Ron Shepard SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

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5 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: January 14 Ron Shepard SEATTLE, WASHINGTON Today we re going to the Pacific Northwest, specifically Seattle, Washington, where our missionary, Ron Shepard, serves. We support Ron through our Cooperative Program giving. About 4.7 million people live in the Seattle area, and they are some of our country s most highly educated people. More people there hold library cards, percentagewise, than any other city in America. But, sadly, they are not reading the Bible. Ron knows because he has studied the city and helps train church planters in how to serve there. Seattle has fewer than 200 Southern Baptist churches. Many more are needed. People there are friendly but bring up a spiritual topic and often they become skeptical, Ron says. You have to know people a while before they will listen to the gospel, and most will have to hear it presented seven times before they will respond. Despite all this, Southern Baptists have started new churches all over the Seattle area. The work is slow, but it is happening. Ron thinks they will plant another 135 new churches over the next five years. Today, let s pray for Ron Shepard as he serves in Seattle. Let s pray that hundreds of new churches can be started in the years ahead.

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7 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: January 21 Caleb and Sarah Walker SOFIA, BULGARIA Today we want to pray for Caleb and Sarah Walker, two of our missionaries serving in Eastern Europe. Caleb and Sarah are serving in Sofia (say SOE-fee-ah), Bulgaria, and they demonstrate how the Lord can use the experience and skills we gain at home to minister to people in other countries. Sarah led children s Bible studies back in North Carolina and is now working to do the same kind of teaching in Bulgaria in the Bulgarian language, of course. Today let us pray that the Lord will help Caleb and Sarah learn the Bulgarian language fluently so they can clearly and simply teach children about the love of Jesus Christ there in Bulgaria. We are supporting them through our church s Cooperative Program giving.

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9 SEMINARY HIGHLIGHT: January 28 Eric Gibbs GATEWAY SEMINARY Sometimes God speaks to us through experiences, doesn t He? That s what happened to Eric Gibbs, a young man who went on a week-long missions trip to the Gila O odham (say HEE-lah OOD-um) Nation Reservation in Arizona. Eric knew God was calling him to serve Native Americans there. So he, his wife, Brittany, and their two children packed up and moved to Sacaton, Ariz., a small town of about 1,500 people located southwest of Phoenix. They are serving on the reservation with First Pima (say PEE-mah) Baptist Church and also helping start two new area churches. Eric and Brittany have a fine ministry there in Arizona, but we re going to pray for them because our church has helped support them. First, they went as missionaries through our Southern Baptist North American Mission Board, so they are our missionaries. Second, Eric studied at Gateway Theological Seminary in California. It s one of our six Southern Baptist seminaries. Our church supports both the mission board and the seminary through our Cooperative Program giving. So we have invested in Eric s training, and we have invested in getting this fine young couple to Arizona so they can do what God has called them to do for Him. Let s pray for them now.

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11 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: February 4 Joe and Judy Bowman FORT MORGAN, COLORADO We re heading out to the American West today as we pray for two of our missionaries named Joe and Judy Bowman. They have started a new church in Fort Morgan, Colorado, called The Mission. Fort Morgan is a farming community in the flat part of the state, northeast of Denver. Farm and factory work in the area has drawn people from Central America, South America and Somalia. Joe says many people there think they are Christians but have no relationship with Jesus Christ. He loves seeing people begin attending church and growing in their Christian faith. Our church is supporting Joe and Judy in their ministry in Colorado through our Cooperative Program giving. Let s pray now that their church will grow and that many will come to faith in Jesus Christ, becoming growing disciples for Him.

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13 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: February 11 Madison Strauder SOUTH ASIA We are going to South Asia today because we want to pray for Madison Strauder, one of our missionaries there our church supports through the Cooperative Program. Because we live in North America, most of us have not been exposed to the overwhelming darkness and spiritual oppression present in the absence of a Christian church. We drive around and most likely see some kind of Christian church. But imagine being in Asia where Hinduism is the main religion. You may see parades with idols being carried down the street and people dressed like demons. There is a lifeless quality in the very air because there is no hint of the Christian gospel. Madison asks us to try to imagine where he serves and actually sees such parades from time to time. It is tragic that people still serve lifeless idols, just as we read about happening in the Old Testament. Madison asks us to pray with him that there will be a time when these people will turn from their idols and come to the one true faith faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ. Can we do that right now?

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15 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: February 18 Jamie and Rachael Reynolds HAZARD, KENTUCKY Today we re going to visit the hills of eastern Kentucky because that s where two of our missionaries serve. They are Jamie and Rachael Reynolds who direct the work of the Three Forks Baptist Association. It s a fellowship of more than three dozen churches, but they are mostly small and spread over a big area. That s why Jamie and Rachael welcome teams of Southern Baptist volunteers to come help them minister to the people in and around Hazard, where there is much poverty and many kinds of social problems like alcoholism and drugs. Since many people do not have a personal relationship with Christ, it means there are spiritual problems as well. These are conditions found all over the Appalachian region, and it s why thousands of Baptist volunteers are needed. We are helping support Jamie and Rachael in their ministry there in Kentucky through our Cooperative Program giving. Let s pray for them now.

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17 SEMINARY HIGHLIGHT: February 25 Kambiz & Sepideh Saghaey SOUTHEASTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY There was a man in Central Asia named Kambiz Saghaey (say kahm-beez sop-aweee), who once worked to stop a church there from telling people about Jesus, just as Saul did in New Testament times. In fact, for nine months he tried to shut that church up. But the church stood firm. Eventually Kambiz began doubting his Muslim faith. He asked God to show him the truth. A voice told him that Jesus Christ is the truth. In that moment, Kambiz became a follower of Jesus. Now he equips people to share their faith, just as the apostle Paul did. And that church he tried to stop? He became its pastor! Kambiz survived prison and certain death in Central Asia and eventually he and his wife came to the U.S. Now he is studying and serving as coordinator of the Persian Leadership Development program at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina, offering help to Farsi-speakers. Southeastern is one of the six Southern Baptist seminaries we support through our Cooperative Program giving. Today, let s thank God for guiding Kambiz and preserving his life. Let s pray that his ministry to Farsi-speaking people will have results far and wide just as Paul s ministry did!

