Andrew
and Jodie (Anders) Hartfield
Email: sbcyouth@silverdalebaptist.org
Children: Andrew ('01), Alexis ('03)
Church: Silverdale Baptist Church, Bremerton,
WA
Age saved: Andrew 12, Jodie
9
Field: Brazil (Belo Horizonte)
While at camp, Jodie heard a message
about heaven and hell, and was saved. When she was seventeen,
she rededicated her life at a Christian concert, and then
attended Western Baptist College. When she went on her first
missions trip to Mexico, Jodie fell in love with the people
and the culture. By the time she got back, she was convinced
God wanted her in missions.
For a long time Andy's family only
went to church on Christmas and Easter; when he was eight,
they stopped going at all. When Andy was twelve, he began
to go with a friend to a Catholic church. After a few months,
another friend invited him to a Baptist church, and there
he was saved. In time, his entire immediate family came to
Christ.
Jodie and Andy were married in 1999,
and have served together in youth ministry since then. Life
seemed perfect – a boy and a girl, a house and a minivan.
The highlight of Jodie's year was their annual trip to Mexico.
“Once in awhile I'd mention to Andy my commitment to missions,”
Jodie says.
Last year at their church's missions
conference, however, God used Jim and Shirlie Moore's ministry
to touch their hearts for missions. When asked how to determine
God's will for your life, Andy comments, “As I look at my
life, it reminds me of a connect-the–dots puzzle: the dots
are people and missionaries that influenced me, my education
at Liberty University, and God's Word, and when I step back
and see those dots all connected, they spell the word Go.”
Rodney and
Susan (Groner) Henderson
Email: rshenderson@abwe.cc
Children: Bethany ('89), Joel ('91), Leah
('94)
Church: Northeastern Baptist Church, Kalamazoo,
MI
Age saved: Rodney 13, Susan
8
Field: Portugal
Susan feels blessed to have been
raised in a pastor's home where following Christ was not only
taught, but modeled, by her parents and siblings. Although
she was saved as a child, Susan was not always close to God.
She used to feel that her testimony was not as “dramatic”
as ones she heard of how God rescued others from horrible
personal situations. She says, “I now know my testimony is
every bit as amazing, because God continues to ‘rescue' me
from my own sinfulness every single day.”
Rodney's grandmother lived with
their family for a short time prior to her death. He remembers
her as a godly woman who loved the Lord, lived for Him, and
shared her gentle love with all of her grandchildren. When,
as a teen, Rodney began to seek purpose for his life, he found
his grandmother's Bible and began to read it. The words showed
him that God is in control and has a plan for him.
Through most of their married life,
Rodney and Susan have been interested in missions. In recent
years, however, they began to realize that God might want
to use their family in full-time missions. A missions trip
to South America in 2002, and then another in 2003 to Portugal,
were used by the Lord to call them into full-time missions.
Chris and
Catrina (Gorup) Herrick
Email: herricks@abwe.cc
Church: Spring Hill Baptist Church, Spring
Hill, FL
Age saved: Chris 18, Catrina
12
Field: Portugal
Despite shaky circumstances in her
family, Catrina's mom took her to church, where she was able
to learn about God. One day, while explaining the facts of
the gospel to a friend, Catrina realized that she had never
accepted Christ herself. As a teen, Catrina had an opportunity
to go to camp for the first time, and there dedicated her
life for missionary service. After high school the Lord led
her to a good Christian college and Christian roommates to
encourage her in her walk with the Lord.
Chris was raised in a Catholic family,
but his unsaved father picked out Pensacola Christian College
for him to attend. Three days after he arrived, his roommates
led him to Christ. Surrounded by Christians and Bible courses,
Chris discovered a love for the Word of God. At the end of
his freshman year a missions conference on campus impressed
him to dedicate his life to missions.
Chris and Catrina met at Pensacola.
“The first night we met, we discussed how God called us to
missions individually. It has always been a part of our relationship,”
Catrina comments. They were married in 2001 and started teaching
in the academy in Chris' home church. It was a comfortable
ministry for them. When missionary Gil Thomas came to their
church to present the needs in Portugal, Chris knew that was
where God wanted them to go. Catrina adds, “We prayed about
it separately for a week, and then discussed how God kept
impressing it on our hearts.” A recent trip to Portugal has
confirmed that decision in their hearts and minds.
