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Candidate Class 2006 (testimonials)

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Mike and Arlene Armstrong
Littlefield, Texas
First Baptist Church, Littlefield, Texas
deputydaredude@yahoo.com
Costa Rica

Mike: While at college, I was always surrounded by missionaries; even the soccer team was made up of missionary kids like me. My dad has been an inspiration with his support, daily prayers for me, and example of Christ’s love. So with an open heart, I asked the Lord to lead me in His direction, knowing that this could mean the mission field. Though I didn’t take the traditional career path for a missionary, the Lord guided me to a point where it became clear that God wanted more of me, and I surrendered my life to serve Him on the mission field. Any fear that I feel about starting a new career is displaced by God’s many promises.

Arlene: At the age of twenty-seven, I yielded everything to the Lord for Him to use for His honor and glory. I was raised in a Christian home and grew up with relatives who were missionaries. This made me aware of the need to be willing to answer God’s call to serve, whether it was in my local church or on a foreign mission field. God has since blessed me with a wonderful husband who shares the same desire to serve wherever needed. I feel strongly that it is my privilege to support him in whatever he feels called to do. 

JoyLynn Barger
Warsaw, Indiana
Calvary Baptist Church, Leesburg, Indiana
joylynn.danielle@netzero.net
Thailand

When I was a child, my parents encouraged me to get involved in my home church and help wherever I could. Soon after I was saved, missionaries Scott and Rachael Meyer came to my church and explained that they lived in another country and shared the gospel with people who had never heard about Christ. I knew then that God wanted me to become a missionary, and this desire came true in 2000—but in an unexpected way. My parents decided that God was calling them to Norway as missionaries. I never thought I would become a missionary kid! During the short time I was there, I was immersed in Norwegian culture and helped reach the people for Christ. Now that I have finished college, I have a burning desire to go back overseas.

New appointee to WIN*

At the age of fifteen, I was a camp counselor, and one of the speakers at camp spoke about a little Muslim boy in Morocco who had never heard of Christ. God used that to break my heart. Why, I wondered, do I have such an opportunity to love and know God when others do not? God used the discussion He had with Moses to get a hold of me—for who was I to say I was not good enough to serve Him? He was and is powerful enough to use me. God has sent many people to help and encourage me through the years, but He was the only one that was always there. He has continued to guide and stretch every part of my life, and has given me His love for people.

*Information withheld for security reasons.

Philip and Martha Bloomer
Mesquite, Texas
First Baptist Church of Danville, Indiana
pmbloomer@juno.com
Brazil

Philip: My youth pastor, Dave Hall, became a missionary to Brazil, and I spent three months with him there. I had many preconceived ideas about missions until I experienced it firsthand. While I started my career in engineering, my love for missions grew. I thought I would make lots of money, then go on short-term trips and support myself. Then an ABWE missionary for whom missions was a second career visited my home church. His testimony spoke volumes to me, and I yielded my life to serve in missions. After this, the Lord brought Martha, who grew up in Zambia, into my life, and we married, realizing that we might enter full-time ministry. Several years later, my wife and I headed to Dallas Theological Seminary for training. We have a passion for Brazil and hope to train Brazilian Christians to serve cross-culturally.

Martha: When I was fourteen, we moved for the fourth time in four years, and I was angry at God. I told Him I would never be a missionary like my parents, because I was tired of moving. At a youth retreat, the speaker urged us to rededicate our lives to the Lord. He gave each of us a note card and instructed us to write a prayer to God. I asked Him to forgive my rebellious heart and wrote that I would go wherever He called and do whatever He asked. When Philip and I went to Brazil on a survey trip,  I fell in love with the people and met a Brazilian woman who wanted to be a missionary. God used that in my life to create a desire to train Brazilians for ministry.

New appointees to WIN

Him: When I was in Sunday school, missionaries came and presented their fields, but I never considered missionary work as an option for me. I didn’t see it as a professional job choice, but more like being a professional baseball player—a job for someone else. Then I went to college, and my faith and conviction to live a life wholly sold out for Christ grew. I became burdened to lead a life of maximum impact for God’s kingdom. I finished my degree and took a few short-term trips. Our burden for the unreached focuses on the Muslim world.

Her: It wasn’t until I began college that I really started to grow in my relationship with the Lord, and I began to wonder what God wanted me to do with my life. I started to think about serving in missions, and in 2000, I took a class that radically turned my heart towards missionary service. That summer I went on a short-term trip and came back with a desire to serve long-term, though I wasn’t exactly sure how or where. I finished my degree and further training in Bible and missions. We are confident in God’s desire to reach Muslims, and have peace that He is in control of our safety. 

Nicholas and Megan Coleman
Richland, Washington
First Baptist Church of Richland, Washington
nwcoleman82@hotmail.com
Thailand

Nicholas: I was raised in church and heard all the missionaries but wasn’t impressed. I thought they all talked too much, and to me, church was boring. Then at the age of seventeen, at a youth conference, I rededicated my life to serving God and living according to His purpose. After graduating from Corban College, I was called to be the youth pastor at Keizer Community Church. Friends of ours began to talk to us about their plans for ministry in Thailand. When we visited Thailand in March 2006, we fell in love with the place and the people, and I feel that the ministry opportunity there is exactly what I am suited for and passionate about. When we came home, we started to pack up our house. Galatians 2:20 says, “I’ve been crucified with Christ.” This life I live is not my own.

Megan: As a child at our church’s missions conferences, I loved listening to the missionaries’ stories, and I remember thinking I'd love to do that someday. One night during a conference, I told God that I wanted to be a missionary. From then on, being a missionary was always in the back of my mind, but I never acted on it. When I met Nick, my husband, I found that he had a heart for missions as well. Since then, we have been looking for opportunities and ministries that will go along with our burdens and abilities. We believe God is leading us to serve Him in Thailand. 