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19 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: March 4 Jacob and Jessica Dahl ELLENSBURG, WASHINGTON Today we re going to pray for two of our collegiate missionaries who serve in Washington State. They are our missionaries because our church supports them through our Cooperative Program giving. Jacob and Jessica Dahl (say like DOLL) serve in Ellensburg, which is a university town less than a two-hour drive southeast of Seattle. Our missionaries are campus ministers who are working to reach the some 12,000 students who study on the 380-acre campus of Central Washington University. It s a big mission field when you consider that only about one in 10 students is a Christian. Washington State needs new churches, but the liberal/secular mindset in the state makes outreach slow. The busiest time for Jacob and Jessica is in the fall when nearly 2,500 new students arrive to start their studies. They go all out to make early contact with the students before they settle into a church-free routine for the year. Let s pray for Jacob and Jessica and their very challenging ministry.

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21 MISSISSIPPI HIGHLIGHT: March 11 State Bible Drills Mississippi Bible Drills seek to challenge students in grades K-12 to develop skills in using their Bible. Across the state of Mississippi, nearly 3000 students study and memorize scripture every year through this program. This ministry is active all year long. Children and students have opportunities to drill at their church, association, and state level. Things to pray for: Please pray for churches and their leadership who work with these students. Pray for the families of the students, that the Word of God would permeate throughout the home. Pray for clarity and understanding as Scripture is being taught and learned. Finally, pray that volunteers would step up and be willing to serve so that this ministry can continue spreading the Word throughout Mississippi and beyond.

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23 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: March 18 James and Natarsha Roberson BROOKLYN, NEW YORK Brooklyn is in New York City, and that s where we re going today. We want to pray for two of our missionaries, James and Natarsha (say nah-tar-shah) Roberson, who moved there with their three children and started The Bridge Church, which meets in a building on Fifth Avenue. The church is growing and doing well. They have started a clothing ministry for homeless people and are thinking about starting a second church. Some events speak of God s involvement. James tells of one day passing Long Island University s Brooklyn campus, which had been without an evangelical presence for seven years. He placed a hand on a building and prayed that God would open a door for ministry there. When James walked into the building, two students were arguing amazingly about whether Jesus is the Son of God. That exchange led to meetings with the university s dean, which led to James starting a campus ministry that includes having his own office inside one of the dorms. We support the Robersons and other missionaries around New York City who are starting new churches. Today let s pray especially for the Robersons and ask God to start enough new churches that everyone in this city will hear the gospel!

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25 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: March 25 Daniel Chung CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Baptists start many new churches and some of us wonder: Do those churches survive? The answer is yes! Most of them do survive and grow. Today we re going to Chicago. It s a big city with big problems. Many older churches have closed over the years, so new churches are desperately needed. One new church is Church of the Beloved; our church s Cooperative Program giving helped start it two years ago. And in 24 months they ve grown to about 400 members with three worship services. Now they have started a second church, and the pastor of that church is who we want to pray for today. His name is Daniel Chung. His parents moved to the United States from South Korea, but Daniel grew up in Maryland and Virginia. Daniel served two years as worship leader and student pastor at Church of the Beloved. Now he leads the new church, Church of the Beloved, Near West, which meets on West Roosevelt Road, not far from Lake Michigan. Daniel is one of many missionaries our church supports in Chicago through our Cooperative Program giving. Let s pray that this new church will also grow quickly and share the gospel with thousands.

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27 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: April 1 Cheryl Derbyshire SOUTHEAST ASIA Here is a question: Does God still speak to people through dreams as He did in ancient times? Yes. There are many stories from the mission field about God speaking to people through dreams. Today we re going to Southeast Asia to hear one such story as told by missionary, Cheryl Derbyshire, one of the many missionaries our church supports through the Cooperative Program. Cheryl went to a new village with two white mobile medical clinic vans. We ll call the first man in line Kamon, and he could hardly wait to come in. He told Cheryl that the night before he had dreamed about two white vans coming to his house. He dreamed a doctor gave him water, and when he took it the van shook! He was told, yes, he would be shaken, but he would be healed. So when the two white Baptist vans showed up right in front of his house, he couldn t wait to go inside! That day he came to faith in Jesus Christ, brought by a dream from God about people who would give him Living Water. Today, let s pray for Cheryl and ask God to give thousands more people dreams so they can be saved.

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29 MISSISSIPPI HIGHLIGHT: April 8 Cooperative Program SUNDAY The world-wide impact of our giving through the Cooperative Program is nothing short of astounding. Consider that in North American Mission Support, Mississippi Baptists and our Southern Baptist partners plant churches, assist in disaster relief, and offer compassionate ministry evangelism in all 50 states and Canada. Internationally, our Cooperative Program giving assists in training and sending over 3,645 missionaries. In 2013, 190,957 overseas baptisms were reported by the missionaries. Cooperative Program giving provides financial support for more than 5,600 missionaries in North America. Did you know that our gifts through the Cooperative Program also benefit each one of our six Southern Baptist seminaries who are responsible for training one out of every six ministers in the world? We all know that God s purposes are bigger than what we can accomplish individually. Many years ago, Baptist leader Albert McClellan said, Cooperation is essential, and it is clear that churches that work together are able to accomplish more than churches that work alone. An isolated independent church may take a neighborhood for Christ, but only a community of related independent churches can take a city for Christ. Mississippi Baptists are a part of the Southern Baptist family, but more importantly we are a part of God s Family. As the forever children of God, let s give together through the Cooperative Program in helping to bring Mississippi and the World to Jesus!

