Swante & Linda Lindquist

Swante grew up in a Christian home and was active in his local Baptist church; however, he realized he was lost and on his way to hell with his "good works." He accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior at the age of 17 while working on an apple ranch in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Swante went to a Christian college in 1963, but before finishing his education, he enlisted in military service as a US Army Special Forces Green Beret. During this time, he and Linda, his college sweetheart, were married. After service he returned to the Christian college to finish his education. After graduating, Swante and Linda moved to Mariposa, California, to take a year out to search for God's will in his life—whether the Lord would have him pursue the field of medicine or ministry. While he worked as a carpenter and directed the youth in his home church, Swante attended a missions conference that was held in the fall. Rev. Dan Truax from Baptist International Missions, Inc. (BIMI), made a trip to California to present the need for missionaries in the country of Niger on the Sahara Desert. During the slide presentation, the Lord spoke to Swante so directly that he turned around to see who was talking to him! He heard, “Those people need the Gospel, and you can give it to them.” That was enough for Swante to know what the Lord wanted him to do. He gave his life to missions and intends to stay true to that calling until the Lord directs him differently. Since then it has been Swante and Linda's privilege to give the Gospel to many people in seven different countries.

Linda always loved going to church, singing hymns, and hearing about missions from those serving the Lord around the world. She was not sure of her salvation until age 15 when she received assurance of being saved after talking with a missionary from India while at church teen camp. She then told the Lord she would like to go to the mission field if He wanted to send her. When Linda was 18, her pastor encouraged her to make this decision public, which she did one Sunday morning. The years came and went and no particular call was given. But God did clearly direct that her life was to be made one with Swante, who knew the Lord had definitely not called him to be a missionary. After five years of marriage when their first baby was just six weeks old, Rev. Dan Truax (BIMI) came to their little mountain church during a missions conference week. Swante told Linda that God had called him to the Sahara Desert work, and they went forward in church that Sunday to answer God's call to the mission field of Africa.

Swante and Linda have served with BIMI for over 43 years. After two years of deputation, they flew to France in November 1975 for language school. They also helped another missionary couple who had established a church plant north of Paris. Two years later, they sailed from France to Senegal, West Africa, arriving in December 1977. After Swante and Linda had worked with Moslems for 20 years on the edge of the Sahara Desert, the Lord sent them on to East Africa (1998–1999) for 16 months, helping a new missionary to start churches in Mwanza, Tanzania. On their fifth furlough from Africa, God suddenly changed their direction entirely with His call to the Caribbean, where Swante pastored a mission church for six years on the island of Grand Cayman (2000–2005). They then assisted a Caribbean national couple with their work on the island of Guadeloupe for over a year (2007–2008). When God called them to Jamaica (June 2008–December 2016)to a new church plant, they assisted for some months and then continued alone.

In January 2017 Swante and Linda became part of the ARM Personnel ministry of BIMI. They are currently committed for up to two or more years to pastor a church plant on the island of Saipan (Asia) until God sends a full-time pastor for that church. When this objective is accomplished in Saipan, they will be available for further mission work and/or conferences in English-speaking or French-speaking ministries.

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