by Pat Creed

June and I have had a wonderful time this fall seeing God bless in many missions conferences. We traveled to Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana, back to Pennsylvania, South Carolina, back to Virginia, New York State, Maryland, Kentucky, and finished right before Thanksgiving in Ontario, Canada. It is exciting to see God work in the hearts of people. We have had the privilege of seeing several come to Christ and having a tremendous response to Faith Promise giving. We also rejoice in the fact that we've gone through this fall with no sickness. Last year at this time I struggled with frequently losing my voice and also coming down with a prostate infection that caused months of antibiotics to clear up. We are looking forward to the holiday season and the opportunity to spend time with family. We also have meetings to attend at the BIMI Home Office.

David and Terri Long, along with their children, are now in Trinidad. They are getting settled in the area of Couva where they will be planting an Independent Baptist church. Our missionaries in Trinidad face difficulty because of the law that limits them to three years on the field and requires a year before they may reapply for a visa to gain entrance back into the country. This makes it extremely difficult to build a ministry. We are praying that God would put together some teams of missionaries who can cover this absence, creating a consistent effort to grow the ministry and eventually train nationals to take the church. Please pray with us that some families would surrender to go to Trinidad to work with the Longs and the Gossetts, two church planting families, along with Ken and Nancy Guth.

Bluewater Bible College on St. Thomas is a Bible school that Dr. Ray Thompson, who spent over twenty years on this island, was instrumental in starting and building. For many years BIMI missionaries labored in this ministry, but recently it has been placed into the hands of national leadership and they are now completely in charge of the operation of the college. God has blessed in a wonderful way and they are seeing great increases in the enrollment of young people desiring to be trained for the ministry.

May God give you a wonderful Christmas and a tremendous holiday season wherever you are serving Him.

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by Mrs. June Creed

The holidays will soon be here. I am especially looking forward to Thanksgiving, since it is my favorite. Lately, I have been taking some extra time to reflect on all the many things for which I am thankful. I am most thankful for my three new great-grandchildren: Jude (son to Jamie and Charity), Aliyah (daughter to Patrick and Tiffany), and Alana (daughter to James and Sarah). I am so grateful that my family is healthy, happy and serving the Lord.

Recently, I have been studying Ephesians. The Ephesian people were certainly blessed, but they weren't aware of it. We have so much in Christ: acceptance, forgiveness, wisdom, an inheritance, the Holy Spirit, eternal life, and every spiritual blessing. God gives us all of this – and we don't even claim what we have, just like a child who has been left an inheritance and never claims it.

As Christians, we have such a wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord and share the Gospel with others. Sharing this gift with others is the best present we could ever give them. This Christmas season as you make your way through the hustle and bustle, take time to share the Gospel with someone. Give them the opportunity to experience the many blessings God so richly gives to His children. May the Lord guide and protect you in all that you do (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Love and Prayers,
June Creed
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1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 tablespoon reduced fat whipping cream

Combine the pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Fold a fourth of batter into pumpkin mixture. Gently fold in the remaining batter. Gently spoon into a non-greased 10 inch tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets.

Bake on the lowest oven rack at 350 degrees for 38 – 44 minutes or until top is golden brown and cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately insert pan onto a wire rack, cool completely, about 1 hour.

Garnish each slice with whipped topping, sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Yields 14 servings. If you are not able to buy an angel cake food mix, you can make one from scratch.

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Two cultures, two languages, two races, two churches, one island, and one mission philosophy! My family and I arrived on the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic /Haiti) on April 1, 2003. That day is very easy to remember because it was April Fool's Day. I have been involved in missions ever since graduating from Bible College. As a Youth Pastor, I led several short term trips with teenagers and young adults and the Lord used one of these trips to call me to the Dominican Republic. After speaking with a veteran missionary and listening as he explained that his mission philosophy was generational, I began to think on what he said. Then, one day while reading USA Today newspaper on line, I saw a report about the Asian tsunami of 2004 which devastated a large portion of the continent. That report helped drive home the idea that I must think of our mission efforts as generational as well. This report said that on the island closest to the epicenter of the earthquake, which caused the tsunami, only 7 of the 75,000 inhabitants died when the 33 foot wave of water struck. When I read that, I thought that it was a misprint, surely more than 7 people were killed! As I read further, I discovered the reason why so few were killed. For decades, the people had heard stories told by their grandparents of giant waves that had killed thousands in 1907. So when the ground shook and the sea retreated from its shores, the people recalled their grandparents' warnings and fled to higher ground. One 50-year-old survivor named Kiro was quoted as saying, "After the earthquake, I looked for water to suck out, I remember the story of the 'semong' (tsunami), and I ran to the hills!" An American who worked for a ministry called Save the Children stated, "Everyone ran to the hills. They took bicycles and motorbikes and wheelbarrows and plied the kids in whatever they could get them in." When I read that news report, I began to think of its tremendous spiritual implications. In I Corinthians chapter ten the Bible teaches us that God recorded the exodus experiences of Israel for our example and admonition. These experiences were life changing, and for some life ending! The Jews were instructed by God to rehearse these victories and failures to the next generation so that they might avoid the same mistakes and know how to gain the same victories. In that news account I read that thousands were spared physical death by the warnings and admonitions of their parents and grandparents. Those grandparents and parents were faithful to rehearse the stories and dangers of earthquakes and tsunamis. Another survivor stated after the tsunami, "I don't want to see a lot of people die; I have to talk about it with my grandchildren." That is generational missions!