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31 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: April 15 Wes and Adrienne Walls SEATTLE, WASHINGTON We want to pray for two of our North American missionaries today. Wes and Adrienne Walls have started Dwelling Place Church in Seattle, Washington. We support them through our church s Cooperative Program giving, so of course we want to pray for them. But we also need to pray for them because we have sent Wes and Adrienne to a very difficult place. About 4.7 million people live in the Seattle area and only a small number are Christians. So when Wes and Adrienne start talking to someone, they have to assume two things: that the person does not know anything about Jesus Christ or the Bible and that there s no telling what the person does believe. A while back they talked to a lady working in a coffee shop. She said she wanted to tear down the government and that she was looking to find spiritual enlightenment through Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism. They kept talking to her, and one day she agreed to come to a Bible study. Today, let s pray that the Lord will bless Wes and Adrienne with opportunities to share the gospel with people and that their church will grow quickly.

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33 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: April 22 Michael Harrington WESTERN EUROPE Our missionaries tell us that Western Europe is one of the hardest places in the world to start churches. Europeans often reject Christianity even if they do not know much about it. It usually takes a long time for a European to come to faith in Christ. Today we re going to pray for Michael Harrington, one of our missionaries who serves in Europe. Our church supports him through the Cooperative Program. Michael said he talked for a long time to a man named Alex, and finally he came to a Bible study. But Alex walked out in the middle of it. Those Christians in that room just could not be for real, he said. But our missionary persisted and got Alex into months-long Bible study. Finally, God s truth began to get through to him. He wrote out hundreds of Bible verses in longhand so he could remember them. Finally, Alex was baptized. Folks, we re happy that this one European came to faith in Christ! But how can we reach hundreds? Thousands? Millions? The first thing we need is more missionaries. Let s pray for Michael as he teaches, coaches and works with people whose minds are closed at least at first.

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35 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: April 29 Rick Sharkey CHAPLAIN LOUISIANA Our prayer time today is going to be sort of a lock-in because we want to think about the Louisiana State Penitentiary. With more than 6,000 prisoners and covering 18,000 acres, the Louisiana State Penitentiary is the nation s largest maximum security prison. It is bordered on three sides by the Mississippi River. Most prisoners there have been sentenced to life in prison for terrible crimes. But here s some better news. The prison also has a Baptist church;; prisoners arrive wearing shackles. There s also a Bible college operated by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and, yes, that s one of the six seminaries our church supports through the Cooperative Program. The person in this prison we want to pray for today is one of the Baptist chaplains named Rick Sharkey. He teaches the Bible and disciples the prisoners who become followers of Christ. But he does not preach because he wants the prisoners to do the preaching. We know that Rick s ministry is both very difficult and very rewarding. Rick is one of the more than 3,000 chaplains endorsed by our North American Mission Board, which our church also supports through the Cooperative Program. Let s pray for Rick now.

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37 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: May 6 Jason Vance SURPRISE, ARIZONA Today we want to pray for Jason Vance who serves in Surprise, Arizona, which is in the northwestern part of Greater Phoenix. Let me ask you something. What if you were called to start a new church in a place where more than 100 other church planters had tried to start churches and failed just gave up and left? That s exactly Jason s situation. Surprise has grown very rapidly. Today more than 120,000 people live there three times the number there in So there s a big need for churches. But there are only two Southern Baptist churches in town and, besides Jason s, just one other new church being started. For now Jason s church, Valley Life Church, meets in a high school. They have to set up chairs and equipment and then tear it down every Sunday. Despite all this, they are reaching people. A while back they baptized a young woman in her 20s, another young woman in her 30s, and then Mary, who is 72. We support Jason in this challenging place through our Cooperative Program giving. Let s pray for him now. Pray he will succeed in planting a healthy, growing church that will be a source of Living Water in that dry land.

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39 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: May 13 Joe and Kim Busching LIMA, PERU We are going to South America today to pray for two of our international missionaries who serve in Peru. Joe and Kim Busching serve in Peru s capital city, Lima (say LEEmah), which has almost 10 million people. They are two of our more than 4,000 missionaries serving overseas, and we support them through our church s Cooperative Program giving. Joe and Kim have been meeting with Baptist leaders in Lima to encourage churches to pray for the neighborhoods around them and do more to bring those neighbors to faith in Christ. Now, many people come to Lima and stay for a while, then return to their home countries. Joe and Kim also want to reach these visitors and send them home with the gospel in their hearts. Today let s pray for Joe and Kim and ask God to bless their ministry. The work they are doing is so important, but it s also incredibly difficult and the numbers of lost people are huge.

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41 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: May 20 Anna Wilson and June Borg JAPAN Today we want to pray for Anna Wilson and June Borg, who are two of our missionaries serving in Japan. Our church supports them through the Cooperative Program. Japan has proven to be very resistant to the gospel. Less than one percent of the Japanese people are Christians, though missionaries have been in the country for many years. Let s just think about one incident that helps explain why missions work in Japan is hard. Anna and June were teaching English to Japanese children in their apartment of course they were teaching Bible stories. One day they started the class with a prayer that began, Dear Father in heaven The children immediately began talking among themselves. Did your father die? one child asked Anna. They wondered about this because the Japanese are taught from an early age to pray for their dead ancestors. Today, let s pray for Anna and June. They are serving in a difficult place and the Japanese language is very hard to learn. And let us pray that these children will come to understand their true Father in heaven!

