come to Bible studies and prayed for him to come to know the Lord. But the months turned into years and, although he occasionally attended special services at the mission when his children or other people in his family were involved, he was not convinced that this was for him. After many years the missionary family returned to the U.S. where they became involved in Spanish publications for the Baptist Missionary Association. Someone was needed to check translations for grammar and spelling of these publications and their

DiscipleGuide thoughts immediately turned to Rafael.

Communication by email and the Internet had allowed the former missionaries to continue to be in contact with Rafael and his family.

And Rafael, who was a man who only attended church on special occasions, agreed to proofread Bible study lessons.

Years passed with Rafael periodically receiving translated lessons written by some of the great men of God in the BMA. Although he was initially asked to only read for grammatical and spelling errors, he began to check the verses cited also.

One day he wrote that he was getting a large print Bible in Mexico City the next time he travelled there.

We sometimes seem to doubt God’s promises that His Word will not return void to Him. But God is faithful. His Word does produce fruit.

After 25 years of praying for Rafael and sending countless Bible study lessons to be proofed, we received an email signed Hermano Rafael, Brother Rafael.

Earlier this year, Editorial Bautista, the Spanish language ministry of the BMA, shipped more than 129,000 pieces of Spanish Bible studies, visuals, tracts, hymnals and doctrinal outline studies to Mexico and Central America to be used by the Lord to

reach even more people. Almost all the adult lessons shipped this year were read by Rafael.

The story of Spanish language publications is a story of God’s Word being placed in the hands of people we may never know this side of heaven and whom we might not be able to reach in any other way.

It is a story of places where the missionary cannot be present full time, but where the printed word can continue to teach and train believers in the Christian life.

It is a story of people being discipled by the literature they receive and continuing on to disciple others with that same literature.

And the story continues.

In addition to continuing our work to produce printed Bible study materials in Spanish for adults and children, access to our publications is also provided via the Internet. As a result of this wide exposure to our publications, requests for Bible study materials, as well as tracts, auxiliary materials, a hymnal with musical accompaniment, doctrinal studies, and the Baptist Church Manual continue to come from all over Latin America.

God has also expanded the reach of Editorial Bautista with the translation of the DiscipleWay discipleship books, advanced

materials for the Celebrate Recovery program, children’s church materials, and online seminary-level classes for our Spanish-speaking brethren.

Our vision for future Spanish literature includes a new level of printed Bible study materials for eleven to fourteen year olds, materials for youth based on the format of the SOAR:lit lessons in English and new internet-based materials for discipleship.

We are excited this year to also begin to address the challenge of the sustainability of the literature by meeting with potential writers in the country of Mexico and Central America.

We ask your prayers as we begin the process of seeking out future authors for adult and children’s literature and training them to continue the work that many dedicated people in the past have worked to establish and maintain.

We stand amazed at what God has done in the life of a man who didn’t even accept the Bible as God’s Word.

And we look forward to seeing what He is going to do in the lives of many, many other “Rafaels” that will be touched by Editorial Bautista publications.

“IT’S A STORY OF PLACES WHERE THE MISSIONARY CANNOT BE PRESENT FULL TIME, BUT WHERE THE PRINTED WORD CAN CONTINUE TO TEACH AND TRAIN BELIEVERS IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.”

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THE WHOSOEVERS

STORIES OF HOW LIFEWORD IS SHARING THE GOSPEL IN LATIN AMERICA

T

here are over seven billion “whosoevers” living on planet earth today.

Some are monolingual while others are multilingual, from a wide array of traditions, belief systems, political views, preferences, moral standards, and in all shades, shapes and sizes. They are worlds apart with many differences, yet are so similar. The things that unite us are often the same things that divide us. The language that can often be a barrier is music to another’s ears when in a foreign country. Spanish is the heart language for more than half a billion whosoevers scattered all over the world, making it the second (or third, depending on the day and the source) most widely spoken language in the world.

“Porque de tal manera amó Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigénito, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (Juan 3:16)

Lifeword is dedicated to communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ through mass media to every living soul upon the earth by focusing on the unreached, making the presentations culturally relevant, speaking in the heart-language of the hearer, responding to felt needs of our neighbors, whether near or far, and ministering to local churches through media services.

The purpose of Lifeword Media Ministries is to assist local churches of the Baptist Missionary Association to provide Christ-centered quality programming through media to produce disciples of Jesus Christ in order to fulfill the Great Commission.

The following is a snapshot of testimonials from station managers, pastors, ministry leaders, missionaries and listeners of how God is moving among the whosoevers in the USA, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Peru, Panama and other countries abroad to make disciples of Jesus:

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BY: LUIS ORTEGA | LIFEWORD

“PORQUE DE TAL MANERA AMÓ DIOS AL MUNDO, QUE HA DADO A SU HIJO UNIGÉNITO, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.” (JUAN 3:16)

Lifeword Dolly Martin leads Red de Radio Amistad, (www.radioamistad.net) a 13-station Spanish radio network that is part of the Texas based KHCB radio network (www.khcb.org), with over 40 radio stations that play Lifeword’s Spanish programming at no cost to Lifeword.

“

A Radio Amistad listener was concerned about her friend Perfecta who was not going to church. This was due in part to the fact that Perfecta did not have a car or driver’s license.

She urged her to listen to Radio Amistad and when she did, Perfecta says, “I felt that I was the worst sinner in the world!” Then one day, listening to El Contacto Cristiano with Pastor Ricardo Robinson she heard him say, “No one is too much of a sinner to accept the Lord Jesus Christ.” He invited listeners to pray the sinner’s prayer with him and she did. Perfecta says, “I immediately felt a change.” She is from Mexico and had been heavily involved in the occult but the Lord freed her from that spiritual bondage the moment she prayed. She continued listening to the station and began growing in her faith. Several months later she returned to Mexico a new creature in Christ with a desire to share her new found faith with her family and friends.

This same story is repeated over and over. Spanish radio in the United States impacts primarily the first generation Hispanic who speaks little or no English. Many agricultural workers come for a short time to earn money and then return to their towns and villages.

During the short time they are here in the states, Christian radio programs have the opportunity to affect not only their lives, but whole villages.

One gentleman who had been in the states for a few years and had come to know the Lord through Radio Amistad called one day to say good bye. He said, “Please pray for me. I am going back to my rancho or village to tell my family and neighbors about the Lord. No one in my village is a believer. They are all Catholic. I will be the only believer. Pray that the Lord will help me share my faith with them.”

Praise the Lord for the freedom we enjoy in this country to share the Good News in Spanish with those who are hungry to hear.

”

“SO THEN FAITH COMETH BY HEARING, AND HEARING

BY THE WORD OF GOD.” (ROMANS 10:17) Cindy Rivera is the individual that interacts with the listeners from the various countries that write via snail mail in response to Lifeword’s Spanish programming. Here is what she has to say:

“

Every month I receive a stack of letters from different places across the Americas. I read every letter carefully and pray for each person individually. I am always amazed by the hunger people have to know more about the Word of God. Each letter is unique and they all are very personal. I receive letters from non-believers, rich and poor, imprisoned and free, and those who want to learn more to grow spiritually to be able to share their decision with others.

”

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Lifeword Marvin Granados is Account Executive at www.ElsitionCristiano.com and www.Oneplace.com and here is his perspective of our partnership in making disciples of all nations:

“

For us at ElSitioCristiano.com and OnePlace.com, our mission is to empower ministries to tell the world about the love of Christ and that has been so clearly evident with Lifeword Media Ministries. We are so honored and blessed to be in partnership with Lifeword since December 2010. Through this partnership we’ve been able to help many around the world grow in their walk with Jesus Christ, encourage them in their faith and build their knowledge of the Bible. We’ve done this by making both El Contacto Cristiano and Palabra Viva radio programs available for online streaming, downloading as an MP3 or podcast and also offering the LifeWord Bible Course as a downloadable PDF. Just in our first year in 2011 there were over 6,500 listens to the radio programs, over 7,000 downloads, and over 200 registrants for either the audio downloads or the LifeWord bible discipleship course. In our second year those numbers more than doubled, we recorded over 17,000 listens to the radio programs, over 12,000 downloads and over 500 new registrants for either the audio downloads or the LifeWord Bible Course. And those numbers continue to be on the rise; for 2013 there were over 30,000 listens, over 13,000 downloads and over 490 new registrants for the audio downloads or the LifeWord Bible Course. These numbers are phenomenal, but what is most encouraging is knowing that an individual person from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and just about every Latin-American country has been touched with the love of Christ through the work of LifeWord Media Ministries.