The Lord has allowed us to start two churches since arriving here in the Dominican. One church has a Dominican congregation; the other has a Haitian congregation. The Dominican church is called Jarabacoa Baptist Temple and the music, preaching, and announcements are all done in Spanish. The Dominican side of the island was settled by Spain in 1492 when Columbus discovered the new world. He, along with the indigenous people called Tainos, established the very first city in the western hemisphere in our capital city called Santo Domingo. From this beginning we have the Spanish language and cultural influence. The religious background of the Dominican Republic is 95% Roman Catholic; however, in the last 20 years or so that percentage has changed drastically. Some estimate as high as 20% are now evangelical Christians. We started Jarabacoa Baptist Temple with the children and teenagers in our neighborhood with a generational mission philosophy in mind. A large portion of the older community is very unreceptive to the Gospel, but the teenagers, children, and young adults are much easier to reach. Early on we invested a great deal of time in these young people. These same young people are now warning and admonishing others of the dangers of life without Christ. Through discipleship training many of these young people have brought their friends to the Lord and several have seen their parents receive Christ. We praise the Lord that several of these same teenagers now serve in the church as music leaders, ushers, teachers, and AWANA workers.

The Haitian church is called Grace Baptist Church and most parts of the services are done in Creole (a form of French). When I preach, I speak in Spanish and the message is translated into Creole. We started this church at the request of some of our Haitian Christians who were attending Baptist Temple. Our Haitian brothers in Christ are descendents of West African slaves brought over to the western part of the island by the French to work the sugar cane fields. This is why Haitian people speak French and have an African culture with French influence. Grace Baptist church is a new ministry, but growing very rapidly. This is due large part to the migration across the border to try to better their lives. The average salary for a Haitian is $400 per year compared to a Dominican salary of $4,500 per year. The devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010 has caused even more migration. Haiti has been largely influenced by the Catholic Church as well as Voo Doo and Spiritism; however, it has been better evangelized. For this reason many who cross to the Dominican side of the island have at least heard the plan of salvation and are familiar with how a Baptist church works. We are implementing the same mission philosophy in Grace Baptist Church. Every one of our leaders has been discipled and is now teaching their children and friends what they have learned.

Just like those parents and grandparents on that little Indonesian island, we can make a difference between life and death. Life eternal in heaven or eternal death in hell! Reaching souls for Christ and then really spending time teaching them the Word of God and discipling them are not as glamorous as giant tent revivals or mass evangelism but just as important, perhaps more important. Though this type of mission work is sometimes tedious and it may take us more time to have a mature church, we feel it is imperative if we honestly want to say as like the survivor of that terrible tsunami, "I don't want to see a lot of people die; I have to talk about it with my grandchildren."

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by Jerry Johnson

After Tennessee Temple, we spent a year on deputation. When we had raised $350 with promises of more, we packed six 55-gallon drums and were on our way to Trinidad, we thought. God stopped us in St. Thomas and from there we were invited to go over and help the Goodges on Anguilla. We needed the lessons taught us by that family. While there working in a camp, I preached and a 10-year-old boy by the name of Beltane Harrigan was saved. Who could have known that he would become one of the most powerful and influential preachers of the Gospel in the Caribbean. Revolution on Anguilla forced us to return to St. Thomas where I taught in Bluewater Bible College for a semester. Many of the young men and women from that school have been greatly used of God. I can't believe I have outlived some of them. The current president of Bluewater, Dr. Charles, was once an IBYCer…a ministry God would later lay on our hearts. He also was our son Matt's best man and performed the marriage ceremony of our son Mitch in Chattanooga. God closed the door to Trinidad and opened it for a small island in the center of the Caribbean, Antigua, where we would live our lives and from which we would minister to the Caribbean.