Jeffrey and Deanne Davoll
Latham, New York
Latham Bible Baptist Church, Latham, New York
jeff@davollfamily.com
Ecuador

Jeffrey: At age seven, I committed my life to missionary service and thought I’d get to live in a canoe and wrestle snakes. In 1984, I went to Word of Life Portugal on a construction crew, and my passion for missionary service burned brighter. During a missions conference, I helped present the drama Bridge of Blood, and Jim Elliot’s motto, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose,” echoed in my ears. As a youth pastor and senior pastor, God allowed me to minister in Italy, Mexico, Portugal, New York City, and Hungary in preparation for lifetime missionary service. I didn’t always understand God’s delay in sending us as missionaries, but I am thankful for the path of preparation He has laid. I am grateful for the privilege to represent the Lord Jesus by carrying His message to a lost and dying world.

Deanne: I dedicated my life to missions when I was six. As a teen, I enjoyed missions trips to Portugal and France, getting a taste of missions firsthand and seeing the great need for the gospel. In 1987, I played the role of Barbara Youderian in Bridge of Blood. God used this experience to confirm my commitment to be wholly His. After the drama, God allowed me to meet Anna, a young South American woman whose husband had recently died in the jungles of Colombia. I was greatly moved as our group sang “We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender” in English, and she sang it with us in Spanish. God has placed missions on my heart, and this desire has continued to grow my entire life. I am so thankful for the example and legacy I have had from godly parents who’ve invested their lives in ministry. 

Chad and Julie Feathers
Duncansville, Pennsylvania
Faith Baptist Church, Altoona, Pennsylvania
jufeathers@aol.com
Papua New Guinea

Chad: I was able to see from the example of my parents that being in ministry is a special and great responsibility. I dedicated my life to God’s ministry in my teens but never knew how He would use me. In the spring of 2004, my wife and I went forward at our church’s missions conference and dedicated our lives. We had been praying and asking the Lord to open a door that we might serve Him in a ministry. Through our church’s focus on missions, the Lord continued to soften our hearts. Several months later, after much prayer, we answered God’s call, and as a family we are excited to serve Him in Papua New Guinea.

Julie: I struggled as a teenager to follow Christ’s leading, and I am so thankful for His forgiveness when I strayed. When I was nineteen, I joined a college and career class and there met my husband Chad who was a big encouragement to me. Chad and I were married in 2000, and after being married for four years and having two children, we still knew the Lord had something special for us. One Sunday night, after a sermon on missions, Chad and I went forward to dedicate our lives to serving the Lord. One year later, the Lord opened the door for us to go and serve Him in Papua New Guinea. The Lord has been so good to me and blessed me with the call to do His work. 

Holly Friesen
Douglass, Kansas
Cumberland Community Church, Douglass, Kansas
esperanza@abwe.cc
Ukraine

God used the ministry of my church, summers at Whispering Winds Bible Camp, and the influence of my parents to ignite in me a desire to grow in my walk with God and to serve Him. At thirteen, while I was at camp, I committed my life to missions. As I later completed my nurses’ training and worked in my church, the Lord confirmed my desire to serve in missions. I spent the last two years as a short-term missionary with ABWE in Lima, Peru, assisting in church planting, prenatal center ministry, and mobile medical clinics, which increased my burden to reach the lost with the message of hope and healing for their souls and to be involved in training and discipling them to carry this message of hope to others. I want to use my degree in nursing to show God’s love to people and open doors for evangelism. 

James and Christal Gerhart
Perkasie, Pennsylvania
First Baptist Church of Perkasie, Pennsylvania
gerhartjames@aol.com
Togo

James: In 1995, during our first year of marriage, I believed the Lord was calling me into ministry. I pastored in Virginia before attending Baptist Bible Seminary. Then, the Lord brought me to First Baptist Church of Perkasie, where I am associate pastor. Last summer, during a global ministry class in BBS’s doctoral program, the Lord began to work in my heart, leading me toward missions, but it was not until this year that my wife and I really wrestled with whether the Lord was leading us in that direction. The Lord has given me a passion to train national pastors. Through various divine appointments, it became evident that God was calling us to Togo, West Africa. We look forward with eager anticipation to what God has in store for us.

Christal: I was not raised in a Christian home. When I was eleven, two ladies came to our house for visitation. While one talked with my mom, the other took me into the next room and shared Christ with me. That night I prayed and asked Jesus into my heart. God has faithfully brought people into my life to disciple and teach me. I went to Liberty University, where I met my husband Jim. After we were married, God worked in our hearts, calling Jim to full-time ministry. He has really challenged us with the concept of missions, resulting in the call to go and be used where He wills. We are very excited to be used for His honor and glory abroad. 

Kevin and Emily Hall
New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
First Baptist Church, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
kevinandemily@abwe.cc
Russia

Kevin: I went on my first missions trip the year I graduated from college. It was one of the most memorable experiences of that year, and it gave me the desire to go on another trip. After several years of stateside construction trips with my church’s Men for Missions team, I was able to go on a trip to Odessa, Ukraine, to work on a resource and training center that ABWE was constructing. The following year at our annual missions conference, there was a great turmoil inside me as I struggled against the call to go forward and dedicate my life to full-time missions. The next year I willingly dedicated my life to missions, and continued to serve on short-term trips around the world. Realizing that God would not direct me unless I was moving forward, I began preparing for full-time missions, and true to His Word, He began directing my path. 

Emily: I surrendered my life to full-time service at age eleven. In 1997, I went on a short-term trip to Europe, and in the following years I went on two more trips. In 2002, I had been working for six years in a nursing facility, but I knew God wanted me in missions. I told God, “If this is what You want, You have to do it. I don’t even know where to start.” I finished my schooling with a major in missions, and started an internship at the ABWE home office. During the 2003 Candidate Seminar, I sneaked in to listen to a presentation on East Asia, and heard that a short-term teacher was needed there. By Friday morning of that week, I was on my way to East Asia, and I worked for five months as a teacher there. For the past few years, I’ve worked in the ABWE home office, and Kevin and I met when he came to Candidate Seminar last year and was appointed to Russia. We were married in June, and look forward to serving the Lord together. 

