940-872-5751|[email protected]

One day I went to the grocery store to buy cat food. I was excited to use my Ilokano language skills, and knowing makan means “food” and pus means “cat”, I asked the employees, “Ada ti pusa nga nakan? (Is there cat food?)” They responded, “Oh, no, sir. We are out of stock.” I looked around, surprised that such a large grocery store had no cat food. My wife, a native of the area, had a good laugh when I told her what had happened. Instead of asking for kanan ti pusa, “food for the cat,” I had asked for “food of the cat,” or cat meat! — Jonathan, Philippines

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“Is White Boy Christian?”

Mel Rutter 1916-1999

It was 1944 and WWII was still raging. Twenty-eight-year-old Mel Rutter and his battalion were sent to New Guinea to hunt for Japanese soldiers. After they arrived and were awaiting permanent orders, they had a lot of free time on their hands. These American soldiers had much uncertainty and fear in their minds and hearts. Being far from home, family, and facing certain death at any moment fostered a mindset of “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die.” Sin was rampant: liquor, gambling, cursing, and obscene stories were the norm.

Mel, a young Christian, was saddened by such sin against His Lord and Saviour. To get away from it, he began walking, and before he realized what he was doing, he was deep into the jungle! In 1944, it was not safe to wander into the jungles of New Guinea where cannibal tribes still lived. Suddenly, his fears took shape in the form of a native cannibal standing right before him saying, “Hubba, hubba,” in broken English. Horror washed over Mel as he saw the filed-down, pointed teeth in the smiling face of this cannibal. Then Mel noticed the Book tucked under the cannibal’s arm. Never had his soul been so stirred and thrilled! This ex-cannibal was carrying a Bible! He looked at Mel, grinned with those pointy teeth, and asked, “Is white boy Christian?” Only God could orchestrate such a Divine appointment as this. Mel’s heart was greatly impressed by this humble ex-cannibal— a REAL missionary out telling anyone who would listen about becoming a Christian!

Back in America and years later, after attending two seminaries and pastoring three churches, Mel and his wife surrendered to missions. They sold all their belongings and went to Mexico. Two years later, they returned to Dallas where they taught missions for a year. Next, they went to Chile, South America. A year after that, they went to Costa Rica and attended language school to extensively study the Spanish language. Mel and his wife Dorothy then went to Peru, South America, and worked with Peruvians and the Quechua Indians for a number of years before returning to the States for health reasons.

In 1961, Mel and Dr. James W. Crumpton founded Maranatha Baptist Mission. At one time, it had one hundred twenty-five missionaries serving in eighteen countries and at home. For thirty-nine years, Mel was an international representative of Maranatha Baptist Missions. He died on December 30, 1999.

Have you had any Divine appointments? Is God moving you toward missions? Are WE fulfilling God’s Great Commission? Oh, that the love of Christ would fill us and overflow to the uttermost creature!

Winter 2024-25

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Pedal to the Metal

Jordan, Ishmaela, Elroi, Neima, Alicia

Jordan Kurecki and Alicia Ramirez arrived at BBTI in 2017 and could not have come from more different backgrounds. Alicia was homeschooled and raised in a Fundamental Baptist church. She learned to play the violin, interpret for the Deaf, and be an EMT. Jordan came from a totally non-religious broken home in the Chicago area. He attended public school and learned early to play with alcohol, drugs, and a wicked lifestyle. A friend invited Jordan to a Baptist church when he was nineteen. After a time, he trusted Christ. Alicia made a profession of faith in Christ at age four and later, at age fourteen, received assurance of salvation. It took the same grace to save a good girl as it did to save a bad boy! Jordan graduated from Fair Haven Baptist College and Alicia from Faith Bible Institute.

At some point, they noticed each other in our classroom, and the rest is history. At times, we wondered if they were too distracted by each other to hear what was being taught, but apparently not for they have put what we taught them into practice in Uganda. Jordan wrote, “BBTI has made a huge impact in the way I look at missions and has equipped me with a skill set to reach people that many would consider too difficult or impossible to reach!” Here at BBTI, Jordan learned about the Nubi people whom he is targeting. They are a Bibleless Muslim group of Uganda numbering thirty-four thousand.

Jordan and Alicia were married in July 2019 and later that year visited Uganda. They were sent by Park Gate Baptist Church in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, and began deputation during COVID, the worst possible time. They persevered, making thousands of phone calls and emails. At first, only one in five churches they visited took them on for support, but as they neared their goal, the churches saw their determination, and that ratio improved. They traveled in an old car, and little by little dumped about $6,000 into repairs until the transmission finally quit. It was then that a brother in Christ loaned them a nice car to drive. He “just happened” to buy it on a whim but did not need it. During deputation, Jordan began to study advanced courses in Hebrew and Greek in preparation for Bible translation.

While at BBTI, Jordan met a Nubi man on Facebook who is somewhat of a leader among his people. When they arrived on the field in February 2023, this man introduced Jordan to many people, and he had favor with them—for a while. Later, after he began church services, a large group of angry Muslim men raided a service and beat two of the Christian leaders, one quite severely. Jordan was treated roughly but not injured. The honeymoon was over! Threats and abuse of the church leaders continue. Nevertheless, Jordan and Alicia continue learning the Kinubi language, becoming proficient after less than two years. (There is no language school or professional teacher; they have learned by applying what they were taught at BBTI.)

In May 2023, Jordan discovered a small group of Nubi speaking believers who attempted to translate the Bible into Nubi but had given up because they did not know how to proceed. Jordan has organized and trained a translation team of five Nubis. Recently, they had to dismiss a team member for bad behavior. The man has become a real enemy, trying to extort money from Jordan, threating physical harm and exposure of the team to the Muslims who bitterly oppose a Bible in their language. He would like to get the Kureckis expelled from Uganda. Nevertheless, they plod ahead, making very good progress. There is no time to waste. Despite serious bouts of malaria, threats, and the hardships of missionary life, Jordan and Alicia push the pedal to the medal and move forward!

Winter 2024-25

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Resurrendered

Kyle and Elisabeth Burchwell

I was privileged to grow up in a Christian home. After my salvation at the age of four, the Lord called my father to preach. He left his career and moved our family to North Carolina to attend Ambassador Baptist College. His example of faith and obedience continually challenges me.

Growing up at a Bible college afforded me many privileges. At an early age, I encountered the idea of serving the Lord with my life in ministry. When I was twelve, I gave my life to God at a summer camp. I did not know anything about ministry, but it made sense that if Jesus was willing to die for me, I should be willing to live for Him. My mother did all she could to encourage this decision, and men and women of God from yesteryear were often the assigned topics of reading assignments and school reports. Missionaries became my heroes. Two years later, I told the Lord that I would do anything and go anywhere for Him, including following him to the foreign field as a missionary.

Being around a Bible college, however, was not always positive. My father was a deacon at a church whose pastor was a college staff member. The pastor disqualified himself and split the church. The spiritual damage caused by this scandal led me to turn my back on God and the ministry. I renounced my surrender and charted my own course.

After high school, my parents pressured me into taking a one-year Bible course at Ambassador. I was bitter, miserable, and under constant conviction, knowing that I was running from the Lord, but He continued working in my heart. That semester, God put me through a series of events that brought me back to the place where I realized that a life outside of God’s will was not a life I wanted to live. I rededicated my life to the Lord, changed my major to Missions, and began to seek and follow God’s leading.