”

“BUT WHOSOEVER DRINKETH OF THE WATER THAT I SHALL GIVE HIM SHALL NEVER THIRST; BUT THE WATER THAT I SHALL GIVE HIM SHALL BE IN HIM A WELL OF WATER SPRINGING UP INTO EVERLASTING LIFE” (JOHN 4:14).

WE RECEIVE MANY LETTER FROM LISTENERS FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, BUT EVERY LETTER BEGINS WITH THANKING EL CONTACTO CRISTIANO FOR SHARING THE WORD OF GOD. THEY ARE VERY GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATIVE BECAUSE FOR SOME, THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE THEY HAVE A CONNECTION WITH THE WORD OF GOD. - I listen to you on the radio every day. I want to congratulate you on a wonderful program. I received Christ in my heart a couple of months ago, and I want to learn more about Him. I want to follow in His footsteps. Please send me your Bible Course. - Edwin Diaz, Chicago, IL - Your program is a precious jewel to my life. I teach Sunday school at my church, and I would love to receive your Bible Course, so that I could share it with my students. May God continue blessing the work you do. - Jose Gonzalez, Puerto Rico - Two years ago I accepted Christ as my Savior. I am very happy to have Him in my heart. For 39 years I was an alcoholic.

I stopped drinking the day that I asked Jesus into my heart. The Lord changed me. Now, instead of alcohol I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Please send me the Bible lessons… I want to grow spiritually. Thank you and God bless you. - Vicente Gonzalez, Houston, Texas - I ask God to continue blessing you with joy, peace and love… I need to receive your Bible studies, because I want to share with others the Word of God. I want to learn more about God to be able to talk to people about Jesus. Thank you for everything that you do. May God protect you always. - Jose Amaya, Honduras 14 ::: September - October 2014 | mission:world

AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, THAT WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED. - ACTS 2:21 Rigoberto Jimenez is Baptist Missionary Association’s & Lifeword’s Coordinator in El Salvador.

Here are a few words from him:

“

It is wonderful to be able to share with each of you what God is doing through El Contacto Cristiano and Palabra Viva here in El Salvador. We are thankful to the Director of Radio Estero Esperanza for airing our programming at no charge.

This partnership has opened doors to places we previously had not been able to go into.

Through our working together with Lifeword and local radio stations we have been able to meet all kinds of people and hear their unique stories. Throughout the years we have been able to share in discipleship with over 300 people and have met the specific spiritual needs of over 500 people through the ministry of Lifeword. I have heard from young and old and from all walks of life as to how our combined efforts have been a blessing to their lives.

”

AND THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY, COME. AND LET HIM THAT HEARETH SAY, COME. AND LET HIM THAT IS ATHIRST COME. AND WHOSOEVER WILL, LET HIM TAKE THE WATER OF LIFE FREELY. -REVELATION 22:17 Bro. Andrés Tinoco is a BMA missionary to Peru and has been using Lifeword’s programs since the beginning of his mission work in Peru.

“

Along with my family, we are missionaries to the city of Lima, the capital city of Perú. We are a five year old mission in San Juan de Lurigancho, one of the biggest districts of Lima. Lima is a multicultural city with over 9 million inhabitants and immigration is growing at the rate of half a million each year, making it a white field. We are blessed to have Radio Integridad in our community who airs the biblically sound teachings of El Contacto Cristiano and Palabra Viva. These have been a huge blessing.

We have received all kinds of testimonials including those who have professed their faith in Jesus. A recent testimony is from Paula, who was listening to the broadcast from prison. God touched her heart and she gave Him her heart. From prison she requested the discipleship that we offer to all listeners. Now she has also led another inmate and has requested a copy of the discipleship material to disciple her in the discipleship process.

We are grateful to God for ”El Contacto Cristiano” & “Palabra Viva”. It is our prayer that His Word will continue to reach all of the households in Lima trough the radio efforts.

Seminary

DISCIPULOSOY TAKING DISCIPLEWAY BEYOND THE BORDERS OF THE USA

BY: PHILIP ATTEBERY | SEMINARY

A

genuine thrill of my ministry occurred in April 2013 when I attended the fiftieth anniversary of the Baptist Missionary Association Mexico. The association’s president, Eric Johnson, arranged a program to celebrate the Lord’s past and present work in Mexico. Johnson assigned me the task of speaking to the meeting’s attendees about a vision for the BMA Mexico’s future. The vision I proposed? Make disciple makers.

The BMA Mexico appeared up for the challenge! But to me, few things are worse than proposing a vision without offering help on how to see it accomplished. Fortunately, I could offer DiscipleWay or even better, DiscipuloSoy! For years, the BMA Seminary has understood Matthew 28:18 as a declaration of Christ’s authority over all people,

PHILIP ATTEBERY TEACHING IN BOLIVIA

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all places, for all times. The command of Matthew 28:19 is to teach or make disciples of all ethnic groups. Under Christ’s authority, His approach of making disciples who could also make disciples serves as a model for ministries anywhere in the world. The BMA’s DiscipleWay curriculum provides a tool to assist local churches in obeying His commission.

According to Ricky Williams, BMA missionary to Mexico, “disciple-making disciples is the goal of DiscipleWay. The BMA is well on its way to spreading the process among BMA churches in the USA. But the BMA family extends beyond the borders of the USA.” As I stood before the BMA of Mexico in 2013, I held the first copies of DiscipuloSoy, the Spanish version

JORGE VASQUEZ (RIGHT) LEADING DISCIPULOSOY BIBLE STUDY

of DiscipleWay. That moment climaxed a two-year translation project requested by Phil Knott, BMA Missions Director of International Missions, to provide DiscipleWay in Spanish. Belinda Caudle, former missionary to Mexico, led the process of translating, proofing, and editing with the input of ten others from the United States, Mexico, and Honduras.

For Caudle, reading through the material reminded her “that discipleship is a personal involvement with people, and DiscipleWay certainly encourages that. Latin Americans, for the most part, put a high priority on relationships, so this type of discipleship should fit right in with their way of life. Also, the Bible study skills taught will be invaluable to all people no matter what language they speak. Being able to read and interpret Scripture on their own is a strong need among our Spanishspeaking brethren. People coming from different religious backgrounds many times depend on a spiritual leader, pastor or priest to interpret the Bible, but if they are to remain firm, they must be convinced personally about what the Bible teaches.”

The purpose of the BMA is for cooperating departments and agencies to inspire a mission vision and assist local churches in fulfilling the Great Commission.

DiscipuloSoy may be one of the BMA’s most impressive

DISCIPUOLSOY TRAINING IN MEXICO OCTOBER 2013

efforts in accomplishing its purpose. Two teams visited Bolivia and Mexico during 2013 to train pastors, missionaries, and laypersons. The teams included DiscipleWay Spanish-speaking leaders from BMA Missions, Lifeword, BMA of Arkansas Missions, and BMA Seminary. They equipped fourteen pastors from Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay, and eleven leaders from Mexico.

Williams observed, “while some of the first sessions are usually dedicated to convincing pastors of their need to disciple, the team found receptive Bolivian pastors ready to dig into the entire program. Like thirsty men traversing a desert, these spiritual leaders readily drank from the springs of DiscipleWay.” He also reports that participants from the Mexico training are implementing DiscipuloSoy in their churches and have scheduled additional training for fall 2014.

We give a special thanks to Williams, Luis Ortega, Jorge Vasquez, Axsel Zavala, and Allen Pierce for serving on the training teams. Please pray that the Lord will continue to use the work of all those mentioned in this article to make disciple makers through the English, Spanish, and future linguistic versions of DiscipleWay.

