Returning Home

A civil war forced Pastor Samuel Sesay and his family to flee their home. As refugees in a neighboring nation, they worked alongside missionaries sharing the Gospel with a Muslim people group. Now they’ve crossed back over the border to continue sharing Christ among the people group at home.

Two Countries, One Faith

Young adults from the United States and South Africa find family in each other while partnering on an International World Changers mission project in South Africa.

A Hospital in Need

It’s tough to run a hospital without consistent electricity and water. Yet for decades people have flocked to this rural hospital in Zimbabwe, knowing they’ll receive good care and won’t be turned away if they can’t pay. A die-hard doctor and his family want to preserve the legacy.

A Time to Heal

In the tension surrounding Ivory Coast’s presidential stand-off (and the years of civil war leading up to it), people were victims of intimidation, curfews and stray bullets. Now, Christians give thanks to God and pursue reconciliation as life slowly returns to normal.

World’s Newest Nation

A spirit of excitement resonates among residents of South Sudan, poised to become the world’s newest nation on July 9, 2011. As independence day approaches, Christians anticipate more opportunities to share the Gospel and worship freely.

Off the Grid

It’s not often a family of four drops everything to disappear off the grid for three months. But that’s exactly what this small-town, Idaho-native family did, crossing coastlines and cultures to share God’s word in a small village in Senegal.

Years Not Wasted

Many college students stop going to church and ignore the things of God. “Those are a lot of wasted years,” says an advocate for Fusion, a program that combines discipleship and missions. “… Fusion was designed to … catch them in that very critical time in their lives…”

Unthinkable Forgiveness

In Rwanda’s genocide, thousands were hacked to death by machete, women were violently and repeatedly raped, and children’s heads were smashed into brick walls. Today, survivors are choosing to forgive those who mistreated them and killed their families.

No Time for Comfort

“It doesn’t matter how much I sweat,” says a worker with the Hands On program in Senegal. “It doesn’t matter how many days I go without taking a shower. It doesn’t matter if I have to eat something I don’t like. … All that matters is the Gospel.”

Caught in the Crossfire

“I murdered people, and I raped women, and I enjoyed it,” says a former rebel solder in eastern Congo. With the help of local pastors, he and hundreds of other soldiers found forgiveness in Christ. But they, and their victims, still struggle with what they’ve done.

Gospel Explosion

The Gospel is spreading like wildfire in rural Zimbabwe, where 700 people accepted Christ and six new churches started in the past year. A church planter says it’s the first time he’s “seen local community take ownership for the Gospel and understand their responsibility to share the Gospel.”

Glorifying God in Turmoil

As uprisings in Africa escalate, Christians are seeing God make Himself known in the midst of chaos. “We who are outside of the situation pray for and are partners with people inside the situation, and God is working through both of us to make Himself known,” says a seminary professor. Learn how you can pray.

Step by Step: Changing a Nation

A pastor adopts a troubled street kid. A couple stays pure till marriage. A smiling AIDS victim encourages patients at the clinic where she now works. Step by step, believers in Zambia are changing the makeup of a country with one of the world’s worst HIV/AIDS pandemics.

Nations Divided

President vs. president. Muslim vs. Christian. North vs. south. Throughout Africa political, religious and ethnic conflicts are dividing nations, and believers are calling on the global Christian community to pray for their countries.

A Christmas Greeting

Celebrate Christmas Africa style with this thoughtful rendition of a holiday classic. The drummer boy gladly offered what little he had to honor the newborn King. This holiday season, what gift will you give Him?

Beacon of Hope

Amid towering trash piles and open sewage, a small, tin-framed church is bringing hope to a Nairobi community. First Eastleigh Baptist Church trains former prostitutes and impoverished community members to start small businesses, and is seeking to share God’s love with Muslim neighbors.

World AIDS Day

Life’s not so sweet in Sweetwaters, a rural South African community where seemingly every yard is filled with graves. Many adults have died of AIDS, and children are left to care for their households. December 1 is a day to remember those suffering and learn ways we can help.

The Church Meets in Africa

Four thousand participants from 198 countries gather in Cape Town, South Africa, for perhaps the widest and most diverse gathering in the history of the church: the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization.

First Contact

Centuries ago, Arab traders traveling by dhow brought Islam to Africa’s eastern coast. Now missionaries in Mozambique are using a dhow to spread the Gospel along those same shorelines.

People of the Rainforest

“Adventure evangelists” trek the rainforest of Madagascar, searching for hidden villages and assessing villagers’ challenges. Later, they’ll return to meet human needs while sharing the Gospel.