When the time came for my missions internship, I chose to pursue several opportunities that piqued my interest and prayed for the Lord to give me guidance. He closed the doors on all of them. Then, through a series of Divinely orchestrated circumstances, he steered me to a unique opportunity in West Africa to minister in Ghana, Liberia, and the Ivory Coast. On this trip, the Lord burdened my heart for Liberia. Afterwards, he confirmed this calling to my wife and me through answered prayers and further opportunities. We are excitedly anticipating our first term in Liberia next year.

Winter 2024-25

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Nubi, Uganda

In the 1880s, the governor of Southern Sudan was driven from his country into Uganda. He and his soldiers were given protection from the British in return for their service. This group of Muslim soldiers and their descendants eventually became known as the Nubi people. In the 1890s, the British awarded the Nubi soldiers land in Kenya.

There are an estimated 20,000-40,000 Nubi people living in Uganda today and about 16,000 living in Kenya. The primary language is Nubi, a language heavily influenced by Arabic. There is still not a standardized writing system, though the work is in progress.

Although most Ugandan tribes work as farmers, the Nubi are employed as soldiers, drivers, merchants, or craftsmen. The Nubi staple diet is posho (thick corn flour porridge) in the north, and matoke (boiled and mashed green plantains) in the south. They eat a little goat or chicken when able to afford it. For dress, they have largely adopted a western style of dress, except for Jummah Day (Friday) when they wear the kanju, a Muslim robe.

Despite living in Uganda, a nation that primarily practices some form of Christianity, 99% of the Nubi people are Sunni Islam. Their beliefs date back to the early 1800s, when the Ottoman empire conscripted their ancestors to serve as soldiers and forced conversion to Islam. Islam is a foundational part of Nubi identity. Men are required to attend “Jummah”, the Muslim weekly service and prayer. Some will attend ancestor shrines after attending the Mosque, and some will visit a witch doctor, but they continue to claim Islam as their primary belief. Most East African tribes experience relatively peaceful coexistence of Muslims and Christians. However, when a Nubi accepts Christ, he is often exiled from the Nubi community. (See Pedal to the Medal in this issue for news about a Nubi Bible.)

Winter 2024-25

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The AI Missionary

Satire: a literary work in which vices, follies, stupidities, abuses, etc. are held up to ridicule and contempt. (Collins Dictionary)

I feel it wise to warn the reader that I have employed the literary tool of satire in this article. Please do not read if you do not understand or appreciate it.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay. We should not fear it, but rather use it to further the Gospel. Perhaps someone could invent an AI powered robot that could be carried by a drone to any place on earth. If a drone can deliver a missile with bombs, it could deliver a missionary with Bibles. We might call this an Artificial Intelligence Missionary Substitute (AIMS). It could have either male or female features and be constructed of light-weight plastic with a soft surface to imitate human flesh. Just think of his possibilities! Instead of a human missionary slipping and sliding for hours up and down the muddy mountain trails of PNG, AIMS could arrive quickly without muddy feet. He would need no visas, and there would be no countries closed to him. He could be programmed to speak any number of languages with a voice showing compassion, sympathy, or humor. He could even shed a tear at the right time.

Of course, Mr. AIMS will not fool the natives. They may be uneducated, but they are not ignorant. However, while a real missionary would be much preferred, the people may be intrigued and listen to Mr. AIMS recite the Gospel message. Isn’t an artificial missionary better than no missionary? The important thing is for people to hear the Gospel. Remember what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:18, “What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.” As long as there are conversions to Christ, what difference does it make who does the preaching? The great missionary statesman Oswald J. Smith said, “You must go or send a substitute.” Well, Brother AIMS will be our substitute.

Mr. AIMS would have many advantages over a traditional missionary. No one could scare, insult, or discourage him. True, he would be uncaring, artificial, and heartless, but his AI words might display something like compassion. With facial recognition capability, he could recall the name of everyone he talks to. He would never be tempted to abandon his mission, and he could last many years. His defective components could be replaced. The original manufacturing cost would be high, but to get a real missionary on the field and keep him there, even for a short time, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. AIMS’ cost will come down when mass produced, and the quality will also increase. Money is not really a problem with God’s people for the most part. We are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. Whereas it is almost impossible to persuade people to even consider being missionaries, AIMS would have no struggle with surrender—he would simply go. Parents will rest more easily, knowing that the chances of their children going to some strange, dirty place where people eat bugs are much lower. Parents and grandparents should be happy to pay for more robot substitutes. And the few spiritual souls who desire to serve the Lord can do so in our stateside churches. We could keep our best and brightest ministers right here.

Mr. and Mrs. AIMS would never need a furlough or leave the field to care for aging parents. Sickness would never cause them to depart prematurely from the mission field. There would be no interpersonal conflicts with other missionaries or national pastors that end the missionary careers of many. Lust, pornography, or any type of immorality would never tempt them. They could appear to live together as husband and wife, but no time would be wasted on romance or conversation. The two would get along perfectly with zero chance of divorce. AIMS would never take a day off; he would be all business. He would not be lazy. He could move about and talk to multitudes without any rest. It would cost almost nothing for housing. A tool shed would suit him fine. With no children to raise and slow him down, Mr. AIMS could dedicate his time to the recitation of the Gospel message. In the unlikely event that AIMS would become damaged beyond repair, his drone could simply deposit him in a dumpster.

Jesus commanded us to lift up our eyes and look on the harvest field of lost souls (John 4:35). AIMS’ computer would have all the statistics about the Bibleless languages and the unreached people groups. He might even be able to program himself to go to the most spiritually needy places. Jesus also commanded us to pray for laborers (Matthew 9:38), but that was before AI. Now we could pay for what we were told to pray for.

As churches adopt this new idea, they might engage in a healthy competition to see who can buy the most substitute missionaries. They could hold conferences to raise money. The cost would be minimal because there would be no need to provide meals or motel rooms for AI substitutes as it does for human missionaries. AIMS does not eat, and he would not know what to do with a love offering. Real missionaries constantly request prayer. There would be no need for church members to spend time praying for AIMS. Who prays for a robot?

Okay. Enough of this foolishness. This facetious satire is not intended to amuse us but to rebuke us. Thank God for those who give generously to support the work of missions, but we cannot buy missionaries. There never has been and never will be a missionary substitute. God’s Plan A is for redeemed people to go and communicate His Gospel to the lost. He has no Plan B. Yes, technology is helpful, and we should use it, but it will never replace the missionary. God is still saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Where are those who will say, “Here am I; send me.”?

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Teke of Congo

The Teke are one of over five hundred groups of Bantu people. They live in the central plateau of Africa where they grow maize, millet, and tobacco. The tribe’s name comes from their occupation of trading; teke means “to buy.” They also hunt and fish.

Teke traditional dress is fashioned from the dried leaves of rafia, a native palm tree. Kaolin, a white clay commonly called china clay, is used for face and body painting.

The primary religion is reportedly Christianity, but the Teke also practice their African traditional religion involving communication with spirits and ancestor worship. Carved fetish figurines serve as daily protection and as an aid to success. When you see a carved wooden mask from Congo, it is most likely Teke. These masks are used in traditional dancing ceremonies at weddings, funerals, and initiations. These masks also denote the wearer’s social and political identity. The tribal chief is the religious leader. As such, he is a highly respected decision maker. He keeps the peace within the tribe and performs traditional ceremonies to ensure its safety.