Brent and
Tammy (Evans) Lowe
Email: brentammylowe@juno.com
Children: Victoria ('98), Keegan ('00), Olivia
('02), Emma ('03)
Church: Norton Baptist Church, Norton, OH
Age saved: Brent 4, Tammy
7
Field: Portugal
Brent and Tammy are both thankful
for the godly influence of their parents that brought them
to a saving knowledge of the Lord at early ages. In high school,
both dedicated their lives to the Lord for ministry. They
met at Grand Rapids Baptist College (now Cornerstone University)
and were married in 1994.
Their first ministry together led
them to Brent's home church in Norton, Ohio, where he has
been the youth pastor since 1994. Tammy says, “I decided I
wanted to serve the Lord, so I went to college, met my husband,
got married, and woke up as a youth pastor's wife! I didn't
even know how to play the piano, and I really struggled.”
Through their years of youth ministry, the Lord has shown
them that they can be used in missions. Missionaries Ken and
Amy Lowe (no relation to Brent and Tammy) came to their church
to present the need for help with youth ministries in Portugal.
They began to seek the Lord's direction
as to whether they should make a career move to Portugal.
In the summer of 2003, Brent was able to take the teens on
a short-term trip to Portugal to work with the Ken Lowes.
Brent saw their compassion for the people, and ways he and
Tammy could be used to help minister to the youth in Portugal.
Although complications with Tammy's pregnancy prohibited her
from going on that trip, she says that when Brent came home,
they “knew this was where the Lord was calling us to minister
for Him.”
Gerald and
Cheryll (Harris) Mann
Email: jncmann@hotmail.com
Children: Jeremy ('86), Sarah ('87), Joshua
('92), Josiah ('96)
Age saved: Gerald 8, Cheryll
15
Field: Durban, South Africa
Cheryll was saved at the age of
fifteen, after a year of searching. She and a friend had decided
that there had to be more to life than they had seen up to
that point. They visited church after church, searching for
something. One of their parents would drive them, drop them
off, and pick them up later. Then they had a chance to visit
an AWANA camp for a day. After the evening chapel service,
there was a campfire, and Cheryll talked to a girl who gave
her some tracts to take home. Later that evening, Cheryll
asked the Lord to save her.
Jerry considers it a privilege to
have been raised in a family where God was esteemed. At a
young age, during an AWANA meeting, Jerry placed his faith
in Christ's work on the cross. Through various ministry opportunities
in his life, Jerry developed a thirst for a greater understanding
of God and His Word.
After they married, Jerry and Cheryll
headed to Dallas Theological Seminary for further training.
While Jerry took classes, he and Cheryll both were able to
work at CAM International (Central American Mission). There
they met and interacted with missionaries from around the
world. While they appreciated the insight into missionary
life, they did not sense God's specific direction toward missions
at that time.
During a recent missions conference
at their church, however, the Manns determined that God was
leading them to the next stage of ministry, and they look
forward to serving in Durban, South Africa.
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Craig
and Amy Patton
Email: capatton39@juno.com
Church: West Chicago Bible Church, W Chicago,
IL
Age saved: Craig 24, Amy
4
Field: Nicaragua
When Craig was nine years old, his
mother trusted the Lord, and they began to go to church. Within
a year, his father was saved and they attended church as a
family. Craig went along with his parents, but he didn't make
a personal decision for Christ until he was 24.
Amy was raised in a Christian home,
and was saved as a child. Amy says, “I thank the Lord for
my parents, for my church, for my camp, and for missionaries
who visited our home.”
Craig was accepted as a missionary
to Nicaragua in 1996, and Amy was accepted as a missionary
to Nicaragua with a different organization the following year.
They met in San Jose, Costa Rica, in August 1998, while attending
the same language school. Fifteen months later, they were
married.
The Pattons arrived in Nicaragua
in October of 2000 to begin their ministry. Craig taught at
a Bible Institute, and on Sundays they were involved in various
churches.