LUIS ORTEGA TEACHING DISCIPULOSOY IN BOLIVIA

September - October 2014 | mission:world ::: 17

Seminary

TAKING THE CLASSROOM TO THE WORLD W

hen I began teaching at the BMA Seminary in 2009, I had no idea about the “world� of opportunities that would present itself for ministry. Students come from all over the world to take classes or seek degrees at the seminary. What a joy it has been to get to know these students and impart both knowledge and experience to help them in their respective ministries. While many students continue to opt for traditional education by attending class at a physical campus, for many this is just not possible. Video conferencing and other technologies have allowed the BMA Seminary to take the classroom to the world.

In March 2010 the Grimsley building at the BMA Seminary was dedicated. This building serves a twofold purpose: 1) to house part of the library archive

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BY: DAVID HELLWIG | SEMINARY holdings and 2) to serve as a video conference classroom.

Since putting the classroom to use, we have been able to broadcast classes to our extension site in Conway, Arkansas, as well as to foreign mission sites in Mexico, Costa Rica, and, most recently, the Philippines. With this technology, students from foreign lands are able to interact in real time with instructors and fellow students alike.

The first foreign students I had the privilege of teaching these new technologies were from the Bible Institute in El Rinconcito, Mexico, under the leadership of Dr. Ricky Williams. The first courses I taught these students were the New Testament Survey courses that students from Mexico and Costa Rica attended through video conference. These courses help the students to

understand the background material behind the New Testament books which serve as an aid to understand and properly interpret the contents of these Biblical books.

In 2012, Ricky Williams approached me about teaching Greek grammar to the Spanish speaking students. My first impression was, “How do I teach Greek to Spanish speakers, when I am used to teaching it to English speakers?” Despite the challenges, however, I knew this was a great opportunity to give these students the knowledge and ability to work in the original language of the New Testament. Since we had given them background information on the New Testament books, a logical next step was to build a Biblical language foundation to help them interpret the verses contained within those books.

In June 2013, we broadcasted the first part of beginning Greek grammar to students in Mexico City, El Rinconcito, Guatemala City, Honduras, San Salvador, San José, Bolivia, and Costa Rica from the Jacksonville, Texas, campus through the internet platform GoogleHangouts.

Bro. Ricky translated my lectures to the Spanish speaking students, then translated their questions, comments,

and answers to assignments to me in English (I believe he had the tougher job between the two of us). The second part of Greek grammar was taught in June 2014.

This has been a rewarding experience to interact with these students and have a small part in their educational training and ministry.

Continue to pray for the students scattered throughout these regions as they learn from trained instructors in their respective fields. Pray for the ministries in which these students are involved that they will properly implement the training they have received. Educational training is not just about absorbing information, but learning how to take that information and apply it to real-life situations. I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in II Timothy 2:2, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also (NASB).” The knowledge that we give to these students does not end with them, but it grows with them as they apply it to their ministries and pass it on to other faithful believers. May God be glorified in all that we do for His Kingdom work!

Video classroom in the Philippines

Peru

A SUMMER IN PERU ONE STUDENT’S JOURNEY TO FINDING GOD’S WILL

BY: EMILY RICE | VSM

O

ver the course of the past year I have spent a total of eight weeks in the country of Peru with BMA missionary Johnmichael Poulin, his wife, and his three sons. When I signed up for my first VSM (Volunteer Student Missions) trip during the summer of 2012, Peru was nowhere in my sights. But thankfully I have a God whose plan is so much more divine and perfect than my own. I ended up in Peru for a two week VSM trip in July of 2013. I was so changed, humbled, and shattered by my experiences there that I committed to spending six weeks during the summer of 2014 observing, learning, and studying under the Poulin family in order to see more into the everyday life of a long-term missionary, as this had become a possibility for my future. I went to Peru this summer expecting to learn everything I did just from the Poulins, and while I learned a great deal from them, I also learned many things from the number of native Peruvians

who work with the Poulins supporting their mission work.

So I want you to meet a few of the Peruvians who make possible the extensive amount of mission work happening in Peru.

Pastor Paul Tinoco was the first native Peruvian missionary I met on my initial trip to Peru.

He and his family serve in Tarma, Peru, where he pastors the Iglesia Bautista de Tarma. Pastor Paul is clearly a servant to his core.

During the few weeks I spent with him I witnessed his servant leadership as he loaded and unloaded a number of suitcases, transported our team by bus all around the province of JunĂ­n to provide medical care in various villages, cleaned toilets, shopped with a bunch of ladies, hunted far

and wide for cold drinks, carried our bags and so much more. But what was even more impressive than all of that was the fact that he did it with such joy. It was never a chore for him; it was an honor, which is something very rare. His love for people, all people, is evident in everything he does and says. The Tinoco family name is well known and widespread throughout the country of Peru as various members of the family pastor and share the gospel in many locations.

I also had the privilege of meeting Pastor Paul’s niece Tatiana Tinoco and

Emily Rice (Right)

September - October 2014 | mission:world ::: 21

Peru

Susy Galvez, best friends who have been working with the Poulins in Ica for several years.

Not only are these ladies very active and faithful to the church there, they also disciple a number of women in Ica and surrounding

women and designed their Bible study plans around them, which is something I had never seen done before. Time was never an issue for them. If one lady had many questions and needed them to stay longer to answer them, it was no

around Him and making Him known.

Finally, I was blessed to meet the pastor of the church in Ica, Huber Aliaga, whom I did not have a chance to meet during my first trip to Peru. This year,

areas every week. I had the privilege of accompanying and observing them as they discipled a few women in a town called Ocucaje. Every home we went into was different. Each woman or family was in a different stage of life and walk with Christ. They were all facing different challenges and Tati and Susy were very aware and sensitive of the individual needs each lady (or family, in one case) had. Of the four homes we went to, no two studies were the same. Tati and Susy evaluated the

problem; in fact, it seemed like a privilege to Tati and Susy. They were delighted when their time with a certain lady went longer than expected, whereas I would have been slightly frustrated to be off my schedule. Tati and Susy taught me that what God is doing and has planned for that Bible study is worth being off schedule for, and they could not be more right. The two ladies have completely surrendered their lives to the Lord, as is evident in nearly all they do. Their lives revolve

however, not only did I get to meet him but I also got to learn a little about him, his love for the Lord, and his passion for missions. Pastor Huber Aliaga began working with the Poulins a number of years ago and is one of the most important reasons their church has grown to the size it is today. Huber not only pastors the church every Sunday, but he also leads multiple Bible studies in various areas in and around Ica every week. Every Thursday he leads a Bible study at an all boys

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orphanage in the city of Ica. His heart is so big and his love for the people of Peru is so evident that I can’t help but admire him.

His patience with everyone he comes into contact with is so encouraging to me. He is always prepared and willing to encourage and build up anyone who needs it, and I hope one day I can possess the same qualities.

The six weeks I spent in Peru quickly became the most important time of my life. I learned things about myself and about my God that I never could have discovered in my comfort zone of the United States. For years I have had every aspect of my life planned out. I knew who I wanted to be, where I wanted to work, and where I wanted to live.

However, God quickly revealed to me that my plan was not His and that His is so much more divine and perfect. It took a lot for me to surrender everything to Him and commit to finding His will for me, but God never fails to show me how much greater His plan for my life is. Over the past year, Peru and the people of Peru have become such a huge part of me, and I can’t wait to see how God is planning to use my love for the country in the coming years.

I could go on for so much longer sharing my experiences and introducing you to all the people who are making such a huge difference in the country of Peru. Being able to see how they work has changed my entire outlook on mission work and evangelism. Before my extended

trip to Peru, I believed all I had to do was get the lost inside the church doors. Once they were in the church, my job was done and it was someone else’s turn. And if I invited them to church and they declined, then I had still done my job and could pat myself on the back. I was so wrong. As the above-mentioned missionaries and so many others have proven to me over and over again, my job

is to build relationships. My job is not to bring people to church but to bring the church to them. The Bible doesn’t say the lost will come to you. It tells the saved to go to them. Please be in prayer for the number of missionaries in Peru, Latin America, and all over the world as they answer the Lord’s call to go and tell, and as they teach students like me to do the same.

