I was just thinking about the blessings that BMAA missionaries have been to my family and to me. Of course, they are certainly tremendous blessings to those people around the world to whom they have ministered and are ministering. I have previously written about some who have impacted my life, about the faithfulness of others, and the homegoing of still others. Today, I want to share about a few with the goal of impressing you, the reader, to get acquainted with some of them…so that your blessings will be abundant as well.
Ask Your Pastor to Invite Missionaries to Speak at Your Church
For many years, the NABA (North American Baptist Association), now the BMAA (Baptist Missionary Association of America), held an annual Missions Symposium. It was usually held at the former Temple Baptist Church in Little Rock. That enabled church members and staff to hear from missionaries serving around the world. It also provided opportunities to meet and fellowship with them. Sadly, there is no longer a symposium.
The best way to first get acquainted with missionaries is in your local church. When new missionaries are visiting churches to raise funds for their prospective fields, or when missionaries are home on furlough, opportunities abound to get acquainted with them. If your pastor does not extend invitations to missionaries, urge him to do so. It will be a wonderful experience for each member and may mark the beginning of lifelong friendships.
We Never Know Who God Will Call to the Mission Field
A missionary who has truly blessed my life with friendship is a former college mate at Central Baptist College. In 1967, I roomed across the hall from a very personable and talented artist, David Dickson. He had already responded to the call to preach, and we shared that bond. He amazed me with his artistic “chalk talk” presentations of the gospel of Christ. I knew God would use him, but I never expected God to call David to be a missionary. But He did!
David and his family served the Lord in Calpules, Honduras, for many years. Because of our long friendship, he invited me, along with Leon Carmicael, to go there for a simultaneous revival. It was there that I was reacquainted with another missionary, Bobby Bowman, who, besides pastoring, had a medical ministry.
The experience is one of the greatest I have had. David Dickson’s fluency in Spanish amazed me. He invited me to join him in town and invited people to the services. At one place, we encountered a group of men whom he knew well. His personality shone as he spoke to them. He had them laughing while I had no idea what he had said. I just knew that I was witnessing how God could take a college mate and make him an amazing missionary.
Offer Your Talents to Assist Missionaries
While pastoring Central Baptist Church in Prescott, the Lord laid it on my heart to help Dr. John Ladd in the construction of a medical clinic. I had previously met him and his wife, Shirley, at a Missions Symposium. (See the connection?) Twenty-one other men made that trip. Despite many travel difficulties, we accomplished a great deal in a few days. That was the first of many trips we made to that mission’s local area. Over 20 years, more than 270 people traveled with us. Those precious memories still linger.
Make an Effort to Know Missionaries Personally
Space does not permit me to write more, but I want to encourage the people of BMA churches to get acquainted with our missionaries. The blessings will be abundant!