Their mission board saw that Craig
and Amy needed to be part of a team led by veteran missionaries,
and it looked as though they would have to relocate to another
country. Craig says, “It was a test. As soon as we surrendered
our wills, the Lord directed us to ABWE, which has a team
in Nicaragua led by veteran missionaries.” The Pattons transferred
to ABWE with the blessing of their former mission board, and
will soon go back to the country they love.
Stephanie
Phillips
Email: stephinperu@hotmail.com
Church: Calvary Baptist Church, Grand Rapids,
MI
Age saved: 5
Field: Lima, Peru
Stephanie's mom led her to the Lord
on March 27, 1985. When she was seventeen, Stephanie went
on a missions trip to the Philippines, and there God gave
her a strong desire to serve Him in missions.
At Pensacola Christian College,
Stephanie majored in elementary education and minored in missions.
“It was at college,” she says, “that God showed me more of
His plan for my life.” After graduation, Stephanie applied
to ABWE's Assistant Missionary Program (AMP), attended Candidate
Seminar in 2002, and has served in Lima, Peru, at the La Molina
Christian School as a fourth grade teacher for the past two
years.
Stephanie left her class at La Molina
in July to come back to the States for an interview with the
ABWE Board. She was appointed as a career missionary, and
immediately returned to Peru to finish the school year. In
December, Stephanie will travel back to Grand Rapids, Michigan,
to begin her pre-field ministry, with the goal of returning
to Peru for full-time service.
Rodney and
Kristina (Small) Poplin
Email: rodandtina2@hotmail.com
Children: Brittany ('91), Drew ('93)
Church: Swan Creek Baptist Church, Jonesville,
NC
Age saved: Rodney 6, Kristina
4
Field: Capetown, South Africa
Deciding to be involved in missions
was easy for Tina, with parents who were missionaries with
ABWE for 22 years. However, getting married, having children,
and becoming involved in her local church caused her to lose
sight of that goal in her life. Rodney, on the other hand,
tried to ignore the periodic challenges he heard about missions.
He heard that missionaries aren't known for having a lot of
money, and he wanted to be rich. He thought that perhaps he
could make a lot of money and send it to missionaries.
Rod headed to college to study architecture.
Within a year, he determined that this was the wrong career
for him and, with his parents' encouragement, transferred
to Piedmont Baptist College for one year. Rod and Tina met
at Piedmont, got married, and settled into life. Rod worked
many hours in sales, sacrificing for his family. He describes
that time: “Really, what I was doing was trying to build my
own life the way I wanted. I took a look at my life and didn't
like the person I had become. If you looked at my life, you
couldn't tell the difference between my life and the world.”
The Lord used a trip to Brazil for
Tina's high school reunion to show Rod that the riches he
sought were temporary. “I still want to be rich,” Rod says,
“but now I am working for riches that will last.”
Joel and
Rachel (King) Prigge
Email: joelmanp@hotmail.com
Children: Ethan ('01)
Church: Grace Baptist Church, Whitewater,
KS
Age saved: Joel 6, Rachel
3
Field: Papua New Guinea
Both Joel and Rachel were raised
in Christian homes and were saved at young ages. However,
those homes were on different continents. Rachel's parents
were missionaries with New Tribes Mission. Her family moved
to Colombia when she was eleven. Joel grew up in Idaho.
A pivotal event in Rachel's life
happened when Colombian guerillas invaded her missionary boarding
school and kidnapped two missionary men. One of them was her
“dorm dad.” Rachel's family evacuated the country and eventually
relocated in the U.S. A year later, they learned that the
men had been killed, and Rachel says, “It was my dorm dad's
life that inspired me to live for God.” In college, Rachel
pursued nursing, knowing that medical expertise is usually
helpful on the mission field.
Joel's high school years brought
both times of backsliding and times of growth. Eventually
he became a pilot and wanted to fly for a commercial airline,
but was challenged to use his talents for the Lord. Several
short-term trips to Mexico confirmed Joel's desire to be involved
in missions. He learned about ABWE aviation through Steve
Aholt, a church-planting pilot in Papua New Guinea.
Joel and Rachel met at Calvary Bible
College. They have seen God take care of them over and over,
and they look forward to serving Him.
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