Michael and Veronica Hull
Griffin, Georgia
Berean Baptist Church, Griffin, Georgia
hullman1@juno.com
Brazil

Michael: I knew missions was something I was willing to do, and even felt that it was what God wanted me to do when after three years of marriage, I went back to school at Bob Jones University as an aircraft maintenance student. I thought I would go into mission work after school, but God had other plans. I taught Sunday school, became a member of an Awana missionary’s ministry team, and met Hank and Ruth Scheltema and other missionaries. After a few short-term trips to different countries, I feel the Lord is now leading us to pursue missions full-time. My desire is to work with children, teach, and help with various types of maintenance. God showed me that He can use me in Brazil to do exactly what I am doing here—working on airplanes and teaching children about Christ.

Veronica: At our current church, we were able to observe and work with Hank and Ruth Scheltema as they served the Lord where He placed them. I have learned from Ruth to serve the Lord joyfully wherever He places me, and the Lord will give the increase. I have seen God’s grace sufficient even in the midst of Hank’s death. The Lord has allowed me to go on three short missions trips, one to East Asia with my family as workers at an English camp. It was thrilling to see God use my children to build bridges of love to a very hopeless society. But during our trip as a family to Amazonas, Brazil, the Lord made it very apparent to us that we had found our place to serve. 

Gary and Siham Jasmund
South Lyon, Michigan
Northridge Church, Plymouth, Michigan
thejasmunds@sbcglobal.net
Togo

Gary: I spent the first twenty-five years of my life apart from God and the past fifteen years with Him. In 1998, God led me on a short-term missions trip to The Gambia, West Africa, through Stan and Deb Haegert. While working with Ted and Diane Weinberg and the nationals, God placed a burden on my heart to assist missionaries. Since then, God has allowed me to travel on eight short-term trips. Last summer, after returning from Africa, I went through the darkest time I have experienced as a believer. I was wrestling with surrender and obedience. I could no longer ignore God’s call on my life.

Siham: God first put a passion in my heart for missions in 1998, and since that time, He has allowed me to participate in nine short-term missions trips. The pull toward missions has continued to grow stronger with every trip. I had thought that we would eventually be on a foreign field, supporting missionaries—possibly in retirement years. I am now convinced that God is calling us to move forward with Him at this time in our lives. It is encouraging to know that as a couple, God does not call one without calling the other. It just has to be His timing. Since committing ourselves to full-time missions, we have experienced God’s peace like never before, even in the midst of opposition. We are willing to go, because we know He is able.

Kathleen Jones
Wilmington, Delaware
Faith Baptist Church, Wilmington, Delaware
nurzjones@aol.com
Bangladesh

I dedicated my life to missions around the age of ten. While in college, my professors at Cedarville University personally invested themselves in teaching and challenging me. I was able to go on two trips to Israel and Hungary with the college’s brass choir. After graduating, I was working in the United States as a psychiatric nurse when one of my patients killed himself, and I became angry and walked away from the Lord. When I reached the end of my strength, the Lord was faithful and led me back to Himself. In 2004, I went with a team from my church to Romania and was able to use my nursing skills to assist in ministry. I decided to sign up for a year as an assistant missionary with ABWE, and I just returned from serving that year in Bangladesh. While in Bangladesh at Memorial Christian Hospital, I fell in love with the Bangladeshi people and became convinced that the Lord was calling me into full-time service there. 

Timothy and Lillie Killillay
Denver, Colorado
Mountain View Baptist Church, Denver, Colorado
TLKillillay@comcast.net
Peru

Timothy: At Northland Baptist Bible College, I was praying during a missions conference, telling God that if He wanted me to go to the mission field, I would obey. Proverbs 16:1, 9 says, “The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” It was during my sophomore year that God started directing my steps toward missions, and at that time, I changed from a Bible major to a missions major. I told God I would serve Him on the mission field, but I really wanted to be a policeman. God shut that door, and He shut others, making this a dark time in my life. When I surrendered to God’s will, He gave me an instant peace.

Lillie: As a freshman at Northland Baptist Bible College, I continued to grow and seek the Lord's will. I began to understand His command to teach the gospel to every nation, and I surrendered to missions during my sophomore year of college. Although I was open to going anywhere, I felt a special burden for Latin America. God confirmed this leading when I met my husband, who shared with me his call to missions and his burden for Peru. 

Stephanie Kozick
Knoxville, Tennessee
West Park Baptist Church, Knoxville, Tennessee
skozick@westparkbaptist.org
Ireland

Throughout high school and college, I developed an intense interest in missions. I went on as many trips at possible! After graduating in 1998, I went to Bristol, England, to stay with several ABWE missionaries for four weeks. After this experience, my desire for missions grew even more. The summer of 2003, I flew to Athens, Greece, to help set up the evangelistic programs for the Athens Olympic Games. After returning home seven months later, I began praying that God would show me where He wanted me to serve more permanently. Through my experience with ABWE, I now believe He is leading me to Ireland. 

Jeffrey and Rachel Lee
St. Catharines, Ontario
Temple Baptist Church, Cambridge, Ontario
TheLeeFamily@abwe.cc
England

Jeffrey: I worked at Word of Life (WOL) camp in Canada for four amazing summers. It was there at WOL that the Lord placed a burden on my heart to share Christ with people. During that time, I sensed the Lord leading me to Bible school. I attended Heritage Baptist College in Cambridge, Ontario, where the Lord stretched me and helped me grow deeper with Him. In 1999, my wife Rachel and I went on a three-month missions trip to Germany, and through that experience, I sensed the Lord leading me into missions. I have spent the last several years gaining practical experience as an associate pastor here in Canada. God has now burdened us to be a part of church plants and restorations in Europe. He is doing amazing things in England, and we can’t wait to be a part of it!