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43 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: May 27 Tyler Shields CHAPLAIN KENTUCKY All of us support the fine men and women who serve in our armed forces, and we re glad they have chaplains to support them. Through our church s Cooperative Program giving, we support our North American Mission Board, which endorses several thousand chaplains, including those serving through the U.S. military. Today we want to pray for one of those chaplains. Tyler Shields serves with the Army National Guard. We know the National Guard has been busy in recent years, helping with all the conflicts overseas. As a Guardsman, Tyler spends several days a month in his chaplaincy ministry serving on military bases. And sometimes he serves for weeks at a time. Along with leading worship services and Bible studies, he spends a lot of time just talking to the soldiers. Tyler is often the first to know when there are problems like depression or troubling family situations. He is quick to point people to Jesus Christ with the Bible as the handbook. Tyler also pastors an active and growing church called Rockhouse Baptist Church in Hyden, Kentucky. Can we pray now for Tyler Shields, our Army National Guard chaplain?

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45 MISSISSIPPI HIGHLIGHT: June 3 Adrian and Frances Turner PORT OF PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI The International Seafarers Ministry is all about sharing the love of Jesus Christ with the world. When Seafarers from all over the world arrive at the Port of Pascagoula, they have the opportunity to visit the International Seafarers Center. They are greeted by Christian volunteers who wish to share the love of Jesus by serving some of their welfare needs. By serving their physical and emotional needs, they have the opportunity to minister to their spiritual needs. Seafarers are an invisible people group because they spend much of their life at sea. Their life is a lonely life, thousands of miles from their family and loved ones. Seafarers need the Lord and Christian fellowship. Many of them leave the center with a DVD about the life of Jesus and their first Bible. God s Word is being transported all over the world by seafarers whose lives have been touched and changed. Adrian and Frances are blessed to be part of a unique ministry which touches individual lives from so many corners of the world. Last year, they served seafarers from over 50 countries. Pray for the safety and salvation of the seafarers, and for more opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and His love for them.

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47 SEMINARY HIGHLIGHT: June 10 Steve Thompson SOUTHWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Today we re going to Ecuador, South America, with missionary Steve Thompson to learn about ministry partnerships. In Ecuador you can see hell by looking up. That s because a giant, active volcano called Tungurahua (say tung-goo-gwar-ah-wah) has been spitting out fire and lava since it erupted again in More than 500,000 people live in this mountainous province, and they need to hear the gospel. So Steve has set up a seminary to train the local people for ministry. Steve is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, one of our six seminaries. Southwestern partnered with Steve to train 11 students in the Bible through online classes. These 11 will become the seminary teachers beside the volcano and will train many other students in the years ahead. We support this ministry by supporting Steve s education at Southwestern and now in training the students in Ecuador. And we re supporting Steve as he serves there all through our Cooperative Program giving. Isn t that a wonderful collection of ministry partnerships? You might say people in central Ecuador have already gotten a glimpse of hell. We want them to be saved so they will be spared spending eternity in the real hell!

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49 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: June 17 Jason Carmichael CENTRAL ASIA Today we want to pray for Jason Carmichael, who is one of our missionaries serving in Central Asia. Central Asia is a region where people have responded to the gospel, but in some areas the government makes it difficult for missionaries to even live there. We support Jason through our church s Cooperative Program giving. Like all our missionaries, Jason is constantly looking for new ways to talk to people about Jesus. He has been studying one of the Asian languages, so he went online to a site for learning that language. He connected with a student we ll call Nesra. Jason started by telling Nesra that Jesus is the most important part of his life, and he told how he had become a Christian. Then he told some stories from the Bible. Nesra understood him and did not object to the Bible stories. But she said she wasn t sure God even exists. She agreed to do more talking over the Internet and said she would read more Bible stories with Jason. Today let s be thankful there are many ways to share the gospel, and let s pray that Jason Carmichael will be able to share the gospel with many people in Central Asia.

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51 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: June 24 Billy Hurst LATIN AMERICA Just as we need seminaries in North America to train pastors and missionaries, we also need seminaries in other countries. As our missionaries help bring people to faith in Christ and start new churches, they need seminaries to train pastors and others who will lead churches into the future. All this is to explain why we have a missionary like Billy Hurst. Billy works with seminaries across Mexico and down into Central America to Panama. He helps train the seminary teachers and shows them how to stay focused on teaching Bible truths and staying missions-minded. Our church supports him through our Cooperative Program giving. Let s pray for Billy now and ask God to keep him safe during all his traveling and to stay spiritually strong as he works with seminaries that will have a big influence on churches across a big area.

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53 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: July 1 Charlie and Diane Brown BALTIMORE, MARYLAND Baltimore, Maryland, has lots of poverty, crime, drugs and all the other problems big cities have. It s a place where the gospel is urgently needed! That s why our church supports two missionaries in East Baltimore through our Cooperative Program giving Charlie and Diane Brown. They started East Baltimore Graffiti Church in Charlie says when you show people you care for them, they become open to hearing the gospel. Charlie and Diane run summer sports camps for kids and give out free food and Bibles at local bus stops. One couple took some hot dogs, because the man was a drug addict; they were broke and homeless. That led them to attend Bible study at the church. Later both were baptized; now they are growing Christians. Folks, aren t we glad to support this ministry? If we can send enough missionaries like the Browns, we can make a difference, even in places like Baltimore. Let s pray for our missionaries, Charlie and Diane, today. Let s pray that God will keep them safe and that He will help heal broken lives through the total healing that only comes through knowing Jesus Christ as Savior.

