Four missionary couples were recognized as the 2022 BMA Legacy Missionaries on Wednesday, April 20, in a ceremony at the BMA National Meeting in Springfield, Mo. These missionaries dedicated their lives to global missions and have impacted countless others:
Dr. John and Mrs. Shirley Ladd served in Mexico for 57 years. The Ladds constructed the Good Samaritan Clinic in Aquismón, Mexico in 1978, and Dr. Ladd served as the medical director of the clinic until 2012. The clinic is still serving the people of Mexico today and is staffed by local medical personnel.
Marvin and Helen Loyd served throughout Nicaragua, Bolivia and Guatemala from 1966 until 1993. Their ministry included teaching school, volunteering in a medical clinic, assisting with church planting, flying supply planes to missionaries and locals, building a seminary, reaching primitive tribes and more.
Dale and Barbara Thornton served in Taiwan for 40 years. The Thorntons moved to Taiwan in 1961 and worked alongside Jack and Latrell Bateman, planting churches and discipling believers. Although they faced multiple challenges, they remained faithful to God’s calling, and God continued to bless their ministry even after they returned from the field in 2001.
Don and Linda Newsom served in the Philippines from 1978 until God called them home to Heaven. The Newsoms spent nearly half a century planting over 30 churches and caring for the children of their community. Mrs. Linda passed away in 2012 and Bro. Don in 2021. They are both buried in the country that they loved so well.
During the ceremony, President of Global Missions Dr. John David Smith posed this question: “How will you outlive your life?” He shared that a legacy demands that we must live for things we are willing to die for, commit to others, and realize that we will not see the full effects of our efforts.
Smith stated, “In order to leave a legacy of eternal value after this life, we have to seek things of eternal value during this life.”
The Ladds, Loyds, Thorntons and Newsoms each leave a legacy in their respective fields as the Lord continues to work in the lives touched by these faithful men and women.