There are numerous groups of Teke, and each speaks a distinct language. Very few of these languages have a Bible, though some have Bible portions and translation work has begun in others. The Nzikou, and Tsaayi Teke, with a combined population of 451,000, have no Scripture.*
*Joshuaproject.net

Fall 2024

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Hands to the Work

Carrie Mae Whaley

Carrie Whaley was blessed to be born and raised in a Christian home. She made a profession of faith and was baptized at age four. As an eleven-year-old homeschooler, she was assigned to write about her salvation. Like many who are saved at a young age, she had serious doubts about the validity of her salvation experience. She could not remember what she prayed; she only remembered her baptism. Carrie shared her doubts with her mother who then explained salvation to her. Carrie prayed, asking Jesus to come into her heart and save her. This took care of her doubts for a time, but they returned and stayed with her through her teen years. Had she simply said words to have a salvation experience to write about for her homework requirement? Did she pray because it was what was expected of her? The doubts drove her to her Bible where she learned the meaning of and received the assurance of eternal salvation. Strangely, vivid details of bedtime devotions in her brother’s room came back to her from her experience and prayer at age four. Her mother confirmed what Carrie remembered.

Carrie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at Western Carolina University and worked as a nurse for seven years. She loved her work but became burdened for the foreign Deaf when she met Dr. David Bennett, director of Silent Word Ministries International. All Carrie knew about the deaf language was the alphabet she had learned from a coloring book at age seven, but at his invitation, she joined a group taking a trip to Liberia and Ivory Coast, Africa.

Upon Dr. Bennett’s suggestion and the blessing of her home church, Carrie attended BBTI. Her pastor described her as a faithful, hard-working church member with special musical talent. At BBTI, she proved to be an excellent student. After graduation, she worked diligently to raise financial support to serve the Lord in Liberia, Africa, and left for the field in February 2024.

She wrote recently, “The honeymoon phase is over, and it is not all sunshine and roses, but I am still having the time of my life!” She is adjusting well to her new country and its language. Pray for Carrie. Her valuable teammate, Monique, was forced to return to the states for cancer treatment, and her future is questionable. Carrie is busy conducting Bible studies and teaching sign language to a group at her church as well as planning a missionary internship/training program. She is making slow but sure progress reaching the Deaf. She is working with BBTI graduates Bruce and Amanda Stewart to prepare a deaf Christmas drama that should reach the large deaf community in Monrovia. The problem is that
Bruce and Amanda live five hours away!
Carrie says that the people are usually friendly, but it is difficult to distinguish between those who are really interested in God’s Word and those just looking for a handout. The well-intentioned generosity of foreign aid organizations has produced many who ask the missionaries, “What do you have for me?” Carrie reports that spiritual warfare there is almost tangible. Even some church members practice witchcraft on Saturday night and then worship God on Sunday. Because of their works-based salvation mentality, they want to placate God so He will give them what they want. They try to “cover all the bases” with both God and Satan. This is not to say, however, that there are no true, godly people; it is just difficult at first to be sure who they are.

Liberians, hearing and deaf, need missionaries! BBTI students, Kyle and Elisabeth Burchwell, are surrendered to go and plan to depart next summer. Could God be calling you to labor there? If you are interested in Carrie’s internship program or just wish to send encouragement, you can contact her at: [email protected]

Fall 2024

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A Small White Chapel

by John Combest

John & Emily Combest serve in Congo. John is a 2014 BBTI graduate.

A small white chapel sits nestled in Ngaliema Bay of Kinshasa, Congo. Few know of its existence. Yet, this unassuming brick edifice stands as a monument to those first missionaries who, despite all obstacles, brought Christ to this land. Dr. Aaron Sims, a Baptist missionary doctor, pioneered several of the mission stations along the Congo River, building this church alongside his own humble home in 1981. Two years later, his colleague, Fritz Gleichman, passed away suddenly and was interred a few meters from the sanctuary.

I have often looked out across the Ubangi River and wondered if there were still any missionaries serving on the other side. These two Congos, separated by a river of the same name and a tributary upon which I live, have buried many a diplomat, businessman, and missionary. Yet, over the past two centuries, the church of God has recognized its undying duty to push the frontiers of Christianity. We sent scores of missionaries into the interior to people unknown and places unnamed. Many a widow and widower buried their grief and loss and moved yet deeper into the endless expanse of Congo. Questions plague me – How far did they go? Is there still a frontier which the Gospel has not reached? Are there yet a people to whom Christ has not been preached?

For a number of years, I have begged the Lord to send us fellow missionaries who would share in the labors on this side of the river, freeing me to cross over into the northwestern regions of DRC. I have watched in grief as mission boards, agencies, and churches have steered young and old alike away from these beleaguered zones to the more developed and tender fields of west and east Africa. “Security and stability” they say! Do we think for a moment that those early missionaries did not face death and hardships at every turn? Do not the scores of gravesites across this region speak to this very point? Has the situation somehow worsened since Livingstone first penetrated these dark corridors of central Africa? How is it then that the young men of our generation are content to be children’s pastors and “ministry helpers” and our young women to be nursery workers? Where is the strength and youth of our generation? Where is the fortitude which so clearly marked the lives of those before? Those were the days when frontiers were smashed and ministries carved out of the forests through years of dogged determination and effort, despite the “insecurity and instability.” Today, in Kinshasa, a city of seventeen million, you find the remnants of this last generation of workers, all well beyond the age of retirement with illnesses which will see them to their graves; and yet, with no one coming, here they live, bearing the increasing load and care of all the churches. Who will come alongside the church to continue the work of Biblical and pastoral training, music, literacy, and Scripture distribution? Who will help develop and translate materials for the strengthening of the church? Who will organize and lead the faithful into a future of increasing opportunities? And above all, who will carry on that spirit of missions—eyes ever on the horizon, seeking out those places where the gospel has not yet reached and those people to whom Christ has not yet been preached?

Listening to these old missionaries speak cannot but leave you with a heavy heart. There is a general confusion and dismay at the fragility and timidity of our age. To these, who themselves have opened new trails and founded new works, there is great sadness at the loss of focus and drive which so defined the churches of their time. Where are the missionaries for the coming generation? Have we convinced ourselves that the work of missions has been completed? These elderly ministers would beg to differ. They would argue that the work has just begun! Not only are there groups yet without the gospel, but there exists a church and a Christian community to teach and disciple. But this is no fool’s game. The challenges both within and without the church are significant. Even as these missionaries sit in wonder, their tough personalities and continual stories show the difficulties which they have endured.

Yesterday evening, I came across a man from Spain who was motorbiking across the continent. For three hours, he spoke of his journey: kidnapped in Nigeria, held at gunpoint in Tunisia, chased by rebels on motorcycles in Mali, thrown in a jail in Benin. All this was “ok,” but Congo… Congo had broken him. He cried openly twice as he shared the difficulties he has faced here and of his near-death experience with malaria. So overjoyed was he at seeing us that he spent the night at the foot of my bed in a village in central Congo. This is a warning to those who would come in search of adventure – Congo has a way of tempering those notions.

That said, I plead for our youth, the strength of our nation, those who desire a work which demands their lives and absolute attention. I plead for our parents whose words and actions are so influential and upon whom God has placed the work of raising these future missionaries. I plead for our pastors who help guide our churches and have the opportunity to turn the hearts of our people back to the greatest of all commissions. The more I travel about this land [Congo], the greater the burden of ministry becomes. Our ministries and travels demand an ever-increasing investment from us both financially and physically, and yet, who else is there? And where else are we to turn for help if not to the very body to which this mission on Earth has been left? I can never forget that simple grave behind the small white chapel in Kinshasa, that symbol of a time and sacrifice past. Just like the greatest Sacrifice of all, may these sacrifices never be forgotten by the church. May their testimonies drive us ever forward until this work is complete and Christ returns for us.