The year was 1967. We rented a little house in Swetes Village. Our furniture consisted of two backless benches, a table and chairs loaned to us by our landlord, two beds, and a rented fridge. We played cricket with the boys in our living room. We cooked on a Coleman stove and washed on our hands. We had no car and not even a camera. We had two boys 7 and 4. We rented an old cotton storage facility in Liberta, (the next village), built a few backless benches, bought a Coleman lamp, put up a sign and started to build what would become the first Independent Baptist Church on Antigua. We named it Galilean after our home church in Texas. How God provided! A Peace Corps. couple moved across from us, got right with God, spent a year helping in the ministry and gave us their furniture when they left. Not having a camera, Stan had taken slides for us during that year but complained that they looked like they had all been taken on the same day because Scharmel wore the same dress every Sunday. (Things were tough back then but we didn't notice because of the excitement of being in the ministry.) A Canadian Family in the VSO also became involved in helping to build Galilean. Their time ran out and they left us with their small 6-passenger Ford car. That became known as the "Christian car," making 3 trips before and after every service, holding as many as 17, using the trunk and all. The oil was not changed in 6 years and it ran like a top until the body rotted. God had a new one waiting, which only reinforced the thought it was a Christian car in everyone's mind. It is not unusual to meet Antiguans on the streets who remember those days, though they look a lot different now as do we.

Now we are working in the 10th Independent Baptist Church established on Antigua. We're helping a young pastor, Patmore Pamphile. Many of our later ministries had their roots in Galilean, such as the Children's Church, Teen Time, Teen Challenge, and a Faith Promise Missions Program. From the beginning we desired to build churches on the mission field with a heart for missions. Those saved back in those days are active in the ministry up to now. Dr. Donowa, who recently received his Ph.D in the States, was saved at the age of 4 in Children's Church at Galilean. Before we left Galilean in the hands of Brother Attlee King, we established a mission in John Hughes which would later become Faith Baptist Church. Before we left Galilean, the original staff of the Caribbean Radio Lighthouse had become a part of that church. They moved to town with us to establish the Grace Baptist Church and later on to Jennings Village after the Lighthouse facilities were built there (1975), and helped with the Maranatha Baptist Church.

We moved to the city of St. John's to establish Grace Baptist Church in 1974. For several years we both had radio programs on the Lighthouse – mine was called "The Faith Way" and Scharmel's "Ladies in the Spotlight." Once TV came to Antigua, Grace produced "The Faith Way" and it ran until they modernized the station and the cost became prohibitive. Those first years at Grace were full of excitement and it seemed we were always moving, building and enlarging. How we got our first bus was unusual. Visitors came from Canada. They were so impressed with the ministry that they went home and set a jar on the table. Everyone who came in the door had to empty their pockets and before long, we had a new church bus. We rented extra houses for Children's Chapel, ran buses all the way to an outlying village which later became another one of our churches, and supported missions. In fact, when CWE came to build Grace a building and presented us the keys (free of cost excluding the foundation), we realized that the value of the building ($400,000 EC money) was what Grace alone had given to missions over the years. No, it wasn't a rich church but many have said how much they appreciated being taught the importance of giving. (It costs a lot to live poor in the Caribbean!) In Gray's Farm where we are presently working, we are already involved in Missions though we don't have a building of our own. While we are ministering there, at the same time we are reaching those in Asia, South America, Africa, France and the Caribbean. Former IBYCers, citizens of the French side of St. Maarten, are serving in France. Already they are ministering to a group of Muslims who call him Pastor.

We started Grace Christian Academy in 1978 with 8 students, ages 4-12. It now has 310 students and graduated 31 this year. Teacher Cicely and our dear Aunt Gwen (Itterman) made monumental contributions to the establishment of GCA. Aunt Gwen was a special gift of God to all the ministries on Antigua as long as she was here. I was the Principal and Sister J taught for 25 years. We became Papa and Mama Johnson as a result of this ministry and are called that by everyone now. Seeing former students is common…some gray like ourselves.

Realizing the need to train the workers and leaders in our churches, the pastors of the Independent Baptist Churches established the Institute of Biblical Studies, Antigua. IBSA is a two-year program. Our churches are now filled with those who have completed this program. Many have gone on to other schools and universities in the Caribbean and America. Some have become pastors, missionaries and teachers in Christian schools. They also fill positions in what is now three schools established through the ministries of our Independent Baptist Churches on Antigua. How good God has been!