Rachel: As a teenager, during a youth conference hosted by my church, I felt the need to rededicate my life to the Lord and commit to serving Him. I worked with Child Evangelism Fellowship as a summer missionary, and I have felt the Lord leading me toward missions for many years. God has given me a desire to help other people understand who God is and what He has done for them. I have a passion to work with women and children, and I am excited to see what God has in store for our family! 

Birte Lenz
Kusel, Germany
Kusel Independent Baptist, Kusel, Germany
BirteLenz@gmx.de
Germany

In 1983, I stumbled across books such as Verbindliches Leben, by Oskar Völler and Under the Shadow of the Almighty, by Elisabeth Elliot, which encouraged me to dedicate myself totally to the Lord. I went to a Bible school in Brake, Germany, and then worked in Ecuador for an internship. During the following four years of helping with church planting in Kusel, Germany, the Lord opened my eyes to the spiritual needs of Europe. In 1989, I began to work actively toward the goal of assisting in church planting in Spain, and was then commissioned by SEND International to serve in Madrid. In 2003, I met Calvin Veith, an ABWE missionary to Germany. I knew I had to make a decision, not for or against working in Spain, but to recognize and follow God’s will. That Calvin was also a missionary allowed me to remain true to my own calling to missions. We are to be married in October. I consider my joining ABWE as another step in serving the Lord and trusting in His leadership. 

Boris and Wendy Ann Lesar
Calgary, Alberta
Prairie Tabernacle Congregation Three Hills, Canada
bwlesar@hotmail.com
Croatia

Boris: I grew up in Croatia and was called to work with youth right after my conversion, and God opened up opportunities for me to speak to students. My wife is from Canada, and after being together for a year in Croatia, we moved to Canada and went to Bible school. I kept hearing reports on the radio about the war in Croatia and former Yugoslavia. People I grew up with were being killed, and I couldn’t understand why God would allow this. I asked the Lord, “What are you going to do for these people who are suffering?” Then John 3:16 spoke to me. It was as if God were saying to me, ‘I love them and died for them. What are you going to do?” Since then, we’ve been burdened to return to Croatia and share Christ.

Wendy Ann: My mom and I were baptized in the lake at the same Bible camp where I was saved. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of His cross I have been comforted in my mother's death, and I have been taught to learn to trust and rely on God completely. I became involved in church ministry as a teenager. After taking a missions class at Briercrest Bible College, I went to Vienna to get a taste of mission work and life overseas, and there I met Boris. I then moved to Croatia for eight months to get to know Boris (who was my fiancé at the time), his country, cultural lifestyle, and ministry, before we would say, “I Do.” In 1993, we were married, and we studied at Prairie Bible College. I know God wants to use us in Croatia. In 2001, we returned to Croatia, as short-termers with ABWE, doing youth ministry, teaching, preaching, evangelism, and outreach. 

Nathan and Cherith Logan
Largo, Florida
Starkey Road Baptist Church, Seminole, Florida
nateslogan@yahoo.com
Brazil

Nathan: I was exposed early to overseas missions trips with my family, church, and school. I saw firsthand the need and joy of serving around the globe. The trips I’ve taken included helping in the hospital in Togo, serving in Amazon villages, using sports ministry in Buenos Aires, and constructing a church in Ecuador. God developed a strong desire within my heart to minister cross-culturally. While at Baptist Bible College (BBC), I was heavily influenced by wonderful theology professors, basketball coaches, and mentors. The summer after my junior year at BBC, I went to Durban, South Africa, for a missions internship with Cherith. In the summer of 2005, Cherith and I joined a great church staff at Starkey Road Baptist Church for an internship. During this year, we became confident that now is the time to head into missionary service, and we rejoice in God’s faithfulness in directing our paths. 

Cherith: Growing up, I observed my parents’ attitude towards living for God, and I am thankful that they portrayed ministry, whether in the United States or overseas, as a privilege. I had the unique opportunity to be raised in Schroon Lake, close to Word of Life, where hearing missionaries at church, befriending them in school, and inviting them into our home was routine. It was at the age of twelve, while attending a missions conference, that I surrendered my life to God’s calling. 

Jamey and Kandi Mathews
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Highland Park Baptist Church, Chattanooga, Tennessee
jkmathews316@juno.com
Liberia

Jamey: In my first year of college at Jacksonville Baptist College in Texas, I felt God impressing on me that He wanted me to serve Him with my whole life in some kind of full-time Christian service, though I did not act upon it. This continued for years until the death of our two-month-old son, Jason Daniel. God used this to help me surrender my life to whatever He wanted me to do. This call was focused toward missions through many people and circumstances. During my first semester at Temple Baptist Seminary, I took a missions class. We had to read the ABWE book, Missions in the Local Church, and a quote in that book still sticks out in my mind: “Every believer in Jesus Christ is either a sender or a goer—there is no third option.”

Kandi: Growing up, I loved the Lord and wanted to do what was right, but I was still doing what I wanted to do. It wasn’t until the birth of our twin boys that I fully surrendered my life to the Lord. Our twin boys were born two months premature, and they were in the hospital for over two months. God chose to take one to Heaven and heal the other. At this time I realized God had full control of everything that happened in my life, and I knew that His will was much better than what I thought was best for my life. My husband and I are surrendered to do whatever the Lord wants us to do. 