September - October 2014 | mission:world ::: 23

Former Missions Director Promoted

“Through twenty-six years I have been most privileged to work with the churches, the people, the missionaries and the workers in the office, how wonderful they have been to me, and all of this under God’s direction. There have been heartaches, but oh, the joys. I leave feeling it is God’s will, but I do also with a feeling of sadness.”

F

ormer Missions Director Craig Branham, 85, of Springdale, Arkansas, passed away on Monday, April 28, 2014. Funeral Services were conducted Friday, May 2, at Bethlehem Baptist Church of Greenbriar, Arkansas. Richard Walters, Martin Lloyd, and James Schoenrock led in the memorial service. He was buried in the Bethlehem Cemetary next to his son, Dwayne Craig Branham.

Craig Branham was born April 14, 1929, at Troup, Texas. He graduated from Troup High School, Jacksonville College, and Texas Wesleyan College in Fort Worth. While attending Jacksonville Baptist College, he met Grace Williamson of Carthage, Texas. They were married July 3, 1948. They were blessed by three children: Dwayne Craig, Grace Elaine, and Clinton Burgess.

He began preaching at seventeen. His first church was New Hope, Jacksonville. His early ministry included First of Blooming Grove, First of Italy, and First of Ferris (all in Texas).

Craig began his work in missions in 1956 when he was elected to serve as Assistant Secretary of Missions of the BMA of America. He succeeded his friend, Richard Walters, in that position. In 1966, he was elected as Secretary of Foreign Missions. General Secretary of Missions, W.J. Burgess, retired in 1969. Craig Branham was elected at that time as the General Secretary. He continued in that position until his retirement in 1982.

In the April, 1982, issue of The Gleaner, he gave his last report to the churches. He penned these final words: “Through twenty-six years I have been most privileged to work with the churches, the people, the missionaries and the workers in the office, how wonderful they have been to me, and all of this under God’s direction. There have been heartaches, but oh, the joys. I leave feeling it is God’s will, but I do also with a feeling of sadness.”

Bro. Branham pastored at Bethelem, Grace of Russellville and Calvary of Heber Springs in Arkansas. He served as Chairman of the Board at Central Baptist College and as Director of the Ministers Retirement Fund. These places of ministry followed his time in missions.

His survivors include his wife of 65 years, Grace Branham; daughter Elaine Councille (who became a widow shortly after the death of her father); son, Clint; and sister Faye Nell Hunter; 11 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

GOD’S TIMING

AND OUR RESPONSE BY: MICHAEL HIGHT | HISPANIC MISSIONS

Hispanic America

U

nique Opportunitites: Why aren’t we doing over here what our missionaries are doing over there? This was the haunting question that continually crossed my mind.

In 1998 God called me to be a missionary to Hispanics. All I ever knew about mission work was that missionaries packed up and went to foreign fields.

I talked to Buddy Johnson and Jerry Kidd about this calling that I felt, and they recommended that I take some trips to Latin America. I did, and then I did again. Every time I came back my family would ask, “What did you think?” and I felt ashamed, but I always returned from those trips with that question: Why are we not doing here what our missionaries are doing over there? Little by little it became clear that that was exactly what He was calling me to do.

There are approximately 55 million Spanish speaking people living within the borders of the United States. We are in the list of the top five largest Spanish speaking nations in the world. The mission field is here! And it is by divine design. For years the church in America has sent evangelical missionaries to Latin America. Some have gone where the Gospel had never been preached. Others anchored in foreign lands and preached truth in the midst of stiff opposition by other religions. And now many Hispanics with an evangelical past are arriving here and bringing their faith with them. Others are arriving with that “Godshaped vacuum” in their soul thinking that money and opportunity will fill it, but instead they are finding out that God had His hand on their lives the whole time, sovereignly bringing them to Christ.

America needs this Spanish-speaking part of our population to help bring us back to Christ. Their devotion and commitment to Christ in many cases is unparalleled, and their strong commitment to family helps ensure the passing along of the faith to subsequent generations. Our borders are not beyond the control of God. He controls population shifts, vast immigration movements, and even the spiritual destinies of nations. Could it be that as God brings the world (not just Latin America, but the world) to the United States, that He is doing so at the hope of spiritual renewal?

Unique Challenges: As our Hispanic mission partnerships have grown in the United States we have encountered some unique challenges. In some ways

they are unique to this mission field because there are multiple cultures and languages involved. First generation Hispanics are those who were not born here, but immigrated here and whose heart language is Spanish. They come with a deep love for their own country but a desire to function in this one. The driving force behind many coming to the United States is the hope of a better economic life and/or safety concerns for their wellbeing. The gangs and cartels in Latin America have created unbearable living situations in many areas of Latin America, especially for young men who are being recruited to become a part of Michael Hight Family them.

Second generation Hispanics are those who were born here or who were brought here at a young age.

Many of the second generation Hispanics are U.S. citizens because they were born here. This creates an incredibly complex situation for authorities who have delicate situations with parents who are undocumented and children who have all the rights and privileges of being U.S. citizens. Currently a streamlined or affordable way for these people to obtain their documents does not exist. Missions’ agencies have spent over $10,000 dollars on one missionary, and the process takes over two years to complete. People living in poverty have no way of coming up with that kind of money. Along with being at the center of the immigration issue, second generation immigrants have a blended culture and language which can create extremely explosive September - October 2014 | mission:world ::: 27

Hispanic America

Michael Hight (left) attending the Hombre A Hombre at Daniel Springs Camp

situations at home. Second generations speak Spanish, but generally their ability to read and dominate the written language is hindered by the fact they are educated in English. Their ability to communicate with parents and grandparents is greatly influenced by this fact.

Third generation Hispanics are those who were born to those who were born here. They are United States citizens and live and function freely and effectively in American society. Some are bi-lingual and many speak only English.

Should we even bother with the Spanish ministry if we are eventually going to have third and fourth generations that speak only English? The answer is a resounding “YES!” There are several reasons for that.

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Number one, many first generation Hispanics are open to the Gospel. Circumstances in their lives have brought them to a point of recognizing their deep need of God, and God is still in the saving business.

He cares as much for the first generation as He does for the second or third.

Secondly, with the secularization of our schools and the humanism of our society, if we don’t reach the first generation and help them to influence their children we won’t have a chance at winning the second and third, regardless of what we do! It will be too late.

Thirdly, America is not assimilating as it has in the past. There are many sub-cultures in our society; in fact, experts tell us that there are over three hundred languages spoken here. With the creation of these sub-

cultures many people can live here without engaging mainstream America.

Fourthly, how we view and how we treat the first generation will greatly affect how they and their families view and treat America in the future. It will affect the spiritual and political climate of America in the future.

When I think about what God has done in our ministry with this population I stand in awe at some of His trophies of grace. One day I watched out our mission window as a local Hispanic group set up a statue of Mary of Guadalupe.

They dressed their children in traditional Indian garb and began dancing and singing around this statue.

I watched the eyes of some of our new believers, wondering what impact it would have on them. One of them said proudly, “I use to do the same thing, but now I know that it is pure idolatry.” This same person is now teaching God’s Word in a public place of employment once a week.

I think of a young couple at one of our missions where the husband wanted no part of the church, and his wife was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. After a lot of ground work by several members, God saved both of them. They are now having an incredible influence on their friends who have yet to be saved. All of our pastors and missionaries could share story after story about how God is changing people with the power of the Gospel.

Much discussion and debate is given to the Hispanic population here in the states. It is common

to fear or disregard what we don’t understand, but apart from the discussion and debate and nestled in the borders of this nation there is a group of people with dreams, aspirations, stories of heroism and valor, problems and frustrations but, most importantly, a soul that will either be redeemed by God’s amazing grace or forever lost through sin. I thank the churches of the Baptist Missionary Association America for taking seriously the command of Christ to reach all ethnic groups. As God sovereignly creates opportunities for the expansion of His Kingdom, may we be faithful to continually respond to His Call.

Worship at the Hispanic Women’s Conference

Hispanic Women’s Conference September - October 2014 | mission:world ::: 29

El Salvador

EL SALVADOR I

t is a great privilege for me to share with you all of the great things God is doing in a country where people do not take God seriously and where society does not care much about spiritual life.