IBYC, (Independent Baptist Youth of the Caribbean), was established in 1978 and has been pursuing our goal of "Conquering the Caribbean through Christ-centered Churches and Christian Living" ever since. It is incredible what this ministry alone has done. The cost of everyone trying to meet in one place every year became prohibitive so it has spawned similar ministries from the Bahamas all the way down to Guyana on the coast of South America. IBYC is an epistle that can only be written in the hearts of those that experienced it.

As a result of all the above ministries, we now have pastors, youth leaders, teachers, principals, doctors, lawyers, accountants, computer experts in every field, CPA's, and Christian businessmen and women. Government officials throughout the Caribbean have attended our opening Ceremonies and have been impressed by the young people. This last year a representative of the Prime Minister who had attended a conference in the past, the Governor General and our Area Representative attended and were blessed by the service. Our grandson Ben was on Antigua for this year's 32nd IBYC. Our Government Representative visited the campus several nights and made sure we were well taken care of. The stories we could tell of this ministry and the pure joy it has brought to our lives is overwhelming to think about. It was entirely a faith ministry and God is always faithful to supply the needs.

In closing, I want to say that for the past 20 years there has been little time to take furloughs or even the two weeks allowed on the field. Most of this time we were under-supported. We thought that $350 was big money when we left the States. When our support dropped to $150 one month, we even got a letter from BIMI asking us how we were making it. God was teaching us to live by faith in those early days and He alone provided our needs in so many unusual and unexpected ways. We came when Antigua was very poor and have watched it become metropolitan and at one time very wealthy because of foreign investors. Now Antigua is suffering, not only from loss of jobs and foreign investments but from raising the expectations of themselves and their children so high that now they cannot meet them. As a result, stealing and violence are rampant, especially murder and stealing. The jails are filled with young men and the young people are dying at an alarming rate. The work on earth never finishes but our part in it may—as we are now in our 70's. God give us grace to finish the course appointed to us.

We were blessed to be students at TTS under the ministry of Dr. Lee Roberson. His words "Don't Quit" ring in our ears until this day. We also remember what he said when we went before BIMI. He was on the board at that time. He said he never cared for this furlough business…he asked, "what do you think this ministry would be if every four years I left it for a year?" He was speaking of the Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga. He had a point! We have presented our bodies as living sacrifices to God—the choice is His and we have no regrets!

A word of encouragement to those struggling to live by faith. When we first surrendered to be missionaries, we met many questions about the wisdom of what we were doing regarding education, health, etc. I'd like to share three tremendous needs that rose on the field and how God met them to encourage you. Matt, our oldest son, fell from a top bunk and cracked his four permanent teeth in front. There was one dentist then and he was a Buddhist. I called him that morning and he said, "This is truly amazing—an orthodontist came to Antigua last night for a vacation. His first statement to me was 'Do you know anyone on Antigua that needs my services—for some reason, I brought my bag.'" (Thank You, Lord!) Now, Mitch. Mitch had a bad fall in his first months of life and cracked his skull. He recovered but the doctors warned that if he was ever injured in that same spot to be sure not to let him go to sleep because he would likely die. Mitch was thrown from a car in unusual circumstances and hit his head. Immediately we went to the hospital but after trying to keep him awake for hours while we waited for help, there came a point when we just couldn't so we took him home. Hearts were sad as we felt we would surely lose him. We prayed and gave him to God, made him comfortable and let him go to sleep. We found something to eat and then we heard someone laughing and enjoying themselves in the bedroom. Guess who? Guess why?

As to education, Matt and Mitch began their education in public schools. Later, with the Lighthouse children they were home-schooled. We reached a point in math when we were lost. Aunt Gwen called and asked us to keep a friend of hers from Ireland, Ian Meharg. We did. He was a teacher in one of the most prestigious academies in Ireland. He took the boys and laid out math from beginning to end. Mitch never had another problem. Matt got stuck one day and sighed, "I wish Ian was here." Guess who drove up outside the gate in a rented vehicle: Ian, all the way from Ireland. Guess who? Guess why? Just in time…Ian went to Heaven later that same year from a brain tumor. We have such a loving Heavenly Father who never leaves or forsakes us. He knows just what we need and He will provide it in His time. He is worthy of our trust.