Jason and Michele Maynard
Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Willo-Hill Baptist Church, Willoughby, Ohio
themaynardfamily@sbcglobal.net
Ecuador

Jason: During my year at Word of Life Bible Institute, I began considering missions and became a counselor for a Youth Reachout trip to Mexico City. I began to see what God was doing around the world, and started to pursue missions as a vocation. During my schooling at Baptist Bible College, I took a missions trip with my church to Budapest, Hungary, which helped increase my understanding of the importance and urgency of missions. I met my wife Michele shortly before I left for a one-year internship in Ecuador. The year in Ecuador was life changing, and I realized that church planting was what I felt called to do. Michele and I also had an opportunity to take a missions trip together to Panama, which confirmed in our minds that God was calling us to missionary service.

Michele: I grew up in foster homes and never knew about Christ until a hairdresser witnessed to me while I was getting a perm. I accepted Christ the next day after hearing a message pastor Nate Osborne called, “Should you or should you not walk with Jesus Christ?” Because I had a desire to grow in the Lord, a friend suggested that I apply to Baptist Bible College (BBC). I immediately applied and was accepted to the missionary nursing program and began my studies eight months after my salvation. It was during my time at BBC that God grew me and taught me to love people even when they came into the emergency room with problems that were not so “desirable.” Except for His grace, I would be in the same situation, and I have dedicated my life to full-time ministry so I can help people both physically and spiritually. 

Darryl and Casey Meekins
Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey
Calvary Baptist Church, Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey
meekins@abwe.cc
South Africa

Darryl: I come from a non-Christian background and met the Lord through the ministry of a missionary. I was challenged by my youth pastor to serve the Lord with my life. While serving as a pastor, I led a group on a missions trip. Many of the participants told me they had never shared the gospel with anyone outside of their own culture group.  As I began to think of this, I realized that we in South Africa have missionaries coming from all over the world, but it is also the responsibility of South Africans to reach their own people. I have committed my life to serving God in South Africa. I studied at Baptist Bible College of KwaZulu Natal and have been in the pastorate for two years now. Casey and I know that we should go back to South Africa to begin churches that are committed to missions, and to train leaders to lead those churches.

Casey: The Lord began working in my heart through missionaries that God brought into my church and home. I told the Lord I would go wherever He wanted me to go and do whatever He wanted. After college, I started teaching fourth grade. I knew the Lord was moving me toward missions, and I then handed in my resignation, not knowing what my next step would be. I attended the ABWE Candidate Seminar and was appointed to South Africa. I arrived there to begin an HIV/AIDS ministry, and I met Darryl. We are excited to serve together now as a couple. 

Alan and Katherine Niles
Delhi, New York
The Community Church, Delhi, New York
al_niles@hotmail.com
Togo

Alan: It was not until my sophomore year of high school that I committed my life to Christ and surrendered myself to His work. After being stretched and challenged at a boarding school in Germany, I went to Moody Bible Institute to further my biblical studies. In one chapel, Dr. Joseph Stowell preached about the life of Bonnie Whitherall, a fellow student, who had been martyred one week earlier in Lebanon. It was a shocking story and yet a real challenge for me to pick up my cross and take Bonnie's place on the frontlines in missions. I decided then that I would, Lord willing, head to Africa to work with Muslims.

Katherine: My parents have served overseas as missionaries for about thirty years in West Africa, France, and Germany. Missions was always a big part of my life, but as I went to college I was unsure of the future. I had always pictured myself becoming a missionary, but I wanted to be careful not to go into missions just because that is what my parents did. I knew it would have to be a clear calling on my life. In the fall of my sophomore year, as Alan and I began dating, God began working in me and clearly opening my heart toward West Africa. As God continued to bring Alan and me together, He continued to direct us, and we are excited about working in Togo. 

Missionaries to Muslims in Africa
Cameroon

Husband: I look back from where I am now in the Lord and am so humbled that He chose me and is continuing to use me as a servant of His. I was serving as an associate pastor when missionaries came and shared their ministry with our church. On the drive home, my wife and I talked and realized the Lord was leading us to go to Cameroon to work with the Fulani people. We were later appointed to Cameroon with another mission board, and we have been there for six years leading a bush ministry, teaching Bible, literacy, and sharing the gospel. We are really excited about returning to Cameroon as partners with ABWE.

Wife: The Lord placed a burden on my heart for the Fulani people during the summer of 1995. Some friends of ours came and spoke at our church and shared the need for more workers to share the gospel with the Fulani in Cameroon. My husband was associate pastor at our church at that time, and we had not thought about missions until then. We are humbled to think that God could use us to reach the Fulani, but at the same time confident that God would do the work as long as we are willing and faithful to His task. 

Andrew and Carol Patton 
Gambrills, Maryland
Faith Community Church, Gambrills, Maryland
apatton@abwe.cc  
Peru

Andrew: I lived and studied in Peru and Ecuador during the first seventeen years of my life as a missionary kid. My parents were an influential part of my spiritual growth, education, and sense of urgency to reach the world. As time went on, I grew an aversion to being a missionary in the traditional sense, and I    returned to the States and landed a great career. One day, I started thinking, “Anyone could do this job.” But there aren’t many people that have had the experiences and preparation that I have had for missionary service. My desire to do missions was rekindled when Roni Bowers and her daughter were killed as a result of their plane being shot down over Peru in 2001. My wife and I went to Peru and became involved in the construction of the Roni Bowers Memorial Sports Complex. We have just returned from two years in the jungles of Peru, and we are looking forward to going back as career missionaries.

Carol: At Florida Bible College and Bryan College, my desire to know God through His Word and share His message began to grow. Through training and contacts at school, I was able to share my testimony in a variety of ministries. This gave me the confidence to reach my family, friends, and anyone that God placed in front of me. The joy of seeing others place their trust in Jesus gave me the growing desire to be a missionary. I had many opportunities to serve through the years, but it wasn't until Jim Bowers encouraged my husband to step out as a short-termer in 2004 that we officially became “missionaries.” Being in Peru for over two years serving in the Upper Amazon region has confirmed in our hearts that serving God in career missions is where we want to be. 

