Brant Holladay, BIMI European Director

It has been eight years since the infamous Twin Towers attack by Islamic Terrorists. Four days before, I clearly remember the BIMI Bible Distribution Team returning from the Republic of Georgia, changing planes in London before boarding the British Air flight back to Atlanta. Just four days before. On that morning of 9/11 I was back in Chattanooga, sitting at my computer, and thinking I needed a haircut, when the news came that shook our nation to the core. American was attacked!

Many stories have come out of the merciless attack on that day in 2001. One that got my attention I heard today. It is worth sharing. A first responder staggered out of the fiery smoke-filled inferno having rescued many. He was exhausted so he sat down on the curb outside when he saw another huge pile of rubble. He thought, "I can't stop now...there might be someone under there." As he put his hand into a hole under the pile, a warm hand reached out and grabbed his. Under the rubble was a New York fireman whose life was spared that day because of this volunteer.

My mind is flooded with illustrations from this simple story and the thought, "We can't stop now."

For nearly 50 years Baptist International Missions, Inc. has been assisting thousands of independent Baptist Churches in their quest to thrust out missionaries to many nations of the world. "We can't stop now."

For nearly as long, BIMI missionaries have been planting churches and reaching the 830 million Europeans (UN statistics). "We can't stop now."

Some of the great early leaders of Baptist International Missions like Dr. Lee Roberson, Dr. JR Faulkner, Dr. Tom Freeney, Dr Harold Sightler, Dr. JB Buffingon, and Dr. Frank Rosser are no longer with us, so I must say with conviction, "We can't stop now."

Because of the past leadership of Dr. Don Sisk, the present dedicated leadership of Dr. James Ray (President), Dr. Ray Thompson (Vice President), the fine body of committed pastors who are BIMI Board Members, every field director, every staff member and secretary, AND because of the Great Commission given by our Great Commander, we simply "must not stop now."

After the fall of Communism under President Ronald Reagan, God's people from America, Canada, Japan, Great Britain, Caribbean Islands, Mexico, and Germany (to name a few) have given and continue to give financially to the BIMI East European Bible Fund 656. These gifts have made it possible for BIMI to print and distribute many more than one million whole Bibles and New Testaments in Russian and many other languages. "We can't stop now."

Since April 22, 1991, BIMI has actively printed and distributed Bibles for Russia (including Siberia), Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, France, Ukraine, Ireland, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Armenia, and the Republic of Georgia. "We can't stop now."

A few days before the Iranian national elections in July, BIMI was able miraculously to get 800 whole Bibles in the Farsi (Persian) language into that country. That is a story in itself. "We can't stop now."

On my recent trip overseas, I saw new opportunities for BIMI to print and distribute more Bibles for Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Russia, and misplaced refugees living in the Republic of Georgia who are from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. "We can't stop now."

I will conclude with the words of the Apostle Paul found in 1 Corinthians 15:58: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." In other words, "We can't stop now."

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Brant Holladay

Since I had never been to Turkey, when G.V. from Republic of Georgia, Andrew Bunnell, BIMI missionary to Estonia, and I arrived at the Istanbul Airport in July, I felt full of wonder and expectation for what I might find. I was not disappointed.

Turkey is a land known to New Testament Christians and visited by the Apostle Paul. For example, the familiar cities of Ephesus, the region of Galatia, and Laodicea all lay within the border of present-day Turkey. Of course the state religion is Islam, but it is a republic that permits the Christian religion. In reality the number of Christian missionaries is very small, and the number of local evangelical churches is few. The door is open wide enough for any young man to prayerfully consider the possibilities for Christian service in Turkey. Challenging, yes; impossible, no.

The purpose for the trip was to meet local believers through contacts known to G.V. and to possibly plan to print Bibles for this unfamiliar people group. We also sought to meet men who would be interested in receiving local church leadership training. While in Istanbul we met an independent Moldovan who was pastor of very poor Russian immigrants living far from their homeland. As a result of this meeting, I promised to give them much-needed Russian Bibles.

Another very fascinating person I met was a Christian woman in her mid-thirties who had fled to Turkey from her homeland in Iran. I will call her Myra (not her real name). With sadness in her quiet voice, Myra, speaking in very precise English, told me her touching story:

She began by saying that her father and mother were both Christians. In fact, her father was pastor of a small church in Teheran. While attending an Iranian university, she met a young man who claimed to be a believer. They fell in love and were soon married. Later when she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, her young husband publicly declared he was an avowed Muslim and insisted that their daughter should be brought up in the Muslim faith. When Myra refused, her husband brought her before the court. The Iranian court system demanded that Myra renounce her faith in Christ and pledge to rear the child in the Muslim way. She could not deny Christ so she was divorced from her husband and lost her child.