Contact: [email protected]

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The new BIMI missionary in Japan, Ron White, was preaching about sin, or tsumi: “Tsumi are bad. Tsumi cause death. We need to get rid of our  tsumi!” But there was a big problem. He said tsuma instead of tsumi and was actually saying, “Wives are bad. Wives cause death. We need to get rid of our wives!”

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Who Follows their Son?

                   John and Lena Allen

I was saved in my high school years. Immediately after graduation I joined the military, and a few months later I married my high school sweetheart (who is still my sweetheart and ministry partner forty-seven years later).

While stationed in Germany in 1980-81, we had part in planting a church for US service members. There we met our first missionaries, John & Alma Bettig, who served with Trans World Radio, recording and producing Russian language broadcasts to beam into the Soviet Union. After they spent an afternoon telling us of their twenty years of work in this ministry, we were moved in our hearts with both the responsibility and opportunity to share the Gospel of Christ with the world beyond us.

In 1981, after completing my four-year military tour, we moved to our present home church in Louisville, Kentucky, and became more involved in ministry and missions. Starting in 1991, I was able to take short-term trips to Eastern Europe and Russia to teach in Bible institutes and to preach. In 1999, we began taking yearly trips to Mexico with our church.

When I became pastor of our church in 2001, we were able to focus on missions through increased giving, more mission trips, and sending out our own. In 2003, we sent our son Matt and his family to Papua New Guinea (PNG). He was the first missionary sent from our church who grew up in the church. It meant much to our people.

My wife and I visited PNG in late 2005, and while we were there the Lord directly moved in our hearts that PNG was where we should be. We didn’t see it coming—after all, who follows their son into the ministry? The needs were for someone to learn the unwritten Kamea language with a view to translating the Bible, and for someone with medical experience and gifting to serve the people with a medical clinic. Those were a perfect fit for my wife and me (now empty nesters). I had always enjoyed working with other languages and had a burden for Bible translation; and my wife was a registered nurse with varied experience.

A few months later we resigned our positions and moved to Bowie, Texas, to begin training at BBTI. We are now in our seventeenth year in PNG and use lessons we learned at BBTI almost constantly.

Summer 2024

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It Began at BBTI!

 

             Daniel & Libby O’Connor
                  Verity and Eleanor

Daniel O’Connor was born in 1995 in Louisiana, and Libby Mashburn was born in Alabama in 1996. They both came to study at BBTI in 2019 but did not previously know each other. They graduated the following year and were married in April 2021.

Proving himself to be an excellent phonetician, and with a view to teaching Phonetics in 2021, Daniel began helping the out-going Phonetics teacher, Michael Carpenter. Libby easily grasped the linguistic concepts of phonology and morphology. In 2021, she began teaching Phonemics. This year she taught our Morphology class. Both Daniel and Libby are an important part of our linguistics department. The O’Connors wasted no time beginning their teaching career, and neither did they waste time beginning a family. Eleanor Josephine was born in March 2022, and Verity Ruth in September 2023.
Daniel was raised in a godly Chrisitan home and was home schooled. He was influenced by a strong interest in ministry and especially missions. Daniel has had extensive Bible training in his home and church. He was taught to work hard and grew up learning the building trades. Daniel made a profession of faith in Christ at age eight, but at age fifteen, he realized he had only said a prayer, and not trusted in the finished work of Christ for his salvation. After hearing a message on hell, he received Christ.

Libby’s background is much different. She attended a Christian school for only one year. The rest of her education was in the public schools. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Huntsville with a Foreign Language and International Trade major. She learned to be a seamstress and later began making and selling modest women’s clothing. Libby was led to Christ by her stepfather at a young age.

Whereas Daniel’s home was stable and peaceful, Libby’s was tumultuous. Her parents divorced when she was young. Her mother’s life changed when she was saved, and she determined to raise Libby in a godly environment. Other family members believed that she had become a fanatical cult member, and thus began the custody battles. For a time, Libby lived in a home where she learned biblical principles. Other periods were spent in a home that taught and encouraged worldliness. Libby was rebellious but God was longsuffering and victoriously brought her through. She decided to seek and follow Christ. In this world where broken homes and dysfunctional families are almost normal, Libby knows what young people are going through.

Daniel has the desire and skills to help with the much-needed upkeep of BBTI’s facilities but works part time to provide for his family. He wants to increase the family’s level of financial support so that he can teach, help with maintenance, and represent BBTI full time. These are all essential ministry needs. Please contact them at [email protected] if you would like them to present their ministry to your church.

The O’Connors desire to serve the Lord on the foreign field. For now, however, they want to invest their time and talents in the preparation of missionary students at BBTI.

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Roglai of Vietnam

146,000 Roglai people (whose language is also called Roglai) live in the Vietnamese coastal provinces of Khanh and Ninh Thuan. Evangelical Christianity among this people group is estimated at 12%. Due to persecution, an accurate estimate of evangelistic churches is difficult to assess.

Since there is no Roglai Bible, pastors and leaders study the Vietnamese Bible and speak its truths to the congregation in Roglai. They long for a faithful Roglai Bible. A church will not be strong without it. A group of capable young men are forming a translation team to address this need. Some team members will translate; others will do a back translation for accuracy’s sake. Some older men are wisely included as counselors.

The missionary involved has participated in these men’s ministry training and preparation for the translation work. He is confident that they are godly, capable men of good character. The missionary’s involvement will be as an adviser only, as he believes God would have the work be led and completed by nationals. They are beginning with a Gospel tract before proceeding with the Gospel of John.

God is raising up His army of Light Bearers from many places. In this case, it is an indigenous undertaking. Countries such as Mexico, Korea, and the Philippine Islands are also sending out faithful witnesses. Will you pray for the Roglai translation team?

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Volunteers for Jesus

“Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields…” —John 4:35

The gospel song writer W. S. Brown wrote: A volunteer for Jesus, a soldier true! Others have enlisted, why not you? Jesus is the Captain. We will never fear. Will you be enlisted as a volunteer?

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, American men by the thousands volunteered for military service. For many it would mean the ultimate sacrifice. Some who were too young even lied about their age to join. Would to God that we had young men today with this same spirit who would volunteer to serve in the army of the Great Commission! The young patriots were saying to Uncle Sam, “Let me go!” It seems young men today are saying to our Captain, “If you want me, make me go.”

If we were to ask one hundred men in a Bible college why they are there, they would tell us they are preparing for the gospel ministry. If we were to ask how many are planning to exercise their ministry outside the borders of our country, the number would be extremely low, perhaps only two or three percent. Does that seem just? Only one out of forty people born in the world will be born in the US. We make up a small part of the world population, but we seem to get more than our share of the preachers. It is true that there is a great shortage of pastors right now in America. Pastors are leaving the ministry at almost the same alarming rate as missionaries, and fewer are entering the ministry. We cannot deny that we need Christian workers here, but neither can we ignore the commandment of Jesus to preach the Gospel to every creature and to all nations. We ought to be very disturbed about our failure to obey this order.