Richard and Jennifer Peace
Independence, Kentucky
Calvary Baptist Church, Covington, Kentucky
thepeaces@fuse.net
Ireland

Rick: For years, the Lord has moved me toward missions. While in high school, I went to Ecuador on my first missions trip. As a Liberty University student, I went on a missions trip to New York City. I trained as a chiropractic physician, and returned to Kentucky in 1992 and settled into my practice. Then, about seven years ago, Dr. Michael Loftis spoke at our church’s missions conference. He asked the congregation to write three words on an index card to keep in their Bibles. I have kept that card as a reminder of my missions’ commitment. It says, “Whatever, wherever, whenever.” After several years in chiropractic practice, God led me to participate in short-term medical missions in Romania, Ukraine, and Africa. In January, I was walking a campground in Africa and cried out to God, praying those three words again. I am willing to go wherever and do whatever God leads. And I believe the whenever is now.

Jennifer: Since joining Calvary Baptist Church in 1993, I have loved every annual missions conference. During these conferences, I have repeatedly felt the tug of Jesus saying, “Follow me.” About seven years ago, while Dr. Loftis was speaking at one of our conferences, I felt a strong tug at my heart that missions is the direction God wants me to go. I went forward with my husband and dedicated my life to the Lord in missions, not knowing exactly when or where He would lead. We have had many missionaries in our home who have shown us the richness of God’s blessings in missions. Even our children now get excited about mission work. My desire to follow God and my burden for the lost around me has become so very real that I believe He wants us in missions now. 

Stephen and Veronica Poindexter
Raleigh, North Carolina
Friendship Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina
spoindexter4@nc.rr.com
Togo

Stephen: On a trip to Canada, a seed was planted in my heart for missions. But when I was seventeen, I went to East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, and got mixed up with the wrong crowd. I stayed on this track of destruction for about five years. I was laid off from my job and ended up moving back to my hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. There I started going to church again, realized I was living in sin, and rededicated my life to the Lord. Once my life was back in the Lord’s will, He brought me and my wife together, and one of the things we shared as a couple was a heart for missions. We look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for us. Wherever the Lord can use us best is where we want to go.

Veronica: I have been ministering as a Christian school teacher for the past ten years, and I have always been open to whatever field of ministry the Lord has for me. In 2001, I went on an eight-week missions trip to Cape Town, South Africa, through ABWE. The Lord gave me a strong desire to work in foreign missions then, but I had to wait for His perfect timing. Since that time, I’ve married Stephen, and as a couple, we have been praying that the Lord will lead us to the fields where He has prepared us to minister.

Ronnie and Laura Powell
Palmdale, California
Crown Valley Community Church, Acton, California
rlkm4powell@earthlink.net
Thailand

Ronnie: When my youth pastor took groups on missions trips to Mexico, I became interested in missions. Life's demands then became priority, and I needed to begin a career. I joined the Marine Corps Reserves and several years later started working in law enforcement. One year, we received a large amount of Chinese detainees at the jail facility where I work. God laid it on my heart to study the Chinese language, which created a desire in me to visit China. I began praying and looking for a missions agency, and in 2002, God led me to ABWE. In 2003, I was set to go with a team to China, but the trip was diverted due to the SARS virus, and we went to Thailand instead. Since then, I have returned twice to Thailand, and I can relate to Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:36, “Seeing the multitude, He had compassion on them.” I saw people worshipping idols and knew I had to be a part of telling them the truth. God continues to open doors for me and my family as we prepare to serve full-time in Thailand.

Laura: I am thankful for the solid teaching I have had growing up and for the godly leadership of my husband Ron. He has led our family to churches where we would learn and grow spiritually. I was unsure about moving to Thailand, but when Ron took our family there in December 2004, God softened my heart and showed me the great need for people in other countries to hear the gospel and to hear it accurately. God has blessed us with the opportunity to get involved in a Thai church in our area in California, and through this, He is preparing us to minister in Thailand. I still have fear and worries about how God will take care of things. But I see how He is leading us, so I’m ready to go. 

Jason and Adele Rice
Round Lake Beach, Illinois
Gages Lake Bible Church, Gages Lake, Illinois
ricefamily@gmail.com
Open

Jason: I grew up as a pastor’s son, but resisted the idea of going into ministry. My dad asked me to go to Bible college for a year, and during that year, God worked in my life and changed my heart. I was overwhelmed by the need in the world. During a short-term trip to France, God cemented His call on my life. After my wife and I were married, we went on a summer missions trip to Belgium where our desire to be involved in missions increased. I have continued my education in seminary and have been serving as an associate pastor. I now feel the Lord leading us into ministry abroad. We don’t know where He wants us to serve, but we are trusting Him to lead us.

Adele: As a teen, I dedicated my life to full-time ministry while attending Farm Fest, a one-day youth rally in Wisconsin. Later, as a student at Northland Baptist Bible College pursuing an Elementary Education degree, the Lord spoke to my heart during a missions conference. I told the Lord if He directed me into missions, I would be willing to follow that calling. Jason and I were married in July of 2000, with the plan of ministering on the mission field together after he completed his seminary training. Jason is now finished with his degrees, and we feel the Lord is moving us into missionary work. I used to think missionaries were “way up there,” and I could never be like them. But I’ve learned they are not extra-ordinary people—they are just obedient. 

Derek and Karen Roberts
Buffalo, New York
Harris Hill Baptist Church, Williamsville, New York
klenmn@yahoo.com
Peru

Derek: I was serving in the Navy when I had midnight watch duty with another guy. We began talking, and I told him I was a Christian. He looked at me and told me I didn’t look or sound like a Christian, and he called me an alcoholic. After he left, I prayed right there on duty, and asked God to use me, take me, and do whatever He wants. I went to church and attended an evangelism class. As I grew in Christ, I began recognizing my gift of teaching. In the past few years, I've been earnestly asking God what He wants me to do. The answer has been very clear: He is calling my family to serve in South America.