Well, as they say on Antigua, "'Tory dey fa tell, but no tyme dey!" In other words, more to say than time or space permits. We spent the first 7 years alone. God sent helpers along the way, the staff of the Lighthouse and other missionaries as well. Our own children gave 20 years of their lives to this ministry. Nationals, once trained, came home to help. We are grateful for the vital part each one played. We are also grateful for a rich heritage in the Lord. We are blessed with 5 grandchildren and one great grandson, Nathan.

If God could take a couple of Texans who weren't raised in Christian homes and knew little of God or His Word until they were grown, He can use anybody. Had I a thousand lives, I would want to be a missionary with every one. Perhaps we have become "addicted to the ministry" as was said of Stephanos in Scripture…tired in but never of!

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Lately, I have been teaching a weekly course on Discipleship in 4 locations. Class time varies from 1-3 hours depending on where the class is held. The blessing of preparing the lessons is always exceeded by the presentation due to the interaction and enthusiasm of those who attend. I am sure all of you have experienced the delights of feeding the sheep and the lambs.

A group of local pastors and missionaries have joined together to evangelize and plant churches in new areas of Trinidad and Tobago. Teen meetings are being organized with different individuals taking on various responsibilities. It is good to see such cooperation between ministers of like faith.

We are happy to see the Long family finally on Trini soil. We are praying for Coco Chan's arrival next year as well as more families to surrender for missions in Trinidad.
Ken and Nancy Guth

As we start the second year of ministry here at Iglesia Bautista La Verdad, we have begun to see many key signs of growth. Our Wednesday night discipleship classes have been well atended and greatly received. Just last week we had a baptismal service in which 5 new believers were baptized. Also, we are very close to purchasing a church van that will facilitate our church bus route. Right now we are paying for local taxis to bring in the people. The church van will be more affordable and give us greater flexability We are now praying for our upcoming Christmas events that we will be able to reach many lost people during the celebration of Christ's birth!
Erik and Holly Johnson

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By Gary Sprunger

As Joy and I have been jumping from meeting to meeting, we have noticed that the trees have changed their color and we even had snow in Indiana. The Lord is good to remind us that our lives are like the seasons in the year. Spring is the time to plant. Summer is the time of growth. Fall is the time of harvest. And, winter is the time to enjoy the harvest. Joy and I are thrilled to be in the harvest field working. It has been a joy to witness to folks as we travel. We have also begun to harvest some special blessings as we became grandparents three more times in September. While investing our time in special meetings in the Washington, DC, area, we were blessed to have the opportunity to help our son and daughter-in-law care for their new twin boys, Levi and Jeremiah. Although they were small and fragile, we were blessed to see them growing like little "weeds." Before our twin grandsons were born, we were blessed to have another grandson, Adam, added to the family. He sprouted into the family in New Hampshire. Because of our schedule, we were unable to see him.

Joy and I have been busy visiting colleges while presenting missions in conferences. We were able to represent BIMI at Bob Jones University. As always, we enjoyed the special time with the BIMI MKs. Each year we take them out for a special meal. Our MKs are always so kind and encouraging. We know that they miss their parents, but we have an opportunity to play mom and dad to them for a day.

A couple of weeks later I spent the day at Pensacola Christian College. While there, a constant flow of college students came to the conference room to see our display. Many had questions concerning missions. That evening I had the joy of preaching to a filled lecture hall of young people in their Mission Prayer Band. The response was overwhelming. We are looking forward to being on the campus of PCC again in the spring.

While making our pilgrimage to Wisconsin, we stopped and spent two day at Maranatha Baptist Bible College. We were given a table right outside the dining room entrance. What a great location to see students. They all wanted to eat at least twice a day, so as they came by we had opportunity to expose them to missions and BIMI. We enjoyed spending time with Neal Ring, head basketball coach, and family. Neal and his wife went on a mission trip to Trinidad a few years ago. We made some wonderful contacts, and our hearts were thrilled to hear that their new president is encouraging students to pray about serving the Lord on the mission field.

After our time in Wisconsin, we rendezvoused with our son Philip's family in Indiana. We got to see our oldest grandson, Adam, for the first time. The days with them were special even though the visit was brief. While in Indiana we were able to make some new contacts with pastors. It is our prayer that through these doors of contact we will see more opportunities for BIMI missionaries on deputation.

We thank the Lord that faith promise giving is increasing. God blesses faith and faith blossoms as we trust the Lord. Let us serve the Lord with renewed vigor and a revitalized vision. Jesus said, "…behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest" (John 4:35b). It is harvest time!

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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Jennifer R Scarfi -  VANUATU
Michael & Christine Schrimshire -  ENGLAND
Andrew & Jill Schultz -  ZAMBIA