God has brought up men who are obedient to His Word and has transformed them into true disciples who are making disciples.

In 1989, El Salvador was continuing to struggle in a civil war, and I was a young boy of fifteen. My military service began that year, and after serving for two years, I received permission

BY: RIGOBERTO JIMENEZ | EL SALVADOR

to travel to the United States. I really didn’t want to go but with war continuing at home, I decided to go in search of the American dream. After traveling for a month, I ended up in Houston, Texas, with my family.

Feeling independent, I started making bad choices in my life like smoking and drinking liquor. God soon put a family in my path that invited me to a youth meeting called Intino and to their Action Center meetings (home groups).

The concern this family had for me to stay away from the bad choices

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I had made was amazing. They continued to take me to church at Center of Life, and a year later I accepted Jesus as my only and sufficient Savior.

Immediately I found someone who would mentor and disciple me. I began to experience an intimate, personal relationship with God and started climbing the ranks of the Intino program. God began to mold my life, and I began serving in church in a ministry with younger children.

When I completed all of the Intino Academy studies, God called

me to return to my home country of El Salvador. At first, I didn’t want to go back there because I hadn’t reached my goal of achieving the American dream. But every day, every week, God showed me that He wanted me in El Salvador. It was a struggle that lasted several months until one day I finally made the decision to return to my country to work in youth ministry.

Before returning, I shared my decision with my family, and none of them agreed to return with me.

I told them it was the craziest thing I had committed to doing, but I knew that God was guiding my steps to go. No American Dream fulfilled in my life, no making a lot of money. I had no house, and I had absolutely no material possessions.

But the Bible says in Colossians 2:10 that we are complete in Christ. I have experienced many unpleasant things and had many, many needs but all that is insignificant when one sees people surrender at the feet of Christ. A soul is priceless; the price is so high that Christ had to pay it.

That is the biggest satisfaction for me, to see people turned into sons and daughters of God. After a few years working in the ministry and discipling others through Intino, God has given me the privilege of not only working with youth but with all ages. I was honored in 2010 by Brother Phil Knott to begin working as coordinator of Missions here. I feel unworthy to occupy such an important position in an association as large as the Baptist Missionary Association of America. I was happy, but the new challenges made me feel very nervous; however, I’ve always believed in the greatness of God. I’m reminded of the story of Samson in Judges 15:16 where the

El Salvador

power of God and the jawbone of a donkey killed thousands. God can do great things through those who are willing to be used. I was very excited about this new stage of my life and this new opportunity to magnify God’s kingdom so I turned to the man who has been like a father to me for advice.

Brother Richard Robinson has not just been like a physical father to me but a father in my spiritual life as well. He told me that I had to be very honest with myself, consider my limitations and surround myself with people that could do the things that I could not. With that in mind, I started to do what I am most passionate about, making disciples.

My first disciple after being named coordinator was Brother Alfredo Guzman. After spending some time together in God’s word, God placed a desire in our hearts to plant churches. Together we began this adventure of planting churches, and since 2010 we have been privileged to work with a group of brothers who realize that this is about God and not about us. God has given me the honor of working with these men in opening many new mission churches.

I don’t know how long God will allow me to go, and I really don’t want to know. I only know that the vision that God has given us is for

Bible Study at a church in El Salvador

now. The few programs that have developed in some of the missions such as Action Centers, Intino and Kids Club are not the goals but merely the means God has used and continues to use to enlarge His kingdom.

I want to thank God for His work and the Baptist Missionary Association of America for its support. We are thankful for the medical teams that have been with us in one of the places; they have paved the way for us to reach people there. I want to thank those who have taught us through leadership workshops

how to be more effective. I want to give special thanks to each of the pastors and leaders of the Baptist Missionary Association El Salvador. They have been vital in growing the Kingdom. The new works that have opened have not been without the support of each of these leaders. They are men who are always ready to fight every day for the Lord’s work.

I’m thankful that God has allowed me to know a man for the past two years named Jaime Guevara. Brother Jaime Guevara is a new missionary who began this year. Brother Jaime had an

“I don’t know how long God will allow me to go, and I really don’t want to know. I only know that the vision that God has given us is for now.”

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accident a while ago. He received an electric shock of 12,000 volts.

Seventy-five percent of his body was burned. He lost one arm and part of the other. He spent fortyfive days in the hospital and after leaving, spent two years confined to a wheelchair. Everything seemed to be going against him. He had recently been married before the accident, and his wife’s relatives told her to leave him because he could not do anything and would become a burden to her.

Thankfully Sister Sonia stayed with her husband and left her parents to be with him until God separated them. God did what many thought was impossible; Brother Jaime recovered even though many had given up on him.

This man has an incredible faith. Even with all of his limitations I have never heard any complaining from him.

In February we began a new mission, which he is leading, in a community called San Simon in

the department (subdivisions of El Salvador) of Cuscatlán.

A month ago, a group of people threatened Brother Jaime to stop preaching in that community because that community was Catholic. I asked Brother Jaime what he thought about the threats.

His response was that he would continue to minister there because God called him to that place and because Jamie Guevara and his wife those people who threatened him needed to know the true Gospel and his wife Sonia have a big heart and Jesus the Savior. Brother Jaime for serving the Lord.

Please do not forget to pray for our country. It is a small but Worship at a mission in El Salvador busy country and in need of God’s word. There are many church organizations here that do not preach the gospel of the Bible. According to a survey, forty percent of the population is Christian, but when we see the crime statistics it’s hard to believe. It may be that many know the gospel but very few live the Gospel of the Bible. Pray for us as we take the pure message of the Bible to the people of El Salvador.

God bless the Baptist Missionary Association of America.

Central America

NICARAGUA A MINISTRY OF PASTORAL TRANSFORMATION

A

fter nearly thirty-two years of not having a formal ministry of Biblical and theological training for the pastors, leaders, workers, and teachers of our churches in Nicaragua, in 2004 the coordinator of missions in Nicaragua, Brother Oscar Gaitan and I, Pastor Javier Muñoz Ruiz, a graduate with a masters degree in Theology and Pastoral Formation, shared the vision and worked on the formation and organization of our Bible College. The Bible College supports all of our churches in our Association in Nicaragua in Biblical and Theological training of their ministers.

Once organized and structured, this project was shared and the BMA of America began to give support.

With this new ministry, we concentrate on helping our pastors in rural areas and the countryside where the academic, economic and access level is very difficult. There’s no electricity, no telephone or Internet where they are. There are not even roads. Our pastors and workers must travel on foot or by mule.

This makes it very difficult for them to go to town or to leave their families to prepare academically or theologically. So the Bible school saw the need to teach them, and we did so by starting a course of distance classes in various remote locations. One such place is the small town of San Francisco Libre where we have over ten churches. Once a week we travel 120 kilometers to reach the village. Forty kilometers along the way to teach the classes is rocky road, and there is a lot of mud in the winter and dust in the summer. Some twenty-one brothers, including pastors, workers and leaders in the community, come to be trained through courses offered by the Bible Institute.

Almost all of these students travel one to two hours on horseback, by bicycle, or on foot from their own communities to the school. They miss a whole workday on their farms, their sole source of support, to attend

BY: JAVIER MUÑOZ RUIZ | NICARAGUA class faithfully and with much interest. One student is Pastor Sindulfo Gómez. Even though he knew he could not write and could only read a little, he didn’t hesitate to sign up. The Bible Institute addressed his needs and allowed him to take oral examinations. He learned to copy fellow students’ notes, and he was very good at retaining information. With much desire to excel and be faithful to his studies, he learned to read and write well and completed the two-year course, graduating with honors. Now he is literate and has planted two missions in his area.

The impact of this project has been great. The preparation of pastors is now more effective. The churches have a greater sense and desire to be mission minded. The leaders and workers of the new missions are better equipped in teaching doctrine. Churches that have never planted new churches now have one to two missions started.