A year later Myra returned to visit her child who was living with her daddy. When she knocked on the door, her divorced husband immediately called the police. Soon the police arrived and took Myra to jail where she stayed several months. Upon her release, she was expelled from Iran and found her way to Turkey. For the last five years Myra has not seen her daughter. Her passion is to reach others for Christ. It is her practice to walk through the streets of Istanbul. When she hears her native Farsi (Persian) language spoken, Myra gives them a Farsi Bible or Testament along with sharing her faith personally. She was absolutely thrilled to hear that BIMI has printed 2,500 whole Bibles in her native language, and that we are quietly getting them into Iran over the space of a few months. I will never forget this meeting. I will never forget the price this young woman is paying for making a stand for her Lord.

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Brant Holladay

Just over a year ago Russia invaded the Republic of Georgia. Richard Galpin of the BBC gave this brief background of the conflict:

The conflict erupted on 7 August 2008, as Georgia tried to retake control of South Ossetia, following a series of clashes. Russian forces quickly repelled the assault, and pushed further into Georgia. The conflict lasted for five days before a ceasefire was agreed. Russia pulled back, but built up its military presence in both South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

One year later, thousands of people from both sides remain displaced because of the five-day conflict. A total of nearly 200,000 were displaced by the fighting. Most of the displaced are ethnic Georgians, many of whom continue to lack basic services and suffer hardship.

Of the 38,500 people who fled South Ossetia for Russia, all but 4,000 were thought to have been returned. But 30,000 of the 138,000 ethnic Georgians who were displaced from South Ossetia are still homeless. Some 18,500, who fled South Ossetia and the district of Akhalgori, face long-term displacement.

Dr. James Ray and I first met Pastor G. eight years ago when we first went to Republic of Georgia with a team of thirteen for a Bible distribution. From the beginning we recognized this pastor to be a man of integrity with a heart on fire to reach his people.

Pastor G. told his personal story about the Russian invasion. He spoke about the panic in Tbilisi, the blocked highways, the shortage of food, fuel, and electricity. While many in the city fled for cover, Pastor G. decided to stay in the city and tend to his flock and the sudden influx of refugees from the north. Just before the outbreak of the war, BIMI had provided him with 8,000 Georgian New Testaments and 2,000 Russian language New Testaments which he had begun distributing to prisoners in the local jails and prisons as a ministry of Grace Baptist Church, his church.

Now his people led by their pastor began reaching out to 65,000 refugees who were driven by Russian military to the area right around the church. This became a golden opportunity for the Tbilisi church to distribute BIMI Bibles, along with clothing and food.

One year later there are still thousands of refugees in and around Tbilisi. Andrew Bunnell and I visited some of these refugees, observed Georgian soldiers, saw for ourselves the bunkers, and heard the patrol of Russian tanks less than a mile away at one point. It was very sad to visit one refugee community of 10,000 where the homes have electricity but no running water. In that particular town there are only two sources of water, one broken pipe at a well one end of town and another broken water pipe at the other end of the community where all the people have to go for water.

Before leaving that day, I met Mrs. Iza Devidge, a local teacher for the 120 children ages 6-17 trying to learn in a plain building across the road without any water or bathrooms or lunchroom facility. I asked what the school's greatest needs were. She simply replied through the interpreter that the school needed paper, pencils, crayons, and textbooks. After returning to Chattanooga, BIMI provided $500 from individual donations who knew about these immediate needs. The money was sent to the Georgian pastor of Grace Baptist Church, and the school supplies were given before their school opened.

The evangelistic and benevolent ministries of Grace Baptist Church in Tbilisi have been from the start an indigenous effort. Another example that blessed my heart was the one-week camp provided by Grace Baptist Church with the help of a Russian-language group from Ukraine for the refugee children. It was a great success.

Please pray for this outreach by Pastor G. and his people to the city of Tbilisi and the thousands of refugees in the Republic of Georgia. Pray also for the BIMI Bibles and New Testaments that are reaching this needy country.





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Brant Holladay

From Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, G.V, Andrew, and I flew east to the country of Armenia, arriving at the capitol city of Yerevan. Even before we touched down there was a clear view of the mountain where Noah's Ark rested. Mount Ararat is located on the Turkish border and from the airport its snow-capped peak is very impressive - one of the greatest sites I have ever seen.

Armenia is not a Muslim nation. Historically Armenia was founded during the days of Elisha and the prophets in 782 BC. The State Orthodox Church was organized in 301 AD. The country is surrounded by Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Republic of Georgia.