Back for More

Semester missionaries in “the great thirst land” of Botswana eagerly return the following year to pick up where they left off: planting new churches, encouraging young believers, and starting work in new areas.

Orphan Ministry

In Johannesburg’s squatter camps, AIDS is killing off a generation, and orphans are growing up virtually on the streets. Meet two women providing, love, care, counseling and provision of physical needs for these children.

Gospel Art

For centuries women in Africa, Asia and the Middle East have used henna, a temporary tattoo drawn onto hands, arms and legs, to beautify themselves. In east Africa, henna is used to illustrate and tell Bible stories — symbols in the drawings remind women of stories they’ve heard and help them tell others.

In Their Own Words

Throughout Africa, missionaries are planting their lives among unique people groups and demonstrating what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Here, in their own words, they share the joys and challenges of cross-cultural work.

To the Ends of the Earth

“Ends of the earth” is sometimes overused in mission circles, but eastern Niger really does feel like the most remote location on the planet. “The Gospel hasn’t made it here yet. That’s why we have to be here,” says a missionary. “…“Not everyone gets that opportunity, to be the first person to tell someone about Jesus.”

South Africa Is Still Here

The prayer of IMB urban missionaries in South Africa is that God would use the soccer World Cup to draw attention to the lost people of the nation’s cities. IMB missionaries minister in five cities that were hosts of the 2010 World Cup: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.

World Cup Ministries – Part II

South Africa is the first African nation to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a soccer tournament that many deem the most anticipated sporting event on earth. Christians are taking advantage of this to share Christ in local communities through soccer clinics, big screen showings, and more.

World Cup Ministries

South Africa is the first African nation to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a soccer tournament that many deem the most anticipated sporting event on earth. Christians are taking advantage of this to share Christ in local communities through soccer clinics, big screen showings, and more.

Forty Years of Influence

Franklin and Paula Kilpatrick worked among Zambian Christians as publishers of Christian literature, as teachers, as church planters and as leaders, friends and counselors for forty years. They retire next year and feel like they could keep doing what they are doing another forty years.

Unopened Hearts

Ibrahima Dieng has heard the Gospel many times, he is no closer now to being a Christian than he was ten years ago. He is typical of many residents of Dakar, Senegal, a city that is 96 percent Muslim.

A Better Alternative

IMB missionary Alan Locke and his team have started various ministries to build relationships and community with Sowetans. From coaching boys’ soccer teams and teaching girls’ clubs to leading abstinence and Christian living trainings, the missionaries are making an impact with the Gospel.

Reaching Mungiki

Kenyan pastor Michael Kabochi’s life is regularly threatened by Mungiki, a quasi-religious sect that’s synonymous with machete killings, rape and organized crime. But, Kobochi bravely shares the Gospel with Mungiki, claiming, “The blood of Jesus was shed for them as much as it was for me.”

Fighting Neverland

Chronic conflicts in Sudan have led to food shortages, a damaged economy and a lack of access to basic health services, education and jobs. Young IMB missionaries are using HIV/AIDS awareness, hygiene projects and other methods to share the Gospel and meet community needs.

Human Trafficking

Raped and kicked out of home, “Lisha” turned to a boyfriend who eventually forced her into prostitution. Transferred to another pimp and coerced into moving, she’s far from home and desperate for a way out. But with the coming of the World Cup, human trafficking will only increase in South Africa.

Violence in Nigeria

Over the past several years, churches in Jos, Nigeria, have been shaken by violent outbreaks in which both Christians and Muslims were killed. Over 500 are dead after the most recent attacks in March, 2010. Pastors struggle to know how to encourage suffering congregations.

Fusion

Students spend a semester in southern Sudan putting into practice the previous semesters classroom learning of sharing about Jesus in harsh environment.

Africa Water Crisis

Baptist Global Response helps to relieve difficulties in obtaining potable water through pumping and filtering projects.

Healing Bodies, Healing Souls

All over the world, Christians use a variety of means to share the Gospel of Christ and reach the lost. For First Baptist Church of Alexander City, Alabama, hosting medical clinics opens the door to minister to both physical and spiritual needs.

“We escaped with our lives.”

The entire town, including the market area, was looted. All the food supplies were burned. In the end more than 10,000 people ran from Akot, Sudan, and the surrounding areas to seek shelter in 13 nearby villages.

Doll Maker

Kate Ncube hand makes and sells dolls of 17 southern Africa tribes, or people groups. “I enjoy learning about other cultures,” Kate said. “It gives me a lot of insight and helps me understand a person. To understand them, I must understand their culture!”