If we were to ask young Christians, including those in Bible schools, why they are not planning and preparing for missionary service, their answer, almost without exception, would be, “God has not called me.” Many even say, “I am willing to go if God calls me.” Friend, why not prove your willingness by volunteering? Would it not please God if we would follow the example of Isaiah and say, “Here am I; send me”? What could possibly be wrong with volunteering to do what Christ has commanded us to do? Saul of Tarsis who became Paul the Apostle had a supernatural experience, but no one since then has had such a calling. A good way to know if missionary service is God’s will for you is to volunteer for it!

Perhaps you should get on your knees and honestly volunteer to go to the foreign field, then get up and immediately begin to prepare and move in that direction. Lift up your eyes. Start asking God where you should go. Get information. Look for open doors. Discuss it with your pastor. Get a passport and visit some mission fields. The “willingness” of God’s people is not getting the task done. Some are honestly willing to go, but they have often heard, “You must be absolutely sure you are called, or you better not go.” Unsure what this calling looks or feels like and without clear Bible verses that explain it, they hesitate to declare that they are called. Perhaps they are waiting on God when God is waiting on them.

Robert served in a South Sea Island country for many years until forced to return to the states to die of cancer. He spent his remaining days pleading for more missionaries. Men would tell him, “Brother Bob, I need a call to go.” To which he would say, “Give me your phone number; I will call you!” Another brother named Mark heard Robert say this, and he volunteered to go to the mission field. Some mocked him and said, “Mark, you cannot volunteer; you must have a call.” He applied to a mission board, but they were reluctant to accept him because he was only a volunteer and probably would not stay long on the field. He told them, “I may someday doubt that I was really called, but I will never doubt the fact that I volunteered.” They accepted him, and he spent three and a half decades as a missionary in Africa until bad health forced him home. A single lady named Rebecca heard Brother Mark give his testimony. She was interested in foreign missions, but had always heard, “Wait for a call.” Rebecca told her pastor of her desire to volunteer for missionary service. He said, “Okay, do it, and see if the Lord stops you.” God did not stop her!

We encourage people to volunteer to serve in the church nursery or mow the grass. We can volunteer to win the lost in our town or anywhere in our country. But we must not volunteer to go and win them in foreign countries? Does that make sense? Is there any scripture that forbids volunteering? Why can we volunteer for any occupation except full-time service for Christ in a place where few or none are serving?

You may ask, “What if God does not want me to be a missionary?” In that case, God can use your church to hold you back. You may be disqualified because of mental or physical inability, poor health, inconsistent Christian living, addictions, or your age might be a prohibiting factor. (Under eighteen might be too young, and over seventy might be too old). It probably would not be right to lie about your age to join up! Maybe we are too afraid of making the mistake of going when we should stay. Which do you suppose would be the greater error: going when we should stay or staying when we should go? If we go when we should not, it merely costs time and money. However, if we stay when we should go, a group of lost heathen will never hear about Jesus!

“A call for loyal soldiers comes to one and all; soldiers for the conflict, will you heed the call? Will you answer quickly with a ready cheer? Will you be enlisted as a volunteer?”

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After dismissing his congregation, a missionary in Germany went to the back door to greet people as they left. He greeted each member with a handshake and smile and told them, “Gutten nackt.” They realized that he meant to say “Gutten nacht” meaning good night, but grinned or snickered because he had actually said good naked. The preacher was greatly embarrassed when a member at the end of the line corrected him. —Christine

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Our language tutor was teaching us to pray in the Indonesian language. We write out our prayer for his review and then read/pray them before class begins. My wife was thanking God for his mercy, but omitted an “h” sound in the middle of the word. She thanked God for his spider webs instead! —D.C.

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When our language helper, Lilee, asked me what kind of meat I like to eat, I attempted to say “kai kap muu kap NGUA” (chicken and pork and beef). But instead, I came up with ‘kai kap muu kap NGU” (chicken and pork and SNAKE)! Lilee gave me a funny look and replied in English, “Really?!” –K.R, Laos

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Pontic Greeks, Turkey

Photo Source Anna Diamantopoulou/Flickr Licensed/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The Pontic Greeks quite possibly heard the Apostle Paul during his missionary journeys. This people group considers themselves descendants of the Argonauts, who set sail looking for gold and silver. Because of their desire to seek treasure in other lands, this group of Greeks eventually settled in Northeastern Turkey with the majority settling around the Black Sea.

During World War I, when the country underwent an ethnic cleansing, almost 250,000 Pontics were able to flee back to Greece. However, when they arrived, those that lived there could not understand their language. It had evolved into words and sounds that could not be understood because of the influence of the nations that had surrounded them before their dispersal. Today, this dialect of the Greek language is considered endangered as their descendants become more assimilated in the regions in which they live. Yet the Pontics want to keep their language and traditions alive. They try to pass down their traditional poems, songs, dress, and dances to their children. However, their brightly colored traditional dress cannot cover their spiritual darkness.

Though many profess to be Christians, they have no true knowledge of the Gospel. Some practice Greek Orthodox traditions, and others have converted to Islam. Because there is no Scripture in their language, a people who may have once been exposed to the truth are now living in spiritual darkness.

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Leadership and Servanthood

Chris and Bonnie Matthews

As a boy, Chris rode church buses to various Protestant and Baptist churches. When he was in his early teens, his family joined a church which taught baptismal regeneration. They baptized him based on an earlier profession of faith, but he had no assurance of salvation. In 1993, at the age of fifteen, he attended a church camp and fell under deep conviction. He pleaded with the counselors for guidance, but they assured him he was okay. That evening, a speaker recited the sinner’s prayer which reminded Chris of the true Gospel he had learned previously. He asked Christ to be his Saviour. Later, he was scripturally baptized and called to preach at Ray Avenue Baptist Church in Salina, Kansas. He attended Bible college for one year and was trained for six years by Dr. Plato Shepherd at Smoky Valley Baptist Church in Lindsborg, Kansas. Chris served as an associate pastor for three years, and in 2005, he became the pastor, serving until 2018. He also became a firefighter and an Emergency Medical Technician. He taught both EMS and CPR.

Bonnie was raised in the home of a godly pastor. She made a profession of faith at age four, but like many children, she later had doubts. It was not until she was a pastor’s wife that she received full assurance of her salvation. She graduated from Calvary University in Kansas City with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She was a pastor’s wife for fifteen years. She has taught music, written and led ladies’ Bible studies, led youth ensembles, spoken at ladies’ conferences, written historical novels, and taught piano. Bonnie has training and field experience in Teaching English as a Second Language.

The Matthewses could have easily continued serving the Lord in Kansas, but God began to burden their hearts for a very restricted country in Southeast Asia. Upon hearing this, people began telling them that they needed to attend BBTI. Shortly after arriving in 2019, they fell in love with our school and could see how it would benefit them on the mission field. Even while they were students, Chris envisioned returning to BBTI one day to help train missionaries.

In less than a year after graduation, the Matthews family arrived on their field. God gave them a very fruitful ministry in evangelism and leadership training. They were having the time of their lives! They loved the place and especially the people, and the people loved them. They often saw God protect them and provide miraculously. One such time was during the strict COVID lockdown when they needed to return to the US for the impending death of Bonnie’s dad. They were not allowed to leave their neighborhood, but they had to obtain their passports from another part of the large city. Couriers could not get through the military/police checkpoints, but Chris rode his motor scooter unhindered through every checkpoint without even being stopped!