This was my second visit to Armenia. In October 2000, BIMI printed and delivered to Armenia100, 000 New Testaments with Psalms and Proverbs. Quite an adventure for the ten of us who participated!

Baptist Churches have been growing rather rapidly since the fall of Communism. The number of Baptist believers has grown from less than 1,000 in 1991 to more than 5,000 today. There were 300 baptisms in 2008. Sixty men are enrolled in the seminary today. The growth is indigenous, not because of missionaries but through the ministry of Armenians themselves. Armenian Baptists claim to be free from the control of any Baptist group beyond their borders.

With the help of these Christian leaders in Armenia, BIMI is currently reaching into Iran with many Farsi language Bibles. There is much risk and danger involved. Armenia will be a conduit for more BIMI Bibles in 2010 as the Lord provides.



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Buryatia is a republic in Eastern Siberia (ref. - Britannica online) which borders Tuva to the west, Irkutsk to the northwest, Chita Oblast to the east, and Mongolia to the south. It has a population of about 1,019,400. Russians are the largest ethnic group in the republic, accounting for seventy percent of the inhabitants; Buryats represent about one-fourth of the republic's people along with small Tatar and Ukrainian populations.

Despite their minority status, the Buryat people enjoy cultural and political privileges as the national group for whom the republic was established. Most positions of authority within the republic are occupied by Buryats and they receive state support for their culture and language. The Buryats are related to the Mongolians.

For several years, Richard Grout, an independent missionary in Vyborg, Russia, has allowed BIMI to store thousands of Bibles in his warehouse. Because of this arrangement, we also provide Bibles to those who will take them to the far reaches of Russia where we do not have missionaries. Buryatia is another area of Europe where missionaries are needed today.

This note came from Richard about our BIMI Bibles going all the way out to Buryatia, Russia:

"These photos show how happy the Buryat people were to receive their first New Testaments. The Buryat people are related to the people of Mongolia. Apparently they have considerable freedom in the Russian Republic of Buryatia, because some of these distributions are taking place in public schools."

Thank you to all of you who have given so that the Word of God can go even to the far reaches of Siberia.



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By Marc Patton

Marc and Charin Patton with the Basilica of Esztergom in the background

During my college years I felt the Lord leading me into foreign missions. After Charin and I were married in 1990, we began to seek God's will for our lives. With the fall of communism in 1989-1990, we felt led toward the former communist countries of Eastern Europe and specifically the country of Hungary. After we visited the field in 1991, we were accepted as missionaries by BIMI, and have been serving the Lord in Hungary since 1993.


(Benji, Nancy, Hannah, Esther, Charin, Marc Patton)

Our first two years in Hungary were spent primarily learning the language and the culture. Then in 1995, the Lord led veteran missionary Don Rice and me to plant a church together in the city of Esztergom. Esztergom is not a large city (30,000), but it is quite important historically and culturally as the first capitol of Hungary. Hungary's first king, King Stephen, was born and crowned at the castle of Esztergom. It was he who "converted" the pagan Hungarian tribes to the Roman Catholic faith in 1000 AD. Thus Esztergom became the seat of the Catholic Church all the way until the present. The Basilica of Esztergom is the largest church building in all of Hungary, and Esztergom is known as the Hungarian Vatican.

Over the past sixteen years the Lord has blessed our church immensely with solid and steady growth. We now have more than 90 baptized members, and our average Sunday attendance exceeds 110. The Lord has given us some fine young men (three are capable preachers) who have become leaders of our church. And my wife Charin has trained a number of ladies in children's work. Through an increase in our giving, the church supports seven Hungarian church planters for amounts between $75 to $400 per month.



Over the past three years God has provided about $200,000 for our church building project, giving us a 180-seat auditorium, a fellowship hall (our old auditorium), an office, and two Sunday School rooms. Although American churches gave seventy-five percent of the funds, the rest came from our people.

We are also involved with two other church plants. One is in the nearby city of Nyergesujfalu. The church meets in rented facilities, is pastored by one of our young men, and averages 15-20 in attendance.

The other church, meeting in a house converted into a small but functional church building, is in the city of Tata (about 30 miles from Esztergom). In May of 2007 we were asked to help oversee this young church and they called me as their pastor in February, 2008. Thus I am now pastoring two churches, holding our main service in Tata on Sunday morning, and our main service in Esztergom Sunday evenings and mid-week services at both. The church in Tata is doing well, with 20 baptized members with about 30-35 in church.

Besides planting churches, we have various other outreaches to the Hungarian people. In January of 2005, we began the Esztergom Baptist Bible Institute to give our workers a good foundation for their ministries. We have averaged 10-12 students each semester. We just held our first graduation for 6 students in March, 2009.



