For the past 12 years, Peter and Anna — International Mission Board missionaries from Alabama — have served in a difficult place among hard-to-reach people groups.
“Because of the difficulties our people groups live in, it has been slow work,” Anna said. “We have been working on learning our third language for several years now, but with a family and lots of responsibilities that has been slow work too.”
Because the area is closed to people who want to come in to share their faith, they have also had to do professional work in the place they live in order to have visas to stay there.
Though they see that as “a blessing and an avenue for ministry,” it’s time-consuming too, Anna said.
So they’re more grateful than they know how to say for the support of Alabama Baptists and other Southern Baptists through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions.
‘So grateful’
“We are so grateful for the LMCO because we are able to remain on the field with our people for long periods of time without worrying about returning to the States to raise support,” Anna said. “We can educate our daughters, rent a safe apartment and get the language training we need because of the generous gifts of Southern Baptists.”
Not only that — she and Peter have seen the fruit of those financial gifts over time. Long before they moved to the missions field, another IMB family serving there had shared the gospel with a young man and discipled him.
“Many years after the family had left that area, we were able to meet this young man,” Anna said. “Through his friends and connections, we began meeting nearly all the few believers in his people group. He would bring over people he was sharing with, people he was discipling, and connect us to opportunities.”
Through him, they saw people believe, be discipled and be trained as leaders.
“We still see him being used among his people group today,” Anna said. “It is amazing to see how God used the faithfulness of Southern Baptists to meet this young man’s needs and to grow the Kingdom.”
Peter and Anna are among 3,521 IMB missionaries around the world who are supported by the LMCO each year.
One hundred percent of the LMCO goes straight to missionaries who are making disciples and multiplying churches among unreached people groups. A number of those missionaries — like Peter and Anna — are also from Alabama.
Week of Prayer
This year’s Week of Prayer for International Missions, set for Dec. 3–10, kicks off the season of the LMCO, which this year has a national goal of $200 million and a goal of $12 million for Alabama.
Paul Chitwood, IMB president, said missionaries “are addressing the world’s greatest problem with the only solution, God’s solution — the gospel. But they need your prayers, your support, your continued generosity and more workers in the harvest.”
For more information or to download resources like videos, social media graphics, posters and bulletin inserts, visit lottiemoon.org.
Day 1 — Obedience
In Belgium, some benches have a big blue bear statue that lonely people can talk to. Don and Pam Lynch meet people there, listen and share the gospel.
Day 2 — Innovation
Justin and Mikaela Knippers use virtual reality to connect with people in Japan who need the gospel, then disciple them in real life.
Day 3 — Research
Ray Henry Holiday and other missionary explorers with Project 3000 backpack into remote areas to connect with unengaged and unreached people groups.
Day 4 — Partnerships
Matt and Gretchen Clay say their partner churches back in Florida have made a difference in northern Africa by mentoring church leaders there.
Day 5 — Church Planting
Randy and Kimberly Windham are passionate about training local believers to plant churches. They’ve seen 17 new churches started in Lusaka, Zambia.
Day 6 — Relationships
Rose, a Global Missionary Partner from Mexico, has access to a people group in a high-security area that her American teammates have trouble reaching.
Day 7 — Discipleship
Paul Yount, a Deaf missionary, shares the gospel with other Deaf through a storying technique designed to help them understand the Bible better.
Day 8 — Commitment
Robert Botta and others serve the people of Central Asia through disaster relief. This type of work gives people hope in the midst of crises all over the world.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Names have been changed for security reasons.
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