Brothers who have graduated have become the new teachers to continue the task of training new leaders and workers for the mission field. All of these achievements have allowed us to have a new Bible school in the community of Lomas, with teachers who graduated from the community of San Francisco Libre. We are also starting a work in the Atlantic area of our country, a Bible school in the community of La Esperanza, nearly 400 kilometers from the capital.

Another mission is in Diriá, and it continues the goal of bringing teaching to our churches and impacting ministers, churches and communities.

Continuing the work in 2014, our goal is that the impact of every church, home Bible school, theological education classes, and mission will be the greatest in each community, town and city of our country. We ask for your prayers.

MAKING AN IMPACT IN PERU BY: GERSON ORELLANA PORRAS | PERU

Peru

I

was born in a Christian home.

My father has been a pastor in the Baptist Missionary Association Costa Rica for over thirty years, and ever since I can remember I have always felt a great burden to do missionary work, especially in South America.

While living in Costa Rica, I worked to evangelize the Peruvian community based there until one day God sent me to Peru, specifically to preach about His wonders to the people in the Andean highlands located more than 3,200 meters above sea level. We took root in the village of Pilcomayo, which together with its two neighboring villages, Sicaya and Chupaca, have a population of about 75,000 with no Baptist church in the area.

Perhaps the hardest part of our work here is dealing with the beliefs and traditions that date back hundreds of years. Customs such as bathing newborns with the blood of an animal for “protection,” talking to the dead, and believing that some spirits will harm you if you listen to the Gospel are just some of the situations encountered daily in this region of the Sierra Andina.

People here don’t know about or have much love for Baptists or other religious groups. So we have been trying to make friends with the people around us, and we have gradually been gaining the trust of the people. Aided by the curiosity of seeing a foreign family in their environment, people have been coming to our home to hear the Word of God. Part of our vision is to glorify Christ without altering the culture here. In our meetings we use Andean style music and in Biblical teaching we use understandable language that’s used in their own homes

Missionary Gerson Orellana Porras ministering to people in Peru

and the cultural environment of the region. Even the name of our group is meaningful to our identity, Andean Community Mission. The word COMMUNITY makes us feel a part of something. Being missional reminds us to be a community within society and not apart from it. It’s our duty to our neighbors, both those inside and outside the local church and those in the surrounding Andina region where the cold and high Andean Peruvian Sierra begins.

An elder of the Pilcomayo community, Don Juanito said, "I never would have come into a church before. But I never imagined that you could learn about God in someone’s house." A youth who is preparing to be the future leader of a church plant, Erick Young exclaimed, "The happiest day of my life was when Christ saved me and I was baptized." We have not only been blessed by seeing lives changed here but God has also blessed us to see the cold waters of a creek become the baptistery of the first person saved in our community.

Recently, something very interesting happened that encouraged

us. Athough this town is syncretistic (“the combination of different forms of belief or practice”), it claims to be Catholic. One night the townspeople made a sort of procession. They raised a Christ statue and several people were walking behind the image. Just as it passed in front of our house, they stopped with the statue right in front of our door. Burning incense, more than 100 people were facing our window and they began to pray and swing incense toward our gate. In a few minutes a man gave the order to proceed. As they were leaving some of them waved to us saying goodbye and bowing toward our house. That night I went to bed happy because I realized that we had accomplished a great goal… the whole town knew that in our house lived a "brother" as we call it; a pastor lived there with his wife and children.

I knew we were beginning to have an impact in our community!

I beg your prayers for the work being done in the Peruvian Andean Sierra and for our family and for more souls to be saved by His grace.

September - October 2014 | mission:world ::: 37

Chile

WHEN THE ROAD IS DIFFICULT THE CHALLENGES OF INVESTING TIME INTO PEOPLE

E

very day as I return home from spending time studying the Word of God in discipleship with Camilo Bravo in his home, I ask the Lord, “How long will I be needed to help Camilo on this journey?” You see Camilo is in a difficult situation that takes a lot of time and ministry.

But what do you do when God puts people like Camilo in your path?

His situation is a serious one: drug problems, where everyone around him (friends, coworkers,

BY: PABLO MUNOZ | CHILE family, acquaintances and strangers) contributes to consumption.

Camilo is twenty-six years old, single, a professional welder and lives with his parents. His addiction began at age fourteen, and he really has no desire to get off drugs. Amid all this, every time we meet, our Lord emerges, confronting him with His Word. Memorizing John 8:44 and reading a chapter a day of Luke are small steps in this young life that shines the light of hope.

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But the question still persists: Is there hope, or am I wasting my time? One thing I must remember though, is that I must have patience.

Second Timothy 2:6 says that the farmer must first work to partake of the fruit. Clearly this young man needs rehabilitation and the hope that God will open a door to help him out of this scourge. His most frequent question is, “Can I change?” It’s an important question

for him that only the Word of God can answer. Luke 18:27 says that the things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Our whole church is praying for this situation. I’m reminded of a similar situation I faced in the past in which I now see with great joy how God was true through it all.

That brother is currently a great church leader and a man with a huge heart for the work. This is what fills me with optimism. Philippians 1:6

says, "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

I remember in years past when I worked as a salesman for Electrolux.

In training, we were taught that in soccer there are about 200 plays during a match of which only one or two end up converted into a goal.

Because the team doesn’t know which of those plays will end in the scoring of a goal for them or their

opponent, each team must perform 200 moves if they want to achieve victory. Similarly, in our work we must not fail to do all that we can to be victorious.

First Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I sincerely hope and pray that Camilo becomes a man of peace.

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Panama

MISSIONS IN ACTION

BY: RONALD MURILLO | PANAMA

E

phesians 2:4-5 says, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).�

Through our work at Baptist Life Center Mission in Brisas Del Golf, God gave us the opportunity to meet a woman with great spiritual needs. Her name is Ana Irene Solano and in her search for God she came to one of our Action Center meetings (small groups). She gave her heart to Christ on the day of her first visit in our home. Because of her life and her story, we can clearly see how God works His perfect plans.

For fifty years, she has suffered from StevensJohnson syndrome, a disease that struck her at age seventeen after visiting a zoo in Panama where she had played with a monkey. Struggling to survive at that age, all odds were against her.

The doctors gave her only a slight chance of survival. She was only the second Panamanian to suffer from this disease; the first person to catch it did not survive. This syndrome damages the skin and dries out all mucous membranes of the body including the tear ducts, nose, mouth, and sweat glands. This disease also depletes the immune system, which exposes the body to viruses in the environment and makes it more susceptible to infections such as influenza and the stomach virus.

This syndrome has adversely affected her overall health, and she must remain as isolated as possible from groups of people. Her doctors make home visits to reduce her exposure to others during hospital visits as much as possible. Having this syndrome for over

40 ::: September - October 2014 | mission:world

Ana Irene

forty years has taken its toll on her body not only from the direct symptoms but also from conditions that have resulted from this disease. She suffers from metastases on her eyelashes, which are extremely painful. It has left her almost blind from her eyelashes growing into her eyes. They have to be removed with tweezers using

a magnifying glass twice a week, and the very strong antibiotic drops they use produce severe headaches that have damaged her memory.

But despite all of this Ana Irene has been a great example of faith and perseverance. She was able to marry, establish a home, and even meet her grandchildren, all while suffering from depression caused by the lack of a cure for this disease.

After meeting the Lord, her life now has transformed her both physically and spiritually. Jesus has changed her sorrow into joy. She now sees her illness not as something to complain about but as a useful way to teach others about Christ's purpose in life. One of those purposes is the use of one’s testimony to show the love of Christ to others. She is now energetic, full of vitality, and she has a great hunger for God, to praise Him and to please Him in everything. Today she and her husband

Carlos, who is a taxi driver in Panama and has dedicated his life to ensuring the health of his wife, have opened the door of their home for us to preach the Gospel.

Through them we also met Ana's mother Irene, who is now in a nursing home. We visit her there and pray with her, and she has accepted Jesus into her heart. Now God has opened the doors of this nursing home for ministry.

Let’s pray for the elderly and for us as we present the Gospel. Also pray for Ana Irene and the salvation of her family, which includes four grown children, and her grandchildren. We now visit them once a week for discipleship. We thank God that He has led us to this family and that they have welcomed us into their homes.