Chris and Bonnie were not looking for an easier place of service or greener pastures, but God was impressing their hearts that they needed to labor at BBTI. Rex Cobb had previously told Chris that BBTI would soon need a younger director. After much fasting, praying, and seeking counsel, they contacted Brother Cobb, other staff members, and our sponsoring pastor, Steve Summers. No snap decision was made, but all involved, including the school trustees, believed that Chris was right for the job. He will officially become the director at graduation on May 18th. He plans to make trips back to his field to train church leaders and help oversee a Bible translation project. Chris’ leadership experience and Bonnie’s many skills will help move this ministry forward in the days to come.

Spring 2024

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Pushing a Rope Uphill

A Christian could not invest his life in any occupation more valuable than translating the eternal, living words of God into a language in which it has never existed. The Great Commission cannot be fulfilled without a Bible. With modern technology, Bible translation should be easier and faster than at any time in history. Not long ago, a Bible translator typed and retyped the New Testament twenty-five times before it was ready to print. Despite digital technology, it is still a very difficult work. It requires proper spiritual, physical, mental, intellectual, and linguistic preparation. Praise God that some see the need for Bible translation and are expressing a desire to engage in this worthy work, and we do not want to discourage them. However, they must “count the cost” and be aware of the long-term commitment required and the endurance needed to overcome many obstacles. While each language and place have their special challenges, you can be sure that the work of Bible translation is not easy anywhere.

The prospective translator must understand the futility of beginning without the proper training in linguistics and translation principles. Bible translation must be done right! To spend fifteen years producing a New Testament, only to discover that the people cannot understand it or do not accept it is tragic, but it has happened. Good, well-intentioned people with sound doctrine do not necessarily produce good Bible translations.

A BBTI graduate, who we will call Fred Jones, works with an unreached people group in a dangerous and restricted part of the world. He compares his efforts to translate the Bible for this ethnic group to pushing a rope uphill. Not all places will seem as impossible as Brother Fred’s. His is probably a worst-case scenario, but there is an enemy with many wiles who wants to stop all Bible translation. Fred attempted to reach part of this group who lives in a country controlled by godless atheists. The leaders hate Christianity, and they sometimes hate the ethnic people who will not give up their cultural and linguistic identity. After a time, Fred was forced to move to a neighboring country and work with another part of the same group. However, the situation there is not much better. First, he must have a reason to justify being in the country, and “missionary” is not one of the options. He must operate some type of business or offer a skill that would benefit the country. The government of the second country is controlled by a religion that opposes Christianity, and those in power also hate the ethnic group that Fred loves. After a few years, the government began to practice genocide against Fred’s people. Men from his neighborhood disappeared; some were reported killed and others imprisoned. When Fred and two other foreign workers bought food for the wives and children of the missing men, they were accused of aiding terrorists. Two of them were jailed, but Fred escaped before being arrested. Nevertheless, he is determined to return and with God’s help push the rope further up the hill. Yes, there is political and religious opposition, but Fred is proving that it can be overcome.

The Bible translator must expect to push the rope up a steep linguistic hill. Unless the major language is English, he must first learn the trade language and then the heart language of the people group. The first language is difficult, but the second one is often much more complex, without a language school to attend. Since the second language Fred needed to learn had never been written, he had to learn it without books and teachers, develop an alphabet, and write the words in the correct morphological and syntactical order. Thankfully, Fred and his wife learned these skills at BBTI.

It is always difficult to move God’s Word from one language to another. It can be painstakingly slow. The missionary translator should never attempt the task of Bible translation without the help of native speakers, but it is challenging to find them. There may be no Christians among the group, and even if there are, they may be afraid to help. Sometimes, helpers will only work secretly.

The Bible translator must go and live where people do not have a Bible, and usually that means living in inhospitable places. Places where translation work is needed can be unpleasant, difficult, and sometimes dangerous. Primitive living conditions require enormous amounts of time and energy to accomplish simple daily tasks. (No hot showers or electric range!)

Consider Fred’s wife. She must be as tough as he is. She raises her children and homeschools them under the same conditions. She, too, must learn both the trade language and the heart language of the people group. She must learn to understand and love a people that are sometimes hard to love. At BBTI, Fred’s wife received the same pre-field training as Fred. This enables her to learn and cope with the culture and analyze and learn the language. She can communicate and teach women that may be culturally off limits to Fred. They make a good team.

Bible translation usually proceeds slowly. Often it is put on the back burner because of all the other work that the missionary must do. He needs to evangelize those around him and teach them the Word of God, even though it does not yet exist in the language. He must work at his business to retain his visa and good standing with the government. Some supporters may question why he is not winning the multitudes and establishing churches reported by other missionaries in other places. He must report to them and explain why he is not producing the same results.

As we pray for laborers for God’s harvest field, let us also pray that many of these will labor in the work of Bible translation. Pray that our homes and churches will produce soldiers of the Jones’ caliber equipped for God to send. Pray for laborers who can patiently endure the spiritual, mental, and physical hardness required to accomplish the task and push the rope up a steep hill!

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Sometimes in life we find ourselves in the midst of a series of events perceived as misfortunes.  Often, however, God intends for these times, when it seems everything goes wrong, to bring us closer to Him.

Such was the case for Rosalind Goforth in the summer of 1900.  She and her husband, Jonathan, had been ministering to the Chinese people since 1888, when the first of the “hurricane of horrors” struck.  After previously losing three precious babies, seven-year-old Florence went to be safe in the arms of Jesus.  While the presence of God was there to sustain, the pain was still very real. Only a few months following, the Goforth family was forced to flee China because of the Boxer Rebellion.  Picture this missionary family hurrying to gather what little they could take with them, find passage on a crowded steamer, and keep track of five young children—and you might see the hardships of this time in their lives.

In the fall of 1901, Jonathan returned to China.  Nine months later, Rosalind and the children (ages ten months to eleven years) were able to join him. Their two month journey was filled with trials, and through it Rosalind Goforth “learned what it meant to be carried through each day by Divine enabling.” Mid the stifling, crowded train ride to the coast, the children were exposed to whooping-cough. Reaching Calgary, they waited four days for a second train, then suddenly had only a half hour to get to the train station. Upon finally reaching the steamer, Mrs. Goforth discovered that three of her children had contracted whooping-cough.  For most of their journey, this missionary went with little sleep, taking care of her sick children.

At long last, Shanghai was in sight; and soon, the entire family would be together again.  But this reunion was not to be.  Upon arrival, Mrs. Goforth discovered that her husband had typhoid and was over a thousand miles inland. They took refuge in the home of some friends for a week where  Mrs. Goforth lay in a private room, trying to rest from the journey and prepare for what lay ahead.  “As promise after promise from God’s wonderful Word was laid hold on, peace came; I RESTED and learnt by experience the truth of these words, ‘Underneath are the everlasting arms’” (Deuteronomy 33:27). That promise is what gave Rosalind Goforth strength to overcome.  The everlasting arms of God have been sustaining His missionaries for centuries and will continue to do so until the trumpet calls us home!

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The Everlasting Arms

August 5, 2017 No Comments

Sometimes in life we find ourselves in the midst of a series of events perceived as misfortunes.  Often, however, God intends for these times, when it seems everything goes wrong, to bring us closer to Him.

Such was the case for Rosalind Goforth in the summer of 1900.  She and her husband, Jonathan, had been ministering to the Chinese people since 1888, when the first of the “hurricane of horrors” struck.  After previously losing three precious babies, seven-year-old Florence went to be safe in the arms of Jesus.  While the presence of God was there to sustain, the pain was still very real. Only a few months following, the Goforth family was forced to flee China because of the Boxer Rebellion.  Picture this missionary family hurrying to gather what little they could take with them, find passage on a crowded steamer, and keep track of five young children—and you might see the hardships of this time in their lives.