Karen: My aunt and uncle converted the upstairs of their home into a place for missionaries on furlough. I lived in one of the apartments, so I was constantly in contact with missionaries from all over the world. They were genuine, fun, and sincere. When a missionary couple asked me to go to Bolivia with them, I turned my back on a clear call from God. For the next three years I walked away from God, even though I felt God calling me to the mission field in South America. I had a lot of maturing to do before God was ready to use me in this way. He has not given up and has continued His work in me. I signed up for an evangelism class at church and there met my husband. He was called to missions too! Now, we’re finally ready to get started! 

Timothy and Suzette Rose
Yellow Spring, West Virginia
Shenandoah Valley Baptist Church, Stephens City, Virginia
tsrose@juno.com
ABWE Project Office

Timothy: After high school graduation, I sensed a call concerning missions. When I prayed about it and told the Lord I was willing, for some reason I felt that the time wasn’t yet right. It wasn’t until after I married, and my wife and I moved out of state and started attending Shenandoah Valley Baptist Church that the Lord started molding me for missionary service. It was over the next ten years that the Lord led me through a five-year electrical apprenticeship with exposure to all types of construction and maintenance trades. A missionary friend who ministers in the Venezuelan Amazon asked me to travel to the jungle to wire his house in a new village. The Lord showed me that through this venue there are great opportunities to minister, encourage missionaries, and expose people in the local church to short-term missions. The sky is the limit as far as what God is going to do!

Suzette: My parents taught us by example to be faithful to God in every possible area of service, including giving to missions. As a child I had the misconception that we couldn’t talk to the missionaries that came to our church—they were too holy. We mentioned their names in prayer and put money in the offering plate, and that was it. I later came to know that missionaries are ordinary people just like me. Our youth pastor and his wife continually encouraged me to allow God to have control of every aspect of my life. God worked through missions conferences and the year-round outreach of our church to gradually burden my heart to be personally involved in missions. The only thing I have to offer is a willing heart to do whatever He wants, wherever He wants, to accomplish something of eternal value for His glory. 

Phillip and Elena Schlener
Fairfax, Virginia
Reston Bible Church, Reston, Virginia
schlenerp@aol.com
Portugal

Phillip: As an ABWE missionary kid on the Brazilian Amazon, God gave me faith to trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. The prospect of adventure fueled my childhood desire to follow John (dad) and Paul (uncle) Schlener in a missionary career. During thirty years of marriage, my wife and I regularly sought God’s permission for this work while completing an Air Force career. God nudged at the perfect time through His Word and my family, friends, and church. When I unexpectedly encountered a boyhood friend (ABWE missionary Evandro Batista) in February 2005, God clearly opened the door. By God’s grace, we plan to arrive in Lisbon, Portugal, in August 2006 to teach missionary kids and assist in church planting.

Elena: God gave me a desire for missionary service early in childhood. Being the fourth of six children in a wonderful Peruvian family, I immigrated with my family to the United States at age fourteen. How grateful I am for God’s saving grace that came to me by faith in the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Even before marriage, Phil and I were committed to ministering to the body of Christ in whatever capacity was open to us. Several times this included foreign missions. Throughout our thirty years of marriage, we have prayed earnestly for God to use us in building up His Church. It has become clear that the door has fully opened for us to join the ABWE team and help the church- planting effort in Portugal while ministering to the missionary families at the Greater Lisbon Christian Academy. 

James and Barbara Seffinga
Romeoville, Illinois
Bible Baptist Church, Romeoville, Illinois
seffinga@sbcglobal.net
Peru

James: In late October of 1970, I became involved in church as well as several other Christian groups with young people. I was very interested in missions and talked with some of the missionaries that came to our church. When I finished high school, I attended Moody Bible Institute for three years and received my diploma. At this point I didn’t know if I had the “call.” I spent the summer of 1976 with CAM International completing a missionary training program. This increased my desire to be involved in missions. I learned that God gives us desires, shows us a need, leads us to meet that need, and confirms His calling to a ministry as we move forward and take steps of faith.

Barbara: Not long after being saved, I was challenged by missionaries to consider serving in a foreign country. I felt a tug from the Lord telling me that maybe I should go into missions, but I thought, “No, not me—there are pillars of faith all around me that could do a better job.” Every time I had an excuse, the Lord rebutted me with Scripture and used His Word to say, “Yes, I want you.” I then attended Moody to prepare for overseas missions. After Moody, I applied to another mission board and began raising support to serve overseas. During this process, I met Jim. I served in Zimbabwe and Swaziland from 1986 to 1993, and then returned to the United States to receive my master’s degree, and Jim and I were married. As I married Jim, my heart was in missions, and I recall telling God that I would trust the leading of my husband if He were to put me back on the mission field. I’m thrilled that we are now returning to an overseas ministry. 

Chris and Rachel Van Horn
Otto, North Carolina
Victory Baptist Church, Sylva, North Carolina
CrVanhorn@dnet.net
The Gambia

Chris: As a child, missionaries were often in my home and church, but I always said I would never be a missionary. The Lord, however, had other plans. As I got older, I realized the Lord has given me the ability to do construction and maintenance. I always thought it would be great to do construction in missions, but I wanted to do it short-term, not long-term. Again, the Lord had other plans. We now look forward to being a part of construction and church planting in West Africa. Since the Devil doesn’t like this, the last two weeks before Candidate Seminar he fought us. Financially, it was hard to be able to come to ABWE for training, and I was ready to say, “Forget it.” But God says, “Just be patient. I will give you what you need, when you need it.”

Rachel: While in college, the missions conferences made me excited, because one day I hoped to be on the mission field. After trying to serve the Lord on our own, we stayed in our own church, helped and worked in every way we could, and grew in the Lord. One year ago, we decided together that we should go into missions. After talking with our pastor, we looked at several mission boards. We decided ABWE would be the best one for us. 