Finally, please pray for our continued work to "Go make disciples...”

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

A review and preview of missionary news from around the world are going according to His will not ours. He gives us what we need not what we want. Once again, thank you for upholding us in prayer and for the financial support that makes our work possible.

Arkansas:Brandon Cox

We meet in a movie theater, which makes things interesting on Sundays. This past week, three different people walked into the theater to catch a movie and wound up being invited into our service by our greeters.

One of them was saved!

Two weeks before that, two different adults gave their lives to Jesus. That never gets old!

We’ve been averaging about 240 in worship so far this year, having seen about 70 of those new attenders come for the first time on the day we launched a second morning worship service.

And we’re also just months away from sending Michael Smith out of Grace Hills to plant a new church in the Siloam Springs, AR area. God is up to some big things for His glory’s sake!

California:Jesse Garrido

We praise God for He is good. Indeed, He has been good to us as we continue to reach out to the unchurched/ unsaved in the city of Ceres.

We can see God’s hand at work as we minister to those we come in contact with.

Beatrice, who came to us a few months ago, has many health issues but is strong in the Lord and continues to join us for Sunday Service where she is being ministered to, along with her brother Mario. He is a very confused man who needs salvation but we know that it is no coincidence that he continues to join us for church service.

Maria continues to suffer physically and has had to make several trips back home to seek medical attention.

But through it all we have the assurance that God is in complete control and things

Dominican:Jesse Hales

Lord willing, by the time you read this we will be finished with language school and heading to the Dominican Republic to begin our ministry there. We praise the Lord for allowing us to be at this exciting point in our lives.

We also want to thank you for your prayers and support.

We would not have made it through school without both of those things, especially the prayers.

Please be praying that our transition to the Dominican goes smoothly, that we are able to find housing and so on. Pray that we will con-

mission:news

42 ::: September - October 2014 | mission:world

tinue to get a better grasp of the language and the culture.

And please pray for the pastors and their families as they labor hard for the Lord.

and I will travel to Wantakia and do a “survey” of the land and people sometime in August and really try and discern if this is were the Lord has us. Would you pray that that God would make it clear and continue to lead us?

PNG:Jeremy Hambrice

Our family has been in Papua New Guinea for close to half a year now and plenty has happened. Mandy and I have finished learning the trade language here in PNG. This will be a vital tool in helping us learn the tribal language of a people group that God will send us to preach the gospel, plant churches, and translate the Bible. Our church planting team, which includes BJ and Jill Sanders, feels like the Lord is focusing our attention on one people group here in PNG in particular. They are the Wantakians, and they live 6,000 feet up in the mountainous jungles with one of the hardest languages in the entire world.

They are cut off from the gospel because of these things, but nothing will keep God from gathering people from all tongues, tribes, and nations! BJ

Latin America: Buddy Johnson

Just to observe some of the things God is doing around the world humbles and enriches one. It has been my joy to recently return from trips to Bolivia, Mexico, Honduras, and Arkansas where I was blessed to observe BMA churches uniting to extend the Gospel message in regions beyond themselves.

In the midst of horrible flooding, our brethren on the Mamorė River in Bolivia continue to work on the Bible Institute on the river and make plans to carry the Gospel to villages on the river where the Good News has yet to arrive. In Mexico, the BMA of Mexico met in the Aztec Indian village of Atlaltipa and I observed once again the leadership of our Lord as the

Mexican churches planned to expand the voice of the Gospel in their country. Over 1,000 brethren met in that small village for three wonderful days of fellowship and worship.

In Honduras, I attended once again the National Missions Conference where all the churches of Honduras met for a full day of preaching, singing, and fellowship. More that $1,600 dollars was raised for Honduras Missions. Then the BMA of America in Little Rock was a real blessing as once again I observed the work of our churches and the preaching of the Word by Bro. Ed Stevenson and our son, Eric Johnson. I will be teaching Church Planting in Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Ghana, and Arkansas in the near future and will be hosting our annual Hombre a Hombre Hispanic conference. Please continue to pray for us as we serve.

Hawaii:Fil Kakilala We are looking forward to moving to our new base of ministry in the Philippines.

However, our work will continue

September - October 2014 | mission:world ::: 43

in the Pacific island states of Micronesia and Polynesia including Hawaii, even as we gear up for the church organization of Na Koa Baptist Mission in Waipahu, HI. Please pray for the new leadership of the church in Ewa Beach, HI and for the men who will be ordained into the ministry. We praise the Lord for blessing church multiplication efforts on the island of Oahu, and for a successful work in Chuuk State. Our new work in the Philippines is in the Ilocos region of northern Philippines. This is the first BMA outreach in this area. We ask for your prayers and support as we break ground in Ilocandia where Baptists are very few in number. In July we had a BMMI outreach in the beautiful South Pacific island of Savaii in Samoa. We are looking forward to our furlough after over five years on the field, from August through December. You may contact me for appointments at (808) 2248905 or e-mail at flkakilala@ hotmail.com.

to the Gospel presentation. We continue to pray for the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives as well as contact with other Christian people. While in Israel a dedicated Christian brother asked Dr. Ralph to bring a team to work with the Sudanese refugees in his country. PLEASE pray for the continued ministry of BMMI as opportunities present themselves in all parts of the world.

The Good Samaritan Clinic in Mexico recently entertained a group of five different specialists from Ciudad Victoria who donated their time and expertise ministering to over 250 patients.

As always this serves a two-fold purpose as they care for the physical and spiritual needs of their patients. Please pray for the safety of our people in this area as drug cartel fighting and loss of lives continues.

Don’t forget the Christmas Shoebox campaign is just around the corner, so help put a ton of smiles on the faces of boys and girls in Nicaragua and El Salvador by taking part in this heart touching project.

God bless and thanks once again for your support.

grateful for all of the churches who believe in what we are doing and support our ministry. God is enlarging our territory and we are thankful for the expansion of our ministries. Our territory has expanded as we work with pastors and churches on the island of Mindanao to help them plant new churches.

Another school year has begun at BMABC. Please pray for us as we continue to teach and mentor the students. As we build relationships with them, they have become very special to us.

We are inspired by their passion and desire to serve God.

Philippines:Doug Lee

Furlough is over and we

are back on the field in the

BMMI:John Ladd On a recent BMMI trip to Jordan it was a privilege to work with a number of Syrian refugees.

Many were attentive and listened

Philippines. It was awesome to be home with our families for 2 months and we were blessed to visit many of our churches that support us. Apologies to those we did not get to visit. You will be at the top of our priority list when we return. We are deeply

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Philippines:Don Newsom Here’s Hope Baptist Church had a wonderful Bible Conference and Church Revival with Brethren Mike Goodwin,

Paul Bullock, Danny Bullock, and John Fulmer. Services were well attended, and since then, we have received one new member by transfer, and four by baptism.

Pastor Pete Etabag and I are trying to help revive our two Churches on the small islands just off our shores. They were both badly hit by the super typhoon. Ten young people from one of these churches are awaiting baptism.

Praise the Lord, I am now the legal father of Angela. We are just waiting for the “Final Decree” document, which we should have in a few days. Then, we can get her a new Birth certificate, Passport, and Visa. We hope to be in the States sometime in September. Thanks to those who have made this a matter of prayer.

Cambodia:John Page Soksabay! Greetings from Cambodia. God has been faithful in keeping His Word to the Khmer people. “So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void.” Isaiah 55:11. It’s been a wonderful experience to see God work in 3 of the indigenous tribes. Please continue to pray for our discipleship team that

new villages will continue to see the light of Christ through them.

We will be on furlough until December of this year. If you would like for us to come share what God is doing in Cambodia, please contact us at page1062@ gmail.com. Thank you for partnering with us in the Gospel.

New Mexico: Anthony Pennington Mary and I had a wonderful time of sharing the gospel at the Gathering of the Nations in April. The All Nations Indian Baptist Church along with Brother Merritt and Sister Lulie Youngdeer reached out to hundreds with the message of hope and salvation in Jesus Christ. A total of 15 were saved.

I was privileged to lead two to Christ. One was a 62-year-old man. What a joy to see the peace on his face after praying and inviting Jesus into his life.