Mountain Men

Weeks without a bath. Blizzard conditions with only a coal stove for warmth. Layers of clothing that just get changed around every couple of days. Life is rough for three short-term missionaries in the mountains of Lesotho, but it’s worth it for the chance to share Christ’s love.

African-Americans Reaching Africans

Broadview Church is a pioneer — one of the first African-American congregations to tackle the challenge of taking the Gospel to an unreached people group in western Africa. “AfricaStories” will chronicle their journey, beginning here with their first vision trip.

Soccer in Soweto

An interschool soccer tournament in a South African township provides missionaries with opportunities to build relationships, impact a community and share the Gospel.

Just Another Way to Die

If things don’t change, the Basotho people of Lesotho may cease to exist in less than 26 years. They’re dying of AIDS — some by choice, since contracting HIV entitles them to government help. In this impoverished mountain area, AIDS is just one more way to die.

Life on the Streets of Nairobi

About 20 boys sleep on the streets of Nairobi’s Riverside. Some are orphans, some were abused, some were kicked out. Walk alongside Oscar, who’s beaten and tortured by the other boys. And meet Eunice, who’s burdened to help the boys despite some hateful actions.

Presidential Visit to Ghana

President Barak Obama challenges citizens of Ghana to take responsibility for building a better future. Hear Ghanaian Christians’ reactions to the speech, and explore the faith of this nation’s God-centered business people.

Amazing Grace

Ghana’s Cape Coast Castle is a haunting relic of the slave trade, but it’s also a beacon of light in a bustling tourist town. Here, reflections on evil turning to good, not only for the castle but also for a slave ship captain who penned the hymn “Amazing Grace.”

African American Challenge

African Americans have a strong and proud history in international missions. But in the last century that’s often what it’s been – history. Missionary Troy Lewis challenges the African American church to consider its heritage and continue embracing the task of taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Zimbabwe: Attitude of Gratitude

Political and economic turmoil have resulted in hunger and hopelessness for many Zimbabweans. But a food distribution project spurred a cycle of giving that brought comfort and hope to some widows, a Christian publishing house and a school.

Map

The map below pinpoints locations featured in our stories, along with a summary of the stories told from there. (Please note the markers are not of specific locations but just general representations of where stories took place.)

Returning Home

Taking the Challenge

Taking the Challenge

by Jacob Alexander
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Posted August 24, 2011

WESTERN AFRICA – “The village people were so excited to see us that they brought their balangis (xylophones) and drums. The village women danced and our women joined them. Everybody enjoyed one another.”

Lucinda Swinson,* First Baptist Church of Humboldt, Tenn., penned this account in her journal during a visit to a village in western Africa a few years ago. Since 2007, the church has been committed to reaching a people group there with the Gospel.

FBC Humboldt’s commitment to reach these people is a result of the Acts 1:8 Challenge. According to the website, the challenge is “an opportunity for Southern Baptist churches to declare their commitment to a comprehensive missions strategy in their community (Jerusalem), state (Judea), continent (Samaria) and world (ends of the earth).”

Four years ago FBC Humboldt began praying for the people group and how they could be used to reach them. In 2008, the church sent a vision team to western Africa and discovered a group of men who had been meeting together early each morning to pray and listen to one of the few literate believers read the Bible. This group had met for several years as a result of missionaries showing the JESUS film in their village prior to civil war breaking out in their country.

“God used our FBC vision team to encourage the missionaries and believers and was a catalyst for the work among the [people group],” Swinson said.

One year passed before the church sent another team to western Africa and during that time, the number of believers grew to about 100. On their second visit, in early 2009, FBC Humboldt volunteers discipled some of the new believers and trained them in evangelism using methods like prayerwalking and sharing the “Creation to Christ” story.

“This story is very effective in west Africa because it is a panoramic view of the Bible that can be easily memorized and retold time and again,” Swinson said.

The church’s presence in western Africa continues to be known. Since the vision trip, several volunteer teams have ministered among the people group and two International Mission Board journeyman missionaries from the church have served here. Through their efforts, more are being led to faith in Christ.

“We praise God for using our church in this part of the harvest,” Swinson said. “Our desire is to keep the Acts 1:8 Challenge burning in our hearts.”

If your church is interested in helping share the Gospel among an unreached people group in Sub-Saharan Africa, visit call2embrace.org.

*Name changed

Currently based in the United States, Jacob Alexander is a writer for IMB’s Global Communications team.

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