Brandon and Katherine Weber
Salem, Oregon
Faith Baptist Church, Salem, Oregon
brandon.weber
@state.or.us
Ghana

Brandon: At Western Baptist College in Salem, Oregon, the Lord began to show me that being a Christian meant not only being saved, but living a holy life that honors Him. It’s about having God’s heart for mankind, desiring that none would perish and all would come to a saving knowledge of Christ. During a few spring break trips to Los Angeles, I realized I could be a witness for the Lord wherever I am. I held an outreach soccer camp to kids in my community and found that I could even use soccer for Him. Six weeks in Namibia gave me a burden for Africa; during ten days in Togo and Ghana, the Lord called me. There is no better time than now to be faithful to the call.

Katherine: It was during my first semester at Western Baptist College that I received the call for missions. I was taking the required Introduction to Missiology class. Hearing all the crazy missionary stories and about all the people yet to be reached with the gospel burdened my heart. When I was a little kid, I wanted to help Africa. Now the Lord is bringing my desire to help Africa and serve through missions to fruition. The Lord blessed me with four years of Bible college, so that I could be grounded in the Word and make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ. 

Missionary to the 10/40 Window
Nepal

When I was born, I had a fifty-fifty chance of surviving. My parents told God, “If You will use her, then let her live; if not, then take her.” Since I was very young, God has given me a desire to be a missionary. Growing up in church, I saw many missionary presentations, and I always loved hearing their stories. I think the thing that impacted me most as a child was a Wednesday night class when our pastor’s wife read missionary biographies to us. I will never forget the story of Amy Carmichael and the way she saved orphaned children from slave labor in India’s temples. My desire to go to the mission field has grown stronger through the years. I have had a specific burden for people in the most populated but least evangelized region of the world, the 10/40 window. Within the last year and a half, God has clearly been directing me to the country of Nepal, which is in the 10/40 window. On a recent visit there, God has given me a specific love for the Nepali people. 

Steve and Cari Wendel
Coulterville, California
Greeley Hill Baptist Church, Coulterville, California
joy4cari@juno.com
Czech Republic

Steve: I saw the Lord move in my life when I was in high school during a trip to Mexico. The Lord put His finger on my life and told me that ministry is what He wanted me to do. Because I knew He wanted me to be a pastor, I studied for the pastorate. In college, I went to Africa, where God spoke to me about missions. I knew then that He wanted me to commit my life to missionary service. After my wife and I were married, we started looking for a missions agency and stumbled across ABWE on the internet. We began to pray about where God wanted us to serve, and after we applied to ABWE, we received an email from Ron Barnes from the Czech Republic. While visiting there, God burdened my heart for that area of the world.

Cari: I found it hard to surrender to God’s call in my life. I wanted to do something that would provide financial security. While studying psychology in college, I went on two summer missions trips and knew God wanted me on the mission field. God has now given me a peace to go to the Czech Republic. He has been faithful to us and has directed our paths. 

Barry and Janell Yingling
Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania
Faith Baptist Church Altoona, Pennsylvania
yinglings4jc@juno.com
Papua New Guinea

Barry: Each year we would have a missions conference at our church. When I was twenty-four years old, missionaries from Ecuador who I had helped on the field shortly after I was married came to our church. As they shared their ministry, and as I recalled the joy of that missions trip, God moved my heart to surrender to missions wherever He would lead. Without talking to my wife, we both went forward to the altar and surrendered that night. At the time, I thought we would go to Ecuador. As I continued to grow spiritually, God continued to work in my heart. At our church, the Wagners shared their burden for Papua New Guinea, and I could feel God giving me that same burden—to go to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Janell: I remember going forward at a missionary conference when I was about ten years old to dedicate my life to missions. I had kept in contact with Bill and Lori Smith, missionaries to Papua New Guinea (PNG), for a couple of years after that missionary conference. It wasn't until Rob and Amy Wagner, missionary appointees to PNG, came to my home church in the spring of 2005, that my husband and I couldn’t resist the call of God in our lives to serve in PNG. God has shown us in so many ways that He has a plan for us to be involved in what He has already started to do in PNG. I praise the Lord for His Word which states, "He who began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." He only asks us to follow Him with a willing and obedient heart. 

Eric and Heather Zeller
Grapevine, Texas
Grace Bible Church, Grapevine, Texas
ewz@ewz.com
Open

Eric: I went to The Master’s College with little future direction, but through my Bible classes and much prayer, I developed a love for studying the Bible and a desire to pursue a life of ministry. I realized that really believing in the gospel changes everything. Through my involvement in summer missions trips to Italy, Samoa, and the Middle East, God focused that desire on overseas ministry. Since then, He has continued to prepare me through additional missions trips, studies at The Master’s Seminary and Dallas Theological Seminary, and through our current pastoral ministry at Grace Bible Church. After completing a PhD in Bible Exposition, my goal is to spend my life training men to interpret the Scriptures, pastor, and preach the gospel. God has demonstrated His faithfulness in our family, and we enter this ministry confident that His grace and loving kindness will never cease.

Heather: As a result of the emphasis my parents put on supporting missions, I became interested in serving overseas. My family prayed for missionaries daily, and I looked forward to hearing their updates whenever they visited our church. At age twelve, I decided to pursue my elementary teaching credential so I would have an opportunity to minister in a “closed” country. From then on, I sought out ways to be involved in missions. My family made several trips to Mexico, and I was privileged to have opportunities to serve in England, inner-city Los Angeles, and the Middle East. Looking back over my life, I can see God’s faithfulness in preparing me. At The Master’s College, I grew in my knowledge of Him, and He brought my husband Eric into my life. God has continually proven Himself faithful and I am excited to see what His plans for our future include!