The Neighborhood Mercy Church has been meeting twice a month in the park at Tierra West with new people attending each service. We are also having our Wednesday night group in the park where there is more interaction with neighbors and it also where we play volleyball. In

our next report we hope to share the results of the missions team coming this summer to help with VBS, Sports Camps, and work projects. The Kids Clubs in Tierra West and Longview continue to grow with new kids coming each week. God has also blessed with a new adult group in Longview.

We thank all of you for your prayers and support and hope you will stop and visit if going west on I-40.

Canada:Mike Poirier Levis, Quebec: During these past two months many visitors came to the services and we started a new Sunday school class. Brother Michel Barton is in charge of the outreach in soul winning ministry and distribution and advertisement.

Pastor Bourgois is doing great job taking charge when I am in Haiti.

Kuujjuarapic with Indians: 5 people were saved, and unfortunately 1 person committed suicide. We need a pastor.

Port-au-Prince Haiti: 47 people saved, 5 baptised, and one couple got. Praise the Lord for our safety when one Sunday night after service a man was

September - October 2014 | mission:world ::: 45

shot in front of the church.

We put a roof on the church in Haiti. We now are having over 100 on Sunday morning and more on Sunday evening.

We need a well in Haiti and a place to stay more permanently.

Psalms 126:6 “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Texas:Ashraf Sara The so-called “Arabic Spring” that started a few years ago continues to bring turmoil and unrest in the Middle East. It has ended up bringing more and more Arab refugees to the States. But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.

The newly planted Living Word Arabic church in Dallas, TX continues to grow. We meet at the facility of Northside Baptist Church. Now, also we have five small groups that meet in different cities in the DFW area during the week. In early summer, we had a great revival among the Arabic-speaking people in Dallas. More than 200 individuals attended; confessions and new commitments have been made. By mid-summer we will

have a women’s retreat for three days. The retreat will deal with the inner healing of the Arabicspeaking women who are mostly refugees in a new land. Our burden is that they come to know the Truth and the Truth shall set them free. We recently started a new youth group. We are training them in order to grow and go out for outreach. Coming late summer we will organize an Arabic speaking conference for youth who live in the DFW area in cooperation with Girl’s Missionary Association. The theme is “Purity”.

Due to the desperate need for Arabs to hear the good news, we have started to reach different areas around us where there are no Evangelical Arabic works at all. We want to give thanks to the Lord for another successful trip to Oklahoma City and we are in the process of forming Arabic work there. Please pray for stability & growth. We are also using the Internet and broadcasts to reach millions of Arabic speaking people all around the globe. Pray for favor in the eyes of Arabic speaking people in America and for more American churches to partner with us in reaching Arabs in America for Christ.

Mexico:Ricky Williams The semester at the Bible Institute is nearing a close.

This year´s format has been different. Yet students are still being prepared for ministry by two different methods. Classes this year have been taught via the Internet to students that, for whatever reason, can´t come and

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stay on campus for two years.

With the service of high speed internet that has been provided by offerings of the Camille Acres Baptist Church, the institute has produced six online courses this year for students in three states in Mexico as well as students who are auditing courses from Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Additionally, our teachers travel to three locations to host one week intensive courses. Our students in Axochiapan, Veracruz, and Atlaltipa number twenty-four in total. Courses from BMATS for Latin America continue. By the time of publication, three courses will have been taught. Thanks to Dr. Ronnie Johnson for the Christian Counseling course. The students appreciate Dr. David Hellwig for his concise and patient explanation of Greek grammar and how it applies to exegesis.

Likewise, Dr. David Erickson enlightened the students in the first half of Systematic Theology.

Students from across Central and South America are benefitting from these courses that come to them. No need for a passport or a plane ticket. Continue to pray for this ministry and for our efforts of ministry in Aquismon in evangelism and discipleship.

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

OCTOBER CALENDAR

1. Mr. & Mrs. Michael (Josie) Barton**, Quebec, Canada Mrs. Jamie (Rebekah) Jones*, Smithville, MO 2. Missionary outreach in Angola 3. Charisa Kakilala*, Conway, AR Brandon Cox*, Bentonville, AR Angie Cox*, Bentonville, AR Doug Lee*, Philippines Mrs. Phillip (Angela) Rice*, Conway, AR 4. Kylor Morris*, Ecuador Mrs. Luis (Lisa) Ortega*, Conway, AR Elyse Ortega*, Conway, AR 5. Buddy Johnson Partnership, Waxahachie, TX 6. Jenni Johnson*, Creative Access Nation 7. Mr. & Mrs. Eli (Ana) Brito-Semedo**, Thailand 8. Mrs. Ralph (Judy) Izard*, Benton, AR A.J. (Arianna) Church*, Slidell, LA Hal Sellers*, Conway, AR 9. Anthony Pennington Partnership, Albuquerque, NM 10. Lifeword Staff 11. Mr. & Mrs. Jamie (Rebekah) Jones**, Smithville, MO 12. Volunteers Working on Shoeboxes 13. Burkina Faso Nationals 14. Missions Office Directors 15. Alexander Chepurnoy Partnership, Plymouth, MN 16. Doug Siler*, Conway, AR 17. Mrs. Anthony (Mary) Pennington*, Albuquerque, NM Callie Malone*, Conway, AR 18. Jonathan Cummins*, Conway, AR 19. Missions Office Staff 20. Mexico Nationals 21. Don Newsom*, Philippines Dar Lee*, Creative Access Nation Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Chepurnoy**, Plymouth, MN 22. John Bienlein Partnership, Swartz Creek, MI 23. Missionary children 24. Trevor Morris*, Ecuador 25. Missionary wives 26. Brynn Eakin*, Alexander, AR 27. Caleb Cross*, France 28. Costa Rica Nationals 29. Jonathan Poulin*, Peru 30. BMAA Department Directors

1. Mrs. Alexander (Elena) Chepurnoy*, Plymouth, MN Audrey Faulk*, Pasco, WA 2. CIS Nationals 3. Steve Crawley*, Lifeword, Conway, AR 4. Cape Verde Nationals 5. India Nationals 6. I Am A Woman Ministries, Lebanon 7. Mrs. Brandon (Brittney) Lingle*, Thailand Chris Hamilton*, Conway, AR 8. Portugal Nationals 9. Amanda Johnson*, Mexico Phillip Rice*, Lifeword, Conway, AR 10. Taiwan Nationals 11. Ashraf Sara Partnership, Allen, TX 12. Mr. & Mrs. Tommy (Sara) Rose in Language School 13. Mark Sara*, Allen, TX 14. Mrs. Boris (Vera) Lebedev*, Ft. Walton Beach, FL 15. Mrs. John (Shirley) Ladd*, Tyler, TX Mrs. Buddy (Taffy) Johnson*, Waxahachie, TX 16. Peru Nationals 17. Japan National 18. Mrs. Charles (Mona) Costa*, Lebanon 19. El Salvador Nationals 20. Mrs. Grady (Denise) Johnson*, Mexico ohn Page*, Cambodia 21. Mike Jones*, Lifeword, Conway, AR 22. Rick Russell*, Lifeword, Conway, AR 23. Hazel Brewer*, Missions Office, Little Rock, AR 24. Philippine Nationals 25. Madelyn Crawley*, Conway, AR 26. Seth Smith*, Conway, AR 27. Bolivia Nationals 28. Mrs. John (Margaret) Lindsey*, Derby, KS Mrs. Jared (Ashton) Eakin*, Alexander, AR Mr. & Mrs. Donny (Datha) Parrish**, Lifeword, Conway, AR 29. Alexander Chepurnoy*, Plymouth, MN 30. Puerto Rico Nationals Uruguay Nationals

* Birthday ** Anniversary

mission:world P.O. Box 1188, Conway, Arkansas 72033 Periodical Postage paid at Conway, Arkansas and at additional mailing offices.

USPS 575-320 POSTMASTER

Join us on Lifeword Sunday October 26, 2014 a day to pray and give Walk for the World is a fundraising event to support Gospel broadcasts around the world in languages and 50 different formats.

34 langu What can your church do for Walk for the World?

www.lifeword.org