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55 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: July 8 Kaylee Hawes CENTRAL ASIA Learning an Asian language is difficult. Our missionaries work hard to communicate with people in their native tongue. One such missionary, Kaylee Hawes, was attending a university in Central Asia. She was put in a program to learn the native language, but it was limited to foreigners. She worried she would not be able to share the gospel with people. But things turned out better than she feared. When one student heard her say she is a Christian, he asked if Kaylee could get him a Bible to read. Why, yes she could! Now a whole group of students get together in the dorm to read that Bible together. Kaylee started a Bible study with one student, and she started by telling basic Bible stories. It turned out that even some of the teachers wanted to hear those stories! Doesn t it make you feel good to know our church is supporting Kaylee through our Cooperative Program giving? Our missionaries do not carry weapons when they serve overseas. But they have the power of God to guide them and the power of God s Holy Bible to teach people. No wonder they can reach so many people, language or no language!

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57 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: July 15 Jon Gerwig EAST ASIA For our missionary prayer time today, we are going to East Asia to learn about the work of Jon Gerwig. Talking to people about Jesus in a way they understand is very important in missions work. That s why missionaries work very hard to learn the languages spoken where they serve. In Jon s case this is especially difficult because the people group he serves speaks five! They are called the Torch People. Thankfully God gets involved to help overcome language barriers as we see in the following story. One day Jon and some other believers tried to talk to a middle-aged woman we ll call Sarah. Sarah couldn t understand the dialect they used. She went on her way. Half an hour later, Jon and his team saw a farmer in a pumpkin patch. They stopped to talk to him, and he understood the dialect they were using. As they talked, the farmer s wife came up; it was Sarah. Her husband translated every word of the gospel the team was sharing. Let s pray for Jon Gerwig, whom we support through our Cooperative Program giving. Let s pray he will be able to communicate the gospel to people around him, whatever their language may be.

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59 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: July 22 Jeff and Sheila Brown JACKSON, WYOMING Today we want to pray for two missionaries serving out in cowboy country Wyoming. Jeff and Sheila Brown serve in Jackson, Wyoming. We support them through our church s Cooperative Program giving. We think of the West as an area that welcomes churches, and that is generally true, but not so much in Jackson, a wealthy, liberal and politically correct area. Most people there reject Jesus and Christianity without knowing anything about it. Despite this, people still need Jesus and many there have become Christians. One man had given up on God and was generally bitter and angry with life. He told people he actually hated God. For some reason he began attending Jeff's Bible studies. As he bathed in God's Word, he slowly changed. He was saved and became the first person to join the new Baptist church Jeff and Sheila were starting. Jeff pastors two churches in different towns and also helps a Spanish-language church in Jackson. One of these churches has grown big enough to need a building. Today let s pray for God to bless Jeff and Sheila. And while we re at it, let's ask God to make it possible for them to have a new building. We're thankful they need it!

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61 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: July 29 Shaun and Monica Stotyn BURLINGTON, VERMONT Today we want to pray for Shaun and Monica Stotyn, who are missionaries in Vermont with a double challenge. First, Vermont is one of our nation s least Christian states. Second, they are ministering to college students in several schools in and near Burlington. Our church supports their work through our Cooperative Program giving. Shaun s Vine Campus Ministry, as he calls it, tries to bring students to faith in Christ and then to disciple them toward deeper faith and commitment. He works with the University of Vermont and Champlain College in Burlington and St. Michael s College in nearby Colchester. Shaun tries to get students into small groups so they can concentrate together on learning about and following Jesus Christ. Shaun says the most rewarding part of his ministry is seeing the eyes of students light up when they finally get it about Jesus. Once that happens, he says he begins to see their lives change as well. Today let s pray for thousands of college students to come to a growing faith in Christ, so they in turn can lead many others across Vermont to faith as well. Let s also pray for the well-being of Shaun, Monica and their two young children.

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63 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: August 5 Gene and Pam Young LINCOLN, MONTANA Folks, today we re going to Montana to pray for Gene and Pam Young, two of our North American missionaries who serve in Lincoln, a town of about 1,000 people situated sort of between Yellow National Park and the Canadian border. Lincoln is in a valley surrounded by rugged mountains. Pictures taken here look like postcards, but pictures don t show everything. For example, it s likely that the bars, saloons and casinos outnumber the churches. Gene says many lives here have been torn apart by alcohol, drugs or gambling. It is, in other words, a real mission field where the gospel is desperately needed. Gene pastors Lincoln Baptist Church, but he isn t just a preacher. He and Pam have thrown themselves into every activity possible to meet people and share Christ. Often the lost people they pray for on Wednesday night will wander into a service on Sunday. Gene and Pam serve as chaplains with the town fire department and with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. They provide counseling and lead Bible studies, hoping their town of Lincoln will be the starting point of a nationwide revival. We support Gene and Pam through our Cooperative Program giving. They are our missionaries. Let s pray for them now.

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65 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: August 12 Timothy and Rebecca Braden AFRICA We are going to Africa today to pray for one of our missionary families. Timothy and Rebecca Braden have moved with their three children into an area where people practice folk Islam or else they believe in witchcraft and that spirits are everywhere. The people are fearful because they think the spirits want to hurt them. They often perform ceremonies they think will keep the spirits away. Every day Timothy and Rebecca hear guns fired or the beating of drums which are part of these ceremonies. At this point there are just two Christian believers in their area just two! Our church s Cooperative Program giving is supporting the Braden family there in Africa. They are in a hard place where spiritual warfare is being waged in ways we cannot imagine. But they say God is being faithful to sustain them in this sin-darkened area where they serve. Can we pray for them now and ask God to keep them safe, to give them opportunities to share the good news and to bring many new believers into this area?