In the fall of 1901, Jonathan returned to China.  Nine months later, Rosalind and the children (ages ten months to eleven years) were able to join him. Their two month journey was filled with trials, and through it Rosalind Goforth “learned what it meant to be carried through each day by Divine enabling.” Mid the stifling, crowded train ride to the coast, the children were exposed to whooping-cough. Reaching Calgary, they waited four days for a second train, then suddenly had only a half hour to get to the train station. Upon finally reaching the steamer, Mrs. Goforth discovered that three of her children had contracted whooping-cough.  For most of their journey, this missionary went with little sleep, taking care of her sick children.

At long last, Shanghai was in sight; and soon, the entire family would be together again.  But this reunion was not to be.  Upon arrival, Mrs. Goforth discovered that her husband had typhoid and was over a thousand miles inland. They took refuge in the home of some friends for a week where  Mrs. Goforth lay in a private room, trying to rest from the journey and prepare for what lay ahead.  “As promise after promise from God’s wonderful Word was laid hold on, peace came; I RESTED and learnt by experience the truth of these words, ‘Underneath are the everlasting arms’” (Deuteronomy 33:27). That promise is what gave Rosalind Goforth strength to overcome.  The everlasting arms of God have been sustaining His missionaries for centuries and will continue to do so until the trumpet calls us home!

Preserved in a Pillow

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“The words of the Lord are pure words…Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever” (Psalms 12:6-7).

With a crash the door flew open as Adoniram and Ann were enjoying a meal together. Without invitation, a Burmese police officer barged in and growled, “Mr. Judson, You are under arrest!”

The Judsons landed in Burma on July 13, 1813. After mastering this new language, Adoniram began translating the Bible into Burmese. Ten years’ work had gone toward this Burmese Bible when Judson was dragged from his home that summer day.

Amidst the appalling filth and torturous guards, Adoniram lived in the prison Let-Ma-Yoon for almost two years. His heart was heavy with the thought of his precious manuscript. He knew the authorities would go to his house and take or destroy what they pleased. They surely would not spare that Burmese Bible.

One day, Ann came to see him with a lumpy pillow. She had rescued his translation and concealed it inside a pillow. Months passed, and one day the prisoners were marched to another death prison. Adoniram spent six months there, wondering again the fate of the Burmese Bible.

Finally, Adoniram was released. At last he began the long-awaited journey home. There, lying on the table, was the precious Burmese Bible. Praises to God flowed from his heart as he tenderly stroked the manuscript and heard the story of God’s preservation of the invaluable translation.

After the prisoners were marched from Let-Ma-Yoon, the guards ransacked the prison for any possible loot. Upon finding such a lumpy pillow, a guard had disdainfully tossed it aside. Later that night, Maung Ing, a faithful convert of Judson’s, went to the prison to search for any relic of the missionary. He found the pillow and carried it home, not knowing of the treasure encased inside. Adoniram’s heart swelled with thanksgiving. The Burmese people would have a Bible they could read and understand. God did indeed preserve His Word, and He always will.

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Semper Fi

August 5, 2017 No Comments

Jerry became a marine at age seventeen, and the people back home in Michigan thought he was a Christian. He had made a profession of faith at age twelve, but his life showed little evidence of salvation. One evening, Jerry and three other marines planned to go to town and get drunk. A corporal, however, needed a truck driver, and Jerry had to stay on duty.  On their way home, his buddies hit a bridge abutment, and two were killed.  Later, Jerry requested a transfer to Okinawa, a staging area for Vietnam, but that move was canceled because a new plan to marry Barbara developed. A marine friend, who also wanted to go to Okinawa, took Jerry’s place on the plane which crashed, killing all on board. Jerry was actually saved in 1967 after leaving the Marine Corp and while attending a Bible college. Barbara, his wife of 40 years, was raised in the home of a godly Baptist preacher and was saved by the same marvelous grace at age fourteen.

They served the Lord in various ministries, including pastoring for seven years. Nevertheless, they were not content to stay in the U.S. when the need is so great on the foreign field. God led Jerry and Barb, along with their three children, to Baptist Bible Translators Institute for specialized missionary training.  They labored for seven years in Papua New Guinea and established three churches, including Mt. Hagen Baptist Church which has also started other works and supports many missionaries.

In 1990, God led the Thomas’ to Costa Rica. Again, their training at BBTI helped them learn another new language and culture. God has used them there to establish churches and train national leaders in a Bible seminary. A recent prayer letter tells of new opportunity.

“Although our friends Victor and Minor are still in a local jail, their “blues” have turned out to be a “blessing.”  Their brother, Johnny, invited us into his home to counsel with a family member who has tried committing suicide three times.  We had a tremendous chance to share the Scriptures with Marjori and her husband, Kiki.  At present, she seems to be doing better, but please continue to pray for her mental/emotional stability and for Kiki’s salvation.  This situation ties in with a recent e-mail from Crossroads Baptist Church, Ashland, KY, asking us to consider starting a church in San Antonio de Belen because they had a recently-saved church member moving back to Costa Rica who was willing to open her home as a means of beginning a church there.  San Antonio de Belen happens to be the very place where Marjori and Kiki live.  Also, another family we had contact with in the same area needs a Baptist church to attend.”

Jerry, like much of the missionary force today, is over 60 years old.    He and Barb don’t use their age as an excuse to come home but are    instead beginning another church. Neither have they allowed serious health problems to stop them. As grandparents, they no doubt would cherish the luxury of being near their grandchildren; but neither does that desire draw them away from their field of service. In this day of short term mission work, and when many missionaries seem to find good reasons to leave their field, we salute the Thomas family, holding them up as examples to the younger generation of missionaries. God give us many more just like them!

Spring 2006

An Unexpected Opportunity

August 5, 2017 No Comments

We plan to use Thailand’s religious freedom as well as its proximity to closed countries to serve as a hub for ministry in S.E. Asia. Part of our plan for Thailand has been to systematically and strategically “sow” down different regions by tract distribution. We now have nearly five hundred students in the Bible Correspondence School. Our goal is for God to raise up some men who can be trained and who will later establish Independent Baptist Churches that are self-financing, self-governing, and self-propagating.

Recently our ministry has taken on a new dimension as weekly trips are now being made to a Hmong refugee camp in Petchabun province, five hours away. The Hmong people were a nomadic tribe of farmers and began a never-ending quest for land that took them throughout China, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. They began life in this country in refugee camps, having fled persecution in neighboring countries. They believe the Thai government will soon forcefully return them to Laos. Once there, the Lao government will surely continue their brutal attempt at ethnic cleansing.

The general physical state of the Lao Hmong is very bad with 6,000+ refugees living on the side of the road. They are hungry and in great physical need. Metropolitan Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas, began a relief organization to provide funds for giving the refugees rice. This humanitarian aid, while not the focus of our ministry, has been a tremendous testimony of Christ’s love and has helped to give us a hearing among the people.

I started teaching the Bible to a group of 12 Hmong men, and the numbers continued to grow. These refugees have little to do day-to-day and are hungry for the Word of God.

In September we were approached by 110 men who claimed they wanted to become Christians. At the same time the Christians that I was discipling responded to the teaching on the local church, leadership, and the Holy Spirit. They then requested that we start a church. We decided to officially begin a church. We were able to baptize 15 leaders and start the Nam Kao (White Water) Baptist Church with this group. The church has been growing rapidly since then. It now has 150 baptized members. The average Sunday service has around 250 people (not including 100-150 children).

