IMB Missions Update
Your IMB E-Letter
July 23, 2014
Pray
In Israel and Gaza, believers pray for peace
As rockets fly and soldiers clash in Israel and Gaza, Christians on both sides of the conflict are praying for peace. Southern Baptist representatives caught in the crossfire continue to offer the hope of the Gospel while laying groundwork to provide relief once the shooting stops.
News
Storytelling missionary to Zambia dies from cancer
IMB missionary Jeff Powers died Thursday, July 10, after fighting a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 50. The witness Powers shared – one that led many to know Christ – will continue through the oral Bible storying ministry he led in Zambia.
Work continues in Kenya despite terrorist attacks
Kenya’s coastal communities are reeling from terrorist attacks claimed by members of the Somali-based al-Shabab organization. But in the face of these attacks, many missionaries in Kenya say they are focusing on the people’s need for the Gospel rather than letting fear take over.
A baby called Independence: IMB missionary reflects on the third birthday of South Sudan
Baby Independence was born shortly after midnight on July 9, 2011, the day that his home country, South Sudan, became independent. Sadly, Baby Independence died before his first birthday, and three years later Sudan’s future is uncertain. Yet even as war, poverty and famine ravage this new nation, Curt Iles and his team of IMB missionaries continue to offer hope in Jesus’ name.
Baptists equip leaders in postmodern Finland
Postmodern thought has infiltrated all aspects of society in Finland, including the church, and nearly 60 percent of Finns identify themselves as “agnostics, atheists or non-believers.” In an effort to help equip Finland’s young evangelical leaders to minister in a postmodern environment, IMB missionary Misso Sivonen was instrumental in establishing Helsinki’s Agricola Theological Institute.
EBOLA: Confusion and concern in West Africa
With 964 total victims and 603 confirmed deaths, the Ebola virus continues to surge through the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Christian workers and medical professionals are focusing on educating locals about the disease and how to take precautions, noting that early treatment increases survival rates.
The Jesus clinic
For IMB missionary doctors in Southeast Asia, medicine is not an end in itself – it’s a bridge to share the Gospel. Patients come in from all over the country seeking medical care, but they receive much more. Every patient who visits the “Jesus clinic” hears the Gospel multiple times, and many go home and share with their neighbors. A rarity for a busy hospital, the Jesus clinic is seeing churches form throughout the country.
WorldView: Wind of change
The Arab Spring movement for freedom is dead – hijacked by Islamic extremists, brutalized by repressive governments, trampled in the dust by factional power struggles. While that’s the consensus in the Arab world, IMB global mission strategist David Garrison believes these struggles could be the “agonizing labor pains” that lead to “some new expression of life that is yet to be revealed.”
Explore how you can participate in God’s great work among Muslims today in Garrison’s book, A Wind in the House of Islam.
Visit WorldView Conversation, the blog related to this column.
Go
Sharing, salvations mark students’ World Cup witness
From Rio’s soccer stadium to its slums, Southern Baptist college students saw God at work during the 2014 World Cup. The students were part of a massive evangelism effort spearheaded by Brazilian Baptists, who enlisted more than 1,800 national volunteers to serve in World Cup-related ministries across the country. More than 300 were stationed in Rio alone.
See also:
VIDEO: Answered prayers
Healing, new life in a refugee camp
Adeit, a little girl from South Sudan, captured the heart of IMB missionary Curt Iles during his visit to Alere Refugee Camp in Uganda. Through a relationship with a doctor from Samaritan’s Purse, Iles helped Adeit receive medical attention and surgery to correct a foot that faced backward. Thanks to Iles’ concern, several of Adeit’s family members have professed faith in Christ and others in the camp are hearing the Good News of Jesus.
Find events to help you discover God’s plan for you in health care missions, or email medicalmissions@imb.org
Resources
Open God’s Word to the Chinese tourist
Bibles are difficult to obtain in China, but hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists travel abroad – and are allowed to return home with Bibles and evangelism resources received while out of the country. Help spread the word about the “Southern Cross Project” with this brochure you can distribute at church, missions conferences, youth meetings, etc.
Strangers next door
North America is flooded by people from all around the world. In the book, Strangers Next Door, professor of evangelism and church planting J. D. Payne explores how the church should respond to these sojourners among us – many from the least-reached people groups. Learn how you and your church can welcome the strangers next door into God’s family.