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67 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: August 19 Dan and Amanda Coleman KENNEBEC, MAINE Dan and Amanda Coleman are two of our missionaries serving way up in cold Kennebec, Maine. We can say it s a cold place because of the long winters. Generally speaking, people there are cold to the gospel as well. Both Dan and Amanda are native to New England, though, so they know how people there think. They also know how to live through the long, cold winters. But the biggest challenge is how to get to know people well enough so the gospel can be shared. One answer they have found is sports camps for children. They work with hundreds of kids in sports. That has given Dan and Amanda opportunities to talk with parents. Some of these parents have already joined their Kennebec Community Church and been baptized. We are supporting the Colemans and helping them do their ministry in Maine through our church s Cooperative Program giving. Let s pray today for them and be thankful that God knows how to call the right people to the places He wants the gospel shared!

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69 MISSISSIPPI HIGHLIGHT: August 26 Scott and Candiss Fortenberry JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI Jackson, The City with Soul, is often described by potholes and bullet holes. However, there is another story that is not often told: Jesus fills holes all over the city. Scott and Candiss Fortenberry and their five kids were living in St Petersburg, FL, when God began stirring in their hearts to Go home and tell what God has done (Luke 8:39). Being from Clinton, they packed up, moved back home and are planting Soul City Church in Midtown Jackson. Soul City Church follows an upside down model of disciple-making, meaning they start by Serving the City. They do this through mission teams and through their own groups called City Groups. These groups meet twice a month, once to talk about what to do and the next time to actually do it. They then intentionally invest their lives in one another through Soul Groups. Intentionally investing in one another means that everybody in the group gives, and everyone in the group receives. After their needs are met and they have invested in someone, the natural by-product is Living a Bold Life of Worship. Please pray for Soul City Church as they make disciples in an upside down way. Pray for relationships that will enhance the work of the Gospel. Pray for partnerships that further the work of Soul City Church. Pray for a building that will facilitate the needs of disciple-making.

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71 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: September 2 Ruth Harrison SOUTHEAST ASIA One of our international missionaries, we ll call her Ruth, serves in a country in Southeast Asia where the work is very slow and dangerous. Many of the people there are fearful because they believe in spirits that try to harm them. They think their lives cannot be changed because the future is already decided. Ruth is our missionary because we support her through our church s Cooperative Program giving. Today let s pray for Ruth as she talks to people in Southeast Asia about the one true God who sent Jesus Christ to free us of such fears and to give us hope for daily living.

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73 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: September 9 John Cattell DEFIANCE, OHIO Today we are going to pray for one of our missionaries in Defiance, Ohio, who has a very difficult ministry. His name is John Cattell and his work is hard because he works with prisoners. He is a chaplain at a state prison, where he talks to the incarcerated about Jesus Christ. He also directs the Disciple House, a ministry in the city of Defiance that helps prisoners adjust to life outside after they are released from prison. John says he helps prisoners start over but this time with God as the center of their lives. John does not work alone, but has some 200 volunteers who work with him. They help former prisoners find housing and jobs all the things needed for a life free of crime. Some men go back to crime after they are released. But others give their lives to Jesus Christ and become good citizens. Our church s Cooperative Program giving helps support John in his work there in Ohio. Can we pray for him now?

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75 SEMINARY HIGHLIGHT: September 16 Irwin Wasswa NEW ORLEANS BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Our church helps support six Southern Baptist seminaries across the country through the Cooperative Program. These schools have more than 18,000 students between them, and all are training to be pastors, missionaries or other servants of the gospel. Today we want to pray for Irwin Wasswa (say WAHS-wuh), a student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His parents are from Uganda. Irwin is preparing to be a pastor and already serves as associate pastor in a church near the seminary. He has found that sometimes people in New Orleans don t want to hear about Jesus. But on a missions trip to South America, he shared the gospel in villages in the Amazon River Basin. People there were eager to hear about Jesus. The trip was life-changing for Irwin because he saw God move in mighty ways. Irwin doesn t know if God will call him back to South America, leave him in New Orleans or move him somewhere else. But we can be happy that this young man is getting the training he needs to serve God for the rest of his life. Through the Cooperative Program, we re investing in Irwin and in that lifetime of service. Let s pray for him now.

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77 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: September 23 Gregg Fort AFRICA Today we re going to Africa for a special victory celebration with missionary Gregg Fort. Our church supports him through our Cooperative Program giving. Gregg worked with an older man named Sungwa (say SUNG-wah). Sungwa practiced witchcraft until the day he accepted Christ. He threw out all the charms and potions and things he used in witchcraft. But evil spirits came and whispered to him: If you are baptized, you will die! Word got out that the witch doctor would be baptized as a Christian, and a big crowd appeared to see if the spirits would indeed kill Sungwa. Sungwa went bravely into the water and was dipped under. As he came up, he stood silent for a moment. Everyone stared. A big smile spread across Sungwa s face, and he began singing in a loud voice, Praise the Lord! I was bound by the chains of Satan, but I ve been set free! Praise the Lord! Sungwa was celebrating his victory! We Christians know that God will defeat Satan and evil spirits every time. As we pray for Gregg let s also pray that people will experience God s power for themselves as they come in faith to Jesus Christ. Pray the celebrations never stop!

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79 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: September 30 Omar and Cindy Vargas PEMBROKE PINES, FLORIDA Today we want to pray for one of our North American church planters who is starting a new church in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Now, quick who knows where Pembroke Pines is? Well, it s not nearly as well known as Miami or Fort Lauderdale, but Pembroke Pines is right between these two betterknown places and farther inland from the Atlantic. It s a city of more than 150,000 people and has big problems with drugs, gangs, crime and alcohol abuse. Omar Vargas, our church planter, knew about these kinds of needs in South Florida because this is where he grew up. He says people have many needs but they need the gospel of Christ most of all. Starting a church is only one of Omar s jobs. He also teaches the Bible at a Christian high school. Today, let s pray for Omar, his wife, Cindy, and their family as he stretches his hours and his commitment to start a new church. Our church is supporting him and his ministry through our Cooperative Program giving.