Please pray as we continue to bring the hope of the glorious gospel of Christ to these people. The Hmong are not wanted by their own country (Laos), by Thailand, or by the United States; however, Jesus Christ died for them and He wants them to be His children.

Winter 2006

An Unfamiliar Solution

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Most people would rather live with a problem they are familiar with than try an unfamiliar solution.  This mentality is akin to the saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.

Do we Fundamental Baptists have any problems when it comes to missions?  I would say we do.  However, let me be quick to say I think we do more for missions than many other groups. I don’t profess to know or have all the answers, but I would like to list a few problems and suggest a solution to them: a solution that, for the most part, has not been tried by our camp.

A Problem of Incomplete Obedience

Jesus told us to preach His gospel to every creature and to all nations. We understand that the Bible use of the word “nation” is not political boundaries but different ethnic groups. We are not reaching all these groups; in fact, we are reaching very few. Our missionary force is concentrated in a few countries, reaching those who speak trade languages.  Reaching the nations requires missionaries to learn ethnic languages also. The problem causing our disobedience is that our missionaries do not know how to learn these languages—they can learn only if there is a school or teacher. The sad fact is that there are probably 5,000 languages with no language schools. It certainly is not pleasing to Christ that we are overlooking a large portion of the world because we are students but not learners. The unfamiliar solution is a program that converts students into learners and trains missionaries to use linguistic and language learning tools to learn any language in the world.

A Language Learning Problem

Learning a new language as an adult is not easy. Many rule out missionary service because they have convinced themselves they are no good at languages: perhaps they failed high school Spanish or French. Some purposely choose English-speaking countries; but in some of these countries where the “official” language is English, there is very little English spoken, and outreach is limited to the “educated” class. According to Dr. Tom Brewster, author of Language Acquisition Made Practical, during the early 90’s almost all the missionaries in Hong Kong, with the exception of the Mormons, did not speak Cantonese but were preaching in English. He further stated that of about 300 missionaries to the Navajo Indians, only 6 of them made any attempt to learn the language. In many countries, missionaries preach through an interpreter.  I ask you,    “If the pastor of your church could not speak English, but preached to you each week through an interpreter, how long would you continue attending that church?” Another practice is trying to reach people in a trade language who have very limited understanding of that language. All the above-mentioned problems make for an incomplete, ineffective communication of the gospel. This familiar problem has an unfamiliar solution: a school that trains missionaries to learn languages and learn them very well.

A High Drop Out Problem

There are many factors that would cause a missionary to leave his field prematurely. Probably the most commonly given reason is sickness. Pray for your missionaries, for they do face serious health threats on many fields. However, very often an underlying problem is the inability to adapt to the new language and culture. Language and culture shock  can actually cause sickness! Often the missionary does not even realize what is happening, but he is frustrated, irritated, and discouraged. He may feel guilty because he almost hates the people he is there to love! He and his wife may conclude that it is pointless to stay. Defeated, they leave and live with regret and guilt all their years.  Culture maladjustment is a familiar problem; and again, there is an unfamiliar solution. The solution is a training program directed by experienced missionaries using proven techniques that train people to be culture learners. Instead of being overwhelmed by the strange new culture, the missionary develops understanding and appreciation for it. When culture shock appears—and it will—he accurately diagnoses it and applies the cure.

Can We Baptists Change?

The fact that we have problems related to missions is not debatable. Our biggest problem, however, may be that we are afraid to try an unfamiliar solution. Doesn’t it make sense for a  church and its missionaries to try this “new” approach (that some have been using successfully for 50 years)? If it works (and we know it does) the missionary learns languages correctly, he learns and adjusts to cultures, he communicates the message of God with little or no syncretism, and his training serves him well on the field for many years. What are we content with: the familiar problem or the unfamiliar solution?

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Dare to Dream

August 5, 2017 No Comments

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Faustino, an Indian from the Tlapaneco tribe located in the mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, had lived outside his village among the Spanish-speaking people for several years. God in His goodness saved this young man, and he attended a Bible institute. During this time, Brother Don Fraser, the founder of the Bearing Precious Seed ministry, challenged the Mexican students to reach those who have never heard the message of salvation in Christ. God gave Faustino a burden for his family and his people and a desire to take the Gospel to them. A young missionary, George Anderson, who was especially interested in reaching tribal people, was invited to go with him. Pastor Paul Henderson, an excellent photographer from Bowie, Texas, was asked to join the group to capture on film the entrance of the Gospel into this remote Indian village. Faustino and the Americans were very well received into the village, along with the message they brought.

George not only made this initial trip, but he also went back on a more permanent basis to minister to these people. He tried to teach them God’s Word in Spanish, but their understanding of this language was very limited. Their language and culture was Tlapaneco. Brother Anderson had graduated from a prominent Baptist college that taught him many helpful things.  None of his courses, however, included how to learn a language. He, like any other moderately intelligent person, could sit in a classroom and be taught Spanish; but he didn’t know how to learn a language.  Of course, these Indian people had no language school, no teachers, and no books. Two things became apparent to this missionary: 1) Spanish was not going to work, and 2) his Bible school and language school had not taught him how to learn a language, let alone a culture.

George thought that surely there must be other Baptist schools that teach missionaries the necessary language learning skills. He inquired and found there were none. Jesus commanded us to take His Gospel to “every creature” and preach “not where Christ was named,” but in practice we Baptists had only been taking the Gospel to the creatures that had language schools. Brother Anderson did learn that there are some non-Baptist groups that train their missionaries to learn languages and cultures.

A plan began to form in his mind, and George dared to dream. He dreamed of a school that could teach Baptist missionaries how to learn languages, especially those without language schools (probably 5,000 languages).  He stepped outside Baptist circles and went to the New Tribes Mission training for two years. With their blessing, he took what they taught him and began the Baptist Bible Translators Institute in September 1973, in the Sunday school classrooms of his home church in Fort Worth, Texas. That church no longer exists, but the missionary training program he began does.

My wife, Mary, and I were in that first class, along with two other families. In 1974, the school moved to Bowie, Texas, where it continues today. The invaluable preparation that we received at BBTI was a great help to us, as it has been to many graduates over these thirty-two years. It was a difficult decision in 1999 when we were requested to leave our work in Mexico and return to BBTI to lead the school into the next century. However, the same dream that George Anderson had lived in our hearts too; and we felt the call of God to return.

I’m sure George believed that pastors by the hundreds would send their missionaries to be trained at BBTI and that one day there would be a need for BBTI training camps around the United States and even in foreign countries. Surely everyone would get on board! That, unfortunately, has not happened to the extent that George envisioned. Nevertheless, over the years some pastors have sent their missionaries to BBTI; and the specialized preparation has been a great help to them. We continue to inform God’s servants of what is available to them. We declare without apology that no Baptist missionary should go to the foreign field and attempt to learn a new language and culture without the type of training that we offer. It makes absolutely no sense to us that anyone would attempt to do the most important work in the world without the best possible preparation.

Over the last thirty-two years this specialized training has undergone some changes. A few courses have been eliminated, and others have been added.  The program has been made shorter but more intensive. Still, the basic goal remains the same: train the missionary to learn any language and culture in the world—and learn it very well. We encourage you to visit our website and/or request a free catalog and CD presentation. You will understand better how each course helps the missionary in some definite way. We invite you to share our dream of well-trained missionaries, and to work with us to make this dream a reality.

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