Since our four children have attended the local Hungarian schools, God has opened the door for a very effective ministry in the schools with puppets programs led by Charin and ladies of our church. We also have a family camp in the summer to draw our people, young and old, closer together.





Please pray for our family as we serve the Lord in Hungary that we will see the three churches become centers for missions and evangelism. One of our goals is also to assist Hungarian church planters with support, encouragement, and guidance so that they can carry the Gospel to some of the 3,000 towns and villages that still have no Baptist church.



Beautiful music for the services

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Editor's note: When we received this testimony from John and Mary Anne Jones, we realized again how important the ministry of hospitality is in a Christian's life. Many times Brant and I have enjoyed visiting in the homes of our BIMI missionaries, eating with them, and sleeping in their beds. They have extended the gift of hospitality to us, and we wanted to share some ways they are using that ministry to reach others on the mission field.

John and Mary Anne Jones (England):
Recently we had one family from our afternoon Sunday School over for a meal. When Mary Anne phoned them to extend the invitation, the mother began to cry. She explained to us that their family had never been invited to anyone's house to eat before. It is incredible to think that something so simple could have such an impact. During the evening they asked us numerous questions about church, religion, and our faith. I believe that hospitality is one of the most over looked means of evangelism, and I am grateful that the Lord reminded me of it.



Carole Hembree: (Romania)
(A story of how hospitality led to the salvation of a neighbor)

Ed and I came to Lugoj, Romania, in 1993. Most of our neighbors, although cordial, were suspicious of foreigners. We had one couple, Dimitru and Fruzina Cirstinoiu, who were friendly when we met them on the street, especially Fruzina.

With time, Ed got busy with our church, the Bible Institute, and translating materials. When I had a need for something to be repaired around our old house, this nice neighbor Dimitru would come over with his little old leather tool bag and repair what I had broken.

Through a period of years, as I was learning to speak Romanian, we would visit and talk of many things. The subject often turned to the Lord. Over time, this man who had fished in the local river (and eaten what he caught) got very sick. He had leukemia and needed treatment one hour away. Since both of their children live in Germany and they had no help, I drove both of them to the hospital for the treatments. During this difficult time, he accepted Jesus as his Saviour. When it came time for him to die (and he knew it was coming), he wanted to be home where it would be less expensive for his wife. As an ambulance brought him back to Lugoj, he made it to the city limits and then went to Heaven.

With both of their children so far away and unable to get here quickly, Ed and I helped other neighbors prepare his body and Ed took Fruzina to buy a coffin for them. To this day, Fruzina is a dear friend and we still talk about the Lord often. She even visits our church when I can go get her. But she believes that all roads lead to Heaven... and all "good" people end up there. Please pray that her heart and eyes will be opened to the truth of the gospel.

Susan Abbett (France)
What do swing sets, friendship, and homemade chocolate chip cookies have to do with a ministry in France? Plenty…when you are trying to reach out to the children in your neighborhood. Many of the young children in France leave their homes early in the morning, spend all day long "hanging out" with friends, and return home only for meals or bedtime. Because there is no supervision, often the children get into mischief. Our hearts' desire was to make our home and our backyard into a safe haven where they would play and hear about Jesus.

The first day our swing set was put up, we had eight children trying to play on it – all at the same time! Our "backyard outreach" has been home to many pick-up soccer games, tag, and even some baseball games! Our own children happily participate in this vital part of our ministry, inviting the children who come to our home to church and Bible studies. The Lord has allowed us to begin a Bible club for our neighborhood children from our "open yard" opportunities. Please pray that God would save these precious boys and girls, and that we would see their parents as willing to listen to the Gospel of Christ!



Marsha Devers (Scotland)
When we lived in the town of Forfar, Scotland, we had to go on a short furlough. Since we could not afford a kennel for our cat and dog, we advertised for someone to keep them. A widow responded and kept our animals for three months without charging us.

After we returned, we kept in touch with her, visiting each other in our homes and exchanging holiday cards. I was so surprised one day when she told me:"I have been raised to not like Americans and everything within me didn't really want anything to do with you, but you and Arvin were so nice I just couldn't help but like you." She then told me that she had kept every letter or card we had ever sent to her.

She has not yet accepted Christ, but we still keep in touch and exchange Christmas gifts every year. After her son and his family moved back from England, his wife and children have traveled 15 miles (a long way in Scotland) to our Sunday School and Church. We are praying that we can win the whole family to the Lord.

Every place we have lived in Scotland, we have given our neighbors an Easter or Christmas card with a Gospel tract in it with candy or cookies. Once one of our neighborhood dads came to our front door, crying because we had given his family an Easter card. He said no one had ever given his family cards like that. We live in a world that is very unkind and how little effort it really takes to say, "I care about you."

Gail Huffman (France):
"Thank you for keeping our family together!"

About five years ago Anne, a woman who came to our church with her three boys, asked if she could talk with me. With hot tears running down her face, she explained that they had just found out that their fifteen-year-old daughter Valerie, her oldest child, was five months pregnant and was bringing shame on the family.

The family is African and their custom is to have family meetings to deal with such a problem. Anne was thinking so much about facing her siblings and the patriarchs of the family that I could tell she was not concerned about her daughter.

I reminded her how much Jesus had forgiven her, and that she must not harbor bitterness in her heart, but to forgive as Christ had forgiven. Her answer over and over was "I can never forgive her!"

The next week I made an appointment with Valerie. She was scared to death to face her entire family and be "judged." Valerie had only been to church occasionally, so I talked to her about her spiritual condition. She listened politely and asked if she could call me when she needed to talk.

After several meetings and phone calls, Valerie began to realize what the Lord thought of her; she made a profession of faith and began coming to church.

At the family gathering, Anne was ready to put Valerie and her unborn child out of the house. Her husband was against this, as were most of the other adults. So they let Valerie stay but with rigid conditions. Valerie agreed to keep the rules.

However, problems came. Anne could not forgive her daughter. One Sunday morning after church, Valerie, in tears, said her folks were putting her out against the will of the family because of her mother.

I drove to their house to talk to the parents. Anne did not want to talk, but was polite. The father was broken and torn between love for his wife and daughter. I enumerated the possible effects of such an act, returning to the need for forgiveness in their hearts. Anne sat there like a stone. So I prayed, pouring my heart out before the Lord. Then I left, not knowing what else to do.

They did not put Valerie and her baby out of the house, and she later began going to another church in a neighboring town. She finished her education, found a good job, and met a young Christian man at her new church.

A month ago, Valerie invited us to her wedding. It was beautiful, and the message by the African pastor on marriage was one of the best I have ever heard. My heart just praised the Lord for what He had done in Valerie's life, and especially in Anne's heart. She had forgiven her daughter, and they had a wonderful time planning the wedding together. Valerie's little girl, now four years old, was one of the flower girls.

As we were leaving after the ceremony and the refreshments, Valerie's father came over and said, "Thank you for keeping our family together! You took time to come to our house and help us when we needed it!" That was the biggest reward I could have, and it was such a joy to see each family member rejoicing in the Lord's blessings. I told Valerie, "I shared the pain with you, and now I am sharing the joys!" Pray with me that the father will come to know Christ, as he has never been to church.

Dot Moorman (England)
Every Christmastime I make fudge and buy Gospel Calendars from the Trinitarian Bible Society. Instead of Christmas cards, we give away about 100 -120 calendars each year.

All our nearby neighbors receive homemade fudge and a Gospel Calendar. Everyone has always graciously received them - even the Muslim and Hindu neighbors. Through this I discovered that two of my Hindu neighbors no longer practice Hinduism, and they are receptive to the Gospel.

Judith Irvin (Ukraine)
Ukrainians are very hospitable people. Our family has found that inviting them into our home for a meal is a good way to get to know them and also to be a witness to them. They love to come to our home and try the different American dishes I prepare.

When we had a Christmas program for all our neighbors, many of them said it was new to them but an enjoyable experience. We sang Christmas songs and specials; then Daniel brought a message on the real reason for Christmas entitled, "Wise Men Still Seek Him." That established friendships that we have enjoyed now for a long time.

Recently we had Taras and Yulianna over, with their young son Marco. We had dinner first, and then went into the living room to look at some of our family photos. They were pleased when Daniel began to show them pictures from his family tree, all the way back to his great-great-great-grandfather! He used this as an opportunity to work in the fact that we all go back to Noah and told them again a short testimony of God's plan for the world.

Opening our home to others has been a very pleasant experience for all of us. It seems to be a very good way to get the gospel out, as well as to obey the Bible principle of having a testimony as a good neighbor.



Lisa Thatcher (Ireland)
While our pastor's daughter, Bethanie Wall, was with us from the States for a couple of weeks, we hosted a girl's tea party. Our theme was "How special each of us are to God" from Psalm 139. Since we have so many different cultures in our church, I had each girl bring a plate of sandwiches made from recipes from their homeland. That was fun. The girls loved the pretty decorations and the table set with crystal plates and cups.

For a craft we decorated t-shirts, using our thumbs and fingers to make flowers on the shirts. Everything went well, except that I didn't plan on the wind blowing the bowls of paint off the table :) We simply used double stick tape to secure the bowls to the table and the painting went on.

Bethanie shared a special devotional with the girls. For a favor for each girl to take home with our theme, I printed and decorated the Bible verse: "I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" on cardstock. Then I placed little ceramic flowered plates and the Scripture card together on a plate stand as a reminder to the girls of what we had learned. We had four visitors besides our regular girls. God was so very good to make this a special day for all of us.

Dee Dee Sterling (Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, in Russia)
One way we missionary ladies have been able to reach out to the unsaved is by hosting bridal and baby showers in our homes for our local Christian young ladies who are starting their new married lives or are expecting a baby.

The most outstanding bridal shower we held was for a young bride who had several unsaved girlfriends. Since I was planning the shower, Yana asked if she could invite her friends to come even though they were all unsaved. I told her I thought it would be a great opportunity for them to hear what a Christian marriage relationship is about and to see that we Christians do have fun. To our delight, most of her friends came! During the devotional, as I spoke about Yana's responsibility to her husband, I had a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with these girls. They all commented afterwards about how much they enjoyed the evening. Shortly thereafter, one of them began attending the young people's meetings and Sunday services at the Krasnoyarsk Baptist Church.

Sometimes these guests have rarely or never been to a church service. It is a blessing to see the girls invite their unsaved friends and family members, understanding that it will be one more opportunity for them to hear the gospel. They all enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of being with friends, having fun playing silly games, and learning more about marriage and family. Sometime after her own shower, Yana was the one who gave the devotion at a bridal shower. Yana's testimony as a Christian wife has allowed her to become an example for others.

SPAIN - (Helping Clayton and Cheri Livengood)
A group of seven willing volunteers practiced "reverse hospitality." Pastor Lester Honson and four of his people from his church in North Carolina, along with Dan and Carol Miles from Indiana traveled to Fuengirola, Spain, on February 28, 2009. The purpose of their trip was to assist Clayton and Cheri Livengood in getting their home ready to sell. Cheri, because of poor health, has been in need of returning to the States for medical care. Their home needed many repairs before it could be sold so Clayton could bring Cheri home.

Pastor Honson and his team worked on the walls, the roof, the outside of the house, wiring, plumbing…anything that needed repaired. What a boon to the Livengoods to get the work done so well and so quickly. Many of the Livengood's supporting churches gave sacrificially to help pay for the materials. Because of the unselfish hard work of Pastor Honson and his team and the gifts from the churches, the Livengoods will be able to get the medical care Cheri needs.





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Compiled by Maylou Holladay Summer

AUSTRIA –Todd and Kim Lapato (In Germany for language study). Please pray that we can get our visas to attend language school soon in Austria. While here in Garmisch, Kim plays the piano for church and I enjoy preaching every Sunday night as well.

ENGLAND - Reta Burns. Pam (73-years-old), with a Catholic and Church of England background, was saved. We are thrilled because she came through our coffee mornings. Katie, a Sunday school girl, also accepted Christ.

John Jones Family. The church services here in Congleton continue to be packed. Thirty young people took part in our third Bike Rodeo with numerous parents in attendance. The local government is interested and has expressed a desire to see the rodeo enlarged.

Marcia Kittleson. A Bible camp was held in a farmer's field. We had thirty-three children attending.

Jack Moorman Family. We have had good and generally full Sunday morning services with visitors in most services. Four have been baptized. Pray for open doors as we take our literature into the financial section of London.

Glenn Palmer Family. For our Camp Joy 2009, three of us men built an adventure playground. Camp started with 32 children and teens and 11 workers. Maggie came to know the Lord as her Savior.

Glenn Pizor Family. Kenny Farley used to drop his wife off at our church but would not see me. In a divine appointment, I saw him in the hospital where he had actually died and been revived. He was trembling at the fear of God upon him. After I showed him the Scriptures, he repented and embraced Jesus Christ as his Savior.

Mickey Schrimshire Family. We returned recently from our ninth year summer mission outreach in Beach Missions and Speak Outs, with a team from the USA. The heart of our time in the United Kingdom was spent serving on a Beach Mission team for a week in Llandudno, North Wales. Young people on the team were from several different English and Welsh churches. We spent our mornings and afternoons reaching out to the children with games, Bible stories, and a two-hour afternoon children's program. The evenings were spent reaching out to the adults that crowd the promenade area, with singing, testifying, and preaching the Gospel in the open air. After the service, we passed out gospel tracts and talked to those who showed interest.


ESTONIA - Andrew Bunnell Family. Hardly a week has passed in recent memory in which new visitors have not come to our church in Tallinn. The church is giving to missions, as well as launching a university outreach.

Bob Gilley Family. We recently returned from a 1,500 mile trip through Russia. Our two objectives were to meet with an established group of Afghan Christians and to make contact with a new group of former Muslims that could help with the spread of the newspaper (used for evangelism to Muslims).

Rob Willoughby Family. Rob and Angela, working on their language studies, thought about the question: "Why study Estonian (when a lot of ministry can be done here in English)? We feel we want to make a permanent impact through ministry in the national language. We want to be a part of something that will outlive us."

Ron Winkler Family. The Winkler family has moved from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, to begin a new work in Rakvere, Estonia, where there is no Baptist Church. Please pray for their new ministry.

FRANCE - Carey Abbett Family. We had the privilege of working in a youth camp. There were about 60 campers and 20 adults. I had the privilege to preach every evening. Nine children accepted Christ.

Bob Huffman Family. March 17 Bob and Gail completed 40 years of service in France. The church is doing well under the leadership of Aldo, and we continue to minister by helping with visitation and counseling.

GERMANY - Dan Dubbe Family. Our church in Bischofsheim has increased their missions giving and planning many good things for outreach this year. We are praying about starting another work in a new area.

Walter Hornung Family. We have been praying for Albin, a 66-year-old man, for a long time. We visited him in the hospital where he was gloriously saved. Albin went home to Heaven twenty days after his salvation. Over 80 people heard the gospel at his funeral

Rodney Kidd Family. We recently baptized five people: three young adults, one senior, and one teen. One of our church groups has been faithful in helping their circle of friends come to the Lord, and some of these new believers were present for the baptismal seminar we held for our candidates.

HUNGARY - Marc Patton Family. Church registration approved! This is another step toward the church being completely independent and autonomous. We had a total of 62 children participate in our VBS in Tat.

MOLDOVA – Keith Herndon Family. (The Herndons moved to Moldova from Romania.) "The beginning of camp looked bleak as the inspectors seemed intent on closing the camp down. The police came to close the northern camp but found we had met their conditions. One policeman even dropped off his children for camp that week!

NORTHERN IRELAND - Ed Bissett Family. During our revival services, we saw two ladies trust Christ as their Savior. One of the ladies, Kirstie, has been coming with her husband who had been saved five years ago. They were baptized together.

NORWAY-Dwight Talbot Family. We have had some refugees visit our services from the refugee center about a half-hour drive from church. The first man to visit walked an hour to catch the train so that he could come to church. Please pray we can reach more of 400 refugees living there.

POLAND - Darrell Johnson Family. The ladies' meetings are an important evangelistic tool in our ministry. Most of these ladies are unsaved and do not attend our church. Mrs. Sobczyk, a dedicated Roman Catholic, listened carefully during devotion time. Please pray for her.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND - Dan Canavan Family. In our largest Sunday newspaper, an expose was printed on virginity in young people. Our 16-year-old triplets had a full-page picture and were correctly quoted, using the Bible. (Later Dan and his teen-aged son Caleb were interviewed on national TV in Ireland.) The forty-minute TV interview on purity was broadcast to the entire nation. The Lord opened the door for me to give a brief but clear presentation of the gospel.

Stephen Finley Family. Recently, we had twelve new visitors in our services with 29 people for Sunday services. We have received another one-year extension…this means that we are now able to stay in Ireland until May 1, 2011!

Justin Hayes Family. The Lord has blessed our door-knocking efforts. Jerome Pittman and I had the privilege of seeing 18-year-old Stephen accept Christ as his Savior. Two girls, Rachel and Emma, have also trusted Christ as Savior.

Don Thatcher Family. Once a month we have a men's Bible study, as well as our ladies' study group. A single lady got our leaflet in her mail slot, rang me, and said that she is a born again Christian, looking for a Bible believing church!

Bob Zemeski Family. April 5, 2009 marked our 30th year in Ireland. Recently as I finished my sermon, I asked, "Who is ready for a new beginning and tonight will do so by trusting the Savior?" A lady responded, shooting up her hand, declaring her faith in Christ.

ROMANIA - Tom Gentry Family. The Bible school has grown to 15 fulltime students, and all the teaching is done by our staff and Romanian pastors. Also, we participated in the baptism of over 20 new converts in a Gypsy Village.

Ed Hembree Family. The new church plant effort by the young man from our church who graduated from our college has begun. Several Romanian Independent Baptist Churches helped in the distribution of invitations for the opening service. Pray for Sergiu and this new work.

Kerri McKinney. One of my biggest blessings is bringing children and adults from our neighboring villages to church. Please pray for Crina, who has been coming with me, that she will come to know the Lord.

Brian Nibbe Family. In the past two months we have led to the Lord and baptized more men than in any years since 2002. I am planning on beginning a new ministry to the prisons. The good news is that we were invited to go there by the prison!

Tim Tyler Family. We have had several visitors in recent weeks as a direct result of our tract distribution in Timisoara. Also, we had a training retreat at our home for our leadership team (eleven Romanians from the ages of 14-35).

RUSSIA - Duane Hearron Family. Several lost people have been coming to our services to hear the Gospel. Also, some students from city schools where I teach English attend our church's English Club and morning worship.

Konstantin Kamilchu Family. When the new seaport was opened in St. Petersburg, we went there to share the gospel and met three Indonesian men. They are Muslims, but two of them listened very intently. All three could speak English, so they heard thirty minutes of clear Gospel.

Don Ossewaarde Family. Praise the Lord for our growing group of Russians! Ten come regularly to our services, and we can see spiritual growth along with growth in numbers. Also, we have paid about 70% of the loan on our church.

David Sterling Family. Although we still have few adults who attend, the Lord has blessed our Sunday school with a recent attendance of 25 children! We are so thankful that seven of those were from Muslim families from Tajikistan who live in our village.

Adam Young Family. American football in Russia - Kim, a young man I led to the Lord, watched the 2009 Super Bowl with his friends. A group of 25-30 college men want to play football, and Kim asked if I would like to coach them. I consider this an opportunity for the Gospel.

SCOTLAND – Doug Cameron Family. We put an ad in our free monthly paper, Troon Going Out, which goes to every home in Troon. As another outreach, our church also gives to community charities like cancer and blood assurance which has created goodwill in our town for our people.

Arvin Devers Family. At the Annual Abbeyview Festival outreach, we gave away toys, sweets, and an invitation to our Sunday School. We have also been choosing a street a week to pray for, knocking on the doors, and asking people for prayer requests. The response has been very encouraging.

Lea Devers. I have a big praise to share with you! One of the children in Sunday School told us that she had prayed at home to ask Jesus into her heart. After further questioning, we are fully convinced she understands and has been saved.

Graham Forbes Family. We are now onto our second church plant, presently meeting in a rented hall in the town of Beauly. With 30 people in attendance, we are beginning to look like a crowd. Not a Sunday has passed without visitors, and so far 90% of visitors come back.

Dennis Snelson Family. Opportunities to teach in the local school are continuing. I emphasize foundational beliefs and what we do about issues of life. Many in the class believe in God but only about 40% look to the Bible as dependable. Please pray for these students.

SPAIN - Clayton Livengood Family. (Many of you know that Cheri Livengood is very ill and needs to come to America for care. A group of volunteers prepared Livengood's home so it can be sold to allow them to return to the States. Please pray for Cheri and Clayton in this transition time.)

Julio and Andrea Velasquez, missionaries with BIMI for twenty-nine years, have served the Lord in Spain, then Venezuela , and now in Spain again to begin a new ministry there.. We visited our former church in Alcala de Henares where we ministered for fourteen years. Most of the members that we left are now serving the Lord as missionaries and pastors. Our labor for the Lord is never in vain.

UKRAINE – Robert Fuller. God has answered our prayers with a new church plant in Yevpatoria. We have found a place to rent. Pastor Slava preached and Polina, aged 77, grasped the need of Christ and trusted Him as her personal Savior.

Tony Hess Family. My wife Dawn, our son Marc, and a few ladies from our church go every Saturday morning to the local nursing home here in Simferopol. We have seen a few professions of faith in Christ.

Matthew Hudson Family. Our people of the Liberty Baptist Church in Stari Petrovsti, Ukraine, are excited that we have a permanent home! We purchased a house and plot of land, located on the corner of two paved streets, not far from the village bus stop - very important in a Ukrainian village! We also rejoice in five baptisms, including our 13-year-old son, Daniel.

Daniel Irvin Family. When we crossed the border to deliver Ukrainian Bibles and literature to a Baptist Church, the customs man joked that we would have a hard time in Romania. When the Romanian passport officer realized we were Americans, he said, "Oh, you are American; you may pass. I LOVE AMERIKA!"

John Magas Family. We have been praying for a meeting place. The Lord has provided an old Soviet-style auditorium that will seat 30-40 people. We have had two men visit our work already. Please pray.

Bob Van Sant Family. Another new ministry: We recently started a Muslim ministry at our church. Over 30% of Crimea is inhabited by Crimean Tartars (Muslim). Bro. Mesah (saved in our church from Uzbekistan) and his wife, Tamara, are ministering to about 12 Tartars each week. Recently one Tartar lady was saved.

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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

KIRK & KATHY HICKOK -  BRAZIL
CHRIS & CHRISTINE HILMER -  CANADA
HAROLD M & BRIDGETTE HOLDBROOK -  GHANA