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81 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: October 7 Nikki Kirby PICAYUNE, MISSISSIPPI Today we want to pray for one of our missionaries who has an interesting ministry. Keep in mind our church supports her work through our Cooperative Program giving. Nikki Kirby lives in Mississippi, but she travels all over the United States to lead Lay Renewal events. Lay Renewal ministry aims to revive a church by ministering directly to the laity; it is often a weekend event. The goal is for lay people in the church to become more focused on God s leadership and more involved in ministering for Him. A whole team of lay people will visit a church, sharing their testimonies about how they are serving in the church. Churches who sponsor a Lay Renewal weekend usually become more energized toward service and involvement in kingdom-focused ministries. Nikki often leads teams on renewal weekends in faith-based drug and alcohol rehab centers around the country. They have seen lives restored because of God s grace. Let s pray for Nikki and the many who work in Lay Renewal ministry. North America s need for the gospel is so great that we need all our churches active and figuring out how to serve Jesus more.

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83 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: October 14 Mike and Jennifer Brungardt BOGOTA, COLOMBIA Venezuela has been in turmoil for years with riots, food shortages and many other problems. The situation has deteriorated to the extent that by 2016 the last Southern Baptist missionaries were forced to leave. Today we are going to pray for two of our missionaries, Mike and Jennifer Brungardt, who serve in Colombia, the country next door to Venezuela. Mike and Jennifer invited Venezuelan Baptist leaders to come to Bogota, the capital of Colombia, to talk about help. The Venezuelans did have some sad stories about their lives these days. But there were also amazing stories about what God was doing for them amid their tragic situation. Mike and Jennifer provided tracts to help the Baptists witness, and they provided seeds so they could grow food to eat. Today can we pray for Mike and Jennifer, our missionaries we support through the Cooperative Program? And can we pray for all the Christians, especially our Baptist colleagues, who are having such a hard time there in Venezuela.

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85 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: October 21 Deirdre Claman SOUTH ASIA All over the world our missionaries look for persons of peace whom they can lead to Christ and then disciple so they can lead others to faith. That s what our missionary in South Asia, Deidre Claman, prayed for recently. Soon after that prayer request, she met a woman named Angela at the daycare center where her son went every day. Angela also sent her son there. The two women talked and became friends. One day Angela was coming to Deidre s home for the first time. Deidre asked friends to pray for the visit. During the visit, Deidre shared about the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. She also told of forgiveness and her experience of being free from the burden of sin. Angela responded! In fact, she said, I am being changed as you speak! Today let s thank God for missionaries like Deidre who go to very difficult areas like South Asia to share the gospel. Our church supports her through the Cooperative Program. And let s ask that Angela can really become a person of peace who will know Christ and share Him with her people.

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87 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: October 28 Darryl and Veronica Brunson LIVINGSTON, MONTANA Montana is a beautiful state filled with mountains, rivers and wildlife. But only one in 10 people in the state know Jesus, so most people there don t praise God for Montana s beauty. Today we want to pray for Darryl and Veronica Brunson, two of our North American missionaries, who moved to Livingston, Montana, to start a new church. Our church is supporting them through our Cooperative Program giving. Before actually launching the church plant, Darryl and Veronica started by getting to know the town and its needs. They serve with two local food ministries, and they try to meet people around town every day. They re even going to work part time so they can get to know more people. Let s pray that God will bless the Brunsons as they serve Him there in Montana and grant that a strong new church will grow. Let s pray that through the Brunsons thousands of people will come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and understand that the beauty around them in Montana came straight from Almighty God.

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89 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: November 4 Cody and Carla Ridge DEAF PEOPLES We want everyone to hear the gospel, but what about Deaf people? How can they hear? Today we are going to pray for two missionaries, Cody and Carla Ridge, who share the gospel through sign language. They work with Deaf people. There are millions of Deaf people around the world and for years now we have sent missionaries to share the gospel with them. We support them through our church s Cooperative Program giving. There are different kinds of sign language overseas, just as there are different spoken languages. Amita (say ah-meet-ah) was a deaf woman Cody and Carla knew who came to faith in Christ. She went to a meeting of deaf women and signed to them about her new faith. The women reacted harshly. They grew angry and actually attacked Amita. When Carla talked to her, Amita was still hurt and was weeping. Carla told her about how Jesus was beaten before He was taken to the cross to die. Amita signed that she was going to stay with her new faith. Today can we pray for Cody and Carla, our missionaries who have a special ministry of sharing the gospel with the Deaf.

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91 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: November 11 David and Kathy Britton PUEBLO, COLORADO What comes to mind when you hear someone talking about Colorado? Snow skiing? The Rocky Mountains? Cowboys? Well, all of those are in Colorado, but this morning think of it as a mission field where people need to hear the gospel. Today we re going to pray for David and Kathy Britton who serve in and around Pueblo, Colorado. They work with the Royal Gorge Baptist Association, which has 23 churches, most of them small. The Brittons help figure out how the members of those churches can get out of their buildings and share the gospel. They have come up with all sorts of events for that. One is a big barbecue they call the Beast Feast. They recruited volunteers to set up a baby changing station at the Colorado State Fair, so Baptist folks could share the gospel with young families. They help set up programs to tutor kids in school and help people distribute witnessing horseshoes at rodeos which are often held in Colorado. David and Kathy are self-funded missionaries sent to Colorado by our North American Mission Board. Though self-funded, Cooperative Program giving helped make the arrangements for them to serve in Colorado. Let s pray for them now.

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93 MISSISSIPPI HIGHLIGHT: November 18 Floyd and Christian Steverson PEARL, MISSISSIPPI Metro Grace Community Church was birthed from a heart-felt burden to reach the unchurched and lost people of the Jackson Metro Area. In our demographic research, we found that over 70% of our target area in general was unchurched. In many of the newer neighborhoods which consisted of mostly younger families, we found 85-90% were unchurched. And the most shocking statistic of all was that our multi-family housing communities were 96-97% unchurched. We felt an overwhelming call to plant a church that would reach out in love to those who need Christ, and to specifically reach those that would not be comfortable in a traditional church setting. Our Vision is to be a church known for it's unconditional love, authentic worship, and selfless and compassionate service. God has blessed us tremendously in our church planting journey! We have seen many people come to faith in Christ and witnessed wonderful life transformations! But, we could not have done it alone. Much of our early success has been in large part due to the support we've received from the Mississippi Baptist Convention's 242 Church Planting Network and the financial support given through the Margaret Lackey State Mission Offering and the Cooperative Program. We simply could not do what God has called us to do without the faithful support of Mississippi Baptists like you!

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95 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: November 25 Jeff and Jessica Vanderford TUSCON, ARIZONA Today we re going to Tucson (say TOO-sahn), a desert city in southern Arizona, where more than half a million people live. This is a big mission field because only about four percent of those people are evangelical believers. That means about 96 percent of the population has no relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, there are just a handful of Biblebelieving churches to share the gospel, so many, many churches are needed. That s why we are happy that Jeff and Jessica Vanderford moved to Tucson in 2014 and started Authentic Life Church. They are our missionaries because we support them through our church s Cooperative Program giving, and we want to pray for them today. Jeff and Jessica have set up home groups to help their church reach people in several neighborhoods. For Sunday worship they are still meeting in a local high school not far off Interstate 10, just south of downtown. Today let us pray for Jeff and Jessica and their two sons as they serve in this dry and spiritually dry place. Let s pray that their first church will grow and that many other new churches will follow!

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97 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: December 2 Jonathan and Mia Jaffery AFRICA Today we re going to pray for Jonathan and Mia Jaffery who serve in one of the African countries. They are our missionaries because our church supports them through our church s Cooperative Program giving. Jonathan and Mia lead a discipleship course that teaches new Christians what it means to be a Christian, according to what the Bible teaches. After one of the lessons on witnessing, a woman stood up and wept openly. She said she had not witnessed in earlier times. She could neither read nor write, and every time she started to tell someone about Jesus, she said Satan would whisper in her ear that nobody wanted to hear what she had to say because she just wasn t smart enough. But after the training, she said, she had confidence to talk to anyone. Friends, we do not even know the name of that woman, but let s pray for her today. Let s pray the Holy Spirit will work through her in such a powerful way that many would come to faith in Christ. And let s pray for our missionaries, Jonathan and Mia. Their slow and patient work will be rewarded in the days ahead as many more people hear that Jesus loves them.

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99 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: December 9 Tim Kunkel SOUTH AMERICA Sometimes when we look at people, we see just categories poor, rich, old. But we should see people as Jesus did as people needing to be born again. Today we want to pray for one of our missionaries in South America who has learned to see every person as a potential new Christian. His name is Tim Kunkel, and our church supports him through our Cooperative Program giving. Tim tells about seeing two men rummaging through trash in front of his apartment building. He started talking to them. They talked of dreams, families and how they barely made a living by selling stuff other people had thrown away. When they asked Tim what he does for a living, he told them he is a missionary who tells people how to be saved. He was a sinner, he said, but he was saved by God s grace. He explained that they, too, could be reconciled to God through Christ. Neither man accepted Christ that day, but often it takes several talks about the gospel before hearts are changed. We expect a missionary like Tim to tell people about Jesus. When we see people through missionary eyes, we ll do the same.

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101 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: December 16 Victoria Koontz SOUTH ASIA We re going to South Asia today to pray for a missionary who serves there a missionary our church supports through the Cooperative Program. We ll call her Victoria Koontz. Victoria tells about meeting a woman named Naomi. Now, Naomi had a hard life. She was born into a Muslim family and so was Muslim. She had a disfigured face and felt that nobody loved or accepted her for who she was. But one of her friends was a Christian and that friend told her the good news that God loves her and sent His Son to die that she might have eternal life. That same friend invited her to church. The Christians in the group welcomed her warmly. They accepted her. Later Naomi also became a follower of Jesus Christ. Folks, that ought to make us stand up and cheer! All over this planet our missionaries are seeing lives renewed as people learn the biblical truth that God loves them and has a plan for their lives. Today, let s pray for Victoria. And let s pray for Naomi, that she will become a faithful witness to her Muslim family and friends.

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103 MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: December 23 Josh and Meghan Baylor EUROPE Good news we re going to Europe today! But we re not going to the pretty places they show in the travel ads. We re going to a continent where very few people know Jesus Christ as more than a curse word and where new evangelical churches are needed desperately. Josh and Meghan Baylor are missionaries we support through our Cooperative Program missions support system. Missionaries cannot personally share the gospel with everyone who needs to hear, rather they train local people who have come to faith in Christ. Some of these God will call as pastors and leaders. That s what happened with Peter, a man Josh and Meghan led to Christ. About a year later, in 2016, God called Peter to start a church in a nearby community. Peter, his wife and eight others began visiting, sharing the gospel and holding Bible studies. Within three months this new group held their first worship service, and 30 people attended. In Europe, East or West, this is unusual success to celebrate. Today let s pray for Josh and Meghan and for this new pastor and the many others our missionaries will enlist and train, first as disciples of Christ and then as leaders in